What’s holding you back?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “A fresh start in a new year”

Our Bible verse for today: “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 3:13-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “What’s holding you back?”

Before I became a pastor I had a career in the U.S. Navy. Early in my career (long before I became a Christian), there was a common saying that was popular among us young sailors and which we would challenge each other with. If a man was holding back and making excuses for not doing something he was supposed to do or which he needed to do, we would sarcastically ask him, “Well, what’s holding you back? I don’t see an anchor tied to your rear-end!” (Okay, we were sailors, and we were young, and we were not Christians, so the language we really used was a bit cruder and more colorful but I think you get the picture.)

The point is that we often make excuses and we talk ourselves out of doing the things we need to do when we should just be moving forward.

Philippians 4:13 is an important passage that teaches an important principle. Paul’s focus was forward-looking. He was aware of his past and he didn’t forget the painful lessons he had learned from past failures. But he didn’t make excuses and he didn’t allow past failures to hold him back from moving forward with God’s plan for his life and from becoming a better man today than he was yesterday.

Perhaps you have tried to lose weight before – many times, and you either failed or you quickly gained it back. So, you doubt you will be successful this time. Or maybe the same is true of better financial management practices. Or … maybe lots of things. The point is that we often allow our past failures and our excuses to hold us back from moving forward into a better future.

But Paul didn’t. The past and all its sorrows, regrets, and failures, was past. He wasn’t going to allow the past to steal his future. There’s a lot of wisdom in the old saying, “Try, try, and try again.” And how about this one: “Nothing is over until you give up!” And then there’s the great Biblical truth shared by Paul in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at that proper time if we don’t give up.”

So, what’s holding you back?

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are 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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