Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You are loved”   Our Bible verse for today: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God loves you in the silence.”   Last Sunday night at Oak Hill Baptist Church we began our Fall Bible study. It’s called, “Unanswered: Lasting Truth for Trending Questions” by Jeremiah Johnston. In it the author leads us to explore some of the most difficult and troubling questions Christians contend with. The question we considered in our first session was “What do we do when God seems silent?”   It’s a good question. There are times in all of our lives when we’re struggling through a difficult issue, praying to God for understanding and clarity, asking for help and peace, but …. crickets. Nothing. No help, no answers, no comfort. Nothing. Where is God at times like that? Why is He not answering and helping? Why is He silent?   To help us understand what could be going on in situations like that, Jeremiah Johnston brings us to the stories of Abram and Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis. In Abram’s case, he desperately wanted a son to be his heir and to carry on his family name. In despair he pled with God, argued with God, and even challenged God a bit. But, no child.   In Joseph’s case he was sold into slavery by his hateful brothers, sent to Egypt, falsely accused of crimes he didn’t commit, and kept in a miserable prison for many years. He didn’t understand why those things were happening to him and he wanted to be delivered from his suffering but … nothing. God was silent. Or, so it seemed.   The truth was that in both of their cases God was actively at work behind the scenes of their lives, orchestrating events and bringing each of those men to the point that He was going to answer their prayers, but in bigger and better ways than they could ever have imagined. Abram did get his son. But the son would not just be Abram’s heir and carry on his family name. No, this boy would launch a dynasty that was the family line of Jesus. God needed twenty-five years to set the scene and to transform Abram into the man He needed to become in order to be the father of Isaac.   In Joseph’s case, after thirteen years of mistreatment and suffering at the hands of the Egyptians, God elevated him out of the prison to the second most powerful position in the land. Then Joseph was able to use that position to save His father’s entire family from famine, and that family would ultimately go on to become the nation of Israel. Joseph was never out of God’s sight, and never out of God’s loving care. The situations he suffered through had to take place in order to set the stage for the big work that God wanted to do through in and through him.   In your case God probably isn’t preparing you to be the father of a great nation, or to become the second most powerful man in the land. But He is up to something. He is not absent and His apparent silence doesn’t mean He has stopped loving you or that He has abandoned you. God is always up to something, and it is always good. I encourage you to faithfully wait on God as he quietly works in your life. Trust Him, and never doubt His goodness and His great love for 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: “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God loves you, so don’t lose hope.”   As a parent one of the most difficult things we face is when a child (young or old) has experienced a big disappointment in life, or perhaps even a crushing defeat, and that child is feeling dejected and depressed. At such a time, as the parent, you want to comfort your child and do or say something to make him or her feel better. But often the child simply needs to come to terms with the outcome of their situation, get over it, and move on with life. And the only thing you as a parent can do is to be there for them, assure them of your love for them, and empathically grieve with them. Time will pass, the hurt will ease, and life will go on. In the meantime, you just bring the ministry of your presence to them and let them experience your love in the midst of the pain and disappointment.   That’s probably what the Psalmist was experiencing at the time he wrote Psalm 42. We don’t know for sure what his circumstances were, but we do know he was suffering and struggling, and we do know He looked to the presence of God and to the love of God for comfort and hope. This is what he said:   “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, ‘Where is your God?’ I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.”   The Bible tells us to find our hope in God, not in our circumstances. In the middle of the pain and suffering, the heartache and the disappointment, He is there for us. He may not resolve the situation, and the cloud of despair might not lift fully, immediately; but as a loving Father He will comfort us with His presence and He will lovingly walk with us through the time of healing.   Are you looking to God as you go through whatever it is you’re dealing with? Is your hope in Him? He is a good and loving Father. He cares for you, and He cares about how you feel right now.   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: “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow … Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:6-7; 10 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Conviction is love”   Have you ever thought of conviction as being an expression of God’s love for you? It is. In Biblical terms, when we feel a sense of conviction it means that the Holy Spirit has brought to our attention something about our character, personality, or conduct that isn’t quite right and which needs to be adjusted. Sometimes the situation is flagrant sin (such as with David in Psalm 51), but many times it’s simply a character flaw that needs to change, or some aspect of our personality that needs refining, or an attitude that God’s wants us to adjust.   In the case of Psalm 51, King David was responding to an intervention in his life from the prophet Nathan. God had sent Nathan to confront David about his adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband. It was a really big deal for which David needed to repent. He did, and God extended forgiveness to him.   It’s the job of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring that sense of conviction (John 16:8). The issue might be big or small, but the fact that God is convicting you about it means it’s important enough to God that He wants you to change it. That you’re spiritually sensitive enough to detect the conviction is a good thing, it’s a positive sign that you are aware of the activity of God in your life. Then, if you respond to that conviction and with the appropriate corrective action, it transforms you a little more into the person God intends for you to be. It also has a positive impact on your relationships with God and with others.   Conviction is the Holy Spirit’s way of calling our attention to something in our life that needs to be corrected. His motivation is always love and protection. He loves us and He wants the best for us. It has been rightly said that God loves us just as we are. But it’s also true that He loves us too much to leave us as we are. Conviction, if allowed to accomplish its purpose, will result in needed change, and it happens because God 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: “And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God loves you enough to let you struggle”   Struggle produces growth. Fighting through times of trials makes us stronger and better. Have you ever been to a weightlifting gym and seen athletes struggling, sweating, and groaning to lift huge weights? The struggle of lifting the weight produces muscle growth. They become bigger, stronger, and better as a result of pushing through and overcoming the resistance.   The same is true in our lives, especially in our spiritual lives. Have you ever wondered why it is if God loves you so much that He sits back and allows you to struggle? This is why. The struggle produces growth. With the sustained effort of persevering and pushing through a tough situation, we learn important life-lessons, our character is formed, and our faith is strengthened.   God allowing us to fight through situations is similar to the experience of raising a child. As the parent you need to teach the child how to do things, but then you need to let them have the experience of successfully doing those things on their own. You stand back and observe as the child fiddles with it, struggles, perseveres, figures it out, and then eventually succeeds. You might offer some words of guidance and encouragement, but if you continually intervene and do the thing for the child, he or she will never learn how to do it themselves and they will never grow strong and competent in that area of life.   God loves us too much to allow us to be weak and incapable when it comes to dealing with life. Instead, He lets us deal with it, figure it out, push through it, and come out of it stronger and better. He will coach us and encourage us along the way; occasionally He might lend a little helping hand; but mostly He wants us to achieve it on our own because that’s how we will learn to handle life well.   If you’re going through a tough time right now remember that God is there, He is observing, and He will intervene if necessary. But mostly He wants you to stick with it, push through it, learn from it, and come out of it better and stronger.   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: “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You are loved and forgiven”   The Biblical doctrine of justification means that God forgives, pardons, and accepts sinners who have placed their faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Psalm 103:1 tells us that God separates our sins as far as the east is from the west and He remembers them no more. Hebrews 8:12 says He forgives our sins and chooses to forget them. He says it again in Hebrews 10:17.   God does this because He loves us. He wants us to be in heaven with Him; He created the way in which that could happen; and once you have chosen that way, once you have given your sins to Jesus and accepted God’s forgiveness, you are free from those sins for all eternity – but also now. In other words, you are not to continue living under the burden of sins that have already been forgiven by God.   Unfortunately, too many of us allow our lives to be shaped by the guilt and regret of past sins. And worse, many of us live as if we still have to earn God’s love and forgiveness. We live with a driving sense of having to do stuff to please God. However, it just isn’t so. While it is good and right to serve God and others out of your deep love for Him, don’t do it because you feel you have to or because you think you are somehow earning additional favor from God because of it.   In his excellent Bible study, “The Search for Significance” Robert McGee writes, “You can do nothing to add to or to take away from what Christ did for you on the cross. Although you may try to justify yourself by doing good deeds to show God that you deserve justification, it is a vain attempt to gain what you already have.”   “It is a vain attempt to gain what you already have.” You are already forgiven. Not only that, but God already loves you as fully as it is possible to be loved. And you are already pleasing and fully acceptable to Him because you come to Him in the name of, and through the atoning work of, His Son and our perfect Savior Jesus.   