Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”   Our Bible verse for today: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God …” Romans 1:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You have been called and set apart for this”   Paul wrote that he was a servant of Jesus Christ who had been called by God to be an Apostle, and he was set apart by God for a specific task related to the gospel. If you are familiar with Paul’s story, then you know that God ended up using him as the catalyst for spreading the Christian faith throughout the Roman empire. Paul was an evangelist, preacher, teacher, missionary, church-planter, and mentor of other preachers, pastors, and leaders. God also used him to write the majority of the New Testament. That was Paul’s specific calling, and he was uniquely equipped by God for it.   But originally, he was the anthesis of that. By his own admission, Paul was a Pharisee’s Pharisee. He was more legalistic and more obsessive about keeping every jot and tittle of the laws, rules, and regulations of the Pharisees than any of the others. He was consumed with hatred for Christians, and he was obsessive about hunting them down, arresting them, overseeing their torture, and even their executions. Paul was passionate and committed to terrorizing the Christian community and wiping out the Christian faith.   But then he had an encounter with the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus and he did a complete 180. He went from being the biggest enemy of the Christian faith to being the most committed and effective proponent of the faith who has ever lived.   Now, you may be thinking that under those extraordinary circumstances it’s easy to see why Paul was so committed, passionate, and dedicated to the cause of Christ. But that was Paul, it’s not you and it’s not me, right? Well, no. Not right. Those same general truths apply to us as well.   The fact is that at some point you did have an encounter with Christ, and it did change the trajectory of your life – and of your eternity. And it’s also true that God has a great plan for your life. He has called you for a specific purpose, and He has equipped you for whatever it is He’s calling you to. The Bible offers plenty of proof for that:     Jeremiah 1:5 “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.” God spoke those words specifically to the prophet Jeremiah, but they are also true for you and for me and for everyone. God chose you and set you apart for His purposes.   Jeremiah 29:11-14: “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you …”   Now again, those words were spoken directly and specifically to Jeremiah, but we know they pertain to us too because they articulate a general Biblical principle that is taught in many other places in both the Old and New Testaments.   We will continue thinking about this tomorrow. For now, just know that God has called you and set you apart for His special purposes. Thank Him for that.   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: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”   Our Bible verse for today: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Confidence leads to boldness”   I read an interesting article about Christopher Columbus the other day. It was entitled “What Was Driving Columbus?” It was about the tremendous sense of confidence and certainty Columbus had regarding his vision to sail the seas and discover new worlds, and where that motivation came from. Here’s what Columbus himself wrote about that:   “I prayed to the most merciful Lord about my heart’s desire, and he gave me the spirit and the intelligence for the task: seafaring, astronomy, geometry, arithmetic, skill in drafting spherical maps and placing correctly cities, rivers, mountains, and ports. I also studied cosmology, history, chronology and philosophy. It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy spirit, because he comforted me with … the Holy Scriptures … encouraging me continually to press forward, and without ceasing for a moment they (the Scriptures) now encourage me to make haste.”   Think for a moment about what he wrote there. He was certain that his calling to do this was from God. He was able to point to all the skills and abilities that God had equipped him with to carry out the mission, and he diligently searched the Scriptures to find confirmation and encouragement regarding his God-given mission. That’s what was driving Columbus, and that’s what kept him going.   All of that combined to give Columbus not just a clear vision of what it was he was called to do for the Lord, but also it gave him incredible passion for it – rock-solid confidence – and the strength to persevere and carry on in the face of rejection and ridicule.   The Apostle Paul also had that kind of vision, passion, and confidence regarding his own call from God. You see, when someone clearly understands what it is God has called them to do, and they have realized that God equips them and empowers them to do whatever it is He is calling them to do, and they know that He goes before them and goes with them – that understanding then becomes the driver, the motive force, that gets them going and keeps them going.   That was certainly true of the Apostle Paul, and of Christopher Columbus, but it’s also true for you and me. Paul was called, equipped, empowered and guided by God for a specific purpose, and so are we. Your strong faith, which is built upon sound doctrine, will be the driving force in your life and that confidence will give you boldness.   