Oak Hill Baptist Church

What does it mean to be free?

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “You have been set free”

Our Bible verse for today: “So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” John 8:36 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “What does it mean to be free?”

Americans are big on the concept of freedom. And rightly so. We are the freest people on earth living in the greatest nation on earth with the best and most effective political system on earth. Even our “Declaration of Independence”, which announced our intent to break-away from the tyrannical rule of England and to form our own nation, declares that we have the unalienable rights from our Creator to “life, liberty, and happiness.” Freedom is imbedded into our national DNA.

However, our freedom isn’t absolute. That would be anarchy. We’re actually a nation based upon the rule of law. There are limitations which provide structure for the expression of our freedoms, and which are then imposed upon individuals for the public good. For instance, there’s the famous decision from Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes regarding the limitations of free speech. He ruled that the right to free speech does not extend to falsely shouting “fire” in a crowded theater when in fact there is no fire. That would be a dangerous use of free speech under false circumstances, and it could cause physical harm to many people. Likewise, it’s commonly understood that your right to swing your fist stops at the tip of my nose. You can swing your arm if you want to, but you cannot punch me in the nose. So, there are necessary limitations to many of our “freedoms”.

But as important and valuable as our Constitutional freedoms are as citizens of the USA, our freedoms as Christians, granted to us by Jesus Christ, are much more valuable – and even more misunderstood. If it’s true that as citizens of the USA we often misunderstand the nature and scope of our freedoms, it’s even truer of Christians living under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ. There is misinformation and misunderstanding which results in Christians either not fully enjoying their freedom in Christ, or worse, abusing it. We do have freedom, but it is not absolute and it must be correctly applied.

There’s actually an interesting and intriguing connection between our freedom under the Constitution and our freedom under Christ. At Oak Hill Baptist Church we recently completed a Sunday evening Bible study series by Pastor Tony Evans called, “The Kingdom Agenda”. In it, Tony introduced a concept that I appreciate very much and which I fully agree with. It’s the notion of “maximum freedom and limited government”. The basic premise is that the more God’s kingdom principles are in place and lived-out by society, the less need there will be for government intrusion into our lives.

This is an important truth. Christian liberty, properly understood and correctly applied, has a direct impact on civil liberties. This is the ideal that we as God’s people must be working towards in our society – maximum freedom and limited government because the situation in society becomes such that big government isn’t needed or warranted.

I look forward to exploring this important topic with you.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Let’s stay strong together

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their effort … A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9;12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Let’s stay strong together”

I want to end our theme for this month by reviewing two of the most important ways in which we stay spiritually strong. First, we need to apply ourselves to the study of the Bible every day. The Bible is God’s Word to us. Not only does it reveal God and His ways, but as the writer of Psalm 119:105 reminds us, it also provides the understanding and guidance we need in order to walk through life in a manner that honors God and which is therefore in our own best interest. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” The best life any of us will ever have is the one lived in the center of God’s revealed will.

In his great little book, “Eat this book: A conversation in the art of spiritual reading”, pastor and author Eugene Peterson teaches that more than just reading the Bible, we need to enter into it; we need to experience it as if we ourselves are involved in the scene being described on the page; and then we are to go and live what we have learned and experienced. The Bible is meant to transform us.

For instance, in the parable of the Good Samaritan a Bible scholar asked Jesus “who is my neighbor?”. Jesus answered the question by telling a story about two men who did not help a person in need, contrasted with one person who did. Then Jesus told the scholar, “go and do likewise”. What we learn there is that the appropriate question for us to ask is not “who is my neighbor?” but “how can I be a neighbor?”. We are to go and do likewise. And if we do, our study of the Bible will have changed how we live.

The other important point we should take with us out of this month of devotionally thinking about how we can stay strong, is that we need each other. We’re at our best when we’re together. That’s what Solomon meant in Proverbs 27:17 when he wrote, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” It’s why the writer of the letter to the Hebrews urged us in Hebrews 10:24, “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together …” And it’s what Solomon was writing about in Ecclesiastes 4:9;12 (above). The point is that we need to be together because when we are, we help each other to stay strong.

These are perilous times we live in. It’s important for Christians to stay spiritually strong. We need the Word and we need each other. When you attend the gatherings of the church, you hear God’s Word explained in ways that apply directly to your life, and you are with those who will help you to stay sharp and to stay strong.

I encourage you to stay in the Word and to stay in Church. Let’s stay strong together!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Talk to your problems about God

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king.” Daniel 3:16-17(CSB)

Our thought for today: “Talk to your problems about God.”

On one of the mission teams I led into the Amazon Jungle of Peru there was an older man, a healthcare professional, who reminded me of the cartoon character “Mr. Magoo”. If you’re old enough to remember Mr. Magoo, you know he was an elderly man who had a large nose, a fleshy face with heavy jowls, and a harmless and benevolent manner. He was also pretty eccentric. And, he was always muttering and mumbling to himself.

So too my teammate. He was actually pretty physically fit for a man in his 70s (which is why he was with me in the Amazon Jungle) but he sort of looked like Mr. Magoo. Also, like Mr. Magoo, he was a bit eccentric, and he too was always quietly muttering and mumbling. Finally, one day I asked him, “Gene, who are you talking to?” To which he responded, “I’m talking to myself, and it’s a private conversation!”

But he said it as a joke and as I continued to ease-drop on his mutterings and mumblings I realized that he wasn’t really talking to himself most of the time. Usually he was talking half out loud to God, or he was talking to his problems about God. Yes, he would actually talk to the situation or to the problem and tell it how God was going to handle it.

That sounds funny until you realize how Biblical it is. That’s what the three Hebrew boys were doing in Daniel 3:16-17 (above). The king and the blazing furnace were the problem, and so they talked to the problem about God. Moses did the same thing in his encounters with Pharoah. David talked to Goliath about God. Jesus and Paul both talked to demons about God. And Jesus told us to talk to mountains about God.

We all commonly talk to God about our problems, but how often do we talk to our problems about God? Maybe Mr. Magoo and my friend Gene were on to something. Maybe we would all be a little better off, and a little more effective at dealing with our problems, if we gave them a good talking to about the God who is looking out for us and who is helping us.

It’s good to talk to God about your problems. It’s even better to talk to your problems about God.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

May today be your best day

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “May today be your best day”

I believe one of the best measures of how a person is doing in terms of spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, and increasing spiritual strength, is the degree to which the attributes known as “the fruit of the Spirit”, as described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, are evident in the person’s life.

Progressively, over time, as the Holy Spirit works in your life molding you and shaping you into the person God intends for you to be, the fruit of the Spirit in your life should become increasing a part of who you are as a person. The more the character traits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are evident in your life, the more progress the Holy Spirit has made in your spiritual growth and development. Those attributes simply become who you are as a person.

Many years ago, I adopted Galatians 5:22-23 as one of my life verses. I want this to be true of me, and so I memorized the passage and I make it part of my personal prayers virtually every morning. I ask the Spirit to work in my life and to develop more of this fruit in me today. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m definitely a work in progress – I’ve got a long way to go. But hopefully I’m better today than I was yesterday, and hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow than I am today. May that be true for you as well.

This morning I read another of the Puritan era prayers from the little book “The Valley of Vision” which I’ve referred to before. The writer prayed, “Let those around me see me living by thy Spirit … If my life should end today, let this be my best day.”

Yes, let today have been my best day. And then, may tomorrow be even better.

It’s my prayer for all of us that we are all getting better and stronger day-by-day, and that today will turn out to have been your best day so far.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Be where you’re supposed to be doing what you’re supposed to be doing

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”

I love the way Billy Graham once applied the situation found in Numbers chapter thirty-two to the subject of staying strong for others. In that scene we find the nation of Israel getting ready to cross over the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land. However, the tribes of Reuben and Gad saw that the land that had already been occupied by them, on the east side of the Jordan, was a good land which would suit them well and which would require no further effort to possess. So, they asked Moses to let them stay there rather than crossing the Jordan with the other ten tribes and fighting for land that they felt they didn’t need or want.

Moses was angry with them for the thought that they would let their brothers and sisters go forward into battle with diminished strength, while they sat there enjoying good land that they didn’t have to fight for. Moses said, “Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here? … (If so,) you may be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:6, 23). In other words, it would have been a sin for them to withhold their strength when it was needed by others.

That’s the kind of thing the Apostle Paul was writing about in Philippians 2:4. Our concern should be not just for ourselves, but for others as well. We should be looking out not just for our own interests, but also for the interests of those who need our help. It’s a sin for God’s people to sit down or hang back in indifference and apathy when struggling people need our help and when we are in a position to help them if we only would.

Oftentimes that means being where we’re supposed to be and doing what we’re supposed to be doing. That was the case with the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Where they were supposed to be was on the other side of the Jordan with the rest of the nation. What they were supposed to be doing was engaging in the effort to take possession of the land God had promised to the entire nation.

May I ask you where it is you are supposed to be and what it is that you are supposed to be doing? Are you there? Are you doing it? Are others depending on you and are you there for them? Not only are we to look out for ourselves but we are to look out for others as well. Not only must we be strong and stay strong for our own sake, but for the sake of others too.

I encourage you to be where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Think God-thoughts rather than Goliath-thoughts

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then David said, ‘The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:37 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Think God-thoughts rather than Goliath-thoughts”

In yesterday’s devotional I quoted King Asa from 2 Chronicles 14:11-12 as he was faced with a vastly superior enemy army. He prayed, “Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on you.” In that devotional I challenged each of us to consider to what extent we really are depending on God rather than on worldly solutions to our problems. I want to continue that thought this morning by taking us back to Dr. David Jeremiah’s thoughts about the battle between David and Goliath, as he explained it in his book, “Overcomer”.

Dr. Jeremiah pointed out something about that scene in 1 Samuel chapter 17 which I never really noticed before in the many times I have read that chapter of the Bible. In the narrative leading up to the actual fight between David and Goliath, as David was explaining to King Saul and then to Goliath himself why it was that he was not afraid to fight Goliath, David mentioned God nine times and Goliath only twice. Nine times David referred to God as the reason he could confidently engage this gigantic problem known as Goliath, and only twice did he mention Goliath himself.

Let me ask you, do you think about God four times more than you think about your problems and challenges? Do you talk about God four times more than you talk about your problems and challenges? Perhaps if we gave God a 9-2 advantage in our thoughts, words, and actions, we would have the kind of confidence and success dealing with our own challenges that David had in dealing with Goliath.

The fact is that God is sovereign over all the circumstances of our lives. He loves us more than we can comprehend, He guides us and protects us, He works for our benefit and well-being even when we’re not aware of it, and I believe it grieves Him when we don’t trust Him enough to focus on Him rather than on our problems and challenges.

I encourage you to think God-thoughts rather than Goliath-thoughts. Speak God-words rather than Goliath-words. Then take action based upon your trust in God to empower you. He will enable you to defeat the Goliaths in your life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

This must be our cry

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God: “Lord, there is no one besides you to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on you, and in your name we have come against this large army. Lord, you are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder you.” 2 Chronicles 14:11-12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “This must be our cry”

Good King Asa and the army of Israel were vastly outnumbered by their enemies. The Cushite army was three times their size and they had better weapons. The situation looked pretty bleak and so Asa cried out to the Lord in prayer, “Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on you …” And God did help them. We read in verse 12, “So the Lord routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.”

The situation for God’s people here in the USA in our day is not too different. We are vastly outnumbered. And powerful forces are arrayed against us as we try to honor the Lord, promote Biblical principles, and advance the kingdom of God on earth in our land. The situation looks bleak and so our cry needs to be the same – “Help us, Lord, for we depend on you …”

Unfortunately, listening to many Christians today you would think our salvation lies in politicians and political parties, or in a stronger economy, or in the appropriate appointments to the Supreme Court. Of course, we would never actually say that out loud. Instead, we proclaim that our faith is in God and we declare that we do look to Him for our deliverance.

But is it true? Are we really looking first, foremost, and only to God? Let’s test it. As your average day unfolds and as you interact with the people who make-up your world, do you talk more about God, Biblical principles, church life, and Christianity, or about politics, the economy, and the latest social unrest? Each day do you spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible, or reading newspapers, watching television news, and scrolling through internet sites?

As Christians we should pay attention to the world around us, and we should be engaged in politics and social issues. But I believe the Church would be much more effective in society if Christians were more focused on God and more involved in His business, rather than on all the other stuff going on around us.

Perhaps if we would all spend more time focused on the things of God (by means of personal prayer and Bible study, group worship and study, acts of service in the name of Jesus, and actively leading others to faith in Christ), instead of committing so much of our time and attention to worldly issues and to seeking worldly answers – perhaps then we would be making more of a difference in our land.

In actual practice are we really, truly crying out to God and looking to Him for our help and deliverance? I encourage all of us to make Asa’s prayer our prayer. Let’s look to the Lord; let’s work to strengthen our churches; let’s be on-mission with Jesus out in the world. Asa’s cry must be our cry, “Help us, Lord, for we depend on you.”

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Stop the furious flapping

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence.” Isaiah 30:15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Stop the furious flapping”

The other day I read a magazine article written by Christian recording artist Sandra McCracken. In the article she told the story of a time she was sitting on the porch of a cabin in Vermont with some friends, drinking coffee and working on lyrics for a new song. As she was sitting there enjoying the view, she noticed a humming bird feeding at the bird feeder. It occurred to her what an amazing creature the humming bird is. Its wings move at more than 50 beats per second but at the same time, it appears perfectly still. It hovers in midair like a helicopter.

In my mind’s eye I could visualize that humming bird at the feeder, hovering in midair, appearing to be relaxed and at peace as it was drawing needed nourishment from the feeder. But all the while, its wings were furiously flapping at over 50 beats per second.

As I was enjoying that mental image of God’s marvelous creation of the amazing hummingbird, it occurred to me that I’m not a humming bird. I can’t be furiously flapping my wings while at the same time calmly and peacefully drawing spiritual nourishment from my Lord. If I want to be renewed, refreshed, nourished and strengthened, I need to actually stop all the flapping and truly be still.

That’s what God was saying to the nation of Israel through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 30:15. He wanted them to come to Him and just rest so they could be renewed and strengthened. But they wouldn’t. They wouldn’t stop all their flapping. I didn’t actually quote the entire verse when I cited it above. In its entirety it reads, “For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: ‘You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing.”

“But you are not willing.” That was them – and that’s also us. We’re not willing. Instead of truly honoring Sabbath by worshiping, resting, and renewing, we often continue our furious flapping. Oh, we may not be flapping for the sake of our job, but we do so for a hundred other reasons like yardwork, chores, paying bills, etc. Whatever the activity we’re engaged in instead, if we aren’t spending time resting in the Lord then we aren’t truly resting and renewing – not in the spiritual way that God wants us to.

I encourage all of us to honor the Sabbath as God commanded. Maybe your schedule doesn’t allow for you to always worship, rest, and renew on Sunday. Mine doesn’t. As a Pastor Sunday is the busiest workday of the week for me. I do get to worship but I don’t get to rest. So, my Sabbath is on Monday. But the day of the week is less important than is the fact of resting and renewing in the Lord.

Resting in the Lord renews our strength. I encourage you not to skip it. Stop all the furious flapping long enough to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

God bless,
Pastor Jim

A simple life of faith

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “A simple life of faith”

Billy Graham once wrote that by worldly standards, Jesus was a failure. He lived a short life in poverty, died a criminal’s death, and seemed to have failed to achieve anything of lasting value. He never married and He left no children behind to carry on His name. He owned nothing, wrote no books, and the words of His that were remembered and recorded (the red letters in your Bible) are hardly enough to fill a medium-sized pamphlet. And yet, His influence has endured for two thousand years and reshaped the world.

Too often we measure success, status, impact, and legacy based upon the standards and values of the world. When we do, we conclude that what’s needed are things like physical strength, good looks, a charismatic personality, a powerful position of authority, and of course, wealth. But Jesus relied on none of those things. Instead, He had a deep sense of what was important to the Father, and He lived by that. That divine calling became His North Star in life. Nothing else was needed and nothing else mattered. As long as He was living in the center of the Father’s will, everything else would take care of itself. And it did. Two thousand years of Christian history prove it to be so.

There are numerous other examples of this. The Apostles Peter, James, John, and Paul, just to name a few from the Bible. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Billy Graham, just to name two from modern history. Then there are thousands upon thousands of average everyday Christian grandmothers and grandfathers, moms and dads, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, all living quiet and simple lives of faith and obedience to the Father. Those people aren’t famous, rich, or powerful, but their lives are making an important difference in their little corner of the world, and their legacy will be an enduring one.

My point is that in the long run, the thing that will truly makes a difference in your life will be your resolve to know the will of God and to live in obedience to it. Nothing else will have the impact that a godly life will.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 the Apostle Paul urged us to live simple lives of faith. Why? Because nothing more is needed. Resolve to honor God with your life and everything else will take care of itself.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Learn to be calm and stay tough

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Consider it great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Learn to be calm and stay tough”

This morning I want to continue thinking about our example from yesterday regarding Prince Philip and the fact that everyone who knew him considered him to be a pillar of strength, fortitude, and calmness. How did he get that way? How did he achieve the ability to handle trials, troubles, and tough situations with a in a calm, cool, clear-headed way?

He learned it. It was a developed and nurtured character trait. Part of it was the old British “stiff upper lip” thing. Part of it also came from his training as a military officer. In the military, officers are trained in the technique of “command presence”. It’s the ability to project a calm and cool demeanor and a sense of being in control in the middle of difficult and even crisis situations. So as a young officer Philip would have been trained to think and act that way. But of course, the primary source of that calm, cool, clear-headed sense of confidence and control came from his faith in God. Prince Philip was a man of deep faith. He committed those situations to God in prayer and then he resolved to “stay calm and carry on”.

Another important insight comes from the Apostle James in James 1:2-4 (above). James teaches that we learn to be calm and tough by being calm and tough. In other words, when we’re faced with difficult situations and we handle them well, we will then handle such situations even better in the future. Those experiences make us stronger. That’s why James begins that lesson by telling us to “Consider it great joy … when you experience various trials …” It’s because the experience of that trial can and will make you stronger and tougher. That then will make you even more confident in handling similar situations in the future.

We learn to be calm and tough by being calm and tough when it matters most. That happens when you face your problems head-on, commit them to the Lord in prayer, and then just deal with it.

We can all learn to be calm and tough even in the most difficult of situations.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim