Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be tough, stay strong, finish well.”   Yesterday we buried my friend Tom. He’s the one I told you about in a previous devotional, the one who had a stroke as a young man. He lived almost his entire adult life with serious disabilities, but he never gave-in and he never gave-up. Tom was tough, he was strong, and he finished well.   For the funeral message I used Joshua 14:10-11, “Here I am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” I’ve never used that passage for a funeral message before and on the surface, it doesn’t really seem to fit Tom. Tom was not eighty-five, he was fifty-nine. And he wasn’t as strong in his later years as he was in his younger years, as Caleb claimed to be in that passage. But what Tom did have in common with Caleb was attitude. Caleb was feisty and determined and he refused to give-up. Tom was like that too. If we had to choose some character traits to describe Tom, it would be hard to come up with two better ones than feisty and determined (although stubborn would run a close third).   We began the funeral by playing the theme song from the movie Rocky. You know the song, you can probably hear it in your head right now, the one with those trumpets blaring and the chorus singing “Gonna fly now … gonna fly now …” I’ve never heard that song used in a funeral before but it sure was appropriate for Tom. Rocky was a fighter and so was Tom. Rocky never gave-up and neither did Tom. When an opponent knocked Rocky down, Rocky got back up and came right back at him. When life knocked Tom down, he got right back up and kept coming back at it.   Tom was tough and Tom was strong. He was a great example of what it looks like to live a resilient life, a flourishing life, despite hardships and challenges. He was an inspiration to the rest of us and I’m sure we’ll be telling Tom-stories for many years to come.   We’re often inspired by the lives of others, and we learn from their examples. Tom Herring was a perfect example of what it means to be a resilient Christian. May the rest of us go and live likewise.  Be tough, stay strong, and finish well.     God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish they answered …” Matthew 14:17 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Jesus can do a lot with a little.”   The disciples had a problem. There was a huge hungry crowd of people before them – 5000 men plus the women and children with them, perhaps as many as 20,000 people. They needed to be fed and Jesus had just told them (the disciples) to do something about it. The disciples were incredulous. “Feed 20,000 people, are you kidding me?” What could Jesus have been thinking?   But Jesus took the little they had to contribute to the situation, He added a miracle to it, and 20,000 people were somehow fed from a supply of food that started out as only five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus does stuff like that, and there’s a lesson in this for us.   Jesus will take the little we have to offer and do a lot with it. Understanding this calls for proper perspective. It’s the realization that anything done in the name of the Lord is meaningful and important, even if it seems small and insignificant. Another example of this is found in Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus taught a lesson about acts of ministry that are important in the eyes of God. In that lesson He didn’t mention things like leading stadium crusades, or founding a Bible college, or starting a hospital. Instead, He talked about doing things like feeding the hungry, taking care of the homeless, and visiting a prisoner. Small things that make a difference in one life at a time (similar to the young boy and the starfish in yesterday’s devotional). The world is changed and made a better place by such small acts of ministry done over and over again, day after day, by countless millions of faithful Christians.   Resilient Christians are content to serve faithfully and diligently in small ways, person-by-person, day-after-day, because they recognize the great truth that Jesus can and will and does do a lot with a little. He will take the little we have to bring to bear upon a situation, bless it, and accomplish amazing things with it. Small things, done in His name and with His power matter a lot, and they do make a difference.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Do something rather than nothing”   In recent days we’ve been thinking about the urgent need in our nation for resilient Christians and resilient churches to rise up and to make a meaningful difference for good in the middle of all the pain, heartache, struggle, and instability that exists in our land right now. I want to spend the next few days thinking about how to do that.   As we survey the political, social, economic, and spiritual landscape in our nation at the moment, we could easily get depressed and discouraged. The challenges seem insurmountable. And, for us as individuals, considering the magnitude and complexity of the issues, they are insurmountable. None of us individually can do much about the larger issues. But together, if we all do something rather than nothing, we can make a difference. And there’s the key – just do something.   Taking action is powerful. Taking action makes a difference. Most of us are familiar with the old story about the young boy and the starfish on the beach. An event occurred that caused thousands of starfish to wash up on a beach. The tide went out and the stranded starfish were slowly dying. A young boy came along, starting to pick up the starfish one-by-one, and toss them back into the ocean so they could live. A man came along, observed the boy amidst the thousands of stranded starfish, tossing one after another back into the ocean, and he said “Son, there are thousands and thousands of stranded starfish on this beach. What you’re doing really isn’t going to make much of a difference.” The boy thought about that for a moment, looked at the starfish he was holding in his hand and replied, “Well, it’ll make a difference for this one.” And he tossed it into the sea.   You and I alone can’t solve the problems our nation is facing. We can’t bless every person; we can’t calm every angry argument; we can’t lead every lost soul to Christ. But each of us can do something. We can “make a difference for this one”. We can be a blessing and a help to the person who is in front of us at the moment. And then we can do it again for the next one, and again, and again. And if enough of us do that, collectively we can make a big difference.   I encourage you to do something rather than nothing – for one person at a time, over and over again. Together we can make a difference.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains.” Matthew 24:6-7 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Resilient Christians act, but they don’t overreact.”   We’re living in unsettled times. We’re experiencing a worldwide pandemic, political instability, social unrest, economic struggles, and a rapid ideological drift to the left that’s taking us further and further away from Biblical principles. Our national dialogue is characterized by anger and bitterness, and the national mood is filled with fear and uncertainty. Into this setting the church must rise up and be the church. We need strong and resilient Christians who can be involved in the problem without being part of the problem.   Matthew chapters twenty-four and twenty-five together constitute one long discourse in which Jesus tells the future. New Testament scholars have long debated the precise meanings and timings of many of the specific details contained in the discourse, but it is clear that Jesus was alerting His followers about trials and hardships they would face in future times. Some of it pertained to the coming destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (which did happen in A.D. 70). Some of it clearly refers to the times immediately before Jesus’ second coming. But much of it also seems to pertain to trials and tribulations the followers of Christ will have to be prepared to face over the hundreds and thousands of intervening years from the time Jesus said these things until His return.   The point for us today is found in verse six when He said, “See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.” What He was saying there was the same thing we read yesterday in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   Jesus was telling us that we shouldn’t be surprised by or excessively alarmed about the unpleasant and difficult things that unfold in the world around us. As His followers we should remain calm and cool, reasoned and reasonable. That doesn’t mean that we can or should dismiss the importance of wars and famines, plagues and politics. But we shouldn’t become overwrought about them either. We must recognize the situations for what they are, keep our heads about it, and then do what we can to be a positive force for good in the middle of it all.   Resilient Christians act, but they don’t overreact.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “We will need to be strong and resilient.”   Yesterday I told you about a joint research project involving the American Bible Society and the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program which proved that Christians who read their Bibles regularly and who are active in church are happier, healthier, and they handle tough times better than those who don’t do those things. Today I want to explain why that is going to be increasingly important in the months and years to come.   I’m currently reading a book called “Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World.” It was written by Dr. David VanDruenen, Professor of Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary in California. The premise of the book is that Christianity and Christian influence in the USA is suffering a similar fate as it did in Europe over the last three hundred years, only at a much faster pace. At one time Christianity was the dominant social, cultural, and political influence in Europe, but not anymore. Today Christians in Europe live in largely secular societies that are either indifferent to Christian thought and values, or even in strong opposition to them. The same thing has been happening in the USA over the last fifty years, but again, at a much faster pace than in Europe.   In his book Dr. VanDruenen has both good and bad news for us. The bad news is that the favorable political and societal conditions that once existed in Europe and the USA for Christians were unique and not the norm as depicted in the New Testament. Therefore, we should not expect such conditions to continue indefinitely. Dr. VanDruenen writes, “Therefore it is no surprise that the New Testament steers Christians away from staking very much upon government institutions. Christians may avail themselves of civil justice, pray for their civil authorities, and even exercise political office, but they should always keep the affairs of state in proper perspective. No affection Christians may feel toward their political communities can compare to their allegiance toward Christ’s heavenly kingdom.”   But there’s good news too: “Christians do not need a new and special kind of political theology for life after Christendom. Rather, Scripture itself provides a political-theological vision perfectly suited for a post-Christendom world. The New Testament envisions Christians living in a world such as this and prepares them for it. Scripture equips Christians to understand and function within societies that will remain foreign and often hostile to them.”   He goes on to say that living well within such a world requires us to be actively engaged in the life of healthy church communities, and to remain aware of and resistant to the false, misleading, and deceitful influences of the society in which we find ourselves.   This is why it’s increasingly important for Christians to be faithfully involved in a strong church. I’m not suggesting that we should give-up on our country. Not at all. But I am saying we mustn’t be naïve about it either. We live in a fallen world, and it’s going to keep getting worse until Jesus returns. That being the case, as Christians, we need to stick together in order to be strong and resilient. As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, Christians who read their Bibles regularly and who are active in a good church tend to thrive regardless of the difficulties they face.    God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Bible study and worship make you strong and resilient”   I read a fascinating article the other day in the latest edition of Christianity Today magazine. The title was, “When COVID 19 Hurts, the Bible Brings Hope.” The subtitle was, “A new study shows scripture reading correlates with Harvard measures of human flourishing”.   The article was about how researchers from the American Bible Society teamed up with researchers from the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program to study what impact regular Bible reading and attending church had on Christians during a time of crisis and extended trials (specifically, the COVID 19 pandemic). What they discovered was something that some of the Harvard people may have found surprising, but which committed disciples of Christ have known for two thousand years – Bible reading and church-going make a person stronger, happier, healthier, and more resilient. The authors of the study wrote, “The evidence shows that Americans who actively engage with the Bible and in corporate worship score higher on every measure of human flourishing, including better mental and physical health and a deeper sense of character and virtue. They even have a greater sense of financial and material stability compared to those who don’t attend church or engage with the Bible.”   Additionally, Tyler VanderWeele, the Director of the Harvard program wrote, “The churches have an important and profound role in contributing to people’s well-being in general – and especially so during this time … People who attend church and read their Bibles tend to be happier, are less likely to commit suicide, and have a greater sense of purpose in their lives.”   In Matthew 4:4 we read of the time that Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the desert fasting and preparing Himself spiritually to begin his ministry on earth. At the end of that time, He was exhausted and famished. That’s when Satan showed up – at the very time He was weakest and most vulnerable. And that’s when Satan launched his attack. Jesus’ response is revealing and instructive. He informed Satan that although He was struggling physically, spiritually He was strong because He had fed His spirit on the words of God. Jesus recited scripture from memory, He worshiped, and He drew His strength from God.   We need God at all times but especially during times like these. We need to keep ourselves immersed in the Bible and we need to participate in group worship. Doing so helps to make us strong. It makes us resilient.   I encourage you to be faithful in your study of God’s Word, and I encourage you to participate in group worship. We at Oak Hill Baptist Church will be gathering for Sunday School this Sunday at 9:00 and for worship at 10:00. The worship service will also be live-streamed on the church Facebook page. I invite you to join us. Bible study and worship help to make us strong and resilient.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “We are afflicted 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: “Don’t sugarcoat it”   The Apostle Paul was always brutally honest about the things he was facing in life. He didn’t stick his head in the sand and hide from his issues or situations; he didn’t pretend they didn’t exist; and he didn’t run away from them. He acknowledged situations for what they were and then he found ways to deal with them.   In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 he acknowledged that he faced terrible afflictions, but he didn’t allow them to crush him. He was sometimes confused and perplexed, but he didn’t despair over it. When he was being persecuted, he turned to God for help. And sometimes he was even struck down – knocked down, but it didn’t destroy him. Why? Because in a straightforward matter-of-fact way he acknowledged the situation for what it was, he committed it to prayer, then he got busy dealing with it. He didn’t hide from it and he didn’t sugarcoat it, he just dealt with it.   Yesterday I told you about my friend Tom. He’s like that too. No whining, no complaining, no hiding from it or sugarcoating it. It is what it is, now let’s deal with it.    It’s important to have a clear focus about the reality of the situations we’re dealing with. It does us no good to pretend it’s something other than what it is. It is true that we do have to be careful that we don’t become consumed or overwhelmed by the details of the circumstances, and we don’t want to wallow in it and develop a sense of helplessness, hopelessness, or a victim mentality, but we do have to be brutally honest about what we’re facing.   Once we’ve done that, we must change and improve those things we can change, and we must accept those we cannot. Then we find ways to work with what we have. That’s what Tom did with respect to his stroke. He couldn’t change the fact that he had a stroke, and some of the disabilities were going to be lifelong and forever limiting. But once he came to terms with that, his attitude was, “Okay, it is what it is. Now, let’s work with what we’ve got.”   The idea of being completely honest with yourself about what you’re facing, changing and improving what you can, and then accepting what you cannot change, is more than just the stuff of a famous poem. It’s an important life-principle that has to be learned and mastered if we’re going to thrive in life. We’re all limited in different ways. We all have stuff that is problematic and which isn’t going to go away. I encourage you not to sugarcoat it. Acknowledge it, engage it, and deal with it.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Live a noble life.”   Yesterday I quoted the words of Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift up my eye to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” I noted that the Psalmist had faith that he could turn to the Lord for help with whatever he was facing. I also noted that even if the Lord didn’t actually take away the difficult circumstances the writer was facing, He would enable the man to face his trials with strength and courage and to handle them in a noble and dignified manner.   I have a friend named Tom. As a relatively young man he had a major stroke which left him bedridden in a nursing home. They told him he would probably never be able to get out of that bed again. He refused to accept that conclusion and immediately began working on his strength and mobility. Soon he was getting out of bed. They told him he would never be able to walk again. But he asked for a walker and some help, and soon he was slowly walking. They told him he would never be able to drive a car again. So, he taught himself how to drive again. They told him he would never be able to work again. So, he went out and got a job.   That was decades ago and Tom has never given-in to his disabilities nor has he given-up. He moves slowly, and he does use a walker, but that has never stopped him. If the doors of the church are open, Tom drives himself there – and he refuses to park in the handicapped spots (“Leave those for someone who needs them”). Instead, he parks on the other side of the parking lot and with his walker he slowly makes his way across the parking lot and into the church (“Because it’s good for me”). And whatever activity is going on at church, Tom finds a way to be involved in it – from workdays, to mission projects, to mission trips. I’ve watched Tom slowly push his walker up and down the rows of pews helping to straighten the books and visitor’s cards in the pew backs. He has helped weed flower beds, pushing his walker with one hand and dragging a rake through a flower bed with the other. He has gone on mission trips.   Despite tremendous challenges and trials, Tom has lived his life with strength and courage, with dignity and grace. His has been a noble life. No whining and complaining. No excuses. Just pushing forward and doing the best he can under the circumstances as they are. And why has he lived that way? Because that’s what resilient Christians do. That’s how resilient Christians live.   I encourage you to resolve to live your life with courage and dignity and grace. Despite your challenges and trials, resolve to live a noble life.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  Psalm 121:1 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Reject learned helplessness and the easy path of victimhood.”   Pastor John Ortberg tells of a research project conducted at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s. Lab animals were put in a box and given small shocks. At first, they moved and jumped and tried to get away from the source of the shock, but to no avail. No matter what they did or where they moved to, the shocks still came. Soon they learned to stop trying and to just accept the shocks. Then they were moved to another box where they could avoid the shocks by simply moving a few steps in another direction. But they didn’t even try. Instead, they continued to accept the shocks even though they didn’t have to. It was learned helplessness. They had a sense of helplessness that they had learned through their previous circumstances and even though the circumstances had changed, they still believed they were helpless to do anything to improve their situation.   People get like that too. They learn to believe they are helpless. Then they convince themselves that they are victims. And then they stop trying. This results in low emotional intelligence (the opposite of what we were discussing in yesterday’s devotional). It also results in a sad life lived well below the potential of the individual. This is not a thriving individual who is living life well.     Resilient Christians reject learned helplessness. They reject the easy path of victimhood. The way they do that was discussed in an earlier devotional in this series regarding the importance of maintaining a positive attitude. That lesson taught us that although we don’t always have control over what happens to us, but we do always have control over how we respond to what happens to us.   For instance, you can refuse to give-in or to give-up. It really is true that nothing is over until you give-up. Therefore, as long as you refuse to give-up, you can still find ways to make your situation better. This is the attitude the Psalmist was expressing in Psalm 121:1. He knew that there was always help and hope waiting for him if he would turn in faith and expectation to the Lord. Maybe his circumstances would get better, but even if they didn’t, the Lord would give him the strength and courage to deal with his circumstances in a dignified and noble manner. There is no giving-in or giving-up, no learned helplessness or victimhood, in the words of Psalm 121:1.   I encourage you to reject learned helplessness and the easy path of victimhood. Do not give-in or give-up. With the Lord there is always help and there is always hope!   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Resilience”   Our Bible verse for today: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Develop your emotional intelligence”   “Emotional intelligence” is a concept developed by psychologist Daniel Goleman and published in his ground-breaking 1995 book by the same title.   It’s been common knowledge for much of human history that people with high IQs often do not do well in life. They’re very smart in terms of knowledge, quick thinking, and the ability to grasp complex concepts and to solve difficult problems, but often those same people seem to have little common sense, they sometimes have poor communication and relational skills, and therefore they struggle in life – sometimes tragically so. In his research Goleman discovered why that it. It’s the difference between intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence.   Goleman discovered that humans effectively have two minds – the rational mind and the emotional mind. The rational mind gathers and processes information and solves problems. The emotional mind governs feelings, moods, instincts, judgment, and decision-making. Emotional intelligence includes many of the factors that combine to create the Biblically resilient individual we’ve been thinking about this month – the person with self-awareness, self-discipline, empathy, optimism, hope, compassion, trust, and faith. It’s the wisdom and knowledge of Proverbs 2:6.   Emotional intelligence is a different way of being smart and it’s actually the more important of the two. People with high intellectual intelligence often flounder in life and consequently end up unhappy. People with high emotional intelligence may have modest IQs by comparison, but yet seem to do surprisingly well in life.   Would it surprise you to learn that God is more interested in your emotional intelligence than He is in your intellectual intelligence? Can you see the correlation between emotional intelligence and Biblical virtues?   Resilient Christians have a high level of emotional intelligence and as a result they tend to thrive in life. And here’s the good news: emotional intelligence can be learned and developed. That’s exactly what we’re doing all this month through these daily devotionals and I’m eager to continue exploring this subject with you. Tomorrow we’ll consider another interesting concept known as “learned helplessness”. Learned helplessness is common problem and is a product of low emotional intelligence – but there is help and hope for it. We’ll think more about that tomorrow.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.