Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Get your fix”   The other night Aimee and I drove to Knoxville to attend a concert featuring three of our favorite Christian recording artists, all on the same stage. Phil Wickham, Tauren Wells, and Jamie McDonald. The tickets were a Christmas gift from me to Aimee, and we had waited three months for this concert.   It was well worth the wait – especially the Phil Wickham set. It was one of the most high-octane worship experiences I have had in a long time. Recent months have been a particularly busy and draining time in our lives and in the middle of the worship in the arena I was thinking to myself, “I really needed this. This is so good!”   According to “The Dictionary of Idioms” the slang term “to get your fix” means to obtain an adequate amount of something you desperately need or something you are addicted to. In the most pejorative use of the term, we sometimes hear of drug addicts seeking their next fix of whatever it is they’re addicted to. Late at night I sometimes find myself needing a fix of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.   The term is also used in positive ways though. Not long ago one of our church members arrived for Sunday school. I greeted her and asked how she was doing. She rolled her eyes and said “Pastor, it has been such a hard week. I really need my fix.” Confused, I asked her what she meant by “her fix”. She said, “I need my fix of the love of Jesus. I need to be loved-on by my church family!”   She was exactly right. She knew exactly what she needed and she knew exactly where to get it. If you’re a member of a good church family, then you know what she was talking about. Experiencing an overwhelming expression of the love of Jesus is like refreshing spring water on a hot dry day. It is like soothing ointment on an itchy rash. It’s like a good shoulder massage for your aching muscles. And it often comes through your fellow Christians.   The people of God are the hands and feet of Jesus and so the experience of the love of Jesus comes from being around joyful Christians who love each other and who are eager to show it. This is one of the reasons God wants every Christian to be part of a good church family and to then be faithful in your attendance at the gatherings of your church. Not only do you need to be there for yourself, but you need to be there for others. They will be a conduit for the love of Jesus to flow to you, and you will be a conduit for the love of Jesus to flow to them.   Life can be hard. We all have stuff we’re dealing with, stuff that can be oppressive and which can weigh us down. Church is the cool breeze in your week; it’s the spiritual shoulder massage you’ve been longing for. Being in church is a time of renewal and refreshing – it empowers you to keep dancing as you deal with the challenges in your life.   Paul’s words of blessing to his readers in Romans 15:13 are also my prayer for you. Come to church tomorrow and get your fix of love, joy, hope, and peace.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Psalm 30:10-12 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Get it out of your system”   I guess the thing that impressed me the most during my visit with Bill was the radical change in his attitude. He was a man I knew more than thirty-five years ago. He served as a leader in the church where I was serving as a part-time staff member. Bill was in his early forties at that time, and he had just had a massive heart attack followed by extensive open-heart surgery.   At first, after he regained consciousness and began to realize the extent to which his life had just changed, he was depressed. Everything about his life was going to be different now. He was going to have to make major changes in his lifestyle, in his job, and in many of his other activities. So, Bill did the same thing King David did when he was faced with seemingly tragic circumstances, he cried out to God. He “cried” to God. He wailed. He got depressed. He engaged in a little bit of self-pity. And then he got over it.   Both Bill’s and David’s initial reaction to their circumstances were perfectly natural and okay. Life-altering events like that should upset us, and it’s natural to mourn and cry. That’s okay – as long as you don’t remain in that pit of despondency. Get it out of your system. Have a good cry, complain about it and even shake your fist at God for a moment – then get over it. Don’t give-in to the “poor, poor pitiful me” syndrome. Don’t be a victim.   Bill and David got it out of their systems and neither of them adopted a victim mentality. As we read in Psalm 30:10-12, David gave the situation to the Lord, and the Lord turned his wailing into dancing. In other words, God gave David a new perspective about his situation. The same thing happened with Bill. For a few days he allowed himself to mope and moan, but then he shook it off, embraced the new reality, and trusted God to help him live well in whatever his new circumstances were to be.   By-the-way, both David and Bill were fine. David got beyond his difficult circumstances, and he went on to have many years as the most successful king the nation of Israel ever had. My friend Bill has done well too. He recovered from the surgery, he adopted a new and healthier lifestyle, and more than thirty years later he is still going strong.   If you’re faced with unexpected and perhaps even tragic circumstances go ahead and weep and wail a bit. You can be upset and even a little depressed. Take it to God and yell a little if it makes you feel better. Get it out of your system – but then get on with life. If you let Him, God will turn your wailing into laughter, your mourning into dancing.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Choose Joy”   Yesterday’s devotional message was a bit somber, and it ended with me urging you to simply persevere rather than dance. But now it’s time to get back to dancing through life; it’s time to choose joy.   There’s a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness depends on circumstances, but joy is an attitude. Way too many people look to circumstances as a source of joy, and they put off joy until their circumstances improve. But circumstances are fickle – they shift and often are determined by outside influences that you cannot control. So, if circumstances are your source of joy, then your source of joy is largely beyond your control. Circumstances can produce momentary happiness but not true joy. True joy comes from the Lord. It is a gift from Him.   In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul listed for us something he called “The Fruit of the Spirit”. These are character traits of Jesus that become increasingly evident in our own lives as we grow in spiritual maturity. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”   Please note that the joy of Jesus is the second fruit of the Spirit. It is yours as a gift and you experience it in increasing measure as you grow in your relationship with Him. This is real joy. This is deep joy. This is joy that doesn’t depend on outward circumstances which work into your heart. Instead, real joy comes from deep within your heart, wells up, overflows out, and impacts your circumstances rather than the other way around.   The joy of the Lord is a joy that transcends circumstances and it comes only from Jesus. This is what enables us to face trials and struggles with tranquility and confidence. It’s what helps us to remain unruffled and even upbeat. This is not a denial or evasion of circumstances that are real, it’s simply a refusal to be defined by or controlled by the circumstances.   But this must be intentional. It requires us to turn to Jesus. And the more difficult the circumstances are, the more fully we need to be embracing Jesus. This is the “choice” part of choosing joy. This is the attitude of joy.   In his great little book “You Gotta Keep Dancin”, Tim Hansel said that as he fought through his own pain, and as he observed and learned from others who were also dealing with great difficulties, he realized this: “… some people spend their entire lives practicing being unhappy, diligently pursuing joylessness. They get more mileage from having people feel sorry for them than from choosing to live out their lives in the context of joy.”   Don’t be that person. Don’t be a victim and don’t let your circumstances determine your attitude. I encourage you to choose joy by embracing Jesus.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Even in the deepest darkest valley”   Have you ever walked through “the valley of the shadow of death”? Some of you have literally been there. There are those reading this right now who have been in actual combat situations with bullets flying, bombs exploding, and people dying. I know a former police officer who survived being shot.   Some of you have survived an illness that could have ended in your death. It was touch-and-go for a while, and they weren’t sure if you would live or die. You were in the valley of the shadow of death.   For others of us there were times when it only felt like that. Our lives weren’t really in jeopardy but the struggle we were in was a deep dark valley and it seemed endless. In his book, “You’ll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times”, Pastor Max Lucado tells of the time he was in the grocery store and he ran into a middle-aged woman who was a member of his church, but who had not been in church in a while. Max asked her if she was okay. She hesitated for a moment and then she began to tremble.   She told him that her husband of twenty years had left her and the three kids for another woman. Their lives were now a train wreck, and she didn’t know what they were going to do. Max prayed with her and then he said “You’ll get through this. It won’t be painless. It won’t be quick. But God will use this mess for good. In the meantime, don’t be foolish or naïve, but don’t despair either. With God’s help you will get through this.”   That’s good advice and it’s true for you too. It’s also what David was teaching in Psalm 23:4. In the middle of the deepest and darkest valley in life, even if it is the literal valley of the shadow of death, God is with you. He will care for you; He will protect you; and He will help you. Just be sure you are walking through the valley with Him. Don’t go off on your own. We need God all the time, but especially in those times when the valley is deep and dark and dangerous.   I don’t know how the situation turned out for the lady Max encountered in the grocery store. I also don’t know how your situation will turn out. But I do know God. I know that He loves you and He cares for you. And I know that He will be there for you every step of the way.  He will protect you and He will guide you through it. I hope that truth gives you great comfort.   This morning, I’m not going to suggest that you need to “just keep dancing”. That seems too glib considering today’s subject matter. But I do urge you to persevere. Trust God and keep moving forward. Even if you are in the deepest darkest valley, you will get through this.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.” Genesis 39:2   Our thought for today: “Survive and thrive”   I haven’t counted them but I’m sure I probably have about fifty Christian books in my personal library that pertain to getting through the storms of life. That may be a low estimate. The fact is that storms are so common in life that getting through them is a favorite theme for Christian authors and for Christian readers.   As I consider just the fifty or so that I have on my shelves, I’m amazed at how many of those books use the Biblical example of Joseph as their model for how to survive and even thrive as you deal with hard times. Joseph was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery in Egypt, falsely accused of a sex crime, thrown into prison for years, and then spent decades separated from his family. But in the middle of it all Joseph stayed faithful to God. He strived to be the best man he could be regardless of the difficulties he had to deal with, and he truly did thrive in the middle of adversity.   We can too. The same God who was with Joseph then is with you now and He will help you to not only survive, but also to thrive as you deal with whatever your current challenges are.   Some years ago, when I was in a bit of a valley in my life, my wife Linda gave me a pocket copy of Max Lucado’s great little book “You’ll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times”. It’s about how to survive and thrive in difficult times and sure enough, the book revolves around lessons we learn from Joseph. Looking at Joseph’s story, and knowing how God would use those difficult times in his life, Max wrote:   “We see a perfect mess; God sees a perfect chance to train, test, and teach the future prime minister. We see a prison; God sees a kiln. We see famine; God sees the relocation of his chosen lineage. We see Satan’s tricks and ploys. God sees Satan tripped and foiled.”   I want to repeat the statement I made a few moments ago: The same God who was with Joseph then is with you now, and He will help you to not only survive, but also to thrive as you deal with whatever your current challenges are.   I know it might not seem that way right now. It might seem as if your depression will never lift, or the sickness will never get better, or you will never find a job. And in truth, it may take a while. But God is with you. Trust Him. Be faithful. Strive to do your best in the middle of difficult circumstances, and in His way and in His time, God will deliver you.   Yes, you can survive, but like Joseph you can also thrive. Don’t compromise your principles, do your best, and trust God for the rest.     God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be like Tim and Phyllis”   This month’s theme of “Just keep dancing” is borrowed from the book “You Gotta Keep Dancin” by Tim Hansel. As a young adult, Tim suffered a debilitating rock-climbing accident that left him in pain for the rest of his life. Early in his recovery, once he realized he had achieved all the recovery he was going to get and that he was going to spend the rest of his life having to live with daily pain, he decided he was going to live life to the fullest possible under the circumstances as they were. Crippled or not, he was going to dance his way through life.   One of the first new friends Linda and I had when we became Christians was an elderly woman by the name of Phyllis Forte. She was the first one to greet us the day we visited Hilltop Baptist Church, and you would have thought we were her long-lost grandchildren. She smiled, gave us big hugs, and told us how glad she was that we were there. She asked us to sit with her and when the service was over, she insisted we had to come back. We did, and every time we walked in Phyllis made the same big deal about it.   Fast forward about three years. We’re still at Hilltop Baptist Church and I’m beginning my career in pastoral ministry – serving now as the part-time minister of education and beginning to do some preaching. I have also begun my seminary education at night. Phyllis is now a shut-in. Her diabetes has progressed and she has had toes amputated, then a foot, then a leg, and so on. Now she can’t get out of the house, so I go to see her. Sometimes we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together – just me and her at the kitchen table.   Phyllis is close to dying but aside from that, nothing has changed. She is still the happy, joyful, and outgoing person she always was. She still smiles and hugs, she still makes me feel like I’m her favorite grandson, and she still loves to talk about Jesus.   When a Christian has learned to lean on the Lord and to draw their daily strength and joy from Him, there’s something about them that seems to come from a different dimension. There’s a focus on things unseen, a reliance on a power that is other-worldly, and there is a deep well of joy that can only come from the Lord – all of this regardless of the circumstances in their life.   Psalm 46:1 assures us that God will be our source of refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. My friend Phyllis was so physically incapacitated that she couldn’t even stand up, but that didn’t stop her from dancing. Sometimes she waltzed (she was very graceful in her manner); sometimes she jitterbugged (she could be sassy with just the right amount of attitude); and often she did the Cha-Cha (she could be funny and irreverent).   Tim and Phyllis trusted in the Lord. They drew their strength and peace and comfort from Him, and they refused to give in to despair. Despite their physical limitations and their many challenges, people like Tim and Phyllis never stop dancing – and I hope you won’t either. Be like Tim and Phyllis, never stop dancing – no matter what.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Tough times can mean new beginnings”   Although I write a daily devotional message every day, in my personal time with the Lord I also use daily devotionals written by others. Right now, I am using one called “Soul Fuel” by a man with the name Bear Grylls. Bear is a man’s man. A tough guy. As a young man he was a member of the British Special Forces. He was also one of the youngest climbers to ever scale Mount Everest. He once crossed the Arctic Ocean in an inflatable boat. For seven years he was the host of the Discovery Channel’s show “Man vs Wild” and then another called “Running Wild with Bear Grylls”.   But Bear’s life of adventure almost never happened. While serving in the British Special Forces, he had an accident that almost killed him. He survived, but he broke his back and the accident ended his service in Special Forces. He was in the hospital and in rehab for many months. Afterwards, he was physically weak, in pain, hobbling, and depressed. He felt that the entire trajectory of his life had been altered. Since childhood his father had taught him how to climb mountains and from those earliest of years, he had a dream of one day climbing Mount Everest. But now that dream appeared to be gone.   He wrote, “In those dark nights of the soul in that rehabilitation center, it was the dream of one day getting strong enough again to attempt to climb Everest that drove me on. It became the whole focus of my recovery. Do or die. If I could make it, I would become one of the youngest climbers ever to reach the summit, but the real reason I wanted to attempt it was the feeling that life had given me a precious second chance, and I needed to make use of that.”   As bad as his accident was, and as serious as his injuries were, he wasn’t dead and he wasn’t paralyzed. So, he had something to work with, he had a starting place. But more important, he had strong faith in God. He knew that the Lord wasn’t done with him yet and that even in those tragic circumstances, God was doing something new. “Everything ahead of me was a gift – now what was I going to do with it? With a sense that nothing was impossible, I felt a tiny tingle returning inside of my spirit. God works through the storms of our lives, and tough times so often mean fresh beginnings.”   Bear recovered. He climbed Everest; he had numerous other adventures; he wrote books; he became a television star; he spoke at numerous conferences to inspire other Christians to trust God and to keep going no matter what; and he wrote a great devotional book which I am currently being blessed by.   I don’t know what your circumstances are, but I do know that God is the God of miracles and second chances. Perhaps He is about to do a new thing in your life too.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.” Psalm 139:5-6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God will comfort you”   As a Christian the worst thing you can do when you’re struggling with life-issues is to pull away from God. As a pastor I see this far too often. It usually happens when something occurs in life that you didn’t expect and which is causing you pain or difficulties. Perhaps you lost your job, or maybe there’s a serious illness in your family, or maybe the person you love breaks off the relationship, and you are devastated.   It’s at times like that when you need a close relationship with God more than ever. You need more prayer not less, more Bible reading not less, more time with other Christians not less. But sometimes it’s precisely at those times that a person stops praying, stops reading his or her Bible, and stops attending church. Perhaps they’re mad at God for their circumstances, but rarely does God cause those situations. Mostly it’s just life happening. Normally God doesn’t intervene to prevent situations from happening, but He will help us get through it – if we stay close to Him. The presence of God is the most comforting thing we can experience during those times, and He will always be there.   Let’s read more from Psalm 139. Verses 7-10 tell us: “Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits, even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me.”   If God seems far away it’s not because He moved, it’s because you did. God is always right there with you. There’s never a time when He is not there. But there are times when you aren’t aware of His presence because you have pulled away from Him. His presence is not the problem, the condition of your heart is.   When we’re hurting and scared and confused it’s normal to wonder if God is even aware of what you’re going through – or if He cares. Well, He is there, He is aware, and He does care. The thing for you to do right now is to pull closer to Him than ever before, not further away. More prayer, more time reading your Bible, more Christian music, more time with Christian friends, and more time in church is the answer.   The presence of God will comfort you, and the closer you stay to Him the more comfort you will experience.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Just be yourself”   I love reading biographies about confident and successful people. I once read the biography of Barbara Bush by author Susan Page. The title is “The Matriarch”. I’ve always admired Barbara Bush. She was plain-spoken; she seemed to be comfortable in her own skin; and she did not put on airs. She was who she was, and you could take her or leave her, it was fine with her.   So, I was surprised to learn that for much of her life she struggled with a deep-seated sense of insecurity about her looks. It grew out of her childhood. She had an older sister who was very shapely and pretty, and their mother fawned over her. Barbara, by comparison, was plain and a little chubby – and her mother told her so. Her mother frequently criticized her for not being like her sister. That criticism created a sense of insecurity about her looks that she never fully got over.   However, early in her adult life Barbara decided she was not going to try to be someone or something that she obviously was not. She was not shapely and pretty in the cover-girl way. Instead, she was plain and she had a weight problem. So, Barbara decided she was just going to be herself. In good-natured ways she laughed about herself, she joked about her looks and her weight, and she learned to use it to her own advantage. She trained herself to be the epitome of a plain and slightly chubby woman who was poised and confident and comfortable in her own skin. And people loved her for it.   The Apostle Paul knew something about that. First, he was not one of the original apostles of Jesus. Worse, he had persecuted the followers of Jesus, even supervising some of their executions. Beyond that he was evidently a wiry, unattractive little man with a squeaky voice and runny eyes. Therefore, many people didn’t like or respect him. But Paul refused to feel sorry for himself. He embraced his identity as being from God and he ran with it.   I don’t know many of you and therefore, I don’t know what burdens you carry. I don’t know what challenges you face or what limitations you struggle with. But I do know that God loves you exactly the way you are. Beyond that, he can use you for His glory if you will only let him.   Don’t indulge in self-pity and don’t allow others to define you by your imperfections or by your limitations. Celebrate who you are. Be comfortable in your own skin. Just be you. And then, dance.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Just keep dancing”   Our Bible verse for today: “I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “From caterpillar to butterfly”   There’s a traumatic metamorphosis that must take place for a caterpillar to become a butterfly. After a few weeks of stuffing itself on leaves, the plumb and lazy caterpillar will hang upside down from a tree limb, spin a cocoon around itself, and begin a fourteen-day process of transformation which ends with it emerging from the cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. Although what takes place within the cocoon is scientifically fascinating, it’s the emergence from the cocoon that is pertinent to our discussion this morning.   The story is told of the little boy who found a caterpillar/butterfly just beginning the process of emerging from the cocoon. The creature was fighting and struggling and appeared to be stuck. So, the boy took the blade of his penknife, carefully but fully slit the cocoon, and helped the new butterfly to emerge. However, rather than being a beautiful butterfly spreading its wings and flying away, the creature was ugly and hobbled. It limped around on the ground for a short time then it fell over and died – having never become the beautiful butterfly it was intended to be.   What the boy failed to realize was that the struggle required for the butterfly to emerge from the cocoon was designed by God to force vital fluids throughout all parts of the butterfly’s new body, including its wings. When the struggle was artificially cut short the vital fluids didn’t flow and the body never developed into what it was supposed to be. By short-circuiting the struggle and “helping” the butterfly, the boy doomed it to a short and sad life. It never became the thing of beauty God intended for it to be because it never went through the struggle that would have developed it into that thing of beauty.   In His great prayer for His people recorded in John chapter 17, Jesus didn’t pray for the Father to take us out of the world or to spare us from trials and struggles. Instead, He prayed that God would help us in the middle of those trials and struggles. You see, struggles are just part of life. The struggles help us to grow and to become strong. God develops us into the beautiful people He intends for us to be by having us fight through the obstacles we face.   Whatever struggle or trial you are facing today, it’s an opportunity for you to grow and develop and to become stronger. God probably will not slit the cocoon. Instead, He will let you go through the fight, but you will be a better person because of it.   In God’s view, you are a caterpillar who is becoming a butterfly.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571