Oak Hill Baptist Church

Let’s get some exercise

Good morning everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” Psalm 139:13-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Let’s get some exercise”

A few days ago, I encouraged all of us to take a few moments to read Og Mandino’s “The God Memorandum”. The memo is a fascinating description about the amazing intricacies of the human body. The human body is a miraculously complex creation of God. It’s impossible that it could be anything less than that.

Recently I came across another insight about the human body which I found both fascinating and helpful. It was in a book written by Andrew Le Peau entitled, “Write Better: A lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality”. At one point Andrew was commenting on the fact that writing is an activity that requires the person to be in a sitting position for long hours – and that’s not healthy. He argued that to be our best as writers, we have to be disciplined about getting exercise. He made the case that there’s a direct connection between physical health and cognitive ability.

To that point, he used the example of the great chess master Boris Spasky. Spasky had a brilliant mind which he said he kept sharp and healthy by remaining physically fit. He was certain that his cognitive ability was directly tied to his physical health. So, he was an avid tennis player. He also swam, lifted weights, and engaged in various aerobic exercises, all to help him stay in shape. He firmly believed that to be his best at chess, his whole body needed to be fit.

To further make his case about the connection between physical fitness and cognitive ability, Le Peau went on to cite a study from the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology which concluded, “Not so many years ago, the brightest minds in neuroscience thought that our brains got a set amount of neurons, and that by adulthood, no new neurons would be birthed. But this turned out not to be true … only one activity is now known to trigger the birth of new neurons: vigorous aerobic exercise.”

Here’s the great thought I wanted to share with you this morning. It is Andrew Le Peau’s conclusion about the importance of exercise: “Writers, editors, programmers, students, and others who sit and use their brains in concentrated work … should take a tip from the grand master (Boris Spasky), if they want to stay at the top of their game: exercise!”

I encourage all of us to get plenty of exercise. Exercise helps us to stay as healthy as we can for as long as we can – physically and mentally. So, let’s get some exercise!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Need motivates prayer

Good morning everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Need motivates prayers, and prayer enhances our relationship with God”

The omniscience of God is a theological truth which means that God knows everything. There is nothing God doesn’t know. That revelation really doesn’t surprise us because after all, He is God. But the truth of the omniscience of God does beg the question, “If God already knows everything, what’s the purpose of prayer?” Good question. Why should we bother praying if God already knows in advance what we’re going to pray for, and He already knows the answer to our prayers before we even ask. Doesn’t that make prayer an exercise in futility? Isn’t prayer just a waste of our time, and of God’s?

George MacDonald, the Scottish pastor, theologian, and Bible scholar from the mid to late 1800s had some thoughts about the real reason God calls us to pray. He wrote, “What if He knows prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer is the supplying of our great, our endless need – the need of Himself? Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer …”

This is insightful and helpful. It provides us with one answer to why we pray. Our unmet needs – whether they concern finances, family, illness, or anything else – those needs drive us to our knees in prayer because we know that God can address those needs for us. That then brings us into communion with God which, it turns out, is what our soul needs more than the answer to the prayer itself. Our soul needs communion with God more than our body needs food or health or finances. The unmet physical needs become the things that lead us into communion with God, which is what we really need more than anything else.

This is what Paul was teaching in Philippians 4:6-7 (above). Don’t fret and worry, don’t be unduly anxious about the rent money, the aching back, the rebellious child, or anything else. Bring all of those things and more to God in prayer, and then allow Him to minister to your soul. The prayer time will bring us peace. It might also result in an answer that helps to address the original need, but whether it does or not, it will have accomplished the greater and more important purpose of nourishing our soul through communion with our Lord.

The fact is that needs motivate prayers, and prayers enhance our relationship with God.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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