Oak Hill Baptist Church

The power of the risen Christ is in you!

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in heaven …” Ephesians 1:18-20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The power of the risen Christ is in you”

The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you. That’s what Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:18-20 (above). He taught the same truth in a slightly different way in Romans 8:11, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”

What an astounding thought. The miraculous power that God used to restore life to the physical body of Jesus and to raise Him from the dead, is the same power that is at work in each of our lives. Incredible!

If you’re a follower of Christ then that power is in you, but it gets manifested in each of our lives in more subtle, less dramatic ways than being raised from the dead. The power of God at work in us is usually more a matter of a slow, steady, and lifelong transformation from the person we used to be into the person God wants us to be (I know I’m not yet who I should be, but thank God I’m not who I used to be!). It also manifests itself in progressively changed values and perspectives (a Biblical worldview). And sometimes we see it in bigger ways like being cured from a serious illness, or a returning prodigal child, or a new and better job exactly when we needed it.

Also, how much of His power we experience in our lives is determined by how close we stay to Him and how much opportunity we give Him to work in our lives. You do have to place yourself in a position before God whereby He can have His way in your life.

This Sunday is Easter Sunday. We will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and we will talk about the miraculous power of God that restored Him to life, and which is also at work in each of our lives. I invite you to join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church, either in-person or online at http://www.oakhillbaptist.net. We will have a COVID-safe Easter breakfast buffet at 9:00 in the Fellowship Hall, and then our Easter celebration service will begin at 10:00.

Christ is risen! And the power that raised Him from the dead is also at work in us. This is a truth we need to celebrate. It’s something we need to worship Him for. I encourage you to join us.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

The joy of the Lord will make you strong

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

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

Our thought for today: “The joy of the Lord will be your strength.”

I once had a co-worker by the name of Bob. Bob had a sports accident as a teenager which broke his neck and rendered him a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. With the exception of limited use of both hands, he was paralyzed from the neck down. He spent his days in a motorized wheelchair and needed assistance with almost all daily tasks.

However, Bob was one of the most determined, irrepressible, and joyful people I knew. When I knew him he was in his 40s, and had been in that wheelchair for almost twenty-five years. But he never allowed that to stop him from living a full life. He learned how to drive his own specially equipped van; he worked as a Marriage and Family Counselor in a counseling center; he was a committed Christian who sang in the choir and sometimes taught adult Bible studies; and despite his limitations and restrictions, Bob glowed with optimism and joy. He often told me what a blessed man he was and how much he enjoyed living.

His secret? Bob stayed close to the Lord, and as a result, he had the joy of the Lord – and that made him strong. Rather than lamenting what he couldn’t do and what he didn’t have, Bob was grateful for the things he could do and for all that he did have. That attitude, and that continuous focus on the Lord, made Bob joyful and strong.

In Nehemiah chapter eight we’re reading about a time when some of the dispersed Jews had been allowed to return to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the city and the temple. Seventy years earlier they had all been taken into captivity and the city had been destroyed. Now, as they viewed the ruins and the huge task in front of them, they could have been depressed and they could have been lamenting all that they had lost. Instead, Ezra the priest read to them from the book of the law of Moses, and then he told them to be grateful for the fact that they were back in Jerusalem. He said they were to celebrate and be joyful, because being joyful in the Lord would provide them with the strength they needed to deal with the challenges in front of them.

What was true for those ancient Israelites and for my old friend Bob is true for us as well. Regardless of what you are facing, give thanks to the Lord, stay focused on Him, find your joy in Him, and that will make you strong.

The joy of the Lord will be your strength!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Stay strong in the Lord

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Stay strong”

Our Bible verse for today: “Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Find your strength in the Lord.”

Throughout most of my twenties and thirties I was a committed weightlifter. I spent two hours a day in the gym, six days a week. My hero was Arnold Schwarzenegger. My bible was his classic book “The Education of a Body-Builder”, which was an excellent guide for an aspiring body builder.

In truth, I was never really that big. I was never even close to being a competitive body-builder. But I did have big biceps, and I could lift hundreds of pounds of weights, and I did have that silly habit so many body-builders adopt of wearing tee-shirts one size too small in an attempt to make their muscles appear to be exploding out of their shirt. (Don’t judge. You’ve done embarrassing things of your own and you know it. Remember those short-short hot pants from the 70s?)

While it is true that maintaining a reasonable amount of physical strength is important at all stages of life, getting carried away with it isn’t necessary or helpful. In later years I discovered that there’s a different kind of strength that’s much more necessary and infinitely more helpful. It’s spiritual strength. While being strong in your body is important and needed, being strong in your spirit is even more important.

All this month we will explore the topic of being and staying strong. We will briefly discuss various aspects of physical strength, and the stewardship responsibility we have from the Lord to take good care of the body He has given us, but most of our discussion will be about spiritual strength.

It is important to be strong, but as Isaiah teaches in Isaiah 43:30-31 (above), we need to find our strength in the Lord. I’m looking forward to exploring this important and helpful topic with you.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

This is our hope, our confident assurance

Good Morning Everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “This is our hope, our confident assurance.”

Psalm 46:1 has long been a favorite of mine. The Psalm is a great source of hope and assurance as it reminds us that God is always with us, He is always for us, He is sovereign over all the events of our lives, and He is our refuge – especially during the worst of times. That’s what verse one tells us.

The Psalmist goes on in verses 2-3, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Here he pictures cataclysmic events. The worst of times. And yet, we do not fear, because God is our refuge and strength.

Verses 4-7, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” The city referred to here could be Jerusalem of old, but the real point of these verses is to emphasize the refreshing rivers of blessings being poured out by God in the midst of the uproar and turbulence of the world.

Verses 10-11, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Be still and know that He is God. He is with you, He is powerful, and He is sovereign over whatever it is you are dealing with. This is our hope, it is our confident assurance. Jesus said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

Hope is a powerful force. It enables us to live boldly, and with confidence and peace even as we face tough times and an uncertain future. It’s my prayer that this month of devotional messages about hope have been a blessing and encouragement to you. It really is true that the Lord is our hope – our confident assurance.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Love is a verb

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: The power of hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Love is a verb”

In its best tense, “love” is a verb. It’s an action word. It’s nice to say that you love someone but it’s better to show them your love with your actions. Demonstrations of love communicate in a much more powerful way than do words alone. Demonstrations of love can also give hope. Being on the receiving end of an act of Christian love, especially during a difficult time, can renew a person’s faith, lift their spirits, and give them hope.

Recently I learned about a deeply touching demonstration of love done for my family and I, which happened more than five months ago but which I only just found out about. As many of you know, last October I received a phone call informing me that our daughter Tracy had terminal cancer and had only a short time to live. I immediately got on a plane, flew to California, got Tracy out of the ICU, put her on a plane, and flew her to Tennessee. When we arrived in our town, I brought her to our local hospice center for evaluation and to be stabilized for a few days. Then we brought her to our home, where she died just days later.

What I didn’t know was that because hospice care is expensive, and because insurance only covers a small portion of it, the Hospice Center requires a fairly large cash down payment at the time of admission. However when I brought Tracy there, late at night after a long cross-country trip, no mention was ever made about a down payment being required. In the whirlwind of all that was going on at the time, the thought never occurred to me – not then or even later.

It was only recently I learned that while I was in the process of traveling cross-country with my dying daughter, some friends quietly went to the Hospice Center in advance of our arrival, paid the deposit for us, and never said anything about it. When Linda and I found out about it just the other day, the news brought tears to our eyes and we said a prayer of thanksgiving for such wonderful friends. Although the event took place five months ago, finding out about it now was a lift to our spirits at just the right time. God’s timing is always perfect.

In its best and most powerful tense, love is a verb. It’s an action word that is best demonstrated rather than spoken. When you demonstrate your love for someone by what you do, you bless them in that moment, but you also give them hope and assurance for the future. It’s wonderful to know that God has surrounded you with people who would do things like that for you.

I encourage you to be intentional about demonstrating your love for others. Such love is a great source of hope in a world that sometimes seems hopeless.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Your mess can become your message

Good Morning Everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 1 Corinthians 1:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Your mess can become your message”

Max Lucado has long been one of my favorite authors. Currently I’m re-reading what in my opinion is one of his best books, “You’ll Get Through This: Hope and help for your turbulent times”. The book is packed full of stories, scriptures, and promises, all designed to help us see the hand of God at work in the middle of our toughest times in life – and to help us remain hopeful and optimistic knowing that He is there, at work, and getting us through it.

In the chapter entitled, “Oh, so this is boot camp!”, Max refers to something the Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:6, “You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials.” Peter was writing about how hard life can sometimes be but also, how it is that God uses such times to mold us and shape into the men and women He wants us to be. He will use our trials for His glory. The Apostle James explained it this way, “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 nothing.”

God doesn’t cause most of the trials and struggles we go through in life. Usually those things are simply the result of living in a broken world that is filled with sin and sickness. God doesn’t cause those things, but He will use them for our growth and for His glory. That was Max’s point by naming his chapter, “Oh, so this is boot camp!” Like life, military boot camp can be hard. It forces the recruit to deal with trials and struggles, all of which are used by the instructors to train the person to be tougher, better, stronger, and more ready for service.

Max also says, “Your mess can become your message.” In other words, your current struggle can be a means for you to give honor and glory to God and, as Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 1:4 (above), God can and will use your current trials to give you a platform to provide comfort and hope to others who are also experiencing similar things.

With God you have the hope, the confident assurance, that you will get through this, and also that your mess can even become your message.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

The hope for a life that matters

Good Morning Everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” John 15:5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The hope for a meaningful life”

Everyone has the desire to be successful in some way and at something – we all want to live a life that matters. However, not everyone agrees on what real success is. Many people believe success is measured in the accumulation of money and possessions. Others search for it in professional accomplishments or in popularity and fame. Success or failure is often determined by the scoreboard after time has expired at the end of a game.

All of those things are human measures of success and therefore they are all limited and temporary. But in John 15:5 Jesus clues us into another kind of success – success as measured by God.

In that passage Jesus compares His followers to branches on a grape vine. He says that just as the vine sends its nourishment and its very life out through the branches, and the branches therefore produce the vine’s fruit for it, so too Jesus lives His life through the lives of His faithful followers and they produce His fruit for Him. As long as the branch stays firmly attached to the vine, the life of the vine will flow through the branch and the fruit of the vine will grow from the branch.

Now there’s real success – the works of Jesus produced through your life! Suffering people comforted, needs met, the Good News preached, souls saved, and lives transformed. That’s what Jesus wants to accomplish through you. In fact, in John 5:16 He says that He actually chose you to be used by Him for that very purpose: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit…”

As a follower of Christ you have the hope – the confident assurance – of being used by Jesus to accomplish His works for Him. That’s true success as measured by God, and that is the hope you have. Regardless of any other metric the world may choose to use to measure the success and meaning of your life, if you have been fruitful for the cause of Christ on earth, yours will have been a life that mattered.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Hope in the Lord gives us courage

Good Morning Everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.” Job 11:18 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “Hope in the Lord gives us courage”

In life attitude is everything. When you have a good attitude, you can accomplish much and you will go far. Sour, negative people seldom do well. That’s because in general, we tend to get what we expect. We attract to ourselves the things we believe will happen. And so, if you approach life with a negative and hopeless attitude, chances are that lots of bad things are going to keep coming your way. Conversely, if you are positive and optimistic, if you approach life with a bright and cheery disposition and you expect good things to happen, usually they will.

Being a hopeful person is an important attribute when it comes to living a full and successful life. A sense of hopelessness is a serious liability which will certainly hold you back and drag you down.

Nobody on earth has more reasons to be hopeful than the children of God. God has a great and wonderful plan for each of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11); He has promised to watch over us and care for us (Matthew 6:25-33); He is in the process of developing us into the people He wants us to be (Philippians 1:6); and He has a glorious eternity prepared for us in heaven (John 14:1-3).

It’s true, nobody has more reason to be hopeful, joyful, and positive than a Christian. Although it’s not possible or realistic to be happy and joyful all the time, our natural disposition and our overall approach to life should be hopeful.

Hoping and trusting in the Lord gives us the courage we need to face the future with confidence and with the expectation of good things to come.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Begin today to make a better tomorrow

Good Morning Everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them … So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.” Joel 2:19; 25 (NKJV)

Our thought for today: “Begin today to make a better tomorrow.”

In the time of the Old Testament prophet Joel, the nation of Judah was devastated. Locust, like an invading army, had destroyed the crops. There was also a severe drought, and all of it was the nation’s own fault. God had sent the plagues as punishment for their disobedience and idolatry. They brought it all on themselves.

But then in the middle of chapter two Joel turns his attention to the not-to-distant future, to a time when the people would recognize their sinful ways, truly repent of their sins, and once again experience the blessings of God in their lives. Once they had turned back to Him, God would then send them grain, new wine, more oil, and they would be satisfied. He would restore to them the years the locust had eaten.

During my years as a Pastor I’ve known many people who have suffered greatly as a result of their own poor choices. Some have lost everything due to alcohol or drug addictions. Others have ruined their marriages through adultery. Some have lost good jobs because of poor job performance. Others have gone to prison for illegal activities.

But then in the midst of their misery and suffering they repented of their sins, turned back to Jesus, and began to experience the renewal and blessings that come with a life lived in obedience to the Lord. It’s always a joy to watch as the Lord begins to restore to them the years the locust of addiction, unfaithfulness, and criminal activities have eaten away. God heals, restores, and blesses to the point that soon, life is good again.

Maria Robinson once wrote “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

No matter what your past has been like, regardless of what your present situation is, your future can be wonderful if you live it with the Lord. You can begin today to make a better tomorrow. With the Lord there is always hope for a better tomorrow because He can restore the years the locusts have eaten.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

There is hope and healing for the depressed

Good Morning Everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “There is hope and healing for the depressed.”

Should a Christian ever be depressed? Some people would answer that question “No, a Christian should never be depressed”. There seems to be the idea in some Christian circles that if you really have the Holy Spirit in your heart then you should be unfailingly upbeat, happy, content and perky.

But life isn’t all “happy, happy, joy, joy” and anyone who pretends to be happy all the time is faking it. Life is often hard, and sometimes things happen which hurt and disappoint us, and sometimes we get depressed. Yes, even Christians sometimes get depressed. Depression is a normal human emotion and we aren’t exempt from it. However, our Christian faith can help us to deal with it.

Dr. H. Norman Wright is a well-known Christian author and counselor. In his book “Crisis Care: Hope for the Hurting” he writes: “Depression is nothing more than a message system telling us that something else in our life is going haywire, and we need to listen to the message and deal with it.”

Depression always has a cause and once the cause is identified, it can usually be dealt with. Some depression is deep-seated and long-term and must be addressed professionally. Sometimes there are chemical imbalances in the brain which make a person more susceptible to depression. Such cases need medical intervention. But most depression is short-term and is just part of the normal human experience. Stressful situations, disappointments, hurt feelings, self-esteem issues, too little rest, health problems – they can all result in short periods of mild depression, and as Christians we aren’t exempt from such things. Those types of short-term circumstantially-based depressions can be dealt with.

One of the best resources I’ve come across for relying on our faith in Christ to help us deal with emotional lows is Dr. Neil Anderson’s classic book “Victory over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ”. It’s a very good study that helps us to live life based upon our identity in Christ rather than from our momentary emotional state.

There is good news. Our God provides comfort and help and hope for those in distress. There is hope and healing for the depressed.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim