Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Excellence”
Our Bible verse for today: “Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Just keep moving forward.”
The Apostle Paul had a lot in his past that he surely regretted. In an earlier chapter of his life he had been known as the Pharisee Saul and he was the biggest enemy of the Christian faith. As such, he made it the passionate purpose of his life to persecute Christians by hunting them down, having them beaten and imprisoned, and sometimes even killed. A lot of people suffered because of Saul.
But, the past was past and there was nothing he could do to change it. All he could do was draw a line in the sand and move forward, resolved that he would be a better man than he had been. Paul’s focus was forward, on the things God had called him to do for the cause of Christ.
That needs to be true of us too. Many people live life shackled to the past. Regrets over past actions become like an anchor which holds them back and prevents them from moving forward towards better things and better days. To live a life that is “excellent” in the eyes of God we must be focused on the present and moving forward into the future. Ours is to be a life of learning and growing, a life of ongoing transformation as we progressively, day-by-day, become more and more like Jesus.
That being the case, as we assess ourselves (and others), we need to consider how much change for the better has already occurred. Henry Ward Beecher once wrote, “We should not judge people (or ourselves) by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started.”
There’s an old saying that goes, “I may not be the person I want to be, but thank God I’m not the person I used to be.” It’s true that you aren’t perfect, none of us are, but you do need to recognize how much change has already taken place in your life.
And then, be sure you’re actively and intentionally doing the things every day that place you in a position before God whereby He can continue to mold you and shape you into the man or woman He wants you to be. Spiritual growth, and the resulting transformation, is a process that unfolds little by little over time. As long as that is occurring, you should stop being so hard on yourself. Focus on where you’re headed, not where you’ve been.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 