Oak Hill Baptist Church

It’s not about ability but availability

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s not about ability but availability”

As we continue to “Surround ourselves with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God”, we’ve been considering “great thoughts from great Christians”. This morning I want to return us to the thoughts and words of Dwight L. Moody. Yesterday I told you of how successful Moody was in the breadth and scope of his ministry efforts. He led many thousands to faith in Christ; he counseled with Presidents and world leaders; he started a Bible college; he was the founder and publisher of a magazine; he wrote books; and much more.

What I didn’t tell you is that D.L. Moody was a simple man with a humble background. He was raised as a poor farm boy. Despite his success in life and ministry, he never did become a smooth and articulate speaker. It was sometimes said of him that “He butchers the King’s English!” He was often thought by the sophisticated and cultured in society to be an uncouth country bumpkin. And yet, D.L. Moody is consistently rated by Christian historians as having been one of the great evangelists and leaders in the history of the Church. He is commonly mentioned along with figures like Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finny, and Billy Graham.

How could that be? We find the answer in Moody’s own words: “The world has yet to see what Almighty God can and will do with, for, through, in, and by a man wholly and fully yielded to Him and to His service.” In a similar vein, he also wrote, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”

Moody was well aware of his own shortcomings and limitations. But he also knew that God can do a lot with a little. God doesn’t need our ability. Instead, He’s looking for our availability. This is what the Apostle Paul was explaining in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (above). Most of the Corinthian Christians, like D.L. Moody, were simple people with no special training or ability. But God can and will do a lot with a little. All He needs is our willingness and obedience. He will then supply the rest. That was true of the Corinthians, it was true for D.L. Moody, and it will be true for us too. Just be available and obedient. God will supply whatever else is needed.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

He made it, but just barely!

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved – but only as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “He made it, but just barely!”

By any measure, Dwight L. Moody was a great Christian, and he certainly had lots of great thoughts to share. He was the Billy Graham of his day. He preached to large crowds, led many thousands to faith in Christ during his lifetime, and commonly met with Presidents, Kings and Queens, corporate CEOs, and celebrities.

Moody was very successful at leading people to faith in Christ and encouraging them to then become committed disciples. But it especially bothered him if he witnessed someone settle for casual Christianity instead of becoming a passionate follower of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 the Apostle Paul was writing about the security of the believer and how it is that many true but unserious believers live lives that add up to little for the sake of the kingdom of God. In such cases they are still saved, but just barely. Here’s what D.L. Moody had to say about that:

“We see clearly from this that we may be saved, yet all our works are burned up. I may have a wretched, miserable voyage through life, with no victory, and no reward at the end; saved, yet so as by fire, or as Job put it, “with the skin of my teeth.” I believe that a great many men will barely get to heaven as Lot got out of Sodom, burned out, nothing left, works and everything else destroyed.”

I once heard another preacher say it like this, “That guy might make it into heaven, but his hair will be singed and his clothes will be smoking!”

We might chuckle at that word picture, but the Bible writer Jude gave us instructions about this as well. Writing to committed Christians about how to deal with backslidden Christians and those who have yet to place their faith in Christ, Jude instructed in verses 20-23 (in the only chapter in his little book), “Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire …”

Do you know someone who needs to be encouraged to attend church this Sunday? Perhaps you can help to “snatch them from the fire.” There are many people who will make it to heaven – but just barely! Their hair may be singed and their clothes might be smoking, but they’re be there!

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God can be seen in creation, for those who will see

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “God is present in His creation, for those who will see”

Mondays are normally my day off and I usually plan some outdoor activity. This past Monday was a beautiful autumn day, sunny and in the low 50s, the leaves beginning to change colors. So, I decided to go for a long hike on mountain trails. I packed a lunch and a good book, and prepared to set out for the day.

Typically, as I prepare for such trips, the Lord reminds me of the poem from Elizabeth Barrett Browning which I shared with you yesterday. That poem helps to prepare my mind and heart to truly enjoy the wonder and splendor of God’s creation:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

On this particular Monday morning, as part of my personal quiet time with the Lord just before I was going to leave, I came upon a devotional thought from the great preacher, teacher, and writer of an earlier time, F.B. Meyer. He too had something to say about God’s presence in His creation:

“In the gentle movement of the trees in the forest, can you not hear the stepping of God’s feet? And can you not detect the movement of God’s Spirit at this moment upon your hearts? Does not his quiet hush, this eagerness, indicate the presence of the skirts of the Eternal as they fall upon us? The whole earth is full of God – all time, all space – and it is because God is here, because there is as much of the Holy Ghost in this place as ever there was in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost, because the forces of God are unexhausted, because the mighty river of God which is full of water is flowing through this place, that you and I are certain of blessing.”

Amen! God can be seen and encountered in His creation. He is here, if we will only make the effort and take the time to see.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Earth is crammed with heaven

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “Let the seas resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord …” Psalm 98:7-9 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Earth is crammed with heaven”

I’m an outdoors person. I’ve always loved being outside. As early as I can remember in my childhood, I would be out of the house early in the morning and my mother would have to come looking for me in the evening. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, it didn’t matter – I was outside.

I’m still like that now. If I have a choice between being inside or outside, I choose outside. My wife and kids have often laughed at me because even in the middle of winter I’ll be sitting outside on the porch – heavy coat, blanket, space heater blowing on me, drinking coffee and reading a book. I especially enjoy exploring the outdoors. Hiking, kayaking, motorcycle riding, on a mountain bike, traveling – God has created a beautiful world and we should get out and enjoy it.

Years ago, I came across a great little poem by the 19^th century English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It has become one of my favorites. She wrote of how it is that the most beautiful things on earth are actually glimpses of heaven. Heaven itself is hinted at and revealed in God’s amazing creation. She wrote:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he wo sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

That’s profound and insightful. Glimpses of heaven are evident all around us, but we have to pay attention to see it. We have to get out and look for it. This is especially true in our culture today where so many people have become sedate. The trend is to spend large amounts of time indoors staring at screens. Therefore, it’s increasingly important we be intentional about getting outside to experience and appreciate God’s amazing creation.

We’ll come back to this thought tomorrow. For now, I encourage all of us to go outside and get a little glimpse of heaven, because earth is crammed with it. Evidence of God is everywhere.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Relax, and trust in God’s grace

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Relax, and trust in God’s grace”

A friend of mine is currently having a building constructed on his property by Mennonite builders. The other day he commented to me about how much he enjoys having them work for him. He said that not only are they nice people, but they are good craftsmen and their work ethic is commendable – they show up when they say they will and they work hard until they are done.

That led us into a discussion about the differences between the Amish and the Mennonites. The Amish are skilled craftsmen, hard workers, and nice people too, but they have extreme views regarding their lifestyle and the use of modern conveniences. While there are some similarities between the Amish and the Mennonites, there are significant differences too. The major difference stems from an important theological truth – the concept of grace.

Both the Amish and the Mennonites trace their heritage back to the early Anabaptist leader Menno Simons. He was a Catholic priest in the early-to-mid 1500s in the Netherlands. Simons objected to the materialism and the excesses of the Catholic leaders, and he disagreed with the concept of infant baptism. He also rejected the rituals, practices, and endless rules created by the Catholic leadership which went far beyond what the Bible itself taught.

Simons ended up breaking away from the Catholic church and became part of the early Protestant Reformation. He taught his followers to adopt a simple lifestyle of leading an honest and quiet life, honoring God, blessing others – and learning to live by grace. He wrote, “Your mercies are greater than all our works. Who, dear Lord, ever came to You with a pious heart and was rejected? Who ever sought You and found you not? … Who ever prayed for Your grace and did not receive it?” Living by grace, not religious rituals and stern regulations, was the key.

Unfortunately, by the late 1600s a schism developed among the followers of Menno Simons. One group, under the leadership of a man named Jacob Amman, believed strict rules and a spartan lifestyle were necessary in order to please God. The other group rejected such notions and adhered to the original teachings of living simply and by grace. Eventually the division between the groups became so severe and irreconcilable that they split. One group followed Amman and became the Amish, the others continued to follow the teaching of Menno Simons and called themselves Mennonites.

Without disparaging the Amish in any way, I agree with Menno’s understanding of a simple life lived by grace. We don’t earn God’s favor through the observance of a severe lifestyle and rejecting all modern conveniences. Instead, we are saved by grace, and we please Him by loving Him. So, relax and trust in God’s grace.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Read the memo. You are God’s masterpiece

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “Read the memo. You are God’s masterpiece.”

If you’ve never read any of the books written by Og Mandino, you’re missing out. At one time Og was a thirty-five-year-old drunken derelict who at one point was so low, so despondent, that he decided to spend his last few dollars on a cheap gun with which to commit suicide. Fortunately, he didn’t. Instead, Jesus saved him and Og went on to become a best-selling Christian inspirational writer. His books have sold over fifty million copies and they continue to sell well today, even though Og has been in heaven now for over twenty-five years.

All of his books are short and easy reads. “A Better Way to Live” is his personal story of redemption and the life-principles he then lived by which radically transformed his life. “The Ragpicker” and “The Return of the Ragpicker” are wonderful little (true) stories about a quiet and simple man named Simon who spent his life ministering to and rescuing those who have ended up on life’s rag pile. He was the man God used to reach Og just before he would have committed suicide.

Perhaps Og’s most popular book was “The Greatest Miracle in the World”. Again, it was based on his personal story and again, it was a lesson he learned from Simon, the Ragpicker. Without giving the whole story away, I will tell you that it ends with something called “The God Memorandum”. What if God wrote you a personal letter to help you understand what an amazing creation you are and how special you are to him? What would it say? It would say that “You are the greatest miracle in the world!”

You don’t believe you are? Read the memo. Seriously. Read the memo. You don’t even have to read the book in order to read the memo. You can just Google “The God Memorandum” or click on this link: http://www.wowzone.com/godmemo.htm (Do it when you have a little time. It’s a short book chapter and is five or six pages long, but it will be worth your time.)

I want you to know this morning that you are more amazing than you realize. You are a wonderful creation of God’s – an absolute bona fide verifiable miracle. Read the memo. You’re a masterpiece.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Simple acts of service please the Lord

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Simple acts of blessing and service please the Lord”

Hannah Hurnard was a medical missionary who served the Jewish people in Jerusalem during the unsettled and dangerous days after World War II. During that time Israel was being reestablished as a sovereign nation, but her enemies were trying to prevent it and Jerusalem was under siege. Most other missionaries fled Jerusalem for their own safety, but Hannah stayed and served. Quietly, unobtrusively, behind the scenes, as battles raged in the streets, Hannah stayed and she ministered to the needs of the suffering.

When her brave and selfless actions became widely known and she was publicly commended for them, she brushed off the praise and remarked that untold numbers of the Lord’s people serve quietly and faithfully behind the scenes in thousands of ways everyday all across the world. She said that such unobserved service is especially pleasing to the Lord. “Many a quiet, ordinary, and hidden life, unknown to the world, is a veritable garden … a place of delight where the King of Love himself walks and rejoices with his friends.” What she meant was that Jesus is pleased by such quiet acts of service, and there are many Christians who do such things in a wide variety of settings all across the world.

As I write this, I’m preparing to conduct a memorial service later today for a friend and church member who died young, only in her 50s. Yesterday one of her closest friends posted the passage from Matthew 25:37-40 on Facebook in her memory. That passage is where Jesus commended the person who quietly engaged in simple acts of ministry such as feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, caring for the sick, etc. He said such beautiful acts of simply service, done quietly behind the scenes as an act of love and compassion, are received by Him as if done for Him personally.

The Facebook post noted that this passage describes Gail perfectly. She was a nurse who spent her career compassionately caring for the sick. In her younger years she was a single mother who structured her life around the needs of her children. In her later years she was married to a fine man who she loved deeply and to whom she was a loving and dedicated wife. And to her friends, she was known as that quiet and unassuming person who cared deeply, loved a lot, and who could always be counted on to be there when you needed her.

Quiet, unassuming, faithful acts of service are beautiful and valued by Jesus. People like that inspire the rest of us to want to be better, to want to be more like them. Hannah Hurnard was like that. So was our friend Gail.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Don’t be lukewarm

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Don’t be a lukewarm Christian”

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher and theologian who lived in the 1800s. Although he wrote extensively on a wide variety of Christian topics, one he was especially passionate about and vexed by was lukewarm Christianity. He even questioned whether lukewarm faith in Christ was real faith, or perhaps if it indicated that the person’s initial profession of faith in Jesus wasn’t sincere. Kierkegaard said, “Spiritually understood, there are always two victories: a first victory, and then the second by which the first victory is preserved.”

The first victory Kierkegaard was referring to is salvation itself. The second is the Christian life lived well – in a manner worthy of that salvation. One should lead to the other and if it doesn’t, we should wonder if the first was genuine or not.

The great British preacher of the same day, Charles Spurgeon, believed that too. He was especially bothered by the gushing reports about the large numbers of people who professed faith in Jesus at emotionally-charged evangelistic rallies, and how few of them sometimes followed through on those professions. Spurgeon remarked, “It is foolish to declare in a moment what would take a whole lifetime to fully determine. Yes, Christ saves us in a moment, as we genuinely repent, but it’s in the process of life, through failure and faithfulness, that victory shows it’s colors.”

Likewise, in Romans 8:37 the Apostle Paul taught that we are “more than conquerors” as a result of our faith in Christ. What could he have meant that we are “more” than conquerors? He meant that beyond the fact that Jesus has saved us from the eternal punishment due for our sins – more than the fact that we have that victory, we also are empowered to live victoriously now. We are more than just one-time victors – we are ongoing champions when we live faithfully in a way that honors the Lord who saved us.

As Revelation 3:15-16 so vividly and graphically teaches, lukewarm and casual Christianity is an insult to Jesus. Considering what He did for us, He deserves better from us. If we truly understand and appreciate our salvation, how could we not be passionate about serving and pleasing and worshiping the Lord who saved us?

A lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron. It’s a contradiction in terms. Or, at least, it should be. How could a person who has been saved from eternal damnation – who knows and it and truly believes it, be indifferent about it? Let’s not be lukewarm Christians. Being so calls the sincerity and genuineness of our faith into question.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Learn to be content

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Learn to be content”

This morning I want to return us to the story of J.C. Penny, which we considered in yesterday’s devotional. He once confessed about himself, I had permitted the idea of the power of money to possess me.” And as we read yesterday, it nearly killed him – his compulsive preoccupation with money and things almost moved him to take his own life. Fortunately for J.C. Penny, he went on to learn the important truth that Paul taught in 1 Timothy 6:6 that regardless of how much wealth and how many possessions we do or don’t have, godliness and contentment are the keys to a good life, not money and possessions.

Paul went on in 1 Timothy 6:10 to say, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Please note that he did not say that money is evil. It isn’t. Money is neutral. It’s just a tool that can be used in good ways or in bad ways. It’s the love of money, the compulsive preoccupation with money and possessions, that’s the root of much evil. And this is the challenge we Christians face in our consumer-oriented culture that is so fixated on conspicuous consumption.

The truth is that contentment isn’t good for the economy. It just isn’t. Content people are satisfied with what they have and therefore they don’t buy more. Discontented consumers tend to spend, spend, spend even when they don’t need to. The entire point of advertising is to make us discontent. Its purpose is to convince us that we need this new product or service and that our lives will be incomplete if we don’t get it. So, on the one hand, as Christians we need to resist the temptation to always want more, more, more, never being satisfied with what we have.

On the other hand, we want and need the economy to be healthy, and therefore we do need to spend. We all enjoy the standard of living we have here in the USA and we want to maintain it. Therefore, there’s a balance that needs to be achieved between being satisfied with what we have, or acquiring more, and that balance has to be learned. The Apostle Paul wrote of this learning process in Philippians 4:11-13 when he wrote,

“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Don’t miss the fact that Paul wasn’t advocating for either wealth or poverty. Over the course of his life, he had them both. He had times when he was well off and in need of nothing, and he had times when he was dependent on the charity of others. In this verse he wasn’t lauding or promoting either condition. What he was teaching was that he had learned to be content and satisfied, relying on the Lord at all times, regardless of what his circumstances were.

That needs to be true for us too. Our faith and trust must be in Jesus. Godliness and contentment are the keys to a good life, not money and possessions.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Trust God and be content

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month; “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “And my God will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Trust God and be content”

Linda and I were once Amway distributors. Don’t judge, you have skeletons in your closet too. Yes, we once sold Amway. We never got rich from it but it did pay for our youngest child’s braces. We were associated with a group of Christian Amway distributors who were very much into prosperity theology. They were convinced we were all supposed to become fabulously wealthy for Jesus. We had a leader who did become wealthy from it. He lived in a big lakefront home, drove a Rolls Royce, and wore expensive suits and a Rolex watch. He loved the phrase “conspicuous consumption”. He used it frequently and with relish. He said it slow and drew out the syllables, sometimes practically salivating. In his world, conspicuous consumption was a good thing, something to be sought after and indulged in. The more the better.

Linda and I didn’t last long in that setting. We did make a little money and we did pay for the braces, but then we got out. One of the reasons we got out is because we realized how unbiblical that all-consuming preoccupation with money and possessions was. It’s the exact opposite of the attitude displayed by another wealthy Christian man, but one who had it right. His name was J.C. Penny.

We all know J.C. Penny’s is a major U.S. department store. And most of us probably know that J.C. Penny was the founder of that chain and that he was one of the richest men in his day in the early 1920s. What you may not know is that during the Great Depression most of his business ventures failed and he lost almost everything. His wife had died, his businesses failed, and he was depressed to the point of suicide. But one night, sitting in the back row of a chapel at a rescue mission in the Bowery in New York City, Penny heard the hymn “God Will Take Care of You”. The words resonated deep in his heart and he realized that if he would simply cast all his cares on Jesus, strive to honor Him with His life, and then accept with gratitude whatever the Lord chose to give him, he would be okay. Penny wrote, “I had permitted the idea of the power of money to possess me.” And it had nearly killed him – it almost moved him to take his own life.

J.C. Penny got right with Jesus, he rebuilt his business, and he spent the rest of his life using his wealth to bless others and to finance many Christian rescue missions, orphanages, hospitals, schools, and a wide variety of other ministry efforts. But despite the great wealth he had regained he lived modestly, and he was happy and content doing so.

Trusting God and learning to be content is an important factor when it comes to living the Christian life well, so we’ll return to this thought tomorrow. In the meantime, know that God loves you, He is aware of your circumstances, and you can trust Him to take care of you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim