Oak Hill Baptist Church

Something essential has been lost

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Something essential has been lost”

In 1961 A.W. Tozer published a little book with the title, “The Knowledge of the Holy”. It quickly became a Christian classic and is still widely read today. The book is all about the attributes of God and its purpose is to give the reader an accurate understanding of who God is and what He’s really like, according to Scripture rather than myth and popular folklore.

In the introduction Tozer wrote, “I refer to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular religious mind. The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshiping men … The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us.”

Please note, that statement was written more than sixty years ago when the USA was still the home of Andy of Mayberry and Leave it to Beaver. How much more does Tozer’s sad lament pertain to our society today? Non-believers, and many Christians too, have invented an image of God that bears little resemblance to the God of the Bible. And yes, it is the cause of a thousand lesser evils in our land.

This is why we’re conducting this devotional study about knowing God as He really is, and this is what Peter was writing about in 2 Peter 3:17-18 (above). We must be on our guard against the lies, deceptions, misrepresentations, and false images of God that are promoted in our society and in many of our churches. Instead, we must apply ourselves to growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (who is God incarnate). We must know Him as He really is – as He is revealed in Scripture.

As we continue with our devotional study of knowing God, we’re going to go a little deeper into our exploration of the attributes of God as revealed in Scripture. As Tozer noted more than sixty years ago, something has been lost in our understanding of God and it’s essential for us to recapture it. We must know God as He really is.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God is closer than you think

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “God is closer than you think”

This morning I want to return us to a devotional thought that was shared by Jane Thibault in the book, “Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life”. Sadly, at all stages of life, we can get so wrapped up in the cares and distractions of life that we miss God’s presence with us. The Biblical truth, and the spiritual reality, is that God is closer than you think. Jane writes:

“How odd it is that we so often think of the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit as being “out there” somewhere, distant or at least external to ourselves. We pray to God “in heaven” as though heaven were some far-distant place. We pray and ask God to be with us, yet God is with us, within us, throughout us!”

This is what the Apostle Paul was teaching when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

God is so close to you that His Holy Spirit actually lives in your heart. That being the case, we should know Him pretty well. He is closer to us than anyone else, and there is never a time when He is not with us and that close. Think about that. God loves you so much, and He wants to have such a close and personal relationship with you, that He has actually moved in and set up house in your heart.

This is why it’s so important for us to spend time every day cultivating that relationship with Him. Prayer, Bible reading, just sitting quietly with Him and thinking about Him, these are the things that help us to get to know Him as He really is, and to be comfortable with Him.

I encourage you to spend some time this morning just sitting quietly with God, thinking about Him, sensing His presence with you, and getting to know Him better.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Relax and live

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.” 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Relax and live”

This morning’s devotional is similar to one from last week. The reason I’ve chosen to revisit the lesson this morning is because it’s so important, and it’s something so many of us struggle with. Many of us have a wrong perception of God. We believe things about Him that simply are not true nor are they fair. We think God expects more from us than He really does.

God is not a harsh taskmaster. He has not constructed a rigid set of rules, regulations and expectations that He demands we adhere to. Instead, God is exceedingly kind and gracious with us, and He gives us lots of liberty to relax and enjoy life.

One of the best illustrations I’ve ever heard regarding this came from Dallas Willard. Dallas explained that when his children were young, he used to send them out to play in the fenced-in backyard. Once they were out there, they were free to play in the sandbox, swing on the swings, play catch, sit under a tree and read, or virtually any other activity they chose for themselves. The only requirement was that they behaved themselves according to the standards of conduct established for them by their father, and they had to stay within the boundaries of the fenced-in backyard. Beyond that, they were free to relax, enjoy, and choose their activities for themselves.

That’s how our Father in heaven deals with us. In the Bible He has given us the standards by which He wants us to live. Those are the boundaries within which we have to stay. But beyond that, for the most part (unless He has a special and specific task for us), we’re free to just go out and enjoy life, making our own choices. God’s expectations of us are not complicated, nor are they demanding or unreasonable.

This is the picture the Apostle Paul was painting in 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12. He was telling us that all God requires of us is to live a simple life that honors Him and blesses others, then relax and enjoy life. That’s our thought for today and it’s my encouragement for you. God isn’t expecting you to jump through an endless series of hoops. Just honor Him, bless others, then relax and live.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Leave a godly legacy

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren …” Proverbs 13:22 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Leave a godly legacy”

In yesterday’s devotional we considered thoughts from author Richard Morgan and from the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson about the things that are truly important in life, and about leaving a legacy for our children and grandchildren.

What does God expect from us in this area? What kind of legacy and inheritance does He want us to leave for our children, grandchildren, and future generations? It does not necessarily consist of stocks and bonds, gold, silver, homes, and property. Although there is something to be said for leaving that kind of inheritance, the legacy and inheritance that matters most to God is the impact made by a godly life lived well.

As I write this Linda and I are at our son’s home in San Antonio, Texas. We’re celebrating an early Christmas with him and his family, as well as with extended family members. It’s also our grandson Oliver’s first Christmas, and being here for that is special.

When Oliver was born earlier this year, Linda and I put together a treasure chest for him. It’s a carved wooden box that actually looks like a pirate’s treasure chest but which is essentially a time capsule. In it we put a newspaper from the day he was born; silver dollars from 1921 and 2021 (the year of his birth and 100 years before his birth); an extensive family picture album (with notations), beginning from when Linda and I were kids, to our dating years, through all the years of raising our family, right up through the time of Oliver’s own birth. (The object was to help him be familiar with our family members and history). I also included a signed copy of each of the four books I’ve written, with personal notes to him in the flyleaf, and also a personal letter from me to him. All of that has to do with legacy and preserving memories.

But honestly, if he simply concludes “Grandpa was a good man. He lived a good life and he was a blessing to many people.” If that’s the legacy I leave I believe God will be pleased, and so will I because really, that’s all God expects from any of us. Live well, honor Him, bless others, and leave a godly legacy.

That’s my goal and I hope it’s yours too.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God’s expectations are not unreasonable

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God’s expectations are not unreasonable”

I think we often misunderstand what it is that God expects of us. We think of God as being much more demanding than He really is, and we make living the Christian life much harder and more complicated than it needs to be. In the Old Testament passage from Micah 6:8 quoted above, God made it clear that He simply wants us to be good people who live within Biblical boundaries; people who demonstrate love and faithfulness for Him and for others; and people who are humble in spirit, not obnoxious, boastful, or prideful.

It’s a fairly simple life that’s being described. The expectations are not hard or unreasonable. All of the other things we strive for in life and which we spend so much of our time and energy working for – such as educational achievements, career advancement, financial security – they’re fine when kept in their proper places, but what God is looking for from us is far simpler.

I mentioned yesterday that I’m currently reading a book called, “Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life” by Jane Thibault and Richard Morgan. Richard is eighty-three and lives in an assisted living center. He spent his life as a minister, professor, writer, and counselor. Once he moved into the assisted living center, he became their de facto chaplain and the unofficial onsite counselor. He knows he’s in the last years of his own life and so he sometimes reflects on his life and on the legacy he is leaving. Here’s what he wrote about that:

“I believe my legacy shines forth in the countless number of people I have helped, standing with them and embracing them with God’s unconditional love. As I replay my life, I remember young and old, whose lives I touched and helped to find God’s grace … I worked all my life for the poorest, sickest, and the oldest of our society … My legacy will be my children and grandchildren whom I have loved all my life and whom I have tried to keep aware of my love and support.”

Notice he said nothing about college degrees, awards, high status, big homes, or big bank accounts. His legacy centers around people and blessings. That’s exactly what Micah was teaching and it’s what God is most interested in with us.

The great poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote this advice about how to live, “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

God’s expectations of us are pretty simple. Just honor Him, bless others, and enjoy your life.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Learn to enjoy and savor life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Learn to enjoy and savor life”

I’m reading an interesting and helpful little devotional book right now called “Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Life”, by Jane Thibault and Richard Morgan. The premise of the book is that life basically consists of three broad seasons: the growing years from birth to twenty or so; the working years from twenty to sixtyish; and the senior years from roughly sixty until whenever you die. God wants us to fully enjoy and savor all of those years.

In one of the devotionals Jane tells the story of a dream she had in her early forties. It was a time when she was way too busy with work and family and life in general, and she was so stressed that she really wasn’t enjoying life very much. One night she had a dream that she had died and was standing before Jesus. But He wasn’t the Jesus she expected. Instead, He was a slim and trim middle-aged man wearing faded jeans, a casual shirt, and moccasins. He had a trim beard, a friendly manner, and a warm welcoming smile. With eagerness Jesus asked Jane, “Well, how did you enjoy it?” Jane was confused by the question and after a moment she asked, “How did I enjoy what?” “Your life”, Jesus said, “How did you enjoy your life? Tell me all about it. Was it fun? Did you savor the special moments? Tell me how it was.”

Jane wasn’t sure how to proceed but she realized she had to be truthful, and besides that, surely Jesus would appreciate how hard she had worked and all the things she had accomplished. So, Jane proceeded to tell Jesus how it was that much of her life had been stressful and difficult, and although she couldn’t claim to have enjoyed it a whole lot, she had persevered and pushed through and ultimately, she accomplished a lot. As she told those things to Jesus she watched as His smile faded and was replaced by a look of sadness, even grief.

Finally, Jesus replied, “Jane, you’re not ready for heaven. You haven’t fully lived yet. Go back and learn to savor and enjoy your life. The things you have accomplished are good, they are fine. But if you didn’t also live fully and joyfully, you missed the best part. Go back and live some more.”

Which she did. Jane is now in her sixties and for more than twenty years since that dream she has continued to work hard and to accomplish meaningful things with her life, but she has also made it a point to savor special moments and to fully enjoy the days of her life.

By all means, work hard and be productive. And yes, also be sure to live in a way that honors God and blesses others. But don’t forget to enjoy and savor the moments of your life too. An important thing to know about the nature of God is that He wants you to live fully and joyfully. Jesus said so in John 10:10 – He came so you can have life, and to have it to the full.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

You have been chosen

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself …” Ephesians 1:4-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You have been chosen”

Today I will venture where angels fear to tread. I’m going to gently (and with love) lead us into what is a raging debate in the Christian community, including in my own Southern Baptist world. It’s the question of Calvinism verses Arminianism. Although there are degrees and variations in each school of thought, in general, Calvinists believe in predestination. They believe that before time began God chose who would be saved and who would not be. Arminians believe that people must use their freewill and choose to place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins or they will not be saved.

This debate, of course, gets to the heart of what we were considering in yesterday’s devotional about the sovereignty of God and the free will of man, and it gets at the very nature of God Himself. If God makes the choice for us, then what happened to the free will of man? But if we make the choice for ourselves, then what does that mean about the sovereignty of God?

There are plenty of verses in the Bible which seem to support both schools of thought. Ephesians 1:4-5 (above) is one of the verses which seems to teach predestination. God decided who would be saved and who would not be. But if God made the decision for us, if He chose us (or not) before we even breathed our first breath or committed our first sin, then what does that say about the nature of God? It would seem then that some of us were created by God specifically so we could spend eternity in hell.

Then there are plenty of other verses, like those we considered a few days ago (Ezekiel 33:11; John 3:16, John 5:24, Romans 10:13, John 1:12, and 1 John 1:9, just to name a few) which seem to teach that it’s God’s desire that “none” be lost and He wants us to choose to place our faith in His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. But if that’s what He really wants, then why doesn’t He just make it so? After all, He is sovereign and He is all-powerful.

What do we do with this issue? Good Christians – intelligent and well-intentioned Christians, have been engaging in this debate for two thousand years and we haven’t resolved it yet.

Personally, I’m in the camp with Billy Graham and David Jeremiah – I consider myself to be a Cal-Minian. I’m a little bit of both. On the one hand, I believe that God did in fact predestine us to spend eternity in heaven. He chose and called all of us to be part of His heavenly family. But on the other hand, we still have to accept the invitation. God doesn’t force it on us. I believe it is His desire for none to be lost and it is His will for all of us to be in heaven with Him. But as we learned yesterday, in order for our relationship with Him to be based in genuine love, we must have a choice. In order for our love for God to be genuine, we must have had the choice to exercise our freewill and to choose Him instead of anything else or anyone else.

Whether you’re a Calvinist, an Arminian, or something in-between, you can be assured that God is good, He is just, and He loves you deeply.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The sovereignty of God and the free will of man

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil …” Genesis 2:16-17 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The sovereignty of God and the free will of man”

There should be no question in any of our minds regarding the sovereignty of God. God reigns supreme over all creation. He is present everywhere at the same time all the time (omnipresent); He knows all there is to know about everything (omniscient); and He has total power and control over everyone and over everything (omnipotent). That being the case, God could choose to force the outcome of any situation to His own liking – and that includes our thoughts, decisions, and actions. If He wanted to, God could easily force us to comply.

But He doesn’t force us. Instead, as we see with Adam in the Garden of Eden, God created human beings with a freewill. He gave us the ability to reason, and to discern, and to think things through so we can make choices. He has also given us boundaries within which He wants us to live, but then He also gives us the freedom to choose to obey Him or not. But why? Why freewill? I mean seriously, mankind has taken this freewill thing and screwed things up pretty badly. So why did God ever allow it in the first place?

It’s because He wants our love, and true love has to be voluntary. It cannot be force or coerced. If we didn’t have freewill, if we didn’t have the option of choosing God and His ways (or not), we would essentially be robots, automatons who obey simply because we are programed to obey and therefore have no other choice. But that kind of “obedience”, that kind of “choosing” God, would not be real love. In order for love to be real and meaningful we have to be able to consider our choices, and then choose God over everything else and over everyone else.

That’s what God wants from us and that’s why He had to create us with freewill. Granted, doing so was risky and problematic. Obviously, like Adam in the Garden, we all mess this up from time-to-time and we use our freewill in ways that do not show love for God. But interestingly, that then creates the opportunity for yet more demonstrations of love in both directions. It creates the opportunity for us to show our love for Him by being sorry and remorseful that we have hurt Him by disobeying Him, and it creates a new opportunity for Him to show His love for us by forgiving us.

Freewill is a messy thing. But it is an essential thing. It’s true that God is sovereign and He is fully able to force things to His desired outcome. But He also desires our love relationship with Him and He is willing to risk being hurt by us if that’s what it takes in order for there to be true love.

I encourage you to use your freewill today to choose God and to love Him above all else.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God draws us to Himself through Jesus

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God draws us to Himself through Jesus”

What is it about Jesus that’s so attractive and compelling? What is it about Him that has fascinated the world for almost two thousand years, has made Him the most celebrated figure in human history, and has drawn literally billions of people to place their faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins and to then follow Him through life as one of His disciples? The thing about Jesus that makes Him so irresistible is actually the result of a fascinating cooperative effort involving all three members of the Trinity. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit work together to draw people to the Father through Jesus.

The truth of this is woven like a thread throughout Scripture. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon wrote, “He has set eternity in the hearts of man.” In other words, God created us with an innate understanding that there is more than just this life. Deep in our hearts we just know there must be a God, and we yearn to know Him. This is why every civilization has had a belief in the supernatural and they have always had a god or gods that they worshipped. Belief in God and a deep desire to know Him is implanted in our DNA! This causes people to go through life yearning and seeking and searching for God.

So, the reason we seek God in the first place is because He created us to want to know Him. It’s the Father who draws us to Himself and He does it through Jesus. Jesus explained this further in John 12:32 when He said, “As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” Because every person was created by God with a sense of eternity in their hearts, that causes them to sense being drawn to God. The Greek word being used here means to pull, to attract. The Father does that through Jesus, and as Jesus Himself said in John 12:32, that drawing is directed to “all” people. Multiple passages in the New Testament remind us that it’s God’s will that none be lost. He is drawing all people to Himself through Christ.

Finally, it’s then the job of the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of people, pointing them to Jesus so they can come to the Father. “When he comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.” (John 16:8).

There’s a strong spiritual force at work drawing people to the Father. It’s a divine cooperative effort and it’s part of His grand design. Think about how much He must love you to go to such great lengths to bring you to Himself. But this then brings us to questions about the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. If it’s God’s desire for everyone to be saved, why doesn’t He just save us all? We’ll discuss this tomorrow. For now, just spend some time thinking about how much He must love you to work so hard to draw you to Himself.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God wants you to be with Him

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Knowing God”

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God wants you to be with Him”

Let me be crystal clear about this, “God wants you to be in heaven with Him for eternity.” It’s true, and it’s essential we know this about God. It is not His desire for any to perish. He wants everyone to have eternal life in heaven with Him. Peter made that clear in 2 Peter 3:9. In that case he was explaining to his readers why the second coming of Christ had not yet. occurred. Why is God delaying it? Peter’s answer was that it is because the longer God delays bringing this chapter of human history to a close, the more opportunities there are for people to put their faith in Christ. God continues to delay the end of time because it is not His will for any to perish.

It has always been God’s desire for people to be saved rather than to perish. Even 600 years before the time of Christ, through the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel God said, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways!” Ezekiel 33:11

By His very nature, God does not want people to perish and spend eternity separated from Him. Instead, He wants us to be saved from our sins. Now of course, that doesn’t mean that everyone will be saved. There’s a strong body of Biblical literature that clearly teaches a person must make a decision to place their faith in Christ or they will spend eternity separated from God.

“God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life.” John 3:16

“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24

“For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

“But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name.” John 1:12

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

This is important. We need to understand this about God. He does not desire for any to be lost. He loves each and every person with a deep and everlasting love. It is His will that we all be saved, and He has gone to extraordinary lengths to make our salvation possible and to draw us to Himself. An essential part of His nature is His strong desire for everyone to come to Him through faith in His Son Jesus.

We’ll think more about this tomorrow but for now, spend some time mediating on the great truth that God loves you so much, and His heart longs for you so deeply, that He sent His Son Jesus to die for you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim