| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Honor God and just live your life” I’m currently reading Eugene Peterson’s book, “Traveling Light: Galatians and the free life in Christ.” It’s a life application commentary on the book of Galatians and it is all about deep discipleship. It’s about learning to live free and live well in Christ. In one part of the book Peterson examines the early life of Abraham to discover how he learned to live a life of faith and trust. The short answer is, “He just did it.” That’s all, he just did it. He made a decision to trust God and then he simply lived as if he did trust God. Writing about the scene in Genesis chapter twelve, where God called Abraham to leave his home in Haran and travel to a new land that Abraham knew nothing of, Peterson offers this observation: “Can you find any arrows painted in the wilderness into which Abraham ventured? Did he have a rule-book that showed him step by step what he must do to please God? Did he have an AAA map which showed all the best hotels and oasis rest stops between Ur and Canaan? No, he lived by faith. He was living in response to God, obeying God, consulting God, being changed by God, being challenged by God, growing in relationship to God, listening to God, praising God, believing God.” Peterson goes on: “Did Abraham have a twenty-year plan with carefully defined objectives as he launched his important career as father of the faithful? No, there were delays, interruptions, detours, failures. He didn’t do it all correctly – he didn’t live without doubt or sin or despair – but he did it. He followed and confessed and prayed and believed. God was alive for him. God was the center for him. Abraham’s example is instructive for us. We don’t live life by following a detailed roadmap. Instead, we live by faith. And the deeper our faith is, the better we live. God has given us slightly more guidance than Abraham had (we have the Bible), but still, it’s not a detailed roadmap – it’s more like guardrails intended to keep us on the right path. When it comes to living a life of deep discipleship, Solomon gives us some of the best advice found anywhere in the Bible. It comes in Proverbs 3:5-6 where we are told to trust in the Lord with all our heart, looking to Him, seeking to honor Him, staying within the guardrails set up by the Bible, and then trusting Him for the rest. Just put one foot in front of the other, make the best God-honoring decisions you can, and then just live your life. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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“it’s not a detailed roadmap – it’s more like guardrails intended to keep us on the right path.”
That is so very true! Good words to share with others. Thank you.
Thank you for the encouraging feedback Jo!