Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” Acts 2:42 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Protect your church.”   Today’s devotional will be a little longer than normal because the subject I want to address is so important and needs a little extra discussion. Today let’s think about how it is that God expresses His love through the local church. The church is a precious gift from God. It is the place on earth where God’s love is experienced more frequently and more fully than virtually anywhere else. Therefore, it’s important for us to protect our church – especially in the days in which we now live.   Last week I heard from a Pastor-friend of mine in another state who has been a pastor for more than thirty years. He had a big problem in his church and he was considering some strong action to deal with it. He was contending with the same thing that most other pastors are regarding health and safety issues related to the Coronavirus pandemic. He said he had never seen a time like this before when some people in the church was so riled and agitated.   The pandemic is a legitimate health crisis that has to be taken seriously, but to a large degree pastors have limited options in how they can lead their churches through it. There are health factors, Biblical principles, and legal liabilities that all have to be factored in. There are guidelines from every level of government, from church insurance companies, from health professionals and health departments, and from God in the Bible – all of which determine the policies and procedures that have to be implemented in the church. It’s simply a sad reality that difficult situations often exist in our world that necessitate special actions to keep a church safe. For example, most churches these days have child protection plans to safeguard children. They also have safety and security teams and security cameras. Coronavirus protections are no different. The situation with the virus is what it is, and you just have to do what you have to do to deal with it.   But not everyone is happy about that, and not everyone agrees with it. In fact, some people disagree so strongly that they are angry about it. That’s causing great problems for pastors in churches across the land. The problem has become so severe that denominational leaders are sounding the alarm, in articles, blogs, podcasts, and conferences, that our churches are heading for a time of crisis. Satan is being allowed to do destructive things in our churches right now. Pastors are stressed to the point of quitting, and already we’re seeing a lot of pastors leaving their churches. There was an article published recently by the Lifeway Research Group (the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention) warning that over the next two years there will be a mass exodus of pastors leaving ministry, and many churches across the land will close their doors. Two weeks ago, there was an open letter published to Southern Baptist churches written by Dr. Thom Rainer, who is one of the national leaders of our denomination. The title was “Six Reasons Your Pastor Is About to Quit”. It was all about how much trouble some members are causing regarding the Coronavirus issues and what a negative impact that is having on pastors.   Let me be quick to say that my friend is not among the group of pastors who are getting ready to quit, and neither am I. At our church, Oak Hill Baptist, the situation has been much better than in many other churches. It’s true that some of our people have strong opinions and have been unhappy with some policies, and there has been some sparking and some hot emotions, but for the most part things have been relatively peaceful and manageable. But most of you reading this go to other churches in other places, and there’s a chance the situation in your church is more like the situations mentioned in those articles, blogs, and conferences.   The church is supposed to be a place of refuge – a place of fellowship and spiritual nurture. It is where we experience God’s love for us in real and tangible ways. But a church fellowship is a fragile thing that must be cared for and guarded, and that takes extra effort, and sometimes restraint, on all of our parts.   We, the people of God, have a responsibility to protect our churches, physically but especially spiritually. It’s not necessary for you to agree with everything that is said and done. And in some cases, your compliance with policies and procedures isn’t even mandatory. So, give your pastor and your church the grace they need in order to do the things they have to do in order to deal with the situation that exists. Considering all that’s going on in our world today, it is more important than ever for our churches to be healthy and strong.   There’s a crisis brewing in our churches right now. Satan is causing great problems. Regardless of your personal opinions and preferences regarding policies and procedures, it’s up to all of us to head that off and put a stop to it.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “God sets the lonely in families.” Psalm 68:6 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “You don’t have to be alone.”   It’s hard to feel loved when you’re lonely. According to the website psychologytoday.com, loneliness is defined as “The state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one’s desires for social connection and actual experiences of it.” What that definition refers to is the fact that God created humans as relational beings. We have an inborn desire to be in close relationships with others. Even in the Garden of Eden, back when Adam was in a perfect relationship with God, God still said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18). So, God created Eve to be a companion for Adam, and then He gave them children as well. As good as a relationship with God is, Adam still needed to have people in his life too.   