Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “God’s power in you and for you”   Our Bible verse for today: “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare.” Isaiah 42:9 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “The power of God to restore”   In recent days we have considered the power of God to create, and the power of God to protect, as well as the power of God to raise Jesus (and us) from the dead. This morning, I want us to think about the power of God to restore.   I suspect there is no greater yearning for the power of God to be applied in our lives than when we are feeling broken in some manner and we’re longing for restoration. Isaiah chapter forty-two is all about the coming Messiah (Jesus) and how He will eventually restore broken Israel (and broken mankind overall) to what we should always have been. In verse 9 God declares that despite the brokenness that has occurred new things, restored things, are coming.   Sometime ago I came across a beautiful expression of this in a devotional message written by author John Eldredge in his book “Restoration Year” and I want to share part of it with you: “When Jesus touched the blind, all the beauty of the world opened before them. When he touched the deaf, they heard laughter. He touched the lame, and they began to dance. And he called the dead back to life and gave them to their families. Wherever humanity was broken, Jesus restored it. These are illustrations of the coming of the kingdom where God restores the world he made.”   Eldredge goes on, “God has been whispering this secret to you through creation itself, every year, at springtime, ever since we left the Garden. After months of winter, I long for the return of summer. sunshine, warmth, color, and the long days of adventure. Isn’t this what we most deeply long for? To leave the winter of the world behind? If you listen, you’ll discover something of tremendous joy and wonder. The restoration of the world played out before you each spring and summer is precisely what God is promising us about our lives. Every miracle Jesus ever did was pointing to this Restoration, the day he makes all things new.”   My friend, whatever it is you are dealing with today, whatever broken place in your life that needs to be healed and restored, please know that the power of God is available to heal and restore and that Jesus longs to do that for you.   Is there some area of your life that needs to be restored? Bring it to God. Cry out to Him for restoration. Is there some area of your life that He has already restored? Spend some time this morning praising Him and thanking Him for it. The power of God to heal and to restore is a very real thing.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “God’s power for you and in you”   Our Bible verse for today: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The same power is at work in your life”   This morning, let’s continue our thinking from yesterday about the reality of God’s power applied to your life. What kind of power is it and what are the implications for you?   In Romans 8:11 Paul tells us that the same power God used to raise Jesus from the dead is now residing inside of you. It is a power that will bring spiritual life now within your physical body, and physical life for all eternity to your spirit. Spiritual life to your physical body and physical life to your eternal spirit.   In the first two devotionals in this series, we saw examples of God’s awesome power displayed in creation. Yesterday we saw how He used that same power to defeat the enemies of His people and to bring His people out of captivity and into freedom. Now, here in Romans 8:11, Paul explains that that same awesome power of God also raised Jesus from the dead and, that power also lives within us giving us new life now and eternal life forever.     The Holy Spirit moved Paul to tell us that for a reason. It’s because He wants us to understand how awesome the power of God is, and then to appreciate what the application of that power in our own lives has the potential to accomplish. In other places in the Bible (as we will learn throughout this month), we are taught how to access the power of God so that His power can be applied and His will can be accomplished in us and through us.   It’s unlikely that the power of God manifested in you or for you will result in the parting of seas, the moving of mountains, or raising the dead. But you will experience it in many other ways, and the starting place is to simply believe that God’s power is there for you. Paul wrote it because it’s true: the same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides within you, and God is ready to use it for you.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “God’s power for you and in you”   Our Bible verse for today: “He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both people and animals. He sent signs and wonders against you, Egypt, against Pharoah and all his officials.” Psalm 135:8-9 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God’s power for you”   In the first two devotionals in this series, we considered the awesome power of God as seen through creation. Not only is that power described for us on the pages of Scripture, but it is on visual display all around us. We can see it for ourselves. Therefore, it really isn’t necessary to spend any more time making the case that God is omnipotent (all-powerful). We all know that.   The more important point for us is what the awesome power of God means for us as individuals in our day-to-day lives. It’s one thing to know that God is powerful, it’s another thing to know that He uses that power for your personal benefit.   In Psalm 135 the psalmist is reminding us about the incident described in the early chapters of the book of Exodus. God’s people had been in captivity in Egypt for four hundred years. They were slaves and they were badly mistreated. But then God raised up Moses to go to them and to lead them out of captivity.   But Pharoah wasn’t cooperating. So, God used some of His awesome power (really only a smidgen of it) to convince Pharoah otherwise. You can read in Exodus chapters seven through eleven, and then thirteen and fourteen, about water turned to blood, frogs in the bed, gnats buzzing around everywhere, swarms of flies, dead livestock, boils, hail, locust, darkness, the death of the firstborn, the parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of the Egyptian army, water from a rock, manna and quail from heaven, a cloud to guide them by day, a pillar of fire at night, and so much more.   The point? God uses His massive power for the benefit of those who love and obey Him. That was true for them (the Israelites) and it is also true for us. What He did for them He also does for us. He may not afflict your boss with boils on his tush (as much as you might want Him to); and He might not part the Tennessee River to make it easier for you to cross; and you may not see a pillar of fire in the sky at night to guide you home; but God can and will and does use His power for your benefit in a thousand other ways.   Don’t believe me? Stay tuned and keep reading. We will spend the rest of the month considering the many ways in which He does exactly that.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “God’s power for you and in you.”   Our Bible verse for today: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.” John 1:1-3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The power of God displayed in Jesus”   In yesterday’s devotional we saw that before the Bible tells us anything else about God, it gives us a vivid picture of the power of God evidenced by His massive creative power. He spoke all creation into existence. That includes the entire universe and all it contains. Nothing speaks more about the power of God than the enormity, the complexity, and the beauty of His creation.   Now, at the very beginning of the Gospel of John, the Bible tells us that Jesus is that Creator. First, we find that He is the Word of God. A word communicates meaning. As the Word of God Jesus communicates to us everything about God that God wants us to know about Himself. As Hebrews 1:3 tells us, “He is the exact representation of God.” But Jesus is also the Word of God in the respect that He spoke on behalf of God. In the case of creation, as John 1:3 tells us, it was Jesus as God who spoke creation into existence in those early chapters of Genesis.   This truth has great implications for us and we will come back to it in future devotional messages this month. For now, this morning, I want to come back to the point from yesterday about the tremendous power of God that is on full display in the creation. God wants us to remain conscious of that, and He wants us to factor it into our thinking about Him. He wants us to think about the implications this truth has for us. That’s what He taught Job in Job chapters 38-42 where God forces him to consider who it is he is dealing with:   “Where were you when I established the earth?” (38:4) “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place?” (38:12) “Have you traveled to the sources of the sea or walked in the depths of the oceans?” (38:16) “Have you comprehended the extent of the earth?” (38:18) “Have you entered the place where the snow is stored? Or have you seen the storehouses of hail?” (38:22) “Can you command the clouds so that a flood of water covers you? Can you send out lightening bolts?” (38:34-35) And on and on it goes for five chapters. God’s point for Job was, “I am God, Job, and you are not.”  The same holds true for us. He is God and we are not. He is all-powerful, and we are not. We need to remember that as we’re considering God and His ways, and the ways in which He acts or doesn’t act in our lives.   From beginning to end the Bible calls our attention to the power of God on full display for us – on the pages of Scripture but also in the world all around us. We see it through the actions of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and always it is at work for us, in us, and ultimately, in varying degrees and for specific purposes, through us. We will spend the rest of the month seeing how that is so.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “The power of God for you and in you”   Our Bible verse for today: “God made the two great lights – the greater to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night – as well as the stars.” Genesis 1:16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Is your God too small?”   It has often been said, and I am convinced it is true, that what you believe to be true about God is the most important thing about you. How you think about God and what you believe to be true about Him will ultimately determine everything else about you.   So, when you think of God, what comes to your mind? In the opening chapters of the Bible, we are introduced to God as the Creator. Before we’re told anything else about Him, we’re given a picture of His astonishing power. He is so powerful that He created all there is, and He did it out of nothing. One moment there was nothing. The next moment there was a universe.   In Genesis 1:16 we read that God created two great lights, one larger, which is visible during the day, and one smaller, which is visible in the night sky. Of course, that’s a reference to the sun and the moon. And then there are the stars, which are themselves suns and moons, most of which are greater than the sun and the moon that rule over planet earth. Scientists estimate there are over one hundred billion stars in a galaxy and over one hundred billion galaxies in the universe. If so, that means there are at least four hundred billion suns, most of them greater than ours and all of them created by God. Now that’s powerful!   The Bible teaches that God is “all-powerful.” The theological term for that is “omnipotent.” That means that God has all the power there is and that there is no power greater than Him. It also means that God can accomplish anything He wants, anytime He wants, in any way He wants. There is nothing God wants to do that He cannot do. He is all-powerful.   Does that describe your understanding of God? As you view this crazy world of ours, and even this crazy life of yours, with all the seemingly difficult and unsolvable challenges and problems, do you believe there is a God who is above it all, in control of it all, and able to deal with it all?   