Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul”
Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “The soul needs times of renewal”
As I write this I’m nearing the end of a short time of vacation. The year that just passed was unusual in the amount of stress and pressure and difficult problems it included. Also, the sheer pace of life and the amount of daily busyness was intense. And so I was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually running on fumes. It was time to shut down for a while. My soul needed rest.
But I know my life is really no different from yours. Many of you live at an even faster pace and your pressures are greater. You need soul-care just as much as I do, even if that doesn’t involve an actual vacation at the moment. That’s why I’ve decided to continue our study of taking care of the soul for an additional month. Writing the devotionals on this topic has been helpful and therapeutic for me personally, and many of you have said they have been helpful for you as well. That’s also why I’ve used this passage from Psalm 23 again – because it so beautifully describes what the Lord calls us to, and what He does for us. He calls us to stop with Him, to rest, and to be restored.
We live in a world today that presents special challenges to those of us committed to taking care of our souls. The pace of life, the constant pressures and demands, the noise and distractions, can all have a detrimental effect on the interior landscape of the soul. We have to be careful. We have to be intentional. We have to guard our soul.
This is not just true for pastors. Yes, a healthy church will need to have a healthy pastor. But a healthy church must also have healthy church members. Those who study church life in the USA are becoming increasingly aware of the truth that the central and most important issue for a church is not growth but health. While it’s true that numerical growth will often be an outgrowth of spiritual health, it’s truer still that having a small number of spiritually healthy people is more important and more meaningful than a large number of spiritually sick people. A large church full of spiritually sick people is just that – a large church full of spiritually sick people. Health is what matters most.
The soul needs times of renewal. And so together we’ll spend an additional month devotionally exploring ways to help us all achieve a healthy and well cared for soul.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 