Onward into the future

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Onward into the future”

This morning, I want to continue our thinking from yesterday about the importance of having friends – especially a few close friends. In his great book, “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier,” Arthur Brookes says his research revealed that one of the best indicators a person is doing well in life is when they can name several truly close friends. People who have close friends to go through life with generally are better adjusted and happier than those who don’t have close friends.

Brookes also discovered that, “One source of happiness for almost everyone is hope about the future, a sense of life-purpose, and self-esteem.” I personally believe those two revelations work together and they play a role in the way that Jeremiah 29:11 progressively unfolds in a person’s life.

If you understand your God-given purpose in life, and if you have a few close friends with whom you are open, honest, and transparent, and if you share with them your God-given hopes, dreams, and plans for the future, those close friends can then be your cheerleaders and encouragers to help keep your focused and moving forward with God’s plan for your life.

This is critical because God’s plan for us develops over the course of years -indeed, over a lifetime. But life is hard and there are many valleys we have to walk through along the way, many confusing situations we have to deal with. During those times it’s easy to get discouraged and to lose sight of where we’re headed. We might stop moving forward altogether, or we can get sidetracked and wander off in directions God never intended for us.

That’s when those close friends can come alongside and help us to stay on the right path. Because they know us well and since they have insight into how God is working in our lives, they can encourage us and help us to keep moving forward and in the right direction. And, in keeping with our theme for this month, God can use those friends to renew our hope for the future when we ourselves are having trouble seeing it.

God does have a good plan for your life and it is unfolding. He can and will use your close friends to help you see it and to stay focused on it. But for that to happen, you must develop those friendships and you need to share those insights with those friends so they can help you.

God is good; His plan is perfect; and good friends are one of life’s greatest blessings. With Jesus in our heart and with our family and friends by our side, we can move confidently onward into the future.

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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