Good morning everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Living with Joy”
Our Bible verse for today: “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel.” Philippians 1:12 (CSB)
Our thought for today: “We just have to deal with it”
This morning, I want to return us to our thinking from yesterday as we considered the important lesson Paul teaches in Philippians 1:12 regarding finding opportunity in our times of crises and difficulties. In 1:12 Paul begins to explain how it was that he was using his unfortunate circumstances to further his goals. Essentially, he was saying, “In life stuff happens. We just have to deal with it.”
One of the best books I’ve ever read which helped me to appreciate this important truth is John Maxwell’s “Failing Forward”. A crisis can come in many different forms. It can come as the result of sickness, or a natural disaster, or in the form of sudden unemployment, or for many other reasons. A crisis can be caused by many things but one of the most common sources is personal failure. We’ve made a mistake, or we have in some way failed, and that sparked a crisis in our life.
Maybe you were unfaithful to your spouse and the result was a divorce. Maybe you really screwed up at work and got yourself fired. Maybe you committed a crime and now you’re facing jail time. Personal failure is one of the most common causes of a crisis in life and for many people it becomes a crushing blow that they never fully recover from. But that is always unnecessary. There’s nothing that God can’t fix in our lives if we will bring it to Him. True, we failed. But we can fail forward. Our failure can be a stepping stone that makes us better and moves us forward.
The whole point of Maxwell’s book is that life is a constant series of failures. Success is built on failure, and most successful people have succeeded because they overcame their failures and they weren’t afraid to keep trying until they did. Successful people know that failure is an inevitable part of life – nobody gets it right all the time. But every failure is an opportunity to learn and grow so you can then get back at it and do better the next time.
Failure is just one form of crisis in life but it is probably the most common. In Paul’s case he was in prison for sharing his faith, but whatever the cause of the difficult circumstances you’re facing, the principle that applies is that obstacles can lead to opportunities. In the middle of your crisis, there may be an opportunity waiting to be taken advantage of.
In life stuff happens. But as bad as it might be, we can deal with it in a positive way that makes us better and leads us 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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