Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “The fear of not having enough”
Our Bible verse for today: “Not that I have already reached the goal, or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “It might be time for a pivot point in your life.”
In Philippians 3:12 Paul was referring to a time in his life when everything changed. We read about it in Acts chapter nine. Paul (then known as Saul the Pharisee) was on the road to Damascus to continue his persecution of Christians. But suddenly he had an encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus and it changed everything. Paul’s heart was captured by Jesus Christ and the entire trajectory of his life changed. From that moment on Paul was passionately committed to growing in his relationship with Christ, and he was committed to spending the rest of his life serving Christ. Jesus had taken a hold of him, and Paul took a hold of Jesus.
What happened to Paul on the road to Damascus was what Jack Alexander refers to as a “pivot point”. It was a moment of realization that changed everything for Paul.
In his book “The God Guarantee: Finding Freedom from the Fear of Not Having Enough” Jack explains that at various times each of us arrives at pivot points in life. These times change our understanding of things in some deep and meaningful way. They launch us into a new endeavor, or they set us off in a new direction, or they provide us with a new and fresh understanding of something important.
Although these moments of realization which result in pivot points can come to us in many forms and about different things, Jack tells the story of his own pivot point which ultimately led to the writing of his book. As I told you earlier, Jack was a successful and wealthy businessman. But like so many other wealthy and successful people, he still worried about not having enough. He worried about stock prices, and investment performance, and retirement accounts, and much more, and therefore he felt he needed to cling to and guard what he had.
But when he finally came to the point of full consecration to the Lord, surrendering all that he had and all that he was to God to be used as He wished and for His purposes, Jack experienced a new sense of freedom and security he never knew existed.
From that moment on the trajectory of Jack’s life changed. He still pursued his business interests, and he continued to make lots of money, but he held it all loosely and used much of it for God’s glory and to bless others. Once he passed through that pivot point the quality of Jack’s life improved measurably – not in material ways but in spiritual and emotional ways. He discovered he had much more peace and a greater sense of security than ever before. His trust was completely in God, not in stocks and bonds and investments.
You probably don’t have the kind of wealth that Jack has and therefore you could be tempted to believe you can’t have the same sense of peace and security that he has. And you would be wrong. That sense of peace and security doesn’t come from the stocks and the bonds and the investments. It comes from God. And although you might not have the same wealth that Jack has, you do have the same God that Jack has. And therefore the same peace and security is available to you.
Is it time for a pivot point in your life? Do you need to change your thinking, your understanding, your direction? Spend some extra time today allowing God to speak to you about this.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 