Changed and getting better

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”

Our Bible verse for today: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Changed and getting better”

The other night I had dinner with a man I have been visiting in prison for more than five years. However, this time we were in a restaurant in Crossville, rather than in the visitor’s center of the prison. He is a free man – out of prison and ready to putt his life back together. He is middled-aged now and has had a lifetime of substance abuse, crime, and time in jails and prisons. But that was then, this is now. He is a changed man.

During this stint in prison my friend truly surrendered his life to Christ. He became involved in Bible studies; attended multiple worship services every week; and he became a certified “Peer Recovery Counselor” with a paid job in the prison serving as a counselor to other prisoners who were attempting to overcome substance abuse and turn their lives around. Also, our church paid his tuition so he could participate in a special correspondence Bible college program. He has now completed more than two-thirds of his Associates Degree in Biblical Studies and he will continue that course of study now that he is out of prison.

My friend has turned his life around. But like the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 (above) he will be the first to tell you that he is far from perfect. He is not perfect but he is changed, and he is headed in the right direction, and he is getting a little bit better every day. There’s a lot of truth in the old saying, “I know I’m not yet the man I should be, but thank God I’m no longer the man I used to be.”

That truth pertains to all of us. None of us are perfect. We are all works in progress. If we’re doing it right, then every day we grow a little more in our spiritual maturity and therefore, we are a little better today than we were yesterday. But still, none of us has arrived yet. Not one of is the person we are intended by God to be and we won’t be that person until the day we arrive in heaven.

An important part of the adventure of living the Christian life is the never-ending opportunity for spiritual growth – to be just a little better today than you were yesterday.

We will think more about this in the days to come. For this morning, spend some time reflecting on what you used to be like and how much the Holy Spirit has changed you. Then give God thanks for the changes He has made in you. You may not be perfect, but you should be changed and getting better. It’s part of the adventure of living the Christian 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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