Oak Hill Baptist Church

We become like those we associate with

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We become like those we associate with”

I would like to take Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:33 and turn it around from a negative to a positive. If it’s true that bad company corrupts good character, then it’s also true that good company can reform bad character. Or, good company can take my flawed character and help me to become a better man than I am.

It’s a basic truism of human nature that overtime we become like those we associate with. That’s what Paul was referring to. So, if you hang around with people who curse like drunken sailors, pretty soon profanity will probably be coming out of your mouth too. If you spend your evenings in a drug house with drug addicts who are shooting up heroin, before long you’ll have a needle in your arm too.

But on the positive side, if your friends are all soccer moms driving mini-vans and working the concession stands, chances are you’ll be doing those things too. And if your companions are mostly Christians who love Jesus and who are active in church, there’s a pretty good chance that will be true of you as well.

Men and women of godly character and integrity get and stay that way by associating with others who value and practice those character traits as well. This is what Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 27:17 when he wrote, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” And this is why it’s so important not to skip the gatherings of your church family. As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing …” Hebrews 10:24-25

As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, this Sunday at Oak Hill Baptist Church we will celebrate our annual Homecoming Day. It will be a time of celebrating the church family God has formed at Oak Hill, and it will be a time of encouragement and strengthening each other. We invite you to join us (see yesterday’s devotional for the details).

It’s true that we become like those we associate with. I can’t think of any group of people I would like to be more like than the members of Oak Hill Baptist and so, I very much look forward to being with them. I hope you plan to be with a group like that as well.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

We need a band of brothers and sisters

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We need a band of brothers and sisters”

The term “A band of brothers” has been around a long time and has been used in many contexts. It has been the subject of books, movies, plays, and stories. It has been used in fiction, myth, legend, and real life. The term refers to a group of people who are dedicated and loyal to each other, despite the difficulties and dangers they face. It is most often used with respect to military combat units, but it applies just as well to groups of all kinds.

A church family can be considered to be a band of brothers and sisters. A good church family is essential to living the Christian life well, and godly men and women of character and integrity know this to be true. This world is not our home – we’re simply passing through on our way to our real home in heaven, but the journey is long and difficult and often dangerous. So, God has given us brothers and sisters to make the journey with us. We are to do this together. Our church family is a band of brothers and sisters and we do look out for each other, we care for each other, and, when necessary, we carry each other.

This is the concept Solomon was using in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (above). Companions are essential. Pity the fool who tries to live this life alone. We need others who have our back and who will be there to lift us up when we fall, comfort us when we’re down, and help us when we are weak.

This Sunday (September 18^th) at Oak Hill Baptist Church we will celebrate our annual Homecoming Day. Summer is over, vacations are done, school has started, and the new church year has begun. Now it’s time to gather the church family, round up those who have strayed, invite friends, and enjoy a special day celebrating the band of brothers and sisters which God has formed in this church. There will be special music from the Perryman Sisters; a Homecoming message from Reverend Kirk Casey, the Director of Missions for the Cumberland Plateau Baptist Association; and there will be a catered lunch, along with fun and games afterwards.

It all starts at 9:00 with Sunday school, followed at 10:00 with the Homecoming celebration. Lunch will be served around 11:30. If you are anywhere near Cumberland County, Tennessee please join us. Or, if not, then join us live online on the Oak Hill Baptist Church Facebook page, or on the church website at oakhillbaptist.net.

Christian companionship is an essential element for living the Christian life well. Men and women of character and integrity know this. We need a good band of brothers and sisters.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Leverage what God has given you

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Leverage what the Lord has given you”

Many years ago, when I was serving as a pastor in another part of the country, I had a friend who was a successful businessman in our town. Richard had started out as a young man working for someone else. But when he was ready, he launched his own business, and he did very well.

It was a small business but successful, and as a result Richard was well off financially. He was a strong Christian who donated generously to many Christian causes. At one point he asked me to bring the pastors in our town together each month for a free lunch at a nice restaurant. There was to be no agenda and no presentations of any sort. The pastors would not be asked to do anything, go anywhere, or support anything. It was simply a time for food and fellowship. And when it was over, Richard quietly and anonymously paid the bill. Everyone month. Hundreds of dollars.

