| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself” Our Bible verse for today: “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.” Philippians 1:2 (NLT) Our thought for today: “We all need a shot of spiritual joy” Recently at Oak Hill Baptist Church we have begun a Wednesday evening Bible study of the book of Philippians. Philippians is known as “The Epistle (letter) of Joy.” It is filled with positive observations and lots of encouragement. It is by far the most upbeat and joy-inspiring of all the Apostle Paul’s letters in the Bible. Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul to a church that he deeply loved. The Philippian Christians were special to Paul. Acts chapter 16 records how the Holy Spirit had led Paul to cross the Mediterranean Sea and to arrive in Philippi just in time to meet Lydia and some others on the banks of the river. Paul led Lydia to faith in Jesus, making her the first convert ever in all of Europe, and then others soon followed. This led to the founding of the very first Christian church in Europe. Over the following decades, Paul stayed in touch with that church. He visited them on at least two additional occasions, and they in turn prayed for Paul, corresponded with him, supported him financially, and hosted Paul’s friends and ministry partners. The church in Philippi was healthy and robust, and they were special to Paul. Now, as Paul is an old man, incarcerated in Rome and certainly near the end of his life, he wrote this powerful letter of joy and encouragement to his dearly loved church family. For many reasons, Philippi was a tough place to be a Christian and Paul wanted to lift them up and encourage them. His wonderful little letter must certainly have accomplished that. The world we live in today can be tough too. Beyond that, we all have our own difficult issues to contend with in our individual lives as well. Life can be hard and we can all use a shot in the arm of spirit-inspired joy. If you are close to Cumberland County, TN, I encourage you to consider joining us on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 as we dive deep into this letter of joy. Another lesson we learn from this is that a good and healthy church is a blessing from God. The church in Philippi certainly was that for Paul, and that holds true for any good and healthy church, it is a blessing and an encouragement to those who attend. I’m writing this on a Saturday morning. Tomorrow is Sunday. I encourage you to be present at the gathering of your church tomorrow. And if you don’t have one, then please join us, in-person or online. We can all use a good shot in the arm of spiritual joy. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 |
| Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571 |
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