Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A prosperous life”
Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Seek God’s will rather than your own.”
I grew up in New Jersey, about 30 miles outside of New York City, and so I was a fan of all the New York sports teams. Bobby Richardson played second base for the Yankees from 1955 to 1966 and he was one of my boyhood sports heroes. I liked Bobby because he was such an enthusiastic spark plug of a player. He loved playing the game, he gave 100% effort all the time, he was a very good baseball player, and he was also a nice person – a good role model for a young boy like me.
Bobby Richardson was also a committed Christian who spoke openly and boldly about his faith. After he retired from baseball he was a frequent motivational speaker at all sorts of events, especially Christian events like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). At one FCA event Richardson opened with the simple prayer: “Dear God, your will. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.”
That eleven word prayer is a perfect description of the kind of life God will bless – a life that is fully committed to knowing and doing His will. If your genuine desire is to know God’s will for your life, and then you are obedient to it, you can count on His abundant blessings.
This is what the Lord was telling us through the words of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11. He has a good plan for each of us. When it’s His plan that is playing out in our lives, we will be living the best life we could possibly have. That might not mean that God will shower you with the riches of Solomon (although He can if He wants to), but it will mean that God will move in your life to accomplish His purposes in and through you. And since God’s will is perfect, and since He loves you more than you can possibly begin to understand, when you are in the center of His will you will be living the best life you could ever have.
Today is Monday. As you begin this new week why not start it out by making Bobby’s prayer your own? “Dear God, your will. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.” Then watch to see what He does in and through you. If you consistently seek God’s will rather than your own and you will end up with the best life you could possibly have.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 