I had another friend in the same town who was the superintendent of county schools. Jim was a strong Christian and a member of our church. He had started out as a school teacher. He then continued going to graduate school at night, eventually earning his doctorate degree. While he was doing that, he continued to earn promotions within the school system. Eventually our county had a strong Christian man leading the schools, and we were all blessed because of it.

I know of another man who started out as a low-level worker in a manufacturing facility. It was a difficult work environment where the workers were treated poorly. But my friend just focused on working hard and doing his job well. As the years passed, he gained one promotion after another until finally, he was the supervisor in his section of the factory. He then used his position to change the organizational climate into one where the workers were respected and treated fairly.

In each of those cases, the individuals were strong Christians who worked hard and well. They achieved as much success as they could, and they then used their positions to be a blessing to others and to honor the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 is just one of the many passages in both the Old and New Testaments which attest to the fact that God Himself empowers us to be successful in life. Over and over again we read of how God gives people skills, abilities, talents, and spiritual gifts which we are then to use to be successful.

I encourage you to discover your skills, talents, and abilities. Develop them. Leverage them. Then bless others and honor God through the success you have achieved. This is character and integrity making a meaningful difference in the real world.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Do it well and for the glory of God

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Do it well and for the glory of God”

The other day I came across the story of Henry John Heinz. He was the founder of the H.J. Heinz company (most famous for Heinz catsup and steak sauce but today producing more than 1300 products).

Henry Heinz was a successful businessman but he was also a committed Christian. Not only was he active in his own church, but he was a leader in the Christian community and he was a very generous donor to all sorts of Christian causes. In fact, he used the riches he earned from his businesses to help finance Christian work around the country and around the world. That concept is known as “Business as Ministry”. His business was his platform for ministry. Success in business enabled him to do far more for the cause of Christ than he would have been able to do if he had not had that success in the business world.

The example of Henry Heinz is not unique in the history of Christianity. Through the ages many successful businessmen and businesswomen (large and small) have used their business success as a platform for ministry. But that concept doesn’t just apply to the business world. Instead, it applies to all of life. Sometimes Christians get the wrong idea that we’re not supposed to strive for success in worldly pursuits, that it’s somehow unspiritual to want to succeed in business, or in the corporate world, or in any other field. The desire to be successful is thought to be bad, or at least less than spiritual.

Nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, the opposite is often true. The more success you have in your chosen field, the larger a platform for ministry you can have as a result. A Christian worker on an assembly line in a factory can have a positive impact on his or her fellow workers. But the Christian supervisor in that factory can potentially have an even larger impact on even more people, and the Christian plant manager can potentially have even more still.

The same truth applies to any other endeavor we engage in. It’s good to work hard for high achievement as long as your motives are right. Success in any area of life can be used as a platform for ministry. One of the marks of a man or woman of character and integrity is that they do what Paul wrote about in Colossians 3:23 – they do their best to excel in whatever they’re involved in, because doing so brings honor and glory to God. We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

You can be both steel and velvet

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You can be both steel and velvet”

I guess I’ve always been something of a hero worshipper. Since I was a child there have always been those who I have looked up to, admired, and wanted to be more like. It’s not that I actually “worshiped” them. It’s just that I saw character traits in them that made them special in my mind and created within me a desire to be more like that myself.

They were often notable figures from history like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan; or athletes like Eric Liddell, Tony Gywnn, and Payton Manning; or celebrity figures like John Wayne; or Christian leaders like Henry Blackaby, Eugene Peterson, Oren Teel, and Dick DeGrow. There have also been Biblical figures who I especially identify with and would like to more like including Joshua, Caleb, Jesus, Paul, and Barnabas.

One thing all of those men have in common is that they embodied the concept of being both steel and velvet. Steel represents the inner core of the man. That inner core is comprised of a strong character and solid integrity. It is formed by an unshakable commitment to moral and ethical behavior, and it consists of character traits like strength, courage, resilience, perseverance, loyalty, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and dependability. The inner man is rock-solid and unmovable.

But the outer man is clothed in velvet. The outer man is kind, considerate, and compassionate. He is quick to grant mercy and grace. He loves his Lord, his family, his friends, and his church, and he isn’t ashamed to show it. He has an inner core of steel but it is wrapped in an outer core of velvet. I think Joshua was like that (see Joshua 24:15 above). This concept was well-developed and fully explained in the classic men’s book “Man of Steel and Velvet” by Aubrey Andelin.

