Head down as I punch this clock /The hours roll they never stop/And I can’t ever seem to get ahead…. Got me wondering where’s my promised land? TobyMac – Promised Land

First, Bubba turns 13 coming up in March! We’re getting old, and we are so grateful that he is too! I know I wrote last that I would never forget his 11th year and the 12th and 13th won’t be forgotten either but for all kinds of different reasons. Also, I started writing this post about 9 months ago (cringe worthy for sure).

Seasons come and go and but it seems our struggles sometimes stay the same. A tiring walk for sure. Especially when you need a new perspective. We pursue and pursue but for what? Our benefit and improvement, but is it for the glory of God? Hard to stake my life on that every day.

We still don’t attend church in person anywhere, but we do listen to Chris Spires at First Baptist Murrells Inlet. He has been preaching sermons on family and our purpose to glorify God for the last year. Some of my thoughts here are directly credited to his recent preaching and are my reflection on his words.

Aside, if you need some God inspired truth and Gospel preaching in your life, check him out on Facebook Live or down on the coast. He never ceases to preach truth from the perspective of a sinner and a family man seeking to honor God.

God is our promise and glorifying him is our purpose, no matter our circumstances. The incredible part, when we do, we live a fulfilled life that leads to his infinitely better plan for our lives than anything we could come up with.

I have now changed jobs twice in the last two years. The first time was to ensure I could continue working from home post-covid. The most recent (new job starts next week) was for a better set of circumstances that I hope gives my family more freedom and some choice for Morgan that she so deserves.

I could never have imagined this path and it has not been easy and will continue to have its challenges, I’m sure. It has wrenched out some long held garbage behavior and truth.

This is our promise, God will work in us when we submit to his glory. You read that right. The pain and challenges of life are part of God’s glory. Feel that and know its power in your life. Challenges in life remind us of our dependence of His grace. Our promised land is not here and this is not our home. He will carry through and provide along the way. He will give us rest for our journey.

Friends of ours, James McManus the pastor at Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church here in Winnsboro, and his wife suggested The Little Pilgrim’s Progress to read with our kids. We do a devotion every night before bed and the last book we were reading ran out back at Christmas, so we’ve started on this book. It’s a great adaptation of the original The Pilgrim’s Progress. Animals instead of people but the same good lessons of forgiveness, perseverance, grace and real joy.

Same aside as above, James is truth preaching pastor, if you’re looking for some of that, check him out and they live stream too.

It is a fantastic illustration of God’s care for all of His children and pilgrims as they journey on towards His kingdom. It portrays this journey in the very real terms of temptation to take what looks like the easy road and the consequences of straying from care of the King.

The thing that has stuck with me between Chris’s sermons and this book with my kids is that we must change and learn constantly. It reminds me of a truth I have long known but probably not taken to heart nearly enough. When we choose Jesus, we choose to let him change us and to pound out the imperfections and sin from our lives until that day we arrive at the gates of eternity.

This life is not guaranteed to be easy because we choose Jesus. But it is promised to end in glory. That is our promised land, that is why our eyes should be fixed upon Him who gives us what we need as we travel.