Another definition of loneliness is “Feeling sad and unhappy about being socially isolated.” Numerous studies show that anywhere from 40-60 percent of Americans feel lonely on a regular basis. They’re sad and unhappy, feeling socially isolated. And it seems to be getting worse. Half of generation Z (born between 1997-2012) report feeling lonely most of the time.   God’s answer to loneliness is the church family. One of the reasons God puts people in churches is so He can love them through other people. As we discussed in yesterday’s devotional, God uses faithful people as vessels to communicate and express His love for others – especially those who are hurting and struggling and lonely. This is an important part of church life.   I encourage you to pray this morning and ask God to bring to your mind someone in your church who might be feeling alone and lonely. Reach out to that person, maybe by phone but preferably in a more personal and tangible way. Perhaps you could invite them to lunch or have them come over to your home for dinner. Maybe you could go to a movie together.   Statistically about half of the people around you are experiencing loneliness at any given time. Hopefully that percentage is lower in the church but still, there are lonely people in churches too, and that shouldn’t be. I encourage you to find a way to express the love of God to a lonely person today.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God expresses His love for us through other Christians”   The other day I had a telephone conversation with a man in our church who has tested positive for COVID 19. He was experiencing some mild symptoms, but fortunately his condition isn’t serious. I called to pray with him but also to express my thanks for something he had done. You see, the previous Sunday he was in church and without knowing it, he was COVID positive at that time. But fortunately, he and his entire family were wearing masks, they observed social distancing, they used hand sanitizer, and they avoided physical contact such as hugs and handshakes. Consequently, it’s unlikely that anyone else was infected by him.   When I thanked him for being so considerate of others by taking those extra precautions his response was, “Pastor, I love my church family and I’ll always do everything I can to look out for them. There was never any question in my mind about wearing a mask, even when I didn’t know I was positive. I did that for others, because I love them.”   And we felt the love. Especially now, in retrospect.   One of the ways in which God expresses His love for us is through the kindness, compassion, and considerate actions of other Christians. God loves us through each other. We often speak about being the hands and feet of Jesus – and we truly are! Jesus and the Father aren’t physically here on earth to do things like that. But the Holy Spirit is here, living in your heart and mine, working in us and through us to show the world the great love of God. People experience God’s love for them through your acts of kindness and compassion. I can’t see God, but I can see God in you. God can’t wear a mask out of consideration for my health, but you can. God isn’t going to show up at someone’s front door with a bag of groceries and a warm smile, but He can send you. God isn’t going to get out of bed at 11:00 at night and drive to the other side of town to help a friend stranded on the side of the road, but He can have you do that in His place.   God often expresses His love for us through the kindness and compassion of other Christians. Will you let Him love you through other people? More importantly, and more in keeping with Paul’s point in Philippians 2:4, will you let Him love other people through you?   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “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 you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you – this is the Lord’s declaration …” Jeremiah 29:12-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God will love you back.”   My wife has a phrase she often uses in response to people’s expression of love for her. If someone says, “I love you Linda” she will often respond with “I love you back.” And she does! And God does too. God loves it when you express your love for Him, and He loves to love you back.   In yesterday’s devotional I cited Jesus’ words in Mark 12:20 that we are to love God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul. In other words, not only does God love us fully and unconditionally, but we need to love Him in the same way, fully and unconditionally.     Love needs to flow in two directions. God loves you, but you also need to love Him. He expresses His love for you, but you also need to express your love for Him. In fact, you will experience His love for you most and best by expressing your love for Him. It’s in the act of expressing love that we experience love. Let me say that again, “It is in the act of expressing love that we experience love.”   This is what God was teaching us through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. Come to God, call to God, pray to God. Seek Him and search for Him with all your heart, and what will happen? He will listen to you; He will be found by you. You will experience His presence.   God wants to be wanted. He loves you, and He wants you to love Him back. God reaches out to you, and He wants you to reach out to Him. Do you? If so, in what ways? Do you faithfully seek Him in worship? When you enter the time of corporate worship is it more than just singing songs and listening to a sermon, are you consciously and eagerly seeking an encounter with God? Do you seek Him in prayer? As you pray are you actually thinking of Him, forming an image of Him in your mind, hearing yourself converse with Him as you would with your spouse or with a friend? When you listen to worship music (as discussed earlier in this series), are you really listening to the words, praying them back to God as a prayer set to music? When you engage in acts of mercy and compassion are you doing it in the spirit of Matthew 25:40, as if you were doing it for Jesus Himself?   