Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB) Our thought for today: “The first and most important reason” This morning, I want us to consider today’s Bible verse in conjunction with the one we looked at yesterday from 3 John 2. That verse reads: “Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.” In that verse John was referring to a wholistic approach to life. He prayed for prosperity in “every” way – in the person’s whole life. The truth is that you are a whole person who consists of a physical body, a mind, and a spirit. To be truly healthy and doing well in all aspects of life, you must be healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. All those parts of you combine to make up the whole you, and they are interrelated. Each impacts the other and if you are unhealthy in one of those areas, it will have a direct and negative impact on the other two. We must take care of the whole person. So, when Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit he is saying that your physical body (which is home to your mind, emotions, and soul) is also home to the Holy Spirit of God. And therefore, we as individuals have a stewardship responsibility to keep all aspects of our person as healthy as possible for as long as possible, and to use our whole person for the honor and glory of God. Paul also tells us in verse 20 that we were bought for this purpose at the price of Jesus’ death on the cross. On the cross not only did Jesus purchase your eternal soul, but He purchased your physical body (and your whole person) to be a walking, talking, mobile temple of God’s Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Spirit of God resided in a temple made of stone. In the New Testament the Spirit of God resides inside the bodies of the followers of Jesus Christ. And just like the people of God had a stewardship responsibility to properly care for the Temple in the Old Testament, so too do the people of God in our day. We have the same responsibility to take proper care of the temple of God and in our day, and that temple is your body. This is the first and most important reason you must take good care of yourself – because God said so and He requires it of you. You are the temple of His Holy Spirit and therefore you must take good care of yourself. We will now spend the rest of this month discussing many ways to do exactly that. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,

(This daily devotional message was originally sent on June 2^nd)

Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”

Our Bible verse for today: “Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.” 3 John 2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Take care of yourself”

One of the great maladies of our age is that as a society we are too busy and too stressed-out. Korean-born philosopher and cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han once wrote a book about it called “The Burnout Society.” His research revealed that our competitive, multi-tasking, service-oriented society is taking a severe toll on our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. This has resulted in psychological disorders of epidemic proportions, including depression, attention deficit disorder, and borderline personality disorder.

Another consequence that is becoming increasingly evident in our society is the Japanese phenomenon known as “Karoshi” or, “death from overworking.” “Karoshi” does refer to suicides that are directly related to workplace stressors, but it also refers to health issues such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and poor lifestyle choices such as alcoholism, bad diet, and lack of exercise (when those symptoms are attributed to working too many hours under too much stress).

“Karoshi” began to show itself in Japanese society in the 1970s and exploded in the 1980s. In recent decades it has spread to developed nations around the world (including ours), until today it is recognized by the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health as a global health crisis. We are all trying too hard to do too much for too long and we are not taking proper care of ourselves.

This is a spiritual issue. Yes, it is physical, and yes it does have impacts on us mentally and emotionally, but as we will see as this series unfolds, it is very much a spiritual issue as well – with spiritual implications and consequences.

That being the case, and this being the beginning of summer and vacation season, it’s a good time for us to consider this issue. Selfcare is critical, and most of us don’t do a good enough job of taking care of ourselves. We can all do better.

God bless,

Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (CSB) Our thought for today: “I must practice what I preach” Most of us are better at giving advice than receiving it, and we are better at telling others what they should do rather than doing that same thing ourselves. Preachers and writers are sometimes guilty of that too. If we’re not careful, we can become very good at telling others what they should do while excusing ourselves for not doing that thing. That’s what the Apostle Paul was writing about in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. He was referring to his own life as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the letter of 1 Corinthians Paul had really been giving the Corinthian Christians a stern talking-to. He was setting them straight regarding many important issues. In 9:26-27 he paused to reassure them that he himself does the things he was urging them to do. Essentially, he said, “I practice what I preach.” I need to do that too. All this month I have been writing about the importance of good selfcare. While I’ve been doing that, I have also had a very full schedule of regular ministry activities; while at the same time preparing to get married this Sunday (in a small private ceremony); and I traveled to Nashville to pick-up family who flew-in for the wedding and who are now visiting; while I have also been moving into a new home. It has all been good, but exhausting. So, I’m going to give myself a break. Today will be the last new daily devotional message until Monday July 7th.  Aimee and I will be going on our honeymoon in October after our big “family and friends” wedding on October 18th, but this coming week we will be settling into our new home together. So, I won’t be attempting to write these daily devotional messages during that time. Instead, each morning for the next week I will resend one of the most well-received devotionals from the past month. There’s still a lot more for us to consider regarding the subject of good selfcare and so, we will continue that discussion throughout July beginning again on July 7th. Between now and then, I encourage you to review some of the devotional messages from this past month. And please, be sure to practice good selfcare. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Trust God and keep moving into the future” One of the most troublesome and even challenging scenarios in life is when we are faced with uncertainty regarding the future. That’s especially true when we’re dealing with difficult situations which are stress-producing and painful, and which may turn out badly. Almost thirty-five years ago I adopted Proverbs 3:5-6 as my primary life-verse. When it comes to living the Christian life on a daily and moment-by-moment basis, in the big details of life as well as the little ones, Proverbs 3:5-6 provides us with a failsafe way of dealing with life and walking forward into the future. Trust in the Lord with all your heart because you know that He loves you. You know He has a good plan for your life and that He will direct you if you want Him to. Therefore, rather than relying on your own understanding, seek to know His will because you know that being in the center of His will is always the best and safest place to be. Then, go forward trusting that He is guiding your steps. You may not have all the answers, you may not have things all figured out, but that’s okay because He does and He is the one directing your steps. God is more interested in your life than you are and He wants you to live a good life even more than you want it. So, He will guide you if you will let Him.   Just do your best to make sure your heart is right and you truly are seeking to know His will so you can be obedient to it. Then just trust Him to lead you. This too is selfcare. Doing this relieves us of the constant stress and strain of always feeling like we must have it all figured out.   Author John Eldredge once offered up this prayer, “Jesus, I don’t need to know everything. I just need to know what you want me to do next. What are you saying to me about the next step in my life, Lord?” An important element in good selfcare is to learn to trust God as you keep moving into the future. God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful. John 14:27 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Relax and rest” This morning, I want to continue our thinking from yesterday about God coming to you like a fresh breeze and cool water on a hot day. From what we have learned so far in this devotional series we already know that God has promised if we will seek Him, He will be found by us (Jeremiah 29:13-14). And we learned yesterday that the most important thing we can do in terms of selfcare is to spend time with God – the more the better. A fresh spiritual breeze; cool water for your thirsty soul; isn’t that what you truly long for? Well, that’s exactly what God wants you to have. That’s the uplifting and encouraging truth Paul was expressing Romans 15:13 when he wrote, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace …” It’s also what he described for us in Galatians 5:22-23 where he wrote: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” These are the things God wants to fill your life with. The other evening my fiancé, Aimee, sent me a text message with a link to the song “Rest” by TobyMac. I had never heard the song before but it instantly became one of my new favorites. It speaks so beautifully about finding peace and rest in God that I want to conclude this devotional by asking you to Google the song and listen to it right now. Not only will it soothe your soul, but it’s a song you will want to listen to over-and-over again. Here’s the link for it: https://youtu.be/g0toxVJu3MM You’re welcome in advance. God bless, Pastor Jim  (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.” Psalm 1:3 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Like a fresh breeze and cool water” I love the image the Psalmist paints for us in Psalm 1:1-3. The full passage reads, “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, he delights in the Lord’s instruction, and he mediates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” The prophet Jeremiah expressed the same truth in slightly different words in Jeremiah 17:7-8, “The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by the water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.” The editors of the Pastor’s devotional book “Apples of God” offered this illustration which helps to highlight that truth expressed in Psalms and Jeremiah: “When you are working in the hot sun there will be a time when it becomes unbearable. Your shirt is drenched with sweat, you are covered with dirt, and the air is thick. The heat saps your energy, and if you don’t consume lots of liquids you become dehydrated and dizzy. Eventually, you would lose consciousness. When a cool breeze starts blowing, it feels luxurious. It is so refreshing, especially if you can enjoy a break in the shade and splash some cold water on yourself.” They go on, “This is what God wants for us. Our lives are full of good things. But they can also be troublesome. We are in a battle, and we’re worn down and tired. God comes like a fresh breeze and cool water. He gives us renewed strength to continue the fight. Are you weary? Take a seat and wait on God.” The number-one most important thing we can do in terms of selfcare is to spend time with God.  He will come to you like a fresh breeze and cool water. Can you feel God refreshing your soul? God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne …” Revelation 5:11 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Is there room for the singing of angels?” In yesterday’s devotional we considered how it is that if your heart is right and if you are truly seeking an encounter with God in worship, then corporate worship with our brothers and sisters can be where you meet Him. Today let’s consider the solo worship experience. This is your personal worship. This is when it’s just you and God. In Revelation 5:11-14 we’re reading about the Apostle John (also known as John the Revelator because he was the writer of this book). He was in exile on the island of Patmos and in a deep state of personal worship. In the middle of that, he saw this scene in heaven with the angels of God around the throne singing out in a loud voice, “Worthy is the lamb!” John was in a physical place and in a state of mind that allowed him to sink into that worshipful experience. He literally heard the singing of angels. But he was ready for it. He was seeking it. He created the space for it to happen – as we must as well. If you want it, you will have to be intentional about seeking it. Can we hear the singing of angels? Probably not with our physical ears but with the ears of our heart? Yes. Not only can we, but we need to. Your soul needs this. Everyday. I once wrote an article entitled, “Room for the Singing of Angels.” It was about making room in our lives and creating the right conditions for the singing of angels to break through. If you would like to have a digital copy of that article, email me and I will send it to you. When it comes to good selfcare, creating spiritual space for deep personal worship is essential. Your soul needs this. Everyday. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 7:11-12 (CSB) Our thought for today: “It will be good for your soul” I love the scene John the Revelator describes for us in Revelation 7:11-12 – the angels of God before the throne of God worshiping God. John had entered a deep state of worship in his own mind and heart there on the island of Patmos, and he got to witness and experience a tremendous worshipful scene taking place in heaven. Earlier in that same passage, in Revelation 7:9-10, he tells us that along with the angels there was a vast multitude of people, “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And then, beginning in verse 11, the angels sang their song. This was worship. Deep worship. It’s representative of the kind of worship we should all desire to sink into when we gather with the saints of God in our local churches each Sunday. And if you do – if you do experience worship at a deep heart-moving level, your soul will be touched. But you must want it. You have to seek it. You must come to the corporate worship experience with a heart that yearns to encounter the Living God of the Universe. Let me leave you this morning with that wonderful insight from Pastor Chuck Swindoll which I shared with you in a previous devotional and which comes from his book “Intimacy with the Almighty.” “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 to be content with surface matters.” Think about this. Pray about it. Ask God to make this the desire of your heart as you approach your time of worship with your brothers and sister in Christ. It will be good for your soul. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 (CSB) Our thought for today: “The Sabbath is for you” When Jesus said the words recorded in Mark 2:27 he turned the whole notion of Sabbath on its head. The religious leaders of the Jewish people (The Pharisees) had turned Sabbath-keeping into a strict and heavy ritual complete with lots of rules, regulations, expectations, and requirements. It was arduous and time-consuming and it often created stress in people rather than nourishing their souls. Worse, the Pharisees taught that this was what God required of them and that a person was sinning if they didn’t comply. To the Pharisees, the Sabbath was all about pleasing a very demanding God.  But Jesus said they had it backwards. God didn’t create the Sabbath for Himself, He created it for us. It’s not for His benefit but for ours. Properly understood and practiced, Sabbath-keeping should leave us rested, refreshed, and renewed – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. That’s the purpose of Sabbath. That’s why God created it. Not because He needs it but because we do. In terms of selfcare, there are few things we can do that will benefit us as much as consistent Sabbath-keeping. And I’m not just talking about going to church on Sunday to worship (although that certainly is an important starting place for Sabbath-keeping). I’m also not just talking about keeping Sabbath one day a week for the purpose of rest and relaxation (although we certainly need this too.) More than that, Sabbath “thinking” can become a mindset that governs our overall approach to daily life. In yesterday’s devotional we considered the truth that the best life any of us will ever have is the one that is lived in the center of God’s will. That’s true but to have such a life we have to be intentional about it. It requires good discipleship to develop a life with God like that, and then that relationship with Him must be nurtured. Sabbath-keeping and Sabbath-thinking help us to do that. In the days to come I will direct our thinking to some ideas and concepts from two very good books on this subject, both of which I have already mentioned to you. They are “Intimacy with the Almighty,” by Chuck Swindoll and “The Rest of God: Restoring your Soul by Restoring Sabbath” by Mark Buchanan. God created the Sabbath for you. Sabbath-keeping and Sabbath-thinking are important and necessary practices in our quest for good selfcare. God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction! Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart.” Psalm 119:1-2 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Your best life ever!” What’s the secret to living your best life ever? The secret is that it isn’t a secret. Through the writer of Psalm 119 God told us plainly almost three thousand years ago that we would find our best life if we study His commands and keep them. God has a good and perfect plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11-14 assures us of this: “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when your search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” That’s exactly what the Psalmist was expressing in Psalm 119:1-2. Make the effort to know, understand, and apply the principles for living that are found in the Word of God. Live by it. Then you will discover your best life ever. The fact is that the best life any of us will ever have will be the one lived in the center of God’s will. No matter what else you accomplish in life, no matter how much wealth and possessions you accumulate, no matter how much the world sings your praises and honors you with accolades, no life will be as good as the life you can have living in the center of God’s will for you. You will also be your most effective in life when you are in the center of God’s will. The Holy Spirit will provide you with direction and power. He will make you wise, strong, tough, and resilient as you tackle the many challenges life throws at you, and you will be at your maximum effectiveness. Let me say it again: The secret to living your best life ever is that it isn’t a secret. God has made clear how to do it. Seek Him with all your heart. Study His Word. Live by it. If you would like a little more practical help in implementing the changes needed to establish the habit of living in God’s will instead of your own, I recommend the helpful little book “The Best Possible Life: How to live with deep contentment, joy, and confidence – no matter what” by Jim Murphy. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571