I encourage you to let go of the burden of guilt and regret. Embrace the love and acceptance of your heavenly Father. Stop working so hard to gain what you already have.   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: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” Psalm 23:1 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Your Shepherd cares for you.”   This morning I want to continue our discussion from yesterday about Jesus’ role as our Good Shepherd. If you didn’t read yesterday’s devotional message, I encourage you to do so because this one builds on that one.   In his great little book “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23” Philip Keller helps us to understand that this Old Testament Psalm is actually a prophetic look forward to Jesus’ declaration in John 10:11 that He is our “Good Shepherd”. Keller helps us to understand what that means for us. Let’s take a look:   “The Lord is my shepherd …” David makes this intensely personal. The Lord isn’t just “a” shepherd, He’s not even just “the” shepherd. No, He is “my” shepherd. There’s a clear sense of love and devotion felt by the sheep for the shepherd. Why? We will find out in the verses to come.   “I shall not be in want.” This statement is forward-looking and conveys a deep sense of trust and assurance. This sheep is confident in the love, good intentions, and in the ability of his shepherd to provide for his needs. There’s no worry or anxiety about the future.   “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” The Good Shepherd creates the conditions whereby the sheep can simply lay down and rest. There’s a sense of peace and assurance. The sheep does not need to remain on his feet, alert and worried about potential danger. His shepherd is there to protect Him and so he can rest in peace. In conjunction with that, the shepherd provides the cool refreshing water the sheep needs in order to be renewed and rejuvenated. The shepherd creates these conditions for the sheep. And if the sheep wanders off the designated path into dangerous regions he’s not supposed to be in? The Good Shepherd takes actions to get him back where he should be. After all, this is one of the Good Shepherd’s sheep, and the condition of the sheep says something about the shepherd.     Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” Even under the care of the Good Shepherd, life can sometimes be dangerous and difficult. But the confident sheep trusts his care and protection. If we really believe what was said about our Shepherd in verses 1-3, then we trust Him in situations like verse 4. The rod and the staff are symbolic of His absolute power to handle any situation for us.   “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” This well-cared for, well-protected, deeply loved sheep experiences great blessings even in the presence of enemies and dangerous situations. In the middle of all that, the Good Shepherd is there blessing and anointing His precious sheep.   “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This confident and assured sheep knows that goodness and love will follow him all his days because he is under the care of a very good shepherd. And when this life is over, he will go to sheep-heaven.   What a great promise. What a tremendous assurance. You are loved and you are cared for by the Good Shepherd.   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 am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep … I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” John 10:11; 14 (NIV)   Our thought for today: Your Shepherd loves you.”   Phillip Keller was a Christian author and speaker who grew up in a region of Africa where there were many native sheep herders. Then, as a young man, Keller owned his own ranch and spent many years raising sheep. It was in a region of this country where there were lots of sheep ranches and therefore it was easy to compare the health and vitality of one flock to another.   Many years later, as an older man, Keller wrote a book about the Biblical comparison between actual sheep and their shepherd, and the people of God as sheep under the care of Jesus the Good Shepherd. The title of the book was “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23”. Keller tells us that when actual sheep have a good shepherd it’s easy to see it by the fact that the sheep are well-fed, healthy, content, and they eagerly stay close to their shepherd. Whereas the sheep of a bad or negligent shepherd are dirty, haggard, ill-fed, and not affectionate towards their shepherd.  A good shepherd doesn’t just own the sheep but loves them. A bad or neglectful shepherd sees the sheep only as a source of profit.   The Bible often uses the metaphor of shepherds and sheep to describe Jesus’ relationship with us – and Jesus described Himself as “The Good Shepherd”. In other words, He doesn’t just own us, He loves us and cares for us in every way that an actual good shepherd loves and takes care of his actual sheep, only better.   In what ways is Jesus’ good care of us similar to the good care of an actual good shepherd taking care of actual sheep? No place in the Bible is that caring and loving relationship described better or with more powerful imagery than in Psalm 23. This morning I’m simply going to quote the Psalm in its entirety. I encourage you to spend a few extra moments meditating on the beautiful picture it paints. Allow the Lord to comfort and assure you and to express His love for you through these words. Then tomorrow we’ll come back to it and consider it deeply, phrase-by-phrase.   “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”   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: “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.