Oak Hill Baptist Church

In the worst of times, our hope is found in God

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him.” Psalm 42:5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “In the worst of times, our hope is found in God.”

In Psalm 42 the writer was depressed. The issues of life were closing in on him and he was struggling. Have you ever been there? Struggling with life issues that seem to never end? One issue gets resolved and a new one rolls right in to take its place? How did you feel? Did you heave an exasperated sigh, slump your shoulders, kick some dirt in disgust, and give-in to despair? Those would be normal human emotions and it would understandable for you to feel that way. For a short time. But it wouldn’t be okay to stay there.

One of the leaders in our generation whom I have admired for many years is former Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell. He once wrote a book with the title, “My American Journey”. In it he included a list of life and leadership principles he has used to guide his own life, and which he has taught to many others. That list has come to be known as “Powell’s Principles”. One of those principles reads “I am capable of self-pity, but not for long.” Another is “It isn’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.” And, “Optimism is a force multiplier”.

This is what the Psalmist was teaching in Psalm 42. He began by writing about his deep longing to experience God in the middle of his times of struggle. Vs 1-2: “As a deer longs for flowing steams, so I long for you, God. When can I come and appear before God?” He was also realistic about what he was dealing with and how he was feeling. Vs 3: “My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, ‘Where is your God?’”

Poor guy. Not only did he feel dejected and abandoned, wondering where God was in the middle of all this, but the people around him were evidently wondering the same thing, “Where is this God of yours while you’re going through all this? Why doesn’t He rescue and deliver you?”

It was okay for the Psalmist to be thinking those things and to be feeling that way – for a short time. As long as he didn’t stay there wallowing in it. So, in verses 4-5 we read of him putting on his big boy pants, remembering God’s faithfulness in the past, and resolving to trust Him going forward: “I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 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.”

It’s okay to feel bad about bad circumstances. You don’t have to fake it and pretend those things don’t matter. They do matter. Just don’t allow yourself to slip into a pit of despair or to become absorbed by self-pity. When we’re struggling with the issues of life, the right answer is always to turn our eyes upon Jesus and look to Him for help and for hope.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Faith in God gives us hope

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: ““We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Faith in God gives us hope in tough times”

The apostle Paul knew something about facing difficult times. There was rarely a time in his ministry years when he wasn’t being opposed, ridiculed, persecuted, sick, attacked, or imprisoned. He was constantly being pressured in numerous ways and from many sides, but he was never crushed. He was sometimes perplexed, and the way forward may have seemed uncertain, but he did not despair. He was frequently persecuted, but he never felt abandoned. And often times he was struck down – he was struck down in terms of his ministry efforts being cut off as he was run out of town; he was struck down in terms of being imprisoned; and he was struck down physically when he was sick or when he was beaten and stoned – but none of that could destroy him.

Whew! Paul endured a lot. So how did he do it? How did he stay strong and focused and encouraged? He answered that for us in numerous places in his Biblical writings but perhaps nowhere more clearly than in Philippians 4:11-13: “…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have 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 can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Paul’s rock-solid faith in the Lord carried him through. He continually relied on Christ. He kept his eyes on Jesus and he trusted in God for provision, protection, and deliverance. His faith and his hope were in God.

Periodically we all face difficult times. Maybe ours aren’t as bad as Paul’s were, or perhaps sometimes they’re even worse. But in all cases, we can count on the Lord to walk through it with us. You may feel pressured, perplexed and persecuted; but you do not have to feel despair, crushed, abandoned or destroyed.

If your faith is in God then you have reason to hope.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

You can be a source of hope for others

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You can be a source of hope for others”

The great Christian writer Oswald Chambers once observed: “When we meet extra goodness we feel amazingly hopeful about everybody, and when we meet extra badness we feel exactly the opposite.” That’s true. Our attitude, demeanor, and conduct make more of an impression and has a greater impact on others than we realize, and extra goodness is something people in our society need to see a lot more of right now.

In Matthew 5:13-16, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was talking about the difference His followers should make in the ordinary everyday ebb and flow of life. He taught that our presence in society should be like salt in meat – it should act as a preservative that prevents it from spoiling and rotting. Then He taught that we should be like a lantern shining spiritual light into dark places. Finally, in verse 16, He says that our good works should shine for all to see and thereby bring glory to God.

When we conduct ourselves in the manner Jesus described, it brings glory to God and it impacts everyone around us in good and positive ways. That’s what Oswald Chambers was writing about. When people see the amazing goodness that Jesus brings out in us, it gives them hope that there is still much good left in this world.

