| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets … it returns to the place where it rises.” Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Take the long view” The other day I read about a young man who dismissed the advice of his grandfather with the statement, “Grandpa, you’re too old to understand my problems.” To that the grandfather replied, “Son, you have never been as old as I am; but I have been as young as you are.” Age gives us a different and hopefully better perspective on things. As I’ve aged, I have discovered that my perspective has changed about a lot of things. For one thing, I find myself getting less anxious about events unfolding in the world. I noted in a previous devotional how it is that every generation since the time of Jesus has believed they were living in the last days, and they have all been wrong. That causes me to remember all the times just in my lifetime when high profile Christian leaders were loudly proclaiming the end of time because of this event or that war or the blood moon, or whatever. They were all wrong. So, I find myself less than impressed with today’s claims of the imminent demise of all mankind. Likewise, just in my sixty-nine years of life there have been thirteen U.S. Presidents – seven Republicans and six Democrats. In each case the other side acted like the election results were a disaster for their party and for the country. Yet, we lived through it and in time the political pendulum swung in the other direction, and here we are seventy years later. The same has been true for wars and other conflicts, economic ups and downs, social changes, and so much more. We go up, we go down, the pendulum swings in one direction and then in the other, and life goes on. And life will continue to go on. Until it doesn’t. Until God calls us home to heaven or until He decides enough is enough and it’s time for Jesus to come back. In the meantime, we are to keep our heads; we are to view things horizontally (the long view over the course of years), and vertically (from 30,000 feet – from God’s perspective); and we are to live life. As I noted in yesterday’s devotional, we know what to do. God has told us. We are to lean into life, be on-mission with Jesus in our world, share the Good News of the Gospel, and serve people in His name. King Solomon took the long view of things. That’s what the entire book of Ecclesiastes is about. Life ebbs and flows but always, it moves forward. And Solomon’s conclusion? “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) I encourage you to take the long view of things and trust God for the outcome. 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 |
| Copyright © 2023 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571 |
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Oak Hill Baptist Church 