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: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”   Our Bible verse for today: “For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth …” Romans 1:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “False teaching is spiritual poison”   I have a book on my bookshelf that serves to remind me of just how critical sound doctrine is – and how damaging false teachers can be. It is a book written by a leading voice in a very liberal wing of the Christian community. He is the pastor of a large church in a denomination that promotes unbiblical beliefs and practices. His book is designed to help professing Christians who disagree with some of the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith to rationalize departing from them.   For instance, in the book the author declares that the Bible is the Word of God, but it is also the word of man. It is a mix of both. In his opinion, in the writing of it the human writers inserted their own opinions and personal biases along with the words from God. So, for instance, when we read the words of Moses in the Old Testament, and Paul in the New Testament, which condemn the practice of homosexuality, we need to realize that that was just Moses and Paul inserting their own cultural biases into the Scripture and we should not take that to mean that God condemns homosexual conduct. So, according to the author, it’s necessary for the enlightened reader of the Bible in our day to thoughtfully discern which statements in the Bible are from God and obey them; and which are from the human writers, and disregard those.   Another example of false and destructive teaching that author puts forward is when Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the light; no one comes to the Father except through me.” The author maintains that statement is true, but it is true for everyone regardless of their faith. No matter what faith you adhere to here on earth, even if you have no faith, when you pass from this life into the next you will stand before Jesus and you will discover that John 14:6 is indeed true and that Jesus has already paid the penalty for you sins so you don’t have to. Jesus is the way for everybody, regardless of their faith – or lack of it.   Those are just two examples from that one book by that one author. Our society today is awash in all sorts of twisted and false teaching which purports to be acceptable Christian doctrine. But it’s not. It’s not Biblical and it is not acceptable. It is spiritual poison that destroys people’s faith and leads them away from God. That’s why sincere Christians today need and hunger for good teaching on sound doctrine. It’s a desperate need in our society today.   There is a lot of bad theology being taught out there today. A lot of easy-believism, twisting of Scripture, and a lot of culturally modified and selective application of Scripture. Sincere Christians are hungry to be instructed in sound doctrine. Paul’s letter to the Romans provides us with exactly that. Our study of this letter will help us to appreciate the truth that sound doctrine is an essential element of strong faith.   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: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”   Our Bible verse for today: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord …” Romans 1:1-3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Thank you, Martin Luther”   Let me be clear upfront that I am not one of those Baptist preachers who bashes Catholics. My mother was a lifelong Catholic and she was one of the finest women I have ever known. I was raised as a Catholic and it was because of that that the seeds of the Christian faith were planted deep in my heart and where there, ready to bloom into strong faith many years later. I am not a practicing Catholic, I’m a Baptist, but I am grateful for my Catholic roots.   To some extent, you should be grateful for Catholicism too. In fact, it’s probably not too much of a stretch to say that were it not for the book of Romans, we would all probably be Roman Catholics, if we had faith in Jesus at all.   But the book of Romans is responsible for a massive shift in Christian understanding. The reason I say that is because all evangelical Christianity has grown out of what is called the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a major movement that took place in Europe beginning in the early 1500s. At that time the Catholic Church, under the authority of the Pope, was really the only major denomination there was. Almost everyone was a Catholic.   But there was so much abuse of papal authority, and so much corruption among church leaders at all levels, and so many teachings that went beyond what the Bible itself actually says, that more and more church leaders, theologians, and everyday people in the pews were getting increasingly exasperated with it.   Although there had been rumblings and minor rebellions before this, the big shift started in 1517 with Martin Luther, an ordained Catholic priest. Luther was grieved over the abuses in the church, but as a well-educated theologian and Bible scholar he was especially vexed by all the extra-Biblical rules and practices that the Catholic church had invented to go along with the Bible. Over the centuries church officials had done to the New Testament essentially what the scribes and Pharisees had done to the Old Testament for the Jews – they created all sorts of beliefs and practices that went beyond what the Bible itself requires of us.   