When I was in college, my dad was selected by our denomination to help lead the nearly 300 churches in the area of Texas where we lived. He succeeded Rev. J. B. Linney, a gentleman who had served in that role with excellence for a number of years.
Bro. Linney had a statement he used to always say, regardless of the situation. When he retired, he used it in his closing address to the ministers gathered at that meeting. His statement was this…
“There are better days ahead!”
Now that makes sense if we’re facing tough times. We want hope. We need a ray of sunshine. We want to see a light at the end of the tunnel which is not an oncoming locomotive.
But it doesn’t instantly make sense if times are great. When we feel well-compensated, healthy and loved, who thinks it could get any better? J. B. Linney, that’s who. Bro. Linney understood that God is limited to the good things we enjoy right now, but He has even greater things in store for us. He has greater joy… greater love… greater peace… greater provision… greater blessings of all kinds waiting on us.
I hear people say that high school was the best time of their life. Or they say their best years were their college years. Or they say the day they got married was the greatest day of their life. And that’s a little sad to me. It’s as if they have given up hope for the future to be better than the past.
Don’t get me wrong… I loved my time in college. And I am so glad for the day when PR31 said “I do,” to me. I’m thankful for the privileges we have had to serve in the incredible churches and ministries during life so far. And I am grateful beyond words for the generosity of the Lord in providing for us to this point in life.
But my best days are not behind me! I’m with J. B. Linney… “There are better days ahead!” No matter how tough life is, or how terrific life is… There are better days ahead! I haven’t written my best blog post or book yet. My marriage is getting better every day. I’m even more proud of our boys every day. We haven’t seen our families largest income, and thus our largest ability to give, yet. We still have great friends to make. And when I breathe my last breath on this planet, guess what… there will still be better days ahead for me, as I get to spend the rest of eternity in closer proximity to Jesus! As awesome as our life has been, there are better days ahead for us!
And the good news is that your best days are still ahead of you if you commit them to the Lord. Choose today to enjoy good memories of the past, but to also realize there is so much more to look forward to. Today is going to be better than yesterday. And tomorrow will top today.
Thanks for the life lesson, Bro. Linney! I’m with you!!!
Hope everyone has a terrific weekend!
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