Trust God and keep moving forward

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”

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: “Trust God and keep moving forward”

I love mementos. I always have. Mementos are items which remind us of something special. As I sit here right now in my office at home, I am surrounded by mementos. Just to mention a few, there is the shadow box and various articles from my career in the Navy. Off to my right, up on a shelf, I see a carved soap-stone statue I bought in Mombasa, Kenya in 1985. There are bows, arrows, and spears from deep in the Amazon Jungle. There is a small carved wooden treasure chest from Haiti; a coffee mug from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.; many family pictures spanning decades; and of course, books, books, and more books.

Each of those mementos reminds me of something special and I love to sit here and savor the memories associated with the mementos. But there is one that is especially meaningful and helpful to me. It is a small rustic wooden box just 4 inches x 4 inches x 2 inches high. Inside it contains two things – a small brass compass and a brass medallion with the inscription, “Life is a journey not a destination.” It sits on the corner of my desk within my line of sight because I want to see it and be reminded of that truth frequently.

It’s an important perspective. Each day is another gift of life from God and it is another day on my journey through this world towards my real home in heaven. But as I approach each day, I realize that it is filled with unknowns. We never know for sure what a day will bring and therefore we must walk forward into it in faith.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is my primary life-verse. It is how I try to approach every day – seeking God, framing everything I see and hear in the context of a Biblical perspective, striving to stay in the center of His will, and then trusting Him to lead me – even when I don’t understand and even when the way forward seems uncertain. Then, if I combine Proverbs 3:5-6 with the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 (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), I have confidence and an eager expectation of adventure and discovery. My goal is to simply trust God and keep moving forward.

That truth has been especially important and helpful for me in the months since my wife Linda died. This has been the hardest season of life I have ever experienced. Even at this point, almost nine months later, I still approach most days by simply putting one foot in front of the other and walking it forward, trusting the Lord to lead me. The future is unclear and uncertain – I don’t know what it holds. But I do know that God is sovereign over it and that I can trust Him.

For all of us, whatever the situation is, the answer is always the same – trust God and keep moving forward.

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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