For many Christians our God is too small. On the one hand, we affirm that we believe He is indeed all-powerful, but then we don’t live as if He is. This is a problem. We need to have a better understanding of God’s power and the impact it has in our lives. What difference does the power of God make in our daily lives? It’s an important question and I look forward to exploring it with you throughout the rest of this month.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.” 3 John 2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “This is my prayer for you”   This is the final devotional in our series about selfcare. We have been at it for three months now. In all the years I have been writing these daily devotionals (14) I’m pretty sure I have never written about one theme for such an extended time. But there was just so much that needed to be said about it!   We all need to do a better job of taking care of ourselves – our whole selves – body, mind, and spirit. Remember, God created us as composite beings who are made up of a physical body, a soul, and a spirit. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and that makes each follower of Christ a walking, talking, mobile temple of the Holy Spirit. So, simply as good stewards of the body God has entrusted us with, we must take proper care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.   As we have learned over these months, we have a responsibility to do everything in our own power to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible. I love the prayer expressed by the Apostle John to his dear friend Gaius in 3 John 2 (above). There John was praying for his friend’s whole life to be healthy and well. That is my prayer for you too.   In a similar vein, the Apostle Paul wrote a beautiful prayer for the readers of his letter to the Ephesians, and it is the thought I will leave you with as we conclude this three-month study of good selfcare:   “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.”    Tomorrow we will begin a new study about the very subject Paul closed his prayer with – the immeasurable greatness of God’s power and strength, and how that power and strength is manifested by God in our lives and for our benefit.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “The one who walks with the wise will become wise…” Proverbs 13:20 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Walk with the wise and become wise”   I have always remembered a statement I read many years ago written by Billy Graham’s brother-in-law, Leighton Ford. Like Billy, Leighton was also an evangelist and author. Writing about his own discipleship habits and the ways in which he learned some of his most important lessons, Leighton wrote, “I surround myself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God.”   What he meant was that he read and studied lots of books, devotionals, articles, and sermons from great men and women of God, and he learned much from them. He also wrote down important truths and inspiring quotes and kept them close. He carried them in his pocket, or he used them as bookmarkers, or he taped them to his bathroom mirror. His intent was to surround himself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God.   Fred Rogers (of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood fame) was like that too. In the introduction to his book “The World According to Mr. Rogers” (which was written for adults not children), Fred’s wife Joanne wrote (after his death) “There were always quotes tucked away in Fred’s wallet, next to his neatly folded bills, or in the pages of his daily planner book .. he liked having words of wisdom close to him, as if he wanted – or needed – to be constantly reminded of what was important in life … those close to him knew that he was constantly striving to be the best that he could be.”   These last few days I was on a personal retreat, alone in a cabin in the woods, just me and Jesus, and my journal from the last year. As I reviewed the 365 daily entries from my year of healing, renewal, and restoration, I was struck by how many books I had read regarding how God works in our lives to bring us through the valleys and then into the next new season of life. The pages of my journal are filled with quotes and excerpts (pearls of wisdom) from men and woman who have thought much about God and His ways.   That is precisely the point Solomon was making in Proverbs 13:20. We learn from and become like those we associate with. Our association with them may be in-person, or it may be through the written word, but we learn from and become like those we associate with. If you want to become wise, spend lots of time with those who are wise.   For the sake of good selfcare, I encourage you to surround yourself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God. If you walk with the wise you will become wise.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Endings are often new beginnings”   Today will be the last daily devotional you will receive from me until Friday August 29th. The reason is that I am going to practice what I preach (write) about selfcare and I will be going away on a three-day personal retreat. It’s a retreat that I’ve been planning for more than a year.   As I explained to our congregation in my sermon this past Sunday, in August 2024 the truth expressed in Isaiah 43:19 became especially real in my own life. I sensed that God was on the leading edge of ushering me into a brand-new season of life. After the deaths of my wife, son, and daughter, followed by a long season of grieving, it became clear to me that God was about to do some new thing in my life. So, I gathered up some devotional books about the grieving process, and the healing, renewal, and restoration that should follow at the end of it; I got myself a brand-new journal; and I went off for a personal retreat, just me and Jesus. The purpose was to try to get a sense of what the Lord was about to do in my life.   Every day during that year I studied, prayed, watched, and listened. I also made an entry in my journal each day to record what God was showing me. Now that year of healing, renewal, and restoration is within days of being completed and it’s time for me to get away with the Lord again to prayerfully and thoughtfully review the entire year.   