Making lemonade

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “… it has become known throughout the imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly.” Philippians 1:13-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Making lemonade”

I’m certain Paul did not want to be in prison. There are probably a thousand other places he would rather have been. But he was in prison and there was nothing he could do about it. So rather than sit there sniffling and sniveling, whining about how unfair life is, he looked for the opportunity in the middle of the obstacle and he went to work to take advantage of it.

This reminds me of a young man I worked with some years ago as he tried to recover from a critical mistake and to get his life back on track. He is a fine young Christian man who made a brief mistake by getting caught up in the drug culture. He wasn’t in it for very long, just a couple of years, but it was enough to land him in jail. That’s where I first met him. But after months of visiting and talking, and then working with the Public Defender, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Court, we were able to get him court-ordered into a Bible-based long-term residential drug rehab program.

And he did great. He was a model participant. Before long he was serving as a mentor for other young men in the program. Once he completed the program he was asked to stay on as an intern, with the goal of one day becoming a full staff member. But then out of the blue, a Grand Jury indictment was handed down that related to a crime he had been involved in back in his drug days but which, because of a lengthy investigation that involved numerous other people as well, it took more than a year for the indictment to come out.

So even though he was doing so well, his past reared its ugly head, reached out and grabbed him. Soon he was back in court, and then back in jail. But like Paul, he refused to let his circumstances dictate his attitude. Life handed him lemons, so he was going to make some lemonade there in that county jail. First, he committed himself to serious personal discipleship. Then, once again, he was a model prisoner. And also once again, he served as a mentor to other prisoners and he assisted the jail staff in many ways. Long story short, he completed his jail time, went home, got a job, got married, had children, and he has lived a good life as a law-abiding citizen for many years since then.

In the case of both my young friend and with the Apostle Paul, their circumstances were what they were and there was little they could do to change them. So, they decided to use their circumstances to achieve good things. I know it’s a goofy illustration, but they were making lemonade out of lemons – and you can too. Whatever your difficult circumstances are, you and Jesus together can make lemonade out of those lemons.

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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