| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life.” 1 Kings 19:3 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Don’t let yourself get burned-out” One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament is found in 1 Kings chapters eighteen and nineteen. In those chapters we read of the time that the prophet Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. There were 450 of them and one of him. They had the false god Baal on their side and Elijah had the One True God on his side. So, it was an unfair fight. The prophets of Baal were vastly outnumbered. That’s because, “One person plus God equals a majority.” If you are on God’s side, and if you are in the center of His will, the odds don’t matter. Elijah challenged them to a contest which would prove which of their Gods was the real God. Each of them would build an altar, pile it high with wood and animal sacrifices, and then they would pray for their god to send fire to ignite the pile and consume the offerings. The prophets of Baal went first. For hours they called out to Baal, pleaded with him, begged him, to send fire and prove himself to be real. But … nothing. Elijah laughed at them and mocked them. He told them to shout louder because maybe Baal was asleep and couldn’t hear them. Finally, they gave up and it was Elijah’s turn. Not only did he build the same kind of altar with the same kinds of offerings, but then he drenched the entire thing in water until it was completely wet to the point that it would be impossible for it to ignite. Then he called on the Lord Jehovah to show himself real and sure enough, instantly, fire came down from heaven like the blast of a divine laser beam and completely consumed not just the offerings, but the entire pile of wood, all the water, and it even reduced the rocks to dust. Then the prophets of Baal were all executed because they were proven to be false prophets. It was a tremendous spiritual victory for Elijah. But it wore him out. By the time it was over he was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually spent. Drained. Exhausted. His gas tank was empty and he was running on fumes. And friends, that’s a dangerous place for any of us to be. Because when you are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually empty, you are vulnerable. And that’s exactly what happened to Elijah. He was burned-out. So, what happened to him as a result being burned-out? You can find out in one of three ways. You can open your Bible to 1 Kings chapters 18 and 19 and read the story for yourself (I highly recommend it). Or you can go to the Oak Hill Baptist Church YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville and you can watch the sermon I preached about this on Sunday June 2nd (I recommend this too). Or you can wait until tomorrow when I finish the story in tomorrow’s devotional. Being involved in ministry activities is good. Being active in life in meaningful and productive ways is good. Working hard and earning a living is good. But trying too hard to do too much for too long is not good. You will end up like Elijah, burned out and ineffective. We will finish this story tomorrow. 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 |
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Oak Hill Baptist Church 
Spot on timing. Much needed advice for a sister in Christ. Thank you