I told you in a recent devotional in this series about a wonderful little book I came across written by Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fame). The title is “The World According to Mr. Rogers” and it was written for adults not children. Here is one insightful thought he shared that really resonated with me: “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”   That is so true! Often, the ending of one thing is the beginning of something new. That’s especially true with respect to the seasons of our lives. The end of one season is the beginning of the next. In terms of selfcare, it’s very helpful if we view our endings that way and instead of allowing ourselves to get mired in grief for what has ended, after an appropriate and healthy period of grief and adjustment we must turn our attention to the new thing God is beginning for us. “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (By the way, as the past year unfolded God brought Aimee into my life, and she has now become my wife.)   I’ll be back with you on Friday. In the meantime, I encourage you to prayerfully consider what new thing God may be preparing you for in your life.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “If only you had paid attention to my commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “If only you had paid attention”   How well do you pay attention to God? In Isaiah chapter 48 the Lord was using Isaiah to force the people of Israel to consider “what if?” Through Isaiah God was reminding them about their long history of disobedience to His commands and all the pain and suffering they had brought on themselves because of it. All they had suffered and all they had missed out on was a direct result of doing things their way instead of God’s way. So here in this passage he said to them, “I am the Lord your God who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”   So, there it is: “What if?” And, “If only …” What if I had simply paid attention to all God has tried to teach me over all these years? If only I had lived His way instead of my way how different and how much better would my life have been over all those years? How much different and how much better would it be today?   Of course, we can’t change the past. But we can learn from it. We can ask and answer the “what if” and “if only” questions and then we can resolve that we will be a better disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ today and going forward than we were yesterday, or last week, last month, last year, ten years ago.   In terms of selfcare (simply in terms of doing what was in their own best interest), the ancient Israelites would have been so much better off if they had just paid attention to God and done things His way instead of their own.   Us too. We’re no different or better than they were. What if you had paid attention? What if you had done it differently. Well, do it now. Pay attention now. Do it differently now. That was God’s point to them and it’s His point to us.   We should ask “What if?” And we should conclude, “If only …” However, and unfortunately, you can’t have a do-over for yesterday – but can start doing it right today.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 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: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Do you structure your life around good soul-care?   In yesterday’s devotional we thought about the importance of soul-care as a means of selfcare. We also came to understand that the soul serves as an interface between our physical body and our spirit. The soul is the seat of our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even our subconscious mind, and it has a direct and powerful impact on both our body and our spirit.  If it is well with your soul everything else about you will be better too because your soul is healthy.   Taking good care of the soul is a matter of good discipleship. It’s a matter of developing a close relationship with Jesus and then caring for and nurturing that relationship every day. This is not about following a bunch of religious rules, or going through the motions of religious rituals, or saying lots of religious-sounding things. That’s religion not relationship. Discipleship is about developing a close relationship with Jesus. It’s about knowing Him well, following Him closely, and becoming progressively more-and-more like Him.   John Eldredge once wrote, “You might recall the old proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The same holds true here. Teach a man a rule and you help him solve a problem; teach a man to walk with God and you help him solve the rest of his life… Only by walking with God can you hope to find the path that leads to life. That is what it means to be a disciple.”   Soul-care is not something most people structure their lives around. If they pay attention to it at all, it’s mostly hit-or-miss. Maybe semi-regular attendance at a worship service; perhaps a quick prayer sent in the direction of heaven as you’re running out the door in the morning; maybe even a quick dip into your Bible from time-to-time. If a healthy soul is your desire then hit-or-miss discipleship won’t suffice. You need your soul to be healthy and strong not weak and weary, but you will have to be intentional about making it healthy.   What things feed your soul? Certainly prayer, deep Bible study, worship, fellowship with other Christians, and the other basic disciplines of practicing the Christian faith. For me it’s those things as well as good music, nature, beauty, sufficient sleep, exercise, a good book. Things that don’t help (and actually hurt your soul) are negative people, too much news, social media, worrying about things I can’t control, and anything that drains you emotionally.   Remember the rule of thumb, “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which gives life.” Apply that principle to an intentional routine of good soul-care and it will make everything else in your life better.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571