Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “The fear of not having enough”
Our Bible verse for today: “But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. Then after three years I did go to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him 15 days.” Galatians 1:15-18 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Changes take time.”
Yesterday we read about how God brought Paul to a pivot point in his life and it ultimately changed everything for him. If you’re familiar with Paul’s story then you know he went on to become a mighty man of God and he spent the rest of his life doing tremendous work for the cause of Christ. Paul ended up becoming a man who feared little, worried about little, and trusted God for everything.
But although that moment on the road to Damascus was a strategic pivot point for Paul, and it did launch him in a new direction in life with a new understanding of what’s really important and what isn’t, the change itself was a process which played out progressively over many years in his life. The pivot point was only the beginning. What we read about in Galatians 1:15-18 is Paul’s description of what happened after that pivot point moment. Although the change in Paul began immediately, and there were observable changes in him, he needed more than three years of quiet learning and growth before the big effects of the change began to show.
This is often true in our lives too. We come to moments of sudden insight or awakening which result in new understanding or a new direction, and there are usually immediate and observable impacts, but the real change will play out over the long term.
When it comes to having victory over the fear of not having enough, the first step is to embrace the truth that God is your Provider and Sustainer and that He is Sovereign over all the events of your life. Additionally, you believe that He wants to and will add His unlimited capacity to your limited capacity in order to accomplish what He wants accomplished. That’s the starting place, embracing that truth.
But then you must begin the long process of doing your part, and that will usually take time – sometimes a lot of time. Your part could be to learn better money handling disciplines and then incorporate them into your life over the long term. Or it may involve learning a new skill so you can get a better job. Or it could require that you take better care of yourself by eating better and exercising so that your overall health will improve. Or perhaps you need to establish a pattern of regular daily spiritual disciplines in your life to facilitate spiritual growth (this is what Paul had to do after Damascus). Whatever it is that you fear you don’t have enough of, there is something that you need to do about it. God will do His part to bring you to a new place in life but you have to do your part too.
The pivot point is the starting place. From there you have to commit yourself to walking it forward and doing your part.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 