Yesterday we considered the importance of being kind to people. Too often in our day kindness is viewed as weakness. That’s especially true in the public brawls that pass for political and social discourse these days. But not for the man or woman of steel and velvet. Such a person has the confidence, courage, and wisdom to stand their ground, but without being mean-spirited, harsh, and unkind. I have great admiration for people like that and I aspire to be more like that myself. I hope you do as well.

God bless,

Pastor Jim

Be kind

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Be kind”

The other day I was sitting in a doctor’s office waiting my turn to be seen and I noticed a mural on one of the walls. It was made up of lots of handwritten comments, observations, and suggestions about kindness. Each one was from some notable figure such as a celebrity or writer or political leader. I found it interesting and inspiring. One of the sayings that captured my attention was “Sometimes a miracle comes in the form of a good person with a kind heart.”

Amen! Yes. Answers to prayers and accompanying miracles (both large and small), come to us from God but through His people. You are often the answer to someone else’s prayer. You can be the conduit through which a blessing from God flows to someone else.

The truth is that everyone is struggling with something. Everyone has something going on in their life they wish was not there and which is causing them anxiety, despair, or maybe even grief. Every person you meet today will be struggling with something. Even if they’re keeping it private, it’s there. I believe it was C.S. Lewis who once wrote, “There is always one thing more going on in every person’s life of which you know nothing.” That’s very true. So, be kind.

In Colossians 3:12 (above) the Apostle Paul used the illustration of clothing to describe the godly virtues that should form the basis of the Christian’s conduct – compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. Paul urges us to clothe ourselves with such things. In other words, just as someone looks at you and sees the shirt, pants, or dress you are wearing, so too they should see the compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience with which you treat others.

Men and women of character and integrity are not modern-day Pharisees compulsively keeping a long list of religious rules and regulations. Instead, they are known for being like Jesus in their demeanor and in their conduct. What does that look like in actual practice in everyday life? We’ve considered part of the answer today, it means being kind to people. We’ll explore this a little deeper tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Your reputation matters

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “A good name is better than fine perfume.” Ecclesiastes 7:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Your reputation matters”

A person’s reputation is what others have come to believe to be true about them. It is the belief or opinion that the person has particular habits, characteristics, and patterns of conduct that reveal who they are and what they are like.

Ideally, if the observers are fair in their estimation of us, then our reputation that is formed in their minds has developed over an extended period of time and is the sum total of the words they have heard us say and the conduct they have observed in us (as opposed to basing their conclusion about us on single events or unfortunate misspoken words. There is a larger picture of us that goes far beyond momentary lapses, and that larger picture should be what matters most). But with that said, first impressions matter too, and individual events can create powerful impressions that last.

Now, for the most part, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to become overly preoccupied worrying what people think of us. But it’s still true that how we’re seen and what people believe to be true about us does matter. As Christians we represent Jesus to other people. That’s one reason so many passages in the Bible call us to live as holy people who honor God – it’s because people should be able to see Jesus in us. That’s also why we should strive to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Reputation matters, and you represent Christ.

Men and women of character and integrity remember that their words and actions matter and that they are revealing. What other people believe to be true of us will be based largely on what they’ve heard us say and what they’ve seen us do. Since we Christians are representatives of Christ, we need to conduct ourselves in a way that truly does honor Him and which is consistent with the Biblical principles we profess to believe. An unbelieving world needs to see that to be true of us.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Understand the times and seize the moments

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “Pay careful attention, then, to how you live – not as unwise people but as wise – making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16 (CSB)

Out thought for today: “Understand the times and seize the moment”

This Saturday the men and boys at Oak Hill Baptist Church will be meeting for our monthly men’s breakfast. We will have a pancake breakfast in the Fellowship Hall at the church at 8:30, followed by a short devotional, and then some discussion and planning of events. We invite you to join us!

As sat at my desk yesterday considering what to speak about in the devotional time, I was considering the books about men’s issues that I have on my bookshelf here in my home office. There are forty-seven of them. I have more on the bookshelves in my office at the church. That’s a lot of books about men’s issues. One of the reasons there are so many books for Christian men, is because our society desperately needs godly men of strong character and impeccable integrity to step up and be men. In the midst of a culture that is confused about Biblical manhood, and which has been aggressive about shaming and essentially emasculating men, we need men to be men.

One of the books that had the greatest impact on me early in my life as a Christian is “The Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper”. I was fortunate to come to faith in Christ just as the Promise Keepers movement was kicking into high gear. That movement, and the book, instilled in me a desire to be a godly man, and it impressed upon me the vital role Christian men must play in our society.

One of the passages of Scripture often featured in Promise Keepers events was Ephesians 5:15-16 (above), and one of the lessons drawn from it is that we as men of God must understand the times we live in, and we must rise up and seize the moment for Christ. Our families, our churches, our communities, and our nation need the men of God to do that – it’s vitally important and desperately needed.

But that’s true for all of God’s people, not just for the men. All of God’s people – men, women, boys, and girls need to be people of strong character and impeccable integrity who understand the desperate times we live in, and who have the boldness and courage to rise up and seize the moment for Christ.

Let that be true of all of us. Be kind, but also be bold, seizing the moments and situations you find yourself in and using them to shine for Jesus.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Do you keep your promises?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “I will not violate my covenant or change what my lips have said.” Psalm 89:34 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Do you keep your promises?”

One of the marks of a godly man or woman of strong character and impeccable integrity is that they keep their promises. If they make a commitment, they fulfill it.

I’ve had the good fortune over the years to be associated with many godly men and women whose character and integrity were such that they could always be counted on to keep their promises and fulfill their commitments. Their examples have inspired me to want to be like that too.

I remember one man in a church I was the pastor of in California many years ago. Our church was located on the busiest corner in town and every Christmas we had a live nativity scene, complete with a full-sized manger, live actors, and real animals. However, the manger was so old that it was falling apart. So this man, who was a good carpenter, offered to build us a new one.

Unfortunately, just before the project was to begin, he became ill and was supposed to be on bedrest. But he just couldn’t let that stop him. He had committed to building us a new manger, Christmastime was fast approaching, and he was determined to fulfill that commitment. So, he got himself out of bed, came to the church, and although he couldn’t do very much of the actual work, he was there to supervise the rest of us and we did construct a very nice new manger.

Likewise, I have a current friend who is absolutely compulsive about keeping his promises. If he says he is going to be somewhere, he is there. If he promised to do something, he does it – regardless of circumstances. And on those rare occasions when something happens and he has to delay or cancel and therefore isn’t able to do what he promised – it kills him. He agonizes over it.

Men and women of character and integrity keep their promises and fulfill their commitments. Let’s all take a moment to thank the Lord for those like that who He has put into our lives, because they are a blessing.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Say what you mean and mean what you say

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’, and your ‘no’ mean ‘no’. Anything more than this is from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Say what you mean and mean what you say”

It’s often said these days that relativism and expediency are the curses of our age. I believe that’s true. Relativism is a philosophy that holds that truth and morality exist only in relation to culture and society, and therefore are not absolute. Expediency is conduct based upon what is convenient and practical, despite possibly being improper, immoral, or even illegal.

Unfortunately, the concepts of relativism and expediency have become widespread and accepted in our society today. Rather than simply telling the truth and living by it, it is more and more common for people to define truth for themselves, or to dance around the edges of truth, and often to mislead, distort, and misrepresent. It’s done to achieve a desired outcome, and the person usually finds ways to justify doing so.

Jesus spoke to this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:37. There He essentially instructed us to “Say what you mean, mean what you say, let the chips fall where they may.” The Apostle James repeated this instruction in James 5:12.

I truly believe that most Christians are godly men and women of good character and strong integrity. And I believe most Christians tell the full truth the overwhelming majority of the time. But at times we all (I include myself in this) are tempted to either lie outright, or to distort and misrepresent things. This can be especially true if we’re dealing with a difficult situation that we feel strongly about and for which we’re trying to make our case appear stronger than it really is. In such situations it can be tempting to lie, shade or stretch the truth a bit, or distort and mispresent things.

We have to guard against giving in to the temptation to be untruthful or willfully misleading. A godly man or women of character and integrity tries to be scrupulously truthful and honest at all times.

Let’s strive to be fully truthful in all things. Let’s just say what we mean and mean what we say.

God bless,
Pastor Jim