This is especially important in the days we’re living in today. People are angry and loud and sometimes resorting to violence to make their points. Recently I’ve heard some Christians (on both the political right and the political left), argue that it’s reasonable and even necessary for Christians to act that way too, and that we’re being timid if we’re not angry and loud, and maybe even violent.

I disagree. We have no New Testament basis for doing that. There are no passages of New Testament Scripture, no New Testament principles, and no New Testament examples that could be used to justify that kind of conduct on the part of Christians. Jesus, the disciples, and the Apostle Paul all modeled the exact opposite as they dealt with the difficult issues of their day (and they certainly were not timid).

In 1 Peter 3:15-16 we’re told, “Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect …” In Colossians 4:6 Paul tells us, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” So, be bold, speak up, speak truth, and do so without apology, but be respectful and gracious as you’re doing it. That’s what Jesus meant in His illustration of salt and light and it’s what Jesus, the apostles, and Paul all modeled for us.

This does not mean that Christians can’t engage in peaceful protest and reasoned discourse to express and advocate for our concerns – of course we can. As citizens and as Christians we have the constitutional and Biblical right to do that. But angry confrontations and riotous, violent actions? No. There’s simply no New Testament scripture, principle, or model that allows for that.

Jesus intends for our good example to bless and inspire people, and to remind them that there is still much good in the world. In the midst of a society that’s awash in anger and conflict, I encourage you to be the source of extra goodness that Oswald Chambers wrote about, the salt and light that Jesus taught of. You can be a source of hope and encouragement for others by the way you conduct yourself. I hope you will be.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

We have great hope in Christ

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Our hope is in Christ”

The dictionary defines “nostalgia” as “a bittersweet longing for the past.” It’s a longing for the past because our memories of it are sweet. But nostalgia is also often a bitter sentiment because we miss those times and find ourselves wishing we could relive them, or that the present was more like the past.

And so, we have classic car shows, and 60’s music on the radio, and the Andy Griffith Bible Study series, and antique shops in every town. Reruns of the television shows we watched as kids are popular, and so are High School reunions. There is often much about the past that we would like to carry with us into the future. There’s also much to be found in history that we would like to reproduce for ourselves and others in the present and in the future.

In his letter to the Hebrews the writer meant to encourage and exhort his readers. In chapter 11 he took them on a tour of the “Faith Hall of Fame”. In that chapter he reminded his readers of some the great saints of the past. He wrote of their exploits and their profound examples of faithfulness in trying times. Basically, he was being nostalgic. He was recalling the past for his readers and holding it up as something admirable.

But then, once he has helped us to thoughtfully ponder those memories from the past, in chapter 12 he launches right into soaring exhortation by urging us to use those memories and examples from the past as a catalyst for our own current and future faithfulness. He urges his readers to run their own race with perseverance, keeping their eyes on the goal of attaining Christlikeness. The successes of the past provide hope for the present and for the future.

Reliving the past can be good or bad depending on what memories from the past we dwell on, and the impact they have on us. As Christians we have a rich history. Christianity from ages past is filled with examples of great faithfulness and personal victories. Whether those were your own successes and victories or those of others, the point is that the Holy Spirit did it then, can do it now, and will do it again in the future.

Just fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. Then keep moving forward because there is great hope in Christ.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

We start with hope when we start with God

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “I rise before dawn and cry out for help; I put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:147 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We start with hope when we start with God.”

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s also a beautiful and powerful testimony to the value of spending time listening to God through the reading of His word. For 176 verses the writer goes on and on about how much he loves reading the law of God, how much he has learned from it, how much he depends on it, and what great hope he draws from it. This was written by a man who appreciated and valued his time with the Lord.

Billy Graham is reported to have once said “If I don’t start my day with God, I meet Satan around every corner all day long.”

Amen brother.

Like the Psalmist and like Billy Graham, I too have found that I need to start my day with God. As I consider the busyness and the challenges that lay before me each day it can sometimes seem overwhelming. But if I first spend time in Bible study and prayer, and then lay out my day before the Lord and invite Him to set my agenda for me, I get peace and purpose and direction. I’m also inspired to approach the day with the sure confidence that God is with me. I know that every place I go, every situation I enter into, God is already there and He has prepared both me and the circumstances so that His will may be done. And so, I approach the day with hope.

The same reasoning applies to starting the week by participating in a group worship service and in fellowship with other Christians. Gathering with our church family refocuses our minds, nurtures our souls, lifts our spirits, and prepares us to go back out into the world refreshed, recharged, and ready for the new week. Starting the week in this manner is so important, that the writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 10:25 that we shouldn’t miss these gatherings. Just as beginning your day with God prepares you for the new day, beginning your week with God and with other Christians prepares you for the new week.

The Bible tells us that God is for us. He is active and involved in our lives. He has a plan and a purpose He is working out in us, and with us, and through us. And in the process, He will give us help and He will give us hope.

We start with hope when we start with God.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Pay attention to the desires of your heart

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Pay attention to the desires of your heart.”

Over the years of providing counseling services, I’ve worked with lots of Christians who were unhappy with the direction their lives had taken. In many of those cases the person had an interest and a passion they would have liked to have pursued, but instead they gave in to pressure from parents, siblings, friends, and others to travel a path different from where their heart was pointing them. Or, they let practicality dictate their direction in life.

So, the boy with a passion for art ends up becoming an electrical engineer because that’s what his father thought he should be – and he’s miserable. Or the girl who desperately wanted to be a dancer went to school instead to become an accountant, because people told her it was a more sensible career, and now she spends the rest of her life wondering what might have been.

Perhaps God does want you to be an electrical engineer, or an accountant, or a whatever … but maybe not. Maybe that desire in your heart was placed there by Him and if you don’t follow it, you’ll end up with a life that is less than what He wanted for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 clues us into the fact that God has a wonderful plan and a unique purpose for each individual life. Usually, we get intimations of that plan and purpose through the desires of the heart. The things we love and are most interested in are usually the things we would be most successful at and which would give us the happiest and fullest life.

Unfortunately, many people ignore the desires of their heart and surrender instead to pressure from others, or to a sense of what seems to be most practical. As author John Eldredge once noted, “They end up living a script written for them by others and in the process, they leave their hearts behind”.

Many years ago, Pastor Rick Warren wrote a wonderful book entitled “The Purpose Driven Life”. It’s a forty-day devotional study designed to help you identify the passion God has created in you, and then to live from that. As Christians we have the confident assurance that God has a unique purpose for us as an individual. It’s essential for us to discover that purpose and for that to be the thing that drives us. God said, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good ….”

Whether you’re twenty or eighty, if you’re still breathing then God isn’t done with you yet. He has a plan for the remaining days, weeks, months, and years of your life, and the desire of your heart is a key to discovering that plan.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

You take care of God’s business and He will take care of yours

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, because He cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You take care of His business and He will take care of yours.”

In 1 Peter 5:6-7 Peter tells us we can and should cast all our cares upon Jesus because He cares for us. In Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus told us that the Father Himself is aware of our needs and will provide for us as necessary if we will just seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. In other words, we’re free to focus on God’s work instead of on our own needs because He’s got our back. While we’re taking care of His business, He’s taking care of ours.

In what ways does He do that? What’s the actual method and the practical means by which He delivers that care and provision? Sometimes by miraculous intervention, but more often through the obedient service of other Christians. I remember a great example of this from a few years ago which happened in our own church.

Oak Hill Baptist is an “Acts 1:8” church. We’re a service-oriented church who is on-mission with Jesus to share the Good News in both word and deed (especially in deed). We do a lot of humanitarian relief work. On the day I’m referring to, we were having a discussion and planning to meet some special needs within our own congregation. We also briefly discussed our plans for upcoming ministry projects with our partners in Cumberland County, and in our state, and in Kentucky, Haiti, and the Amazon Jungle of Peru. But most of our focus in this particular discussion was about how we could bless our own people with help and hope.

As I sat there listening to that discussion, I remembered how much hope and encouragement our previous acts of similar aid in the past had brought to those on the receiving end, and I knew that the things being discussed would have a similar impact. I felt blessed and privileged to be associated with a group of Christians who were so focused on serving others in need.

I still do.

As Christians, we are the hands and feet of Christ in our world today. It’s through His followers that the hungry are fed, the homeless are housed, the sick are visited, the elderly assisted, etc. God works through his people to help those who don’t yet know Jesus, but first we are to take care of each other. We have a responsibility to care for those in the family of God, as well as those who don’t yet know Jesus.

This brings me back to my point about how the truth of 1 Peter 5:6-7 becomes a reality in the lives of Christians. We have the security of knowing that we’re part of a loving, compassionate community of believers who care for those in need. Yes, we will serve others outside the church, but we will especially take care of our church family. If the local church is doing its job, then every Christian should have the hope and assurance that when we are in need, there will be brothers and sisters to lend assistance.

Yes, cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you – and more often than not He will deliver that care by means of other Christians. You take care of God’s business and He will take care of yours.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

The hope of transformation

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The hope of transformation”

In his book “The Sacred Romance”, author John Eldridge writes about “glorious ruins” such as the Parthenon, the Coliseum, and the Pyramids. Eldridge explains that even though those structures are in ruins – mere shadows of the glorious things they used to be, their original glory is still so evident that many thousands of tourists from all over the world visit them every year. They may be ruins, but they are glorious ruins.

Likewise, human beings are “glorious ruins” of what God intended us to be; and just like the ruins of the Pyramids, our original glory is still evident. In every person there are intimations of the glorious being God intended us to be.

The difference between those ancient ruins and the human ruin however, is that as time passes those stone structures continue to deteriorate and waste away, but the exact opposite is true of us. As children of God, we’re in the process of being renewed and restored. The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and is slowly but progressively transforming us into the image of Christ. That work will take a lifetime, and it won’t be completed until the day we arrive in heaven, but the restoration is in progress.

Personally, I’m painfully aware of the fact that I am not the man God wants me to be. I’m all too familiar with the chinks in my armor, the flaws in my personality, and the sin that lurks in my heart. Yes, I’m a ruin, but I’m a glorious ruin because God created me to be something much better – and He’s in the process of renewing, renovating, and restoring me. I know I’m not yet what I one day will be, but I thank God I’m no longer what I once was.

The hope that Paul wrote about in Philippians 3:12-13 – the confident expectation that he had for his life and that each of us can have for ours too, is that God isn’t done with us yet. He’s in the process of fixing us, and one day we will no longer be a ruin – glorious or otherwise. Instead, we will be the man or woman He always intended us to be.

Now there’s something to be hopeful about!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Seek first His kingdom

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “There is power in hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Seek first His kingdom.”

Pastor Chuck Swindoll once wrote that, “In America we are guilty of playing at our worship, worshiping our work, and working at our play.” In other words, our priorities are out of order. Many people are casual and inconsistent in their approach to God; they treat their work as if it is God; and they put an inordinate amount of time and energy into their recreational activities.

They’re upside down and backwards when it comes to setting right priorities – and their lives reflect it. Broken marriages, neglected children, poor job performance, mountains of debt due to over-spending, poor health habits, and inconsistent church attendance all point to lives with mixed-up priorities.

Fortunately, the Bible gives us clear instructions on how to live the best life possible. Under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit, the Bible provides us with instructions from God on how to have healthy relationships; how to be a good employee; how to manage our finances properly; how to take good care of ourselves; how to serve Him through the ministry of our church; and much more. This is what Paul was referring to in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The Bible provides us with the guidance we need in order to live well.

In the Bible God sets our priorities for us and then gives us instructions on how to live the life He wants for us. That’s when we will be living life to the fullest and the best. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Granted, life is complicated; and the Bible does not give us detailed instructions regarding every situation we’re faced with. But it does tell us all we need to know to live within Biblical boundaries – and the starting place for that is to develop a mindset of putting God first in all things. Once we have that right, everything else will begin to fall into its proper place. Just read the book, follow the instructions, make the necessary adjustments, and enjoy a life lived in the center of God’s will.

When you have truly surrendered your life to the Lord, and you are seeking His kingdom agenda above all else, and you are living according to His commands, you then have the hope (the confident assurance) that your priorities in life will finally be right.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

God’s promises give us hope

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope.” Romans 15:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God’s promises give us hope.”

More than twenty-five years ago I came across a wonderful little book with the title “Walk Thru the Promises”. It was published by “Walk Thru the Bible Ministries” and it has proven to be a big blessing to me. This little pocket-sized book presents the promises of God on eighty different subjects. For instance, if you want to read some of the promises of God on the subject of “physical sickness” you can turn to page 156 and there you will find fifteen scriptural promises from God on that subject. For “finances” you will find twenty promises; if you’re struggling with “depression” there are fifteen promises that will help you. There are similar sections for seventy-seven other life-oriented subjects.

Once, as a Bible study and prayer exercise, I began on page one in the book and put a checkmark next to every promise that I knew to have been fulfilled in my life. It was eye-opening to say the least!

I honestly don’t know how many promises God gives to us in the Bible. I do know that in that little book “Walk Thru the Promises” there are almost 1000 individual scriptural references on those eighty different subjects. That’s a lot of promises!

My point is that in the Bible God has given us numerous promises on all sorts of subjects that relate directly to our daily lives. And, He keeps those promises. That should be a source of great hope and encouragement for us.

As we’ve been learning this month – hope is powerful, and now we know that God’s promises are a great source of hope for us. I encourage you to spend some time today considering the many promises God has made to you – and the many promises God has already kept for you.

Trust God. Put your hope in Him. He keeps His promises.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim