A couple of weeks ago, I had to take a short trip to west Texas. I do not know if you have ever driven in west Texas, but it is not the prettiest drive. The people are incredible, but the drive can be a little boring and exhausting. As I drove, and followed the navigation directions on my phone, I found myself getting excited when a new turning point was upcoming. I would excitedly tell those riding with me, “Hey, in ten miles, we get to turn. Maybe when we turn, the next part of the trip will not be as bad as this part.” The turning points provided a little needed hope and excitement on the journey.
This is true of life as well. God allows certain turning points in our lives to keep us moving in the direction He has for our lives. Sometimes these turning points are life altering, and sometimes that are simply very small adjustments. Whatever the case, the turning points God allows are always for our good and ultimately for His glory.
As I have been preaching through the book of Genesis, I have discovered it is a book of turning points. Things such as, when sin entered the world, when the flood came, when the nations were scattered, etc. These, and many others, were turning points, both in the book of Genesis and in the history of mankind. God used these turning points to accomplish His purposes. I am sure at the time, these turning points were very difficult for the people living in those days to understand, but for us, looking back, we can see how God used these moments in powerful ways.
This is the case in our lives. We often do not understand what God is doing. Sometimes the turning points that come in our lives are painful, and we cannot see why God would allow such hardship. However, if we trust and walk with Him, over time, we get to see how God used what was hard for something good. Sometimes the turning points are positive though. We like those because they tend to be easier to adjust to and embrace. The goal in this life is to simply trust God. If a turning point is hard, we say, “God, we trust You.” If a turning point is easy, we say, “God, we trust You.” No matter what, we must trust the Lord.
The most important turning point in our lives is when we turn our hearts to God. For me, that happened when I was sixteen years old. I was headed down a dark path and God opened my eyes to His great love and sacrifice. On June 7, 1993, I had the greatest turning point in my life. On that day, I trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. That decision was and forever will be the greatest turning point in my life. I sometimes imagine where I would be had I not had that turning point, and when I do, I simply end up thanking God for intervening in my life.
If you have not had that turning point in your life, I would love to visit with you about it. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God loves you so much, He sent His Son to die in your place and raised from the dead in order that you might have forgiveness of your sins and enter a real relationship with God. That is the first and greatest turning point in all of our lives. Turn to Him and just watch what He will do in and through you!
pastorjfreeman 