Our theme for this month: “Take Care of Each Other”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:44-45 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be quick to help other Christians in need.”

In yesterday’s devotional I wrote of how the early church in the book of Acts was known for the love and care that the members expressed for each other, and how that then became a catalyst for the Gospel. Others in the community noticed how they cared for each other, and they were attracted to it. Ultimately many of those people came to faith in Jesus as well. Today’s Bible passage tells a little of that story.

Now let me be quick to point out that what’s being described in Acts 2:44-45 was not socialism. In socialism the government takes from those who have and gives to those who have not. It’s not voluntary generosity on the parts of those who have. Instead it is heavy-handed government intervention forcing a transfer of wealth. That’s not what was happening in the early church. Instead, out of deep sense of caring and compassion, those believers willingly and joyfully shared some of what they had with others who were in need.

Also, the passage does not say that they sold “all” of their possessions, or that they gave “everything” they had. It simply says that they sold possessions and property so they could then use the proceeds to bless others in need. And they did it voluntarily. They did it because they wanted to. They did it because it was a joy for them to be able to bless others.

I have the great privilege of being associated with two modern-day churches that are like that. Oak Hill Baptist is the church I am the Pastor of, and New Beginnings Church in the coal-mining region of eastern Kentucky is a partner church of ours. In both cases the members of those churches practice the kind of compassionate and generous caring and sharing that we read about in the early church in Acts. If a member of either of those churches is suffering, or struggling, or in need, they will quickly be surrounded by other members who will help them, share with them, and walk through the difficult time with them. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

I want to encourage you to pay attention and to be sensitive to the things your brothers and sisters in Christ are dealing with. Then be quick to offer them help. God’s answers to people’s prayers are usually delivered through other people. If you are willing, God will use you to be the answer to someone else’s prayer.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take Care of Each Other”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Christians should take care of Christians”

First century Palestine under Roman rule was a rough place. The Romans were brutal. They ruled through fear and intimidation. The Pharisees (the religious leaders of the Jewish people), were also often cold and harsh, with long lists of rules they expected everyone to obey, and they were quick to punish anyone who didn’t. The Pharisees were the church police of their day, they were diligent rule-keepers themselves, and they were unforgiving with those who broke the rules.

Although the average Jew of that day was probably a decent and kind person, when people live in such an authoritarian environment they have to be very cautious, and they have to take the actions necessary to look out for themselves and their families. It’s not that they were necessarily mean to others, it’s just that there were harsh practical realities that had to be considered when it came to dealing with people outside of the immediate family.

The Christians though, were different. One of the hallmarks of life in the early church was how the Christians obviously loved one another and went to such lengths to care for each other. Read the early chapters of Acts and see how they cared for each other, shared with each other, fed the hungry, housed the homeless, took care of the widows and orphans, and much more. Theirs was a very different mindset, a different kind of community living than was common in that day. And the rest of the city took notice. Those Christians had something that was different, compelling, and attractive.

It was their love and care for each other that was so different and which caught the attention of everyone. That then drew multiple thousands to consider Christianity, and to come to faith in Jesus. This was one of the primary reasons the Christian faith took root and spread so quickly – it was the love and care that they demonstrated for each other.

What was true back then needs to continue to be true today. As we will learn in future devotionals, Jesus does want us to love and care for the lost and the hurting out there in the world too, but first and foremost we are to take care of each other.

Christians must take care of Christians.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take Care of Each Other”

Our Bible verse for today: “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” John 21:16 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “It’s not just Pastors who are called to take care of God’s people.”

One of the books I’m currently reading is, “The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart” by Harold Senkbeil. It’s a fascinating book, but a little heavy (it is very theological in scope and reads like a textbook for seminary students), therefore it is slow reading and it takes some work to follow his logic and to understand his points. But with that said, I’m finding it helpful for multiple reasons.

One of the reasons is because the author calls Pastors to refocus on what should be our primary purpose, which is taking care of God’s people. This refocusing is needed because in our current Christian culture in the United States, the successful Pastor is often expected to be good at a lot of other things that aren’t directly related to the care of souls. He is often expected to be witty, clever, and entertaining; he should have a compelling stage presence; he should be a skilled promoter who understands and utilizes creative marketing strategies; and he needs to function like a corporate CEO. Yes, he should be hip, and fun, and a great speaker; an executive who creates good budgets; a boss who effectively manages his staff; and a community leader who is a member in good standing of the local Chamber of Commerce.

But none of those tasks is Biblical and none of it is what Jesus called Pastors to do. He told us to do one thing – “take care of my sheep”.

While that’s certainly true for Pastors, as I’ve been reading the book it has occurred to me that taking care of the Lord’s people isn’t just a job for Pastors, it’s a job for all of us. Taking care of each other is a theme that’s featured prominently and which occurs repeatedly all throughout both the Old and New Testaments. God wants us to take care of each other. In fact, one of the most important indicators of healthy church life is how well the people in that church take care of each other. This is important because a spiritually sick person is the most miserable of all people, while a spiritually healthy person can be strong and content and at peace regardless of other circumstances. We need to help each other to be and stay spiritually healthy, and we need to help each other to deal effectively with the challenges of life.

It’s true that taking care of God’s people is the primary responsibility of the Pastor, it is the main focus of his calling. But it’s also true that we all share in that responsibility. We must take care of each other.

All this month we will explore what the Bible has to teach us about taking care of each other.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Your Life Matters”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 (CSB)

Our thought today: “Your life matters because you have the breath of God and the Spirit of God within you.”

The Hebrew words used to form the phrase “living being” found in Genesis 2:7 are “nephesh hayah”, often translated “living being”, sometimes translated “living soul”. Either way, the truth being expressed by that phrase is that this “living being” is alive with the breath of God within him. The “breath of life” came out of God, entered into the man, and the man then became a living being, alive with the breath of God within him.

That was true of Adam, the first created human being in the Garden of Eden, and it has been true of every human being since then. God created your physical body and then He breathed the breath of life into you and you became “a living being”, a “nephesh hayah”.

But beyond the mere presence of the breath of God within your physical body, as a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living in your heart. This is the wonderful but mysterious truth Paul so vividly described for us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Don’t you know that your body is the 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.”

On the cross Jesus purchased both your eternal soul and your physical body, at the cost of His own life. He bought you so that you would one day be a walking, talking, mobile temple of His Holy Spirit. His Spirit would live in you, transform you into the man or woman God wants you to be, and the Holy Spirit would work through you, using your life (your words and actions), to further the cause of Christ on earth. On the cross Jesus purchased you for this very reason.

As a human being you have the breath of God giving life to your physical body. As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living in you and working through you. That being the case, how in the world could your life not matter? You, the highest form of God’s creation with the very breath of God animating your physical body; you, a follower of Christ with His Holy Spirit living in your heart and blessing the world through you; how could such a life not matter?

As we conclude our month-long study of the theme “Your Life Matters”, the thought I want to leave you with is that your life matters because you have the breath of God and the Spirit of God within you. Nothing could make you more valuable than that.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Your Life Matters”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who build his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We find a life of peace, confidence, security, and stability in Jesus.”

Regardless of who you are or what your life has been like, one thing I know for sure about you is that your path through life has not been straight and it has not been easy – nor will it be in the future. It’s true that God has a wonderful plan for each of our lives and that there is a path through life that He wants us to follow, but that plan is complicated and the path twists and turns, it takes us into deep valleys and over high mountains. And then there’s the weather. Sometimes the sun is shining and the birds are singing; at other times the wind is howling, the rain is falling, and it’s cold outside.

Beyond that, there’s the culture to contend with. Culture is never static and peaceful. Instead it’s more like a raging river with a strong current after a storm. It’s easy to get swept up in it and carried away.

That’s just life. One of the reasons people often feel insignificant and lost in life is that they are overwhelmed by all the ups and downs and the uncertainties, and they get swallowed up by the demanding and constantly changing culture. It’s hard to keep up with it all; it’s hard to feel stable and secure and confident.

The solution is to build your life on the solid foundation of faith in Christ, and then rely on Biblical principles as your guide through life. This is the lesson Jesus taught in Matthew 7:24-27. With Jesus you can weather any storm. He will help you to be strong and He will give you the confidence to face the difficulties and uncertainties. And with Biblical principles as your standard for discerning truth, evaluating situations, and making decisions, the deceptions and the pressures from cultural trends and politically correct thinking become much less of a problem.

When your life is built upon a firm foundation of faith in Christ, and it is lived according to a Biblical worldview, you will have a sense of peace, calmness, and confidence as you deal with the issues and situations that are common in every person’s life.

Regardless of the circumstances that may exist in your life, life is always better with Jesus than without Him. Build your life upon the firm foundation of faith in Christ; live according to Biblical principles; then enjoy the sense of peace and security and stability that comes with it.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Your Life Matters”

Our Bible verses for today: “Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women …” Titus 2:2-4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Your life matters, especially when you are old.”

Yesterday I told you about my old friend and mentor Dick DeGrow, and how it was that in his 70’s God used him to help me get started on the right foot as a new Pastor. Over the years there have been so many other older people God has used in that way in my life as well. In recent devotionals I’ve told you about my eighty-four-year-old friend who is still active and vigorous and who still rides his Harley. I want to be like that! I told you the story of the woman who stayed married to a difficult man for more than fifty years and she did it with grace, dignity, and great faith. Her example has inspired her children and grandchildren and all the rest of us too.

I also think of Mary E. Henry, a founding member of Oak Hill Baptist Church and the original pianist for the church at only 17 years old. She was still playing the piano for the church into her 80s. She was also the church historian. As the new Pastor at Oak Hill Baptist, she invited me to her home numerous times so I could spend hours sitting at her kitchen table as she showed me pictures and told me stories about the history of our church. And then there was Mary Rose Kemmer. She was such a loyal and committed church member, and church attendance was so important to her, that even in her 80’s, when she was seriously disabled and a true shut-in, she would hire off-duty healthcare workers to come to her home on Sunday mornings, get her dressed, drive her to church, sit with her through the service, and then take her home, all so she wouldn’t miss church!

I could fill pages and pages with names and stories about elderly people who have blessed me and enriched my life in significant ways. If the Lord grants me the privilege of living into old age, I want to be like them!

Sadly, far too many older people have difficulty seeing the value in their lives in this season of life. Part of the reason is that the rest of us fail to see just how much of a blessing they are and how much we can learn from them. Therefore, we don’t treat them with the respect and honor they so richly deserve, and we don’t spend enough time with them.

If you are in your senior years, I want you to know that your life still matters. You have a lot to share with the rest of us, and God’s not done with you yet. Please don’t withdraw from life. Come to church; be involved in the lives of younger people; pick up the phone and invite people to your home.

And for the rest of us, we need to realize that the older people all around us have lived rich and full lives and they have an entire lifetime of accumulated experience and wisdom they can share with us. Your life will be richer and you will be blessed by spending time with them.

The truth is that your life matters, especially when you are old.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Your Life Matters”

Our Bible verse for today: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Honor the Lord by how you live, then relax and trust Him.”

This morning I was thinking about my old friend Dick DeGrow. As a newly minted Pastor in my first church, God had Dick there waiting for me. Dick was a retired Pastor, in his 70’s at that time, and he served as a Deacon, Sunday School teacher, and as the church custodian. He was a gentle, quiet, and happy man. Dick smiled a lot, laughed easily, and he was a real joy to be with. He was also very wise. He was a source of counsel for me as I learned how to navigate through the tricky world of church life.

That was many years ago, but the memory of Dick that stands out to me to this day is of a man who was deeply content. He was satisfied with his simple life, he was serene and not easily disturbed, he enjoyed today, and he looked forward to tomorrow.

The source of Dick’s serenity and contentment can be understood by a brief reading of Matthew 6:19-34. There, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us how to let go of our preoccupation with money and possessions, and our many other worldly concerns, and to focus instead on simply honoring God by how we live and then trusting Him to care for us. Jesus says that if we will learn to do that, we will have found the cure for anxiety and worry.

In recent months at Oak Hill Baptist Church we’ve been studying the Gospel of Matthew on Sunday mornings. We have spent the last seven weeks looking deeply into the Sermon on the Mount. This past Sunday (January 26^th), I preached from the passage we’re looking at here this morning (Matthew 6:19-34). I encourage you to go to our church website at www.oakhillbaptist.net, and listen to that sermon. On the home page click on the “listen” tab and select the sermon for January 26th. The title is “Trusting God for Provisions, Possessions, and Peace”. I believe you will quickly see how it was that my friend Dick learned to be so happy and content with the life that he had, and you will discover that the same can be true for you.

One of the greatest turning points any of us will ever experience in life is when we learn to relax and trust God. When that happens, we discover that the life we already have really does matter, and we can be happy and content with it.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Your Life Matters”

Our Bible verse for today: “You are the salt of the earth … you are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13;15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Go into your world and make a difference.”

As I write this it is Monday morning. As you begin your new week, let me ask you to consider how many people you will interact with this week. With some of them, such as family members and co-workers, you will have lots of close contact. With others your degree of interaction could vary from short conversations, to a simple kind gesture for a stranger such as holding the door for them.

In Matthew 5:13-16, in the middle of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called for His followers to go out into the world and be like salt and light. We are to be like salt in that salt is both a preservative and a seasoning. When worked into a food substance such as meat, salt penetrates, permeates, and preserves. Chemically it slows down the process of decay and corruption. Jesus’ meaning is that we as Christians are to have that same impact in our little corner of the world. As we promote Biblical values and bless people in the name of Jesus we push back against and impede the corrosive and destructive influence of sin.

Salt is also a seasoning that flavors and makes food more pleasant to the taste. Christians should be like that too. Our presence in any situation should serve to make things better and more pleasant for everyone. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) should not only be in us, but should also be flowing out of us: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Your presence helps to make things better for everyone because the Holy Spirit is at work in you and through you.

Jesus also calls us to be light in our world. By that He means that we are to shine the light of Biblical truth into the situations we find ourselves in. We are to help others see things from a Biblical perspective so that they too can then make choices that are pleasing to God.

Regardless of the job you have or the kinds of activities you will be involved in this week, you can have a positive influence on all the people you come into contact with. All across this world Jesus has millions upon millions of followers being salt and light and making a real difference wherever they go.

I encourage you to be salt and light. The world is a better place because you’re in it. Go out into your world and make positive difference today.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Your Life Matters”

Our Bible verse for today: “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other; and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Your church needs you to be there.”

The other day a Pastor friend of mine shared an article on Facebook about church attendance. The title was, “10 Reasons even committed church attenders are attending church less often.”

Church attendance in the USA has been in decline for decades, and we’re slowly becoming like Europe. Once, Europe was a dynamic and thriving hub of vibrant Christianity that was impacting the world, but then the decline started. Today, most of the remaining churches in Europe are largely empty. For decades that same decline has been slowly happening in the USA as well. Christianity is thriving in many other places around the world, especially in China, Africa, and Latin America, and their churches are full, but not so much anymore in the USA. We’ve been headed in the way of Europe for a long time now, and we are continuing down that slippery slope.

What caught my attention about this article however, was that it is about the problem that even committed church members in the USA are much less faithful in church attendance than ever before. Not only is society as a whole less religious than in previous generations; and not only is it becoming increasingly difficult in the USA to reach people for Christ; but even committed church members are much less faithful than in the past. This makes the problem in our churches much worse than it would otherwise be if it was just the non-churched who weren’t showing up.

In previous generations the committed church member averaged 50 out of 52 Sundays a year in church. Today the average is much less than that. One estimate said that some members may attend only 26 out of 52 weeks a year but still consider themselves to be “committed”. This is a problem in almost all churches in the USA, regardless of size.

According to the research in this article, the number one reason committed church members in the USA attend so much less now than they used to, is affluence. When people have money, they have options. They can travel more, they can do more in terms of recreational activities, and, they feel they need God less.  And please note, by “affluent” the author didn’t mean rich. He was simply referring to middle-class comfortable. In other words, we middle-class American Christians may be too well off for our own good.

The research also showed other reasons why committed church members in the USA are less faithful now than in the past. Those included things like youth sports on Sundays, family events taking priority over church, technology options such as church services on television and the internet, and much more.

All of this serves to weaken an already weakened American church. When even the committed members are much less committed than they used to be, you can be sure the decline will continue, and even accelerate. The longer you stay on a slippery slope the faster you go and the further you fall.

In the past, our churches have always taught that just showing up in church wasn’t really good enough – you needed to be actively involved as well. With a chuckle we even teasingly referred to those who just showed up but weren’t involved in ministry as “pew potatoes”. But we’re not laughing anymore. Today we’re happy if we can just get people to show up on a consistent basis.

Our theme this month is “Your Life Matters”, and we’ve been exploring ways in which each of us makes a meaningful difference in our world. As a committed church member one of the most helpful habits you can have is to be faithful in your church attendance.

We have to strengthen our churches. Our society needs strong churches badly. Your regular attendance is important. Of course, we want and need you to be actively involved too, but first, we just need you to be there.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Your Life Matters”

Our Bible verse for today: “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result – the survival of many people.” Genesis 50:20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God will use your circumstances for His purposes if you let Him.”

I once knew a fine Christian lady who was married to an extremely difficult man. He was angry, profane, argumentative, mean, and sometimes violent. She, on the other hand, had a sweet and gentle personality with a very pleasant demeanor. She was friendly and gracious, compassionate towards others, strong in her faith, and she carried herself with poise and dignity even though her homelife was often a nightmare. Amazingly, she stayed married to that man for over fifty years until he died. Many people thought she should have divorced him long ago but no, she honored her vows whether he honored his or not.

The Lord has used her example of faithful perseverance in a terrible situation to inspire countless others – especially her family. Her children and grandchildren have all noticeably been impacted by her sterling example, and they all exhibit similar character traits. It’s a fine family, and her example to them through all those years was so powerful that it was the strength of her character that had the most profound impact on them, rather than the negative traits they all witnessed and experienced from the man involved.

The account of Joseph in the book of Genesis tells a similar story. Joseph was a good man enduring difficult circumstances well. Sold into slavery in Egypt by hateful brothers; falsely accused of sexual assault; imprisoned for years for something he didn’t do; Joseph’s life seemed tragic. But he did his best to honor God in the midst of those tragic circumstances. Eventually God raised him up out of all that, elevated him to a high and influential position, and used all of it as a source of blessing to countless others.

I’m betting that the circumstances of your life aren’t as bad as Joseph’s; and probably not as bad as the lady I wrote about above; but I’m certain you do have your own issues. All of us have things going on in our lives that we wish weren’t there.

God might not shield you from hardships in life, but He will use you and your hardships to accomplish His purposes. The things you experience in your life matter very much. God can redeem the difficult circumstances and use it all in good ways to bless you and others as well, if you let Him.

I encourage you today to consider your circumstances, ask God how He wants to use them for good, and then recommit yourself and your situation to Him.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim