Oak Hill Baptist Church

Call to Him and He will answer you

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Call to Him and He will answer you”

Of all the different kinds of special times and special moments we can and should learn to savor, none is more important or more rewarding than time with the Lord. No experience in life surpasses the joy and satisfaction of special moments with God.

This morning I want to return us to the subject we explored in yesterday’s devotional, and in a previous one from last week – sitting quietly with God and going deep with Him. In his book “Intimacy with the Almighty”, Pastor Chuck Swindoll quoted author Richard Foster from his great book “Celebration of Discipline”. Foster wrote, “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

Yes, that is the desperate need. Far too many Christians just skim the surface of a relationship with God. It’s superficial. Swindoll says, “We have to learn anew to think deeply, to worship meaningfully, to mediate unhurriedly.” And, “No one is ready to take on the depths unless he or she is fed up with the superficial. What you long for, unless I miss my guess, is intimacy with the Almighty. You want to be profoundly aware of His presence, in touch with Him at the deepest possible level, thinking His thoughts, gleaning His wisdom, and living as close to His heart as is humanly possible.”

Are you living as close to His heart as is humanly possible? Are you among those people who would be considered “spiritually deep”? Do you want to be?

God wants that for you. But you have to want it too, and you have to be willing to put in the time and put forth the effort to seek it. In Jeremiah 33:3 He told us, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you did not know.”

God is deep, and He is ready to meet you in the deep places as well. He wants to interact with you in ways that go far beyond the superficial. But you have to go to those deep places to meet Him there. Will you? I encourage you to spend some time today going deep with God. Call to Him, and He will answer you.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

May your hidden self be settled and strong

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “May your hidden self be settled and strong”

Basil Pennington was a Trappist monk who looked like Santa Claus. He was a bit hefty; he had a full head of snow-white hair and a big flowing beard to go with it; he had puffy cheeks that were rosy red; and a big friendly smile that put you at ease. I would have liked to have met him. Someday in heaven I will.

Pennington is best known for his writing and teaching about the contemplative way of life. He was especially an advocate of what he called “centering prayer”. He maintained that most of our prayers are way too chatty and too superficial. To a large extent we’re just saying stuff because we think we’re supposed to, we think that’s what prayer is.

While it’s true that God is interested in all aspects of our lives, and He does want us to talk to Him about all of it, there’s also a time and a place to simply “Be still, and know that I am God.” There needs to be time when we just sit quietly and enjoy God in adoring silence. Often, that turns out to be the best time of prayer. It’s certainly the most relaxing and renewing.

If you’re like me, then often your prayer time is not relaxing and renewing. Instead, it’s more like work. It’s spiritual warfare. Sometimes prayer feels like I’m wrestling with both God and the devil, sometimes both of them at the same time! But that’s okay. Sometimes prayer is like that. Prayer is work and it is warfare. But it shouldn’t be like that all the time. Sometimes prayer should be a deep dive into the mystery and majesty of God. It should be like jumping off a rock on a hot summer day into the cool refreshing waters of a mountain lake.

Pennington wrote a series of books on the subject of being still before God. His most popular was “Centering Prayer”. In it he teaches us how to quiet our noisy minds so we can simply be with God in adoring silence. His prayer for his readers is, “Out of his infinite glory, may God give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong.”

I like that phrase, “for your hidden self to grow strong”. Your spirit is your hidden self. It’s your real self, but it’s hidden deep within your physical self. And when your hidden self is strong, your physical self will reveal it. Your spiritual strength will be evident and it will show itself by how you live and how you interact with the world around you. Learning to be still before God settles your spirit and thereby settles your body. Your spirit is calm so your body is calm.

I encourage you to spend some time this morning just being still before God. Don’t feel like you need to talk and talk and talk, working your way down a long list of issues and items. Instead, truly savor and enjoy your time with Him. My prayer for you is that your hidden self will be settled and strong.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Learn to be content

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “… I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Learn to be content”

The other day I was visiting with some friends who live in a tow-behind travel trailer in a mobile home park near a lake. It’s a very nice trailer, pretty large as far as tow-behind traveler trailers go, complete with slide-outs to expand the living space, and with all the modern conveniences. It’s just enough room for two people to live comfortably but modestly, and with no excess. They’re not doing it for financial reasons. They have the assets to live in any manner they would like. But they love the simplicity of their lifestyle and they’re happy and content with it. They don’t need or want more.

The great Christian writer G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to acquire more and more. The other is to desire less.” Actually, I think Chesterton was only half right. Learning to desire less and to simply be content with what we have is certainly a key to happiness. But an endless quest to accumulate more and more never leads to true contentment. The fact that the person is still striving for more is evidence enough that the person is not content with what they have. With that mindset, there’s never any such thing as ‘enough”.

In Philippians 4:11-13 the Apostle Paul revealed an important lesson he had learned in his own life. He learned to be content. And please don’t miss the fact that he “learned” to be content. In other words, it didn’t come naturally and it required a learning experience for him to get there. From what we know of Paul, it means that he was intentional and disciplined about learning the lesson. He trained himself for contentment. In verse 13 he reveals that it was his continuous focus on Christ that was the key to achieving the contentment he had just been writing about.

It’s difficult to truly savor the special moments in life if we have an unsettled spirit that is always striving and yearning for something more, rather than simply being content with and enjoying life as it is in the present moment.

I think it would helpful for all of us to ask ourselves, “How much is enough?” and, “Will “more” ever truly become “enough”? The truth is, if we are going to truly enjoy and savor life, we need to learn to be content.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Fulfill your purpose

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

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

Our thought for today: “Fulfill your purpose”

I love the way the New Living Translation uses the word “masterpiece” to describe those who have new life in Christ. When you placed your faith in Christ God created you anew, you became a new creation – a master creation of His.

But there are two important things to note about that verse. First, the “masterpiece” reference is to your spiritual self, not your physical self. Good thing too. As I can attest, the older we get the less and less our physical selves resemble anything looking like a masterpiece (unless you’re into antiques). No, as amazing a creation as the human body is, the true masterpiece of God’s creation is that wonderful eternal spirit of yours, and that’s what Paul was referring to in that verse. Your spirit is contained within your body, but it’s the spirit that’s the new creation.

The second thing to note is why God created you anew in Christ. Although the verse doesn’t specifically mention it, we know that the first and most important reason was so we can spend eternity with Him in heaven. But also, as the verse does say, it was “… so that we can do good things he planned for us long ago.” And that brings us to our theme for this month of savoring and fully enjoying the time on earth that the Lord has given us. We’re using our time well when we’re doing the good things He has planned for us to do.

The great Christian writer C.S. Lewis once observed, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.”

In my observation the happiest, most joyful, and most content Christians tend to be the ones who are fulfilling their God-given purpose as His masterpieces, doing the good works in this world that He has planned for them to do from the very beginning. It’s when you are serving others (especially those who are less fortunate than you or those who are hurting and in need), that you are fulfilling your purpose. That’s when you will feel most fully alive and most satisfied. The best thing you can do to make yourself feel better is to take your eyes off of yourself and do something for someone else. It’s what God created you for. It’s what He planned for you to do.

You are God’s masterpiece, created by Him to do good works that He has planned for you from the very beginning. I encourage you to fulfill your purpose today.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Pray, relax, and enjoy life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

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

Our thought for today: “Pray, relax, and enjoy life”

Some of my longtime readers will recognize the name of Dick DeGrow. I’ve mentioned him often in daily devotionals and in sermons. Dick was an early mentor of mine shortly after I retired from the Navy and became a pastor. He was a retired pastor who was a member of my first church, Bancroft Baptist in Spring Valley, CA. He served as a deacon, adult Sunday school teacher, and he was the church custodian.

Dick was a quiet, calm, and relaxed man who had learned to take life as it comes and to just roll with things. He also had a lot of wisdom to share that was born of many years of faithful service as a pastor, and therefore he was my closest advisor in the church. We met for lunch once a week.

That was almost twenty-five years ago but to this day, the image of Dick that continues to stand out in my mind is that calm, quiet, relaxed, easy-going manner. And the reason he was like that is captured beautifully by the Apostle Paul in yesterday’s Bible verse, Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” And by today’s verse, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Dick prayed a lot and he simply trusted all things to the Lord. Then he just went through life enjoying it, savoring it.

I want to be more like that.

Dick was also responsible for one of my bad habits. He loved ice cream and he had some every night. Every. Single. Night. It was a ritual he never missed, a treat he never denied himself. Up to that point I enjoyed ice cream, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t addicted to it. But Dick was a man I admired very much, and I attempted to emulate him, copying his fine qualities and reproducing them in my own life. Soooo …”Hi, my name is Jim and I’m addicted to ice cream.” I mean, if my mentor could do it and be so happy, serene, and content, there must be something to it, right?

But the primary example that Dick modeled so effectively was of a man who had learned to pray a lot, trust God, and enjoy life. That’s a pretty good way to be. It’s a pretty good example to follow.

Pray, relax, and enjoy life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Let’s pray more and worry less

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Let’s pray more and worry less”

The other day I saw an article published by the American Psychological Association. It reported the findings of a recent study designed to assess the psychological health of the American public. The findings were not good. 84% in the study declared themselves to be very concerned about all the social unrest in our country. 81% said they’re worried about the future of our nation. 80% reported being concerned about COVID 19 and/or related issues, including the long-term impact of the pandemic on our nation. 74% reported significant concern about the deep political divide that just seems to keep getting worse.

All of that translates into mental health problems for large segments of the population. 67% of those surveyed in that study reported feeling somewhat or very overwhelmed by the totality of everything mentioned in the previous paragraph. 47% reported high levels of frequent anxiety. 44% reported experiencing a prolonged sense of sadness. 39% were angry.

Although there is evidence of all of that in the Christian community as well, I believe Christians are doing much better than the overall public in terms of good mental health, and I believe a big part of the reason is prayer. It’s what the Apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:6-7, the more we pray the better we handle things.

This is important. How can we savor our time, how can we enjoy and appreciate the gift of life and the moments of our lives, if we’re stressed-out and anxious all the time? We need to pray more so we can worry less. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith …” And in Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) we find the promise, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

The world is a mess, but Jesus isn’t. Jesus will give us peace that transcends all the issues we are faced with, a peace that will guard our heart and mind.

Let’s pray more so we can worry less.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Count your blessings

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Praise the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Count your blessings”

I wonder how many blessings we miss simply because we’re not paying attention. It’s not that the blessings aren’t there, they are. It’s just that we fail to recognize them for the blessings that they are. We’re so used to them that we no longer pay attention to them. It’s kind of like living in beautiful eastern Tennessee (which I do), and getting so used to seeing the mountains and lakes and lush green fields every day that they’re no longer special. Or like living on the pristine Gulf of Mexico (which I used to), with its sugar-white beaches and clear blue waters, and being so used to it that it becomes commonplace.

Or maybe its like living in the United States of America, with the highest standard of living in the world, with the best healthcare system in the world, with more food and better housing and more creature-comforts than anyone else in the world, while billions of others around the world live in deep poverty and millions more are starving, but I’m sitting here being whiny and grumpy because the internet is slow this morning. (First world problems!)

I wonder how many blessings we miss simply because we’re not paying attention, or because we’ve become dull and insensitive. I wonder how many blessings we miss simply because we don’t take the time to savor them and to thank God for them.

There’s a wonderful little exercise described for us in the old Christian hymn “Count Your Blessings”. You can Google it for the full lyrics, and I hope you will, but here’s the chorus: “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”

I encourage you to take some time this morning to count your blessings. Consider the many ways (big and small) in which God has blessed you. Think about your blessings. Savor them. Thank God for them.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Consider the brevity of life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath, his days are like a fleeting shadow.” Psalm 144:3-4 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Consider the brevity of life”

There are many things about Facebook that I dislike. It’s often misused by people in wrong or unhelpful ways. But there is some good to it as well. For one thing, it helps people who otherwise would not be in touch with each other to have an ongoing relationship that is often real-time and even visual (with pictures posted).

For instance, Facebook allows me to be in contact with people in my hometown with whom I grew up but haven’t seen in fifty years; as well as old military buddies; and people from churches I served in decades ago; and old team members from around the country who have been on international mission teams with me; and relatives who live in other parts of the country; and so many more.

One thing this contact with people from my past has impressed upon me is the brevity of life. For instance, I’m amazed at how many of my old friends from my childhood and teenage years have already died – some in their forties, fifties, and early sixties. Likewise, old Navy buddies from decades ago – so many have died young.

The brevity of life is a subject the Bible refers to frequently. Just a quick search of “The Topical Bible” listed forty-eight scriptural references from both the Old and New Testaments. If God returns to a subject that often in His written Word, He must be trying to tell us something. He must be calling our attention to the brevity of this life.

He is, and the reason He does is so He can then call our attention to eternity. Life is short, eternity isn’t. Eternity is where we spend forever and therefore where we spend it matters. Sadly, many people are concerned primarily with trying to get the most out of this life (which is so short and passes so quickly), and they spend little or no time preparing for eternity. How foolish! Death is certain, and eternity is a long, long time. We have to get this right.

Our theme this month is about savoring our time. It implies an unhurried, deep, and thoughtful focus on the things that truly matter. Like your eternal destiny, it matters. It merits some time to consider it. I encourage you to join us this Sunday at Oak Hill Baptist Church as we consider life after death and eternal destinies. Join us in-person at 10:00 if you can, or online for the live-steam on the Oak Hill Baptist Church Facebook page, or later for the recorded version at www.oakhillbaptist.net.

Life is short. Eternity isn’t. I encourage you to consider the brevity of your life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Go deep with God

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night – a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:7-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Go deep with God”

Psalm 42 is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, the writer describes his deep unsatisfied desire for God as being like a thirsty deer longing for a soothing drink from a cool stream (1-2). He also writes about having a dejected and depressed soul immersed in turmoil (5-6). But then, with boldness and confidence, he declares that the Lord will send His faithful love by day and the song of the Lord will be with him in the night (8). He concludes the Psalm with a great statement of faith and encouragement when he writes in verse 11, “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Verse 7 is the linchpin upon which the entire Psalm turns. “Deep calls to deep …” God is deep, and He calls us to go deep with Him. Even as the breakers and billows of turmoil, dejection, and depression are washing over us, our deep God calls us to meet Him in deep places.

In his book, “Intimacy with the Almighty” Pastor Chuck Swindoll writes, “Deep things are intriguing. Deep jungles. Deep water. Deep caves and canyons. Deep thoughts and conversations. There is nothing like depth to make us dissatisfied with superficial, shallow things. Once we have delved below the surface and had a taste of the marvels and mysteries of the deep, we realize the value of taking the time and going to the trouble of plumbing those depths. This is especially true in the spiritual realm. God invites us to go deeper rather than to be content with surface matters.”

Going deep with God requires time. It requires us to slow down, stop, sit, and spend time with Him. Going deep with God also happens when we participate in group worship services. Good music, good teaching, and good fellowship can be profoundly worshipful experiences as we encounter God in the middle of them.

I encourage all of us to set aside time this weekend for meeting God in a deep place. Go deep with God.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Intentionally joyful

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Intentionally joyful”

This morning I want to give a shout-out to Brooke Foster. In a previous devotional this week I encouraged you to view a video clip of “The Snoopy Dance”. It was simply my way of encouraging all of us to be intentional about choosing joy. Brooke responded and shared with me a video clip of another song and dance that I think makes the same point, only better. It’s the song “Happy Dance” by the Christian music group MercyMe. I have attached a link for it below and I encourage you to take a moment to watch it.

It’s a great song, along a clever video montage. The song is upbeat and sings about many of the reasons we have to find our joy in the Lord. The dance video is fun and funny, but pay attention to the lyrics too. The meaning of the song is essentially the same thing the Old Testament leader Nehemiah was saying to the Jewish people in Nehemiah 8:10 – be intentional about being joyful. If you read that story, you’ll discover that in that moment they were faced with big challenges and there was much going on that they were justifiably concerned about. Nehemiah told them to find joy in the Lord anyway. Their day would be better if they did.

You can choose joy. At any time and in any moment or in pretty much any set of circumstances, there is still joy to be found in the Lord.

I have attached a link for the music video below and I encourage you to take a moment to watch it. It will lift your spirits, cause you to smile, and it will get your day off to a good start. If you’re reading this on a computer, simply put your mouse pointer on the link address below, hold down the “control” button on your keyboard, and left click once on your mouse. If you’re reading it on a smartphone, just tap the link on the screen.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xbxt55eHBA&authuser=0