Such efforts to reach out to God are deeply pleasing to Him, and His promise is that when we do that, He will respond in-kind. We experience God’s love for us by expressing our love for Him. I encourage you to express your love for Him, and then relax and enjoy it as you realize He is loving you back.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Get in the habit of dealing with God about everything.”   Have you ever been in love? I mean really, deeply in love. Head-over-heals, totally infatuated, can’t-get-you-out-of-my-mind in love. This person fills your thoughts when you’re apart, and you’re totally content when you’re together. You love to do things for them, and you love it when they do things for you. Your heart is so full and overflowing with love for this person that it seems like you’re going to burst. I mean, you are seriously in love!   Okay, maybe that sounds a little sappy, a little too much like teenage puppy love. Maybe you haven’t felt that kind of love for another person in a long, long time. But work with me here, play along. Imagine yourself in love with God like that.   That’s the kind of love Jesus was talking about in Mark 12:30, and He was saying that it should describe our love relationship with God – loving Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. That is how God loves us, by the way. And it should be our goal to love Him back in the same way. But how do we achieve that? Isn’t that the very reason I’m writing devotional messages on this theme to begin with, because we have such difficulty experiencing that kind of love with God?   The great devotional writer Oswald Chambers suggested that we should train ourselves to get in the habit of dealing with God about everything. We should work to establish a running dialogue with Him about all the things that are going on in our lives, big and small – intentionally including Him in our life moment-by-moment. When we do that, we slowly begin to become aware of His constant presence with us. That then develops into a sense of familiarity and intimacy that fills our heart and mind with Him. Over time, He then becomes a noticeable presence in our lives and we no longer feel right or content if we don’t sense Him with us like that. Our thoughts then keep getting drawn back to Him.   But that takes some work on our part. We have to be intentional about it. We have to want that kind of relationship with Him and we have to make the effort to develop it. The good news is that it can be done. And the primary reason it can be done is because God Himself wants that even more than you do. He wants to be included in every moment of your life. He wants your thoughts to continually return to Him. He wants you to love Him like He loves you. If you make the effort, He will gladly reward that effort with an increased awareness of Himself in your life.   I encourage you to get in the habit of dealing with God about everything.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever ….” Psalm 89:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Let the music carry you away”   This will be the third day in a row that I’ve written about music being a way in which God enables us to experience His love. I’ve done so because that has been my own experience recently.   Last week I concluded three weeks of vacation. It was restful and renewing and I’m grateful for having had the time off. But this vacation was different from previous years. Because of the COVID 19 pandemic, our travel options were limited and we spent most of the time at home. But that turned out to be a good thing. I slept more and later than usual; I completed some projects I had been putting off for a while; and I enjoyed the freedom of going hiking, kayaking, motorcycle riding, or out on my mountain bike whenever I felt like it.   Another thing I did which I haven’t done in a very long time is I spent hours lying in a deck chair, looking up at the trees and sky, and listening to soothing and relaxing music through headphones (smooth jazz, Christian worship, etc.). But I wasn’t just listening to the music as background while I did something else. Instead, I really listened – deeply. I noticed each instrument; I listened closely to the voices of the singers; I thought about the words being sung; and I allowed myself to get caught up in and carried away by the music.   The best sessions were the ones I spent with a collection of worship songs by Michael W. Smith. Michael calls his worship songs “prayer songs” because each one is a prayer set to music. It was moving and relaxing and a great time of communion with the Lord. Then I remembered that I used to do this all the time. Listening to music used to be a regular part of my time with Him. But that was back before I allowed myself to get so busy. It was when I wasn’t in such a rush all the time.   It’s vitally important for the health of our relationship with God to slow down and place ourselves in a position before Him whereby He can speak to us – a time when He has our full and undivided and thoughtful attention. It’s during times like those that we come to actually experience His love for us in real and heartfelt ways. Music can bring us to that place.   I’m making music a regular part of my personal time with the Lord again. I encourage you to try it too.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God …” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Be still and let God love you.”   Yesterday I asked you to end your devotional time by listening to the song “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle. I provided the words for you and suggested that you follow along with the song, reading the words and thinking deeply about the profound truth being revealed. I also urged you to hear the Father’s voice speaking to you through the words of the song.   Did you do it? It would only have taken an extra 3 ½ minutes of your time. Or, were you in too much of a hurry to get on with other things? Did you read the devotional, glance at the lyrics, and then rush off into you day?   In Psalm 46:10 God calls us to slow down, be still, and know that He is God. He paints a picture for us of sitting quietly with Him and deeply experiencing His presence, His love, His comfort. If you read the entire Psalm you realize these words were written within the context of a world in chaos. That’s what the Psalmist was describing. In the midst of all that, God is there waiting for us to be still and to experience Him. But many of us don’t because we’re in so much of a hurry all the time.   Almost thirty years ago I adopted Psalm 46:10 as one of my personal life verses for this very reason. If I want to truly experience God in a deep and rich relationship, I need to carve out the time to simply sit with Him and let Him express His love for me. An important part of becoming sensitive enough to truly experience God’s love, is to simply sit quietly before Him and let Him love you.   So, I would like us to try yesterday’s experiment again. Let God communicate His heart for you through another song by Lauren Daigle. Go to Google and listen to the song “You Say”. And again, as you listen to Lauren sing, hear the words of the Father speaking personally to you. Here are the lyrics. Please read them as you listen to the song:   I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low? Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know, ooh oh You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing You say I am strong when I think I am weak And You say I am held when I am falling short And when I don’t belong, oh, You say I am Yours And I believe (I), oh, I believe (I) What You say of me (I) I believe The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity, ooh oh You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing You say I am strong when I think I am weak And You say I am held when I am falling short When I don’t belong, oh, You say I am Yours And I believe (I), oh, I believe (I) What You say of me (I) Oh, I believe Taking all I have and now I’m layin’ it at Your feet You’ll have every failure God, You’ll have every victory, ooh oh You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing You say I am strong when I think I am weak You say I am held when I am falling short When I don’t belong, oh, You say I am Yours And I believe (I), oh, I believe (I) What You say of me (I) I believe Oh, I believe (I), yes, I believe (I) What You say of me (I) I believe (oh) Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Lauren Daigle / Paul Brendon Mabury You Say lyrics © Essential Music Publishing   God loves you very much. He wants you to know of His love, but He also wants you to experience it in a deep and real way. Sometimes we just need to sit still and let Him love us.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God rescues you.”   One of the hardest things any parent ever has to do is to watch their grown child go off on some dangerous adventure. I know this from personal experience. I once had to stand and watch one of my own sons walk to an airplane that was going to carry him into a war zone in Afghanistan. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach thinking about what he was going to face once he got there and what the potential outcome could be.   In Romans 5:8 the Apostle Paul was commenting on the great truth John revealed to us in John 3:16 when he wrote, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 5:8 and John 3:16 describe a rescue mission. God the Father sent His only Son from the comfort and safety of heaven to earth to rescue us from our sins. It was a dangerous mission that would require great suffering and sacrifice on the part of the Son. Knowing what Jesus faced, it grieved the Father to do it and yet, it had to be done. Paul’s point was that this proves God’s overwhelming, unconditional, and never-ending love for us. He loves us so much that He was determined to rescue us at all costs. But then, it didn’t stop there. He continues to look out for us and to be our shelter in the storms of life.     This morning, along with reading this devotional, I want to ask you to Google the song “Rescue” by Christian singer Lauren Daigle. Take just 3 ½ minutes to listen to it. As you’re listening, please read the lyrics along with it and think deeply about the profound truth being revealed in the song. Hear the voice of the Father speaking to you personally through the words. It will be Lauren singing, but hear the voice of the Father through it. Here are the words:   You are not hidden There’s never been a moment You were forgotten You are not hopeless Though you have been broken Your innocence stolen I hear you whisper underneath your breath I hear your SOS, your SOS I will send out an army to find you In the middle of the darkest night It’s true, I will rescue you There is no distance That cannot be covered Over and over You’re not defenseless I’ll be your shelter I’ll be your armor I hear you whisper underneath your breath I hear your SOS, your SOS I will send out an army to find you In the middle of the darkest night It’s true, I will rescue you I will never stop marching to reach you In the middle of the hardest fight It’s true, I will rescue you I hear the whisper underneath your breath I hear you whisper, you have nothing left I will send out an army to find you In the middle of the darkest night It’s true, I will rescue you I will never stop marching to reach you In the middle of the hardest fight It’s true, I will rescue you Oh, I will rescue you Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Paul Mabury / Lauren Daigle Rescue lyrics © Essential Music Publishing   That’s how much He loves you.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.” Jeremiah 31:3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Experience the love of God”   I once received an email from a young man with whom I have something of a mentoring relationship. He contacts me from time-to-time to discuss various issues. In this case, he was disturbed and feeling a little guilty by the realization that it seemed to him that he loved his girlfriend more than he loves God. He was certain it was wrong to feel that way and he didn’t know what to do about it. It’s not that he didn’t love God too, he did, it just seemed to him that his love for his girlfriend was so much more real.   I assured him that I understood. His girlfriend is pretty and warm and soft and cuddly – and God is none of those things. His girlfriend is physical, but God is spiritual. Therefore, it’s a lot easier to actually sense and experience the love of a girlfriend than it is the love of God. (As I was writing this our little eight-pound Maltipoo puppy came up, nuzzled my leg, and waited for me to pick her up. She too is soft and warm and cuddly, and she just wanted to be held. As she laid in my arms and rested her head on my chest, she looked up at me with goo-goo eyes and wagged her tail. I really felt the love).   Can you relate? Does the love of your mate, your children, or your pet seem more real to you than the love of God? Intellectually we know (we have the knowledge) that God loves us, and by faith we believe it to be true. But experientially – well, that’s something else again. Experiencing the love of God is much more subtle and nuanced than experiencing the love of a person or a pet. And yet, the love of God is real none-the-less – much more real than the love of a mate, a child, or a pet.   In my opinion, Jeremiah 31:3 is one of the great verses of the Old Testament. It is a powerful and profound promise that God loves us more than we can possibly understand. That’s also the message of the entire Bible.   All this month we’re going to consider the great truth of God’s love. Hopefully, by the time we’re done, we will all have not just a better understanding of His love for us, but also a greater experience of it. I look forward to exploring the reality of God’s love with you.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire”   Our Bible verse for today: “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.’” Mark 6:31 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “It’s time to unplug for a while”   I will be forever grateful for having had the opportunity to be a part of so many overseas mission trips over these last twenty-five years. Every one of them was special and unique in its own way but without question, the most adventurous and exotic were those missions into the restricted zone of the Amazon Jungle in Peru. “The Manu Reserve” is 3.5 million acres (the size of Massachusetts) of pristine Rainforest. It is almost entirely detached from civilization as we know it, and in many respects, it’s the stuff of National Geographic magazine.   As you leave the river town of Puerto Maldenado and head north, your cell phone coverage, internet, and all basic forms of communication begin to get weaker and weaker. The further north you go, the less there is. Finally, as we enter the Manu Reserve itself, there is no more. Then for approximately six days, as you go deeply into the heart of the Rainforest, you are completely out of touch with the outside world. No communication at all.   In some respects that experience of being completely out of touch is a bit disconcerting. It’s something we aren’t used to. But on the other hand, it’s strangely freeing. No telephone calls, no text messages, no email or social media of any sort. It’s just you and God and nature and your teammates.   At the end of the mission, as you’re heading south and coming back out, you begin to slowly reestablish communication. It’s sketchy at first but gets stronger the further south you go. Over the course of a few days you soon have full coverage again. When that happens, I’m always amazed to discover how little I missed while I was unplugged and out of touch. It doesn’t take long to catch up on the voicemails and emails. A quick scan of Facebook assures me that all the same nonsensical drama is still there. The 24/7 news cycle is still churning it out, but there’s really nothing new going on there either. The food fight in Washington D.C. is still raging; the stock market went up, and then down, and then up again; and the Padres are still in last place in the National League West. The church building didn’t burn down, nobody’s hair caught on fire, and Jesus didn’t come back.   In one respect I guess my feelings are always a little hurt when I realize that the world didn’t stop because of my absence.  Most people didn’t even know I was gone. But at the same time, it was a refreshing experience and one that I was grateful for. Unplugging like that can be a wonderfully renewing thing.   And with that said … I need to tell you that this will be the last daily devotional message until Tuesday September 1st. I’ll be going on an extended vacation and I’m going to pretty much unplug for the entire month of August. I look forward to coming back in September refreshed, renewed, and ready to explore a new theme with you. In the meantime, I encourage you to take a break too. Unplug for a while; get some rest; find some fresh wind for your sails and some fresh fire in your soul.   I’ll see you in September. (What a great title for a song! See you in September. Go ahead and Google it.)   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.