Oak Hill Baptist Church

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

Slow down and simplify

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

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: “Slow down and simplify”

In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 the Apostle Paul offers us yet another example of the theme we were thinking about yesterday, appreciating and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. In this passage he gives us an image of an entire life that is simple and quiet, focused on simply living a good life that honors the Lord and making a positive impact on those around us. There was nothing flashy or overly ambitious pictured here. Just an honest simple life.

I’ve already told you a bit about the story of pastor and author John Mark Comer, as described in his book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”. John was the lead pastor of a multi-site mega church. On a typical Sunday he would preach and teach five to six times in a single day. The rest of the week was crammed full of meetings, obligations, and responsibilities. He said he felt more like a high-strung stressed-out corporate CEO than a shepherd of God’s people. Finally, he decided he needed to do exactly what Paul was describing in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – he needed to simplify and slow way down. So, he gave up his high-profile position, became the pastor of a much smaller church, and he simplified the rest of his life as well. He said he restructured his entire life around a few basic and simple goals that involved God, family, and serving other people – and the quality of his life went up exponentially!

John’s story reminds me of a similar book written many years ago by another high-profile pastor about his own life. The pastor was Chuck Swindoll and the book was called “Intimacy with the Almighty”. Chuck’s story was similar to John’s, and so was his solution. In the book Chuck quoted Ecclesiastes 7:29 which in the TEV reads, “God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” That described Chuck’s life, and it also describes many of ours. Most of us are not a high-profile pastor of a multi-site mega church, but our lives are still too busy in their own ways. We have indeed made ourselves very complicated.

There’s a lot to be gained in life from slowing down and simplifying. Seldom if ever does life improve as it gets busier and more complicated.

I encourage all of us to slow down and simplify. Let’s give ourselves space in life to truly savor it.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Appreciate and enjoy the simple pleasures

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Appreciate and enjoy the simple pleasures”

As I write this it’s an early summer morning in June. Dawn is breaking, there’s a gentle rain falling, and the birds are singing. The windows are open and the sound of the falling rain is soft but clear. I love the sound of a gentle rain, especially in the early morning. I find it soothing and I’m grateful for such a peaceful way to begin the day.

Actually, I should be working by now. But the moment is too good to pass up. I choose to sit here and savor it. My thoughts have also drifted to the time, just a week and a half ago, when Linda and I were at our son’s house in Texas to visit our new grandbaby. He’s the cutest and best grandson in the history of the world (he really is) and as I sat there holding him, with his little head resting on my chest, he seemed perfectly content to just lie there and bond with grandpa. I was content too. Deeply content. And I didn’t want the moment to end.

In 1 Timothy 6:6-8 the Apostle Paul was teaching his young protégé Timothy (and by extension us) to learn to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Pause for them; sit with them; enjoy them; savor the moment. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying that “The best things in life are not things.” That’s what Paul meant. The best times in life usually consist of special moments with God and with special people.

Yesterday I shared a little wisdom with you from one of my favorite contemporary philosophers, Snoopy, the dog from the Peanuts comic strip. This morning we’ll end with a little more. Snoopy says: “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.”

Yes, godliness with contentment is great gain. Savor the moment. Enjoy the simple pleasures.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Choose joy

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.” Proverbs 15:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Choose joy”

I’m a disciple of the contemporary philosopher Snoopy. I’m speaking of course of Snoopy the dog, from the Peanuts comic strip. Snoopy is indeed wise. He is observant and insightful, an astute student of the human condition, and as a result, he often has helpful advice for Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Pigpen, and me.

Take for instance, the Snoopy Dance. Are you familiar with the Snoopy Dance? You should Google it. Seriously. Take a moment, type in the search bar “Snoopy Dance”, select the YouTube video that comes up, and enjoy. It will take less than a minute.

What you’ll see is Snoopy dancing. Fast. Joyfully. His little paws are just pattering away (Snoopy stands and walks on two legs like humans). His head is back, his face is lifted to the sky, his eyes are closed, his arms (front paws) are extended wide, there’s a smile on his face, and he’s just dancing. He’s doing the Snoopy Dance. He’s thoroughly happy and joyful, and he doesn’t seem to have a care in the world.

Now, the question is “What brought on such an expressive explosion of joyfulness?” And the apparent answer is “nothing”. In the scene there doesn’t seem to be any special reason for his joyful dancing other than that he decided to be joyful and dance. It kind of reminds me of Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Do we really need special reasons to be joyful? Can’t we simply embrace the moment and enjoy it for what it is, a gift from God? Can’t we simply choose to be joyful and then be intentional about expressing it?

Seriously, take a moment and watch the Snoopy Dance. You’ll be glad you did. And if you’re having a down day and it’s tough to be joyful right now, then go one step further and watch the follow-on clip “Snoopy dances with the bunnies”. Snoopy was having a down day too but some dancing bunnies helped to draw him out of it. Maybe they’ll help you too. Or maybe, by doing your own version of a Snoopy Dance (you don’t really have to dance, just be joyful and express it), maybe by doing so you will end up being someone else’s dancing bunny and you’ll help them to be joyful too.

I encourage you to choose joy today. Do your version of the Snoopy Dance.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim