Good morning, everyone, Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith” Our Bible verse for today: “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV) Our thought for today: “God stands with us” I love the rhetorical question Paul asks us to consider in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul is essentially saying, “Dude! Seriously! This is the All-powerful God who created the universe! He is the One who parted the Red Sea and raised Jesus from the dead. If He is for us, if He is standing with us, can anyone stand against us?” Listen to the Psalmist in Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” The here’s the heart of the matter, found in verse 10 of that Psalm, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Can anyone stand against God and His people? Ultimately, no. Although it might seem as if the enemies of God are gaining some ground at any given moment, that’s just a snapshot in time. Ultimately, God wins. Always. And therefore, His people win. Remember the truth of Romans 8:28 – God brings good out of bad for those who love Him. This is why I have little patience for Christian leaders who sometimes act and sound like Chicken-little, looking at the events in the world and in society and then crying that the sky is falling. The sky is not falling! God is still sovereign and fully in control. The events do matter. We should be concerned and we should be involved, but let’s not wet our pants about it; let’s not get frantic about it. Let’s keep our heads, be reasoned and reasonable, and approach it all with confidence and boldness. If God is for us who can be against us? Recently here in the USA we have completed an election cycle that produced results many conservative Christians are distressed by – and rightly so. But politics are cyclical. In this election there was a “blue wave”. Two years ago, there was a “red wave”. Two years from now, who knows? The political pendulum swings back and forth and changes with the wind. Fortunately, as Christians we are citizens of the kingdom of God first and the kingdom of man second. In God’s kingdom Jesus is on the throne, and He rules and reigns. He is supreme and sovereign, regardless of what happens on earth and in individual nations. My friends, Jesus is still on the throne; you are still saved; and the kingdom of God will continue to advance regardless of which political party has control in this country for the next two years. Paul’s rhetorical question should be ringing loud in our ears, “If God is for us who can stand against us?” 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 those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30 (CSB) Our thought for today: “God’s choice; your choice; whose choice?” This morning I am going to go where angels fear to tread! I say that tongue-in-cheek but if angels don’t fear to venture into this territory, many pastors and writers do. It’s a sensitive and hotly debated subject and therefore I will try to handle it gently and with grace. The issue is about salvation and how we get it, by election (also known as predestination), or free will. It is an important doctrinal issue that has been debated for most of the entire two-thousand year-history of our faith. There is a sliding scale of beliefs in this debate but the essence of it is, on the one side, adherents to the teachings of John Calvin believe that God has predestined some to be saved and others to be damned. Before creation God, in His own wisdom and for His own purposes, chose some to be saved and to spend eternity in heaven with Him, and the rest to be lost for eternity. Predestination is also known as “election.” God elected some to be saved while others were not elected. On the other side is free-will, which is best articulated in the teachings of Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius. Therefore, this school of thought is generally referred to as Arminianism. It holds that people must exercise their free-will and choose to place their faith in Christ to receive salvation. There are also variations within both of those schools of thought but that is the gist of it. Throughout history there have been large numbers of very smart and very sincere Christians who have come down on both sides of this debate, and that continues to be true today. Even within my own Southern Baptist Convention there is a great divide between the two camps. It is probably 70/30 or even 60/40 in favor of the Arminian perspective, but still, there are large numbers on both sides and therefore, as a denomination we have all agreed to disagree graciously. Personally, I believe there is a good Biblical case that can be made for both schools of thought, but I think the truth is actually found in the middle. I side with pastor and author Dr. David Jeremiah, who considers himself to be what he terms a “Cal-miniest” He’s a little bit of both, and so am I. I believe that God predestined us all for salvation in that He created us for it. And I believe he has chosen (or elected) us all to spend eternity with Him in heaven. That’s His heart, His desire (2 Peter 3:9). He then offers salvation to us as a gift and as an act of mercy and grace. But for our part, each of us must still exercise our free will and choose to accept the gift. As Billy Graham once famously declared, “It is possible to be elected to a position but to decline to accept it.” Regardless of which position you hold to, I encourage all of us to be gracious rather than dogmatic about it. A strong argument can be made for both schools of thought, and for two thousand years the most brilliant Christian scholars down through the ages have come to different conclusions about it. 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: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (CSB) Our thought for today: “God brings good things out of bad situations.” Romans 8:28 reminds us of God’s sovereignty over all the situations of our lives and how it is that He is always present and always at work in the middle of those situations. Please note, the verse does not say that all things are good because obviously, not all things are. Bad things happen in this world that should not happen. The sexual abuse of a child, the deaths of an innocent family in a head-on collision caused by a drunk driver, or an infinite number of other obviously bad and evil situations. None of them are good and there is no way God approves of them. Those things happened because of sin in this broken world and because of sinful people exercising their free will in sinful ways. So, verse twenty-eight does not teach that God sees everything as good or that all things are good, or anything like that. What the verse does teach is that God reaches into those bad situations and brings good things out of it for those who belong to Him – who love and honor Him. For instance, there was the diving accident experienced by 17-year-old Joni Eareckson Tada that left her a quadriplegic in a motorized wheelchair, unable to perform even the most basic life functions. Out of that tragedy God brought forth a courageous woman who became a powerful motivational speaker who has inspired millions of other Christians for more than fifty years. She has authored books, and she learned to paint art-gallery quality paintings by holding a paint brush in her teeth. She even leads an international humanitarian relief organization known as Joni and Friends, which sends out mission teams to minister to disabled people around the world. God reached into the middle of that tragedy and brought amazing good out of it, and hers is just one such story. We could all recite more just like them, big and small. That is the truth that Romans 8:28 teaches and that is the promise we, God’s children can claim and cling to in the middle of our own groaning and struggling as we face our own trials in this broken world. God brings good out of bad. One Bible commentator said that Romans 8:28 is the greatest verse in Scripture. Personally, I think that title belongs to John 3:16, but Romans 8:28 could be a close second. It certainly is one of the most hope-producing and encouraging verses in Scripture. God reaches into the middle of bad situations and brings good things out of them for those who love Him. 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: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Yes, this is a broken world, but … God” Most Bible scholars agree that Romans chapter eight is one of the most important chapters in all of Scripture. In it, Paul addresses the hard fact that we live in a seriously broken world that is corrupted by sin. Sin infects and spoils every aspect of God’s creation. It spoils the very creation itself, and it brings untold pain, suffering, and heartache. In this chapter Paul reminds us of that dark truth. Because of sin, this is a broken world. But Romans chapter eight also reminds us of God’s solution to the sin problem – His Son Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. The chapter then explores the victory God’s people experience, in spite of all the pain, suffering, and heartache. The title of one of the previous devotionals in this series was “From groans to glory,” and that does describe the believer’s experience in this lifetime. It really is true that although there is groaning for God’s people in this world, it leads to glory. Brokenness is not the end of the story. It’s also true that the truths of Romans eight are best learned when we are not suffering, but they can only be fully appreciated when we are suffering. It’s when we’re dealing with all the pain and heartache we experience in this broken and sin-filled world that we come to fully appreciate the great truth that Jesus truly has overcome this world and that through Him, we too can be victorious. I noted a moment ago that a previous devotional title was “From groans to glory”. That title expresses an important truth, but there’s a part missing. It should read “From groans, to glory, to victory.” That will be the subject of tomorrow’s devotional as we look deeper into the truth of Romans 8:28. Paul explains how it is that the brokenness we may be experiencing in the moment is not the end of the story. Yes, this is a broken world, but … 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: “Sound doctrine, strong faith” Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way The Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 (CSB) Our thought for today: “The Holy Spirit will help you handle it” We have been spending several months exploring the lessons found in the book of Romans because Romans teaches some of the most important and foundational doctrines of our faith. We must know them and then live by them. But the good news is that we don’t have to do it by means of our own power. Instead, the Holy Spirit helps us – especially during those times and in those areas in which we are weak. Jesus Himself modeled this for us in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed for relief and deliverance from what He was facing. In that case God did not remove the trial but He did strengthen Him so He could face it. The Holy Spirit does the same for us. In Isaiah 40:30-31 we read: “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 41:10 says: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” And then in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I can’t tell you how many times I have prayed those verses back to God in times of need. Dozens of times, over-and-over again, claiming these promises as mine – and doing so has been so helpful! God answers those prayers and He does provide help and strength. But those promises aren’t just for me, they’re for you too. They are promises from God for all of us and they pertain to whatever situation each of us is dealing with. Whatever your challenge in life is right now, the Holy Spirit will be with you, He will lift you up and He will strengthen you if you bring your situation to Him. 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: “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.” Romans 8:26 Our thought for today: “He will help you when you are weak” I love the scene in Mark 9:14-29. Jesus was up in Galilee. He had just come down from Mount Hebron where the transfiguration had taken place. When he came back to His disciples, we read that a great crowd had gathered around them disputing with them. A man had brought his demon-possessed son to them for healing, but they had been unable to cast the demon out. The father of the boy then appealed to Jesus to help his son. Jesus responded and told the boy’s father that if he believes it will be done for him because all things are possible for those who believe. To that the father cried out, “Lord, I do believe; help me in my unbelief!” In other words, the man was saying that he did have faith, but his faith was weak and he feared it was insufficient. So, he begged Jesus to help him in his weakness and increase his faith to sufficient levels so his son would be healed. In response to that cry, Jesus did indeed cast the demon out and heal the boy. That’s the lesson Paul was teaching in this part of Romans chapter eight. In this specific case, he used prayer as an example of our weaknesses. We often have no idea what to pray for or how to pray effectively. So, the Holy Spirit intervenes on our behalf. He takes our weak, half-hearted prayers, and makes something meaningful out of them for us before the throne of God. Personally, I’m grateful Paul used the illustration of prayer to make his point because I often feel that my prayers are weak, half-hearted, and unfocused. On many occasions I find myself appealing to this verse, telling the Holy Spirit that I don’t know how to pray or even what to pray. So, I ask Him to listen to my heart and take the groans and the tears that I can’t even put into words and present them before the throne of God for me. I need that help. Sometimes all we can manage is a groan, but a simple groan can be a powerful prayer. Some translations of the Bible render the word weaknesses in this verse as plural rather than singular. That indicates that Paul wasn’t just referring to our weakness in prayer. Instead, he was referring to the Spirit helping us with all our weaknesses. That understanding fits better with the context of the overall passage that these verses are a part of. In the passage Paul was referring to the groaning and struggling we endure in life in general. It’s in that context that Paul now says that the Holy Spirit helps us with our weakness prayers too. But he’s referring to the full range of trials and tribulations we experience in this life. The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us with our weak prayers, our weak faith, or any other weakness we have. All you have to do is ask. He will help you when you are weak. 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 we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.” Romans 8:22 (CSB) Our thought for today: “This is the Christian perspective” In Romans 8:18 Paul said that from his perspective, the sufferings of this present life aren’t worthy of being compared to the glory that is to come. Despite our present struggles in this life, there is something better waiting for us right on the other side of death. Then in verses 19-22, Paul describes the effects of sin on the entire creation. It hasn’t just been humans who have suffered, but all creation. There have been earthquakes and mudslides, hurricanes and droughts and famines, not to mention pollution and terrible wastes of natural resources. Recently in the news there have been a lot of reports about our need for rare earth minerals so we can make computer chips and cell phones and all the other pieces of technology that require those minerals. But the problem lies in how those minerals must be excavated from the earth. It is essentially strip-mining that leaves huge irreparable scars on the earth. As I’ve looked at those scenes of massive ugly open pits it seems to me that I can literally hear the earth groaning. Paul says that creation itself groans because of all the sin, suffering, ugliness, and destruction. But then Paul leads us to what is sometimes referred to as “the enlightened Christian perspective.” (Read 23-25) It’s not that the impact of sin on our bodies, in our life, and in all of creation doesn’t matter, it’s that there is more to the story. Or more precisely, this is not the end of the story. That’s what he means in verses 23-25 when he says that those of us who have the Spirit, even as we groan within ourselves, we have the hope of glory, the promise of redemption, a hope that is not seen but which we know is coming. We are so sure of it that we wait for it with eagerness and anticipation, “Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.” All of what we are experiencing now is just the labor pains that are bringing us closer and closer to the birth of something new and glorious. That’s the Christian perspective. Many years ago, Pastor Tony Compollo preached a great sermon with the title “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming.” “It was Friday and my Jesus was hanging on a cross; heaven was weeping; and hell was rejoicing. But that was Friday, and Sundy was coming.” My friends, right now, metaphorically, as we struggle and strain and deal with life’s many trials and challenges, it’s Friday, but Sunday is coming! This world is not our home. Our departure from this world is actually our day of birth into the next. And so, the Christian perspective, the one that Paul is teaching here, is that we look past and beyond our current struggles and we focus instead on what lies ahead. It’s what we read in Hebrews 12:2, “I will keep my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my 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: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits – we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:22-23 (CSB) Our thought for today: “We are bound for glory” I have always loved Romans chapter eight. Not only does it contain some of the most important doctrinal truths in the entire New Testament, but it is also so uplifting and encouraging. However, this chapter, and especially the passage 8:18-25, will always be special to me for another reason. I once preached a sermon on this passage. As I was writing that sermon on my laptop, I was sitting in a hospital room with my very sick wife, Linda. Her health had been seriously compromised for many years to begin with, but now she also had COVID. However, at that time, as I sat there with her in that hospital room writing that sermon, I thought she would be in the hospital for a few days, receive the treatment she needed to get well, and then be released to go home. I had just written the illustration I referred to in yesterday’s devotional regarding how the character Macbeth was in the depths of grief as he faced the death of his wife, Lady Macbeth. In his deep despair he cried out, “Life is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Macbeth was crushed and inconsolable over the death of his wife, to the point he was feeling hopeless. And no kidding, almost immediately after I wrote those words, Linda’s doctor came into her room and told me that Linda’s case of COVID was the worst he had seen and at this point, there was no way she could recover from it. She was dying and she didn’t have long to live. I had no idea as I was writing that sermon and quoting those words from Macbeth (to illustrate the kind of despair some people experience and never get over), that Linda was about to die and my own faith would be tested in the very same manner as his was in that scene. I thank God that when Linda passed (and especially afterwards), that I had the presence of Jesus, the promise of Romans 8:18-25, and a good church family to walk through that time of grief with me. That was the primary difference between us and Macbeth and his wife. Linda and I had Jesus and the promise of eternity. They did not. Studying that passage and writing that sermon on that day was divine timing. It was God’s way of preparing me for what was about to happen. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Paul wrote that all the trials and tribulations associated with this lifetime, including death, will be shown to have been light and temporary afflictions when compared to the eternal glory that is waiting for us. This is a critical and foundational doctrine of our Christian faith. It’s essential that we embrace it and live by it. The truth is that we might be groaning now, but we are bound for glory. 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 the creation eagerly awaits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.” Romans 8:19 (CSB) Our thought for today: “The eager anticipation of good things to come” Maybe you have heard the famous quote from William Shakespeare’s play, “The Life of Macbeth.” In this scene Macbeth is mourning the death of his wife, Lady Macbeth. In the depths of his grief, he makes a scathing and cynical assessment of life because he was distraught and depressed. He had no hope for himself or for her, because he wasn’t thinking of her in heaven and of him one day being reunited with her. Instead, he was consumed by his grief and didn’t know what to do with it. He said, “She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time. And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to death. Out, out brief candle. Life is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” That sense of hopelessness and despair is exactly what Paul was addressing in Romans 8:18-25. Paul recognized that much of life can seem futile and that many people do approach life and death with pessimism and despair. People fear death because they think it’s the end. They have no hope for this life or for the next, for themselves or for their departed loved ones. Henry David Thoreau once described it by saying that “most men live lives of quiet desperation”, because they have no hope. That’s true for many people we meet out there in the world each day. Many of them have little purpose or hope. Many of them have been beaten down by life and they feel as if it is futile and leading to nothing. That’s what both Macbeth and Thoreau were referring to. But Paul had a better perspective than they did. Whereas all Macbeth saw was futility and hopelessness, Paul knew that this life can lead to something better. So much so, that he says all of creation eagerly anticipates what is yet to come. If you are a Christian then, unlike Macbeth, you do have the hope of something more, something better than all the trials and suffering and heartache this life sometimes brings. Nothing lasts forever, and that includes our suffering in this life. Either it passes and you get on with life, or you die and you go to heaven. Either way, as you are dealing with it, you know that God has something better waiting for you. You can live with the eager anticipation of good things yet to come. 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, TN38571

Good morning, everyone, Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith” Our Bible verse for today: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is going to be revealed to us … For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.” Romans 8:18;22 (CSB) Our thought for today: “From groans to glory” Over the last couple of years in our church and in the families of my Facebook friends, there have been many babies born. And boy-oh-boy do the new parents and grandparents love to show all the cute pictures and tell all the stories about how their little baby or grandbaby did the funniest, cutest, thing – spoke their first word, took their first step, or pooped on Daddy as he was in the middle of changing an already poopy diaper. You would think that their little baby, their little grandchild, is the cutest, smartest, most adorable little baby there has ever been. And of course, to them, that baby is exactly that. But for all the dozens and hundreds and zillions of adorable pictures and cute stories I’ve seen, I’m pretty sure I’m not aware of a single father posting a single picture of his wife in the middle of the birthing process. I haven’t seen a single video clip of a woman in the throes of intense labor pains, her back arched, her eyes bugged out, her face purple with veins popping out all over, reaching up and grabbing her husband by the collar, dragging his face down to hers, nose-to-nose, and shouting, “I hate you! You did this to me!” No, those scenes don’t make it to Facebook or Instagram. The birth of a baby is a beautiful thing – after it’s over. Once the child has arrived and the pain is over and the mess is cleaned up, that’s when we see those cute pictures of a smiling mother holding a sleeping baby and her adoring husband with his arm around her shoulder, everyone is all smiles. But everything just prior to that was a screaming bloody mess. That’s close to the scene Paul describes for us in this section of Romans chapter eight. In this section Paul paints a picture of a creation that is groaning in pain as it rapidly approaches what is essentially a birthing process that will lead to a new creation. I realize the analogy isn’t perfect. On the one hand, despite the extra weight, the immense demands on the woman’s body, the midnight urges for weird food, and all the rest that goes with being pregnant, most women agree that pregnancy is a gift from God. The baby in the womb is a miracle, and they willingly endure all of it for the sake of their beautiful baby. By contrast, in Paul’s analogy, the corruption and pain caused by sin is not beautiful – it’s ugly and awful, but the similarity lies in what comes next. In the case of the pregnant woman, labor leads to birth and the delivery of that beautiful baby. In the case of the creation, labor leads to the end of corruption and the birth of a beautiful new creation. The point Paul is making with this illustration is that things can be tough in this life and in this world, but we who belong to Christ are all heading to something much better – this is all leading to something very good. The purpose of this passage is to give us hope and assurance as we deal with the trials and tribulations that come with life in this world. To do that, Paul reminds us of two important truths regarding the reality of what we are experiencing right now in this life. We will explore those truths tomorrow and the next day. For today just know that God is leading us from groans to glory. 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