Luther agonized over this and finally came to the realization that salvation is by means of faith alone, in Christ alone, and by no other means. So, he wrote what has been called his “Ninety-five theses, which were 95 inditements, abuses, or errors being promoted by the Catholic church, and it was widely distributed and embraced by many.   In 1521 the pope excommunicated Luther and put him on trial. The court demanded that Luther recant and retract his document, which Luther refused to do. That’s when he reportedly made his famous statement “Here I stand, I can do no other.” Out of this, the Protestant Reformation gained steam and took off. This is, in my opinion, what helped to get Christianity back on track in terms of pure doctrine and right focus.   It was primarily Luther’s study of the book of Romans that formed his thinking and drove his convictions. He said, “Romans is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.”   If you are an evangelical Christian today it is in part because of the revelation and insight God gave to Martin Luther through his study of the book of Romans. Join with me in saying, “Thank you, Martin Luther!”   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: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”   Our Bible verse for today: “For I want very much to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you … Romans 1:11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Strong faith is built upon sound doctrine”   There’s a lot of bad theology and false teaching being promoted in the Christian world today. There’s a lot of watered down Christianity that either misrepresents what the Bible says, or it simply chooses to ignore passages and principles which are not consistent with cultural trends and the ways in which people want to live. There is also a lot of “Cotton Candy Christianity” out there. Cotton Candy Christianity is light and fluffy and sweet to the taste, but it has no substance and no nutritional value. It is all happy, happy, joy, joy and it avoids hot-button issues and difficult Biblical passages.   To help address that problem, today we will begin an extended study of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Romans is a critically important book of the New Testament, second only to the gospels themselves. Romans is the purist and most concise exposition of basic Christian doctrine found in the New Testament. This is the essence of our faith explained in deep and insightful detail. But some of it is also difficult to grasp. Because it is deep, we must consider it carefully and prayerfully.   The Apostle Peter himself said in 2 Peter 3:15-16, “Also, regard the patience of the Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.”   I think Peter was probably referring to the letter to the Romans when he said some of Paul’s writings are hard to understand. This takes patient study and careful thought. But it’s worth it. Strong faith is built upon strong doctrine. So, we will take our time as we carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully, consider the important lessons Paul teaches in this letter and how they apply to our daily lives as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.   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: “You are not alone”   Our Bible verse for today: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “It does take a little faith”   There have been a lot of games created in the history of mankind, from intricate complicated games like chess, to simple children’s games like “hide-and-seek”. Probably my favorite game ever is the game of “peek-a-boo” that adults play with infants. I cover my eyes with my two hands and say to the child, “I can’t see you.” But then I quickly remove my hands and declare, “peek-a-boo, I see you!” And typically, the child’s face will light up with a big smile as they giggle and laugh. I love it!    I sure do wish God would play “peek-a-boo” with me once-in-a-while. I wish He would uncover His face and let me see a brief glimpse of Him. Maybe He could peel back the sky for just a moment, poke His face through and say, “Psst … Jim! Look up here!” That would be enough. Just to see His face. I would never doubt Him again, I promise!   But sadly, our five senses cannot experience God directly. We can only experience Him indirectly. We can see evidence of His presence with us like in the wonders of His amazing creation. We can sense His presence through a feeling of deep peace. We can “hear” Him speaking to us through His written word, or perhaps in the words of a song. We can receive gifts from Him, often delivered to us through the hands of other Christians. There is an abundance of indirect evidence testifying to the reality and presence of God. But it is indirect not direct.   And that’s where faith must come in. God has taken us right up to the very edge of providing positive proof to us, but He has stopped just short of it. He has left just a smidgen of room for mystery and wonder and yes, even room for doubt. And it is at that point that we must choose to believe anyway. That’s faith.   Hebrews chapter eleven is often referred to as “The Faith Hall of Fame”. In that chapter God identifies sixteen individuals by name as being heroes of the faith, as well as a host of other unidentified faithful ones. The word faith is used twenty-six times in those forty verses. In verse one God even defines faith for us. It is, “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The dictionary defines it as, “Having complete confidence and trust in someone or something.”   