Never give up

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Live long, live well”

Our Bible verse for today: “Even to your old age and grey hairs, Jim, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I will sustain you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4 (The Bible according to Jim)

Our thought for today: “Never give up”

Those of you who know me well know that I’m a big fan of “life verses”. A life verse is a verse or passage of Scripture which speaks to you personally in a powerful way and which you hang onto and rely on for guidance and encouragement. Proverbs 3:5-6 is my primary life verse (passage). Matthew 11:28-30 is another. John 15:5 and Galatians 5:22-23 are two others. Isaiah 46:4 (which I have made a little more personal by inserting my name into it), is another that has become increasingly important to me as I have aged.

A key to living long and living well is strong faith and perseverance. It’s a matter of doing your best to do the right thing moment-by-moment, and then continuing to just walk it forward, step-by-step, day-by-day. Pastor and author Eugene Peterson once referred to it as “a long obedience in the same direction.”

But living that way requires strong faith in the goodness, watch-care, and provision of God. That’s especially true when we’re faced with trials and challenges, and it is especially true when we are attempting something that will take a long time to accomplish. You must lean into it, push forward, and just keep going.

That’s certainly true with respect to living long and living well. The longer you live the more challenges you will face. Also, the longer you live the more effort it will take to live well. Taking good care of yourself physically, mentally/emotionally, and spiritually requires daily and lifelong discipline. Doing so makes us strong and builds endurance for the long haul. Nineteenth-century preacher and author Smith Wigglesworth expressed it this way, “Great faith is a product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.”

Life is hard. Living it well and living it long requires discipline and perseverance. If we are going to one day get to the days of old age and grey hairs, and get there in relatively good shape, we will need to be walking closely with God, relying heavily on Him, and also doing our part to take proper care of ourselves moment-by-moment, and day-by-day.

My encouragement to all of us this morning is just do the next right thing – keep going and never give up!

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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