And there it is – God wants us to have complete confidence and trust in Him, complete assurance that He will be there for us as He has promised, even though the evidence He has provided falls just short of what our five human senses can prove.   Our theme for this month has been “You are not alone.” It was based on Jesus’ promise in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I abandon you.” It is my prayer that through this study we have all come to a greater awareness and assurance of God’s presence with us always.   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: “You are not alone”   Our Bible verse for today: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” John 15:5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “He is this close”   How close is Jesus to you? He is so close that He lives within you. In John 14:17, speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “… he remains with you and will be in you.” In Galatians 4:6 Paul writes, “And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts …” and in 1 John 3:24 the Apostle John reminds us, “The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.” Those are just a few examples from the New Testament which assure us that the Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of believers.   But as close as that brings the presence of God to us, in John 14:5 Jesus took it to a whole new level. In that verse not only does He claim to live in us, but to live His own life through us. In that verse He likens our relationship with Him to that of a grapevine and the branches that grow off it. The life of the vine flows in and through the branches. The vine then produces its fruit through the branches. As long as the branch continues to stay attached to the vine, the life of the vine will flow through the branch, and the fruit of the vine is produced through the branch.   Jesus’ point is that not only does He live in us, but His life flows through us, and He produces His fruit in this world through our lives. As a follower of Jesus, with His Spirit living in your heart, the life of Jesus is in you and flowing through you, and He is using your mind and body to do His work.   Jesus is that close to you. He is so close that He is living His life through you. He is using your mind, your words, your body as if it was His own to accomplish the things He wants to do in this world. And as amazing as that seems, it gets even better. Not only is it true in a general sense that Jesus lives in you and through you, but it is true in a very specific and unique way as well. Jesus created you to be a unique individual (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 29:11), and He has developed in you specific gifts, skills, talents, and abilities that He then wants to use to accomplish His purposes (1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11).   I read a great statement about this the other day: “Potential is God’s gift to us. Making the most of it is our gift back to God.” And it’s true. Because Jesus lives in us and through us, and because He has also empowered us in unique ways to be used by Him for His purposes, we each have unlimited potential to do great things for God.   My friend, you are not alone. Not ever. Jesus is so close to you that He lives in you and through you, and He wants to use you every moment of every day to live out His own life in this world. Now that is a close relationship with God!   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: “You are not alone”   Our Bible verse for today: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “This truth is a gamechanger”   This morning, when I read Romans 8:31 (above), my thoughts drifted to a funeral I conducted many years ago. It was for a man who had lived a hard life far away from God. He lived badly and he caused a lot of damage to others. But near the end of his life, he came to faith in Christ and he made a big effort to repair damaged relationships with his family. In time, he did repair those relationships, and he died surrounded by children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren.     The outcome was surprising to everyone who knew him. He was a different man. For him to have somehow ended up at peace with God and with the children and grandchildren he had hurt badly was nothing short of miraculous. But if God is for us who can be against us? God intervened and did the seemingly impossible in his life. That man was proof of the old truism that you cannot determine the full impact of a person’s life until that life has been fully lived. The last months of that man’s life were better than all the previous decades, and it was God who made that difference.   It’s the presence of God in a person’s life that makes the difference. If God is present in your life, that’s a gamechanger. If God is present in your life, then nothing is impossible for you. But you must trust Him, follow Him, and obey Him.   All this month we have been exploring the great truth that if you belong to God then you are never alone. He has promised to never abandon you or forsake you. That’s a promise He always keeps. So much so that another promise from Romans chapter eight is huge for you as well. It is Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”   That verse does not say that all things are good, because many things are not. However, it does teach that God can use all things, even the bad ones, and bring good out of the bad for those who love him. The cancer that ultimately killed the man who I wrote about above, was not a good thing. It was a bad thing. It was a disease that was eating him alive from the inside out and it was slowly killing him. But God reached into the middle of that bad situation and used that killer cancer as the catalyst that resulted in the man’s eternal salvation and in the reconciliation with all his family members. God brought good out of bad. So, it’s a rhetorical question, really – “If God is for us who can be against us?” The obvious answer is “No one and nothing.” If God is for us, that’s makes all the difference.   My friend, you are not alone. God is with you and He is for you, and that truth should be a gamechanger for you.   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: “You are not alone”   Our Bible verse for today: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” Psalm 139:17-18 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “You are never out of God’s thoughts”   I love the beach. I was raised in central New Jersey, not far from the Jersey shore. Then as a young adult I spent twenty-one years in the Navy and therefore was always on or near the ocean. Also, my family and I lived in Southern California for over twenty years, never far from the beach. To this day my favorite place to spend our summer vacations is at the beach. There’s nothing quite like the feel of warm sand between your toes. (My favorite is the sugar-white sand of the Florida gulf coast).   A grain of sand is a tiny thing, almost microscopic. It takes hundreds of billions of them just to cover a small portion of beach. In Psalm 139 David gives us a glimpse into the infinite mind of God by telling us that the thoughts of God exceed in number all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. That’s a lot of sand. And it’s a lot of thoughts in the infinite mind of God.   The interesting thing about Psalm 139 is that it’s all about God’s intimate awareness of the writer. David is writing about himself, and he is describing how intimately he is known by God. In verses 2-3 David affirms that he is never out of God’s sight. In verse 4 he says that God is so aware of his (David’s) words, that God knows them before they even make it out of David’s mouth. In verses 7-10 David affirms that he is never out of God’s presence. In verses 13-15 David explains that God even knit him together in his mother’s womb. Verse 16 tells of how, even before the day of his birth God had already decided the total number of days of life David would have.   Within the context of all that intimacy and Godly awareness, in verse 17 David refers to the infinite mind of God. All those Godly thoughts that exceed even the grains of sand described by David, are true about you too. That was David’s point. You are included in the infinite mind of God. He knows you better than you know yourself. You are never out of His sight, and you are never out of His thoughts.   Make no mistake about it, when God said in Hebrews 13:5 “Never will I forsake you, never will I abandon you.” – He meant it. Not only will He never leave you, but you are never even out of His thoughts!   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: “You are not alone”   Our Bible verse for today: “Where were you when I established the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” Job 38:4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t lose sight of God”   As Job was going through his extended time of trials, he lost sight of God. He forgot who God is and what He is like. As his troubles multiplied and as his suffering continued, Job not only failed to remember God’s past faithfulness but worse, he gradually became less-and-less aware of God’s presence with him in the moment.   So, in Job chapters 38-41 God shows up in a big way and helps to clarify Job’s perspective for him. God reminds Job that He is the Creator of all there is, including the earth (38:4). God affirms for Job that nothing is beyond His control or too difficult for Him, including controlling the seas, orchestrating each new dawn, and even positioning the stars in the sky (38:8, 38:12, 38:31).   God reminded Job that there is nothing in all creation that escapes His attention, including when a mountain goat gives birth, when a raven is hungry, or when an eagle is soaring free across the sky (38:41, 39:1, 39:27). And just to emphasize His point, God reminds Job that He (God) has power and authority over the mightiest and most majestic creatures including the horse, the ox, and something God called “Leviathan”. As mighty as those creatures are, God is mightier.   The point was that as Job was enduring his difficult times, the evidence of God’s power and presence was all around him. The evidence was present in creation itself, and all of life around Job was overflowing with the glory and majesty of God. God’s past power and faithfulness had been proven without question, and His presence in that moment was obvious and observable – if Job would only have opened his eyes and seen.   Finally, in 42:3, Job realized his foolishness in ever having doubted God and to have ever accused God of not caring. Job said, “Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” In other words, Job had been wrong about God.   God had been there for Job in the middle of it all. He never left him and He never abandoned him. That was true for Job and it’s true for us too. As dark and troubling as life can sometimes seem, God is still there with us. We need only remember His faithfulness, His provision, and the many times He has delivered us in the past, to know that He is able and willing to rescue us now.   In the middle of your trials don’t lose sight of God. He’s still there. The evidence of His presence is all around you.   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