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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.” Genesis 2:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Our big announcement”   The practice of selfcare can be a funny thing. Most of the time, it consists of principles and concepts that apply broadly to all of us all the time. For instance, it is always important to eat well, to exercise, and to get adequate rest. We all also need healthy relationships with God and with other people. We also need to take the steps necessary to eliminate unhealthy amounts of stress and anxiety from our lives. We all need those things all the time.   But at other times the practice of selfcare is extremely personal and unique to us as an individual. Sometimes there are things that God wants to work out in our own life that does not apply to everyone else, or to anyone else. In those instances, we must be very aware of and sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is directing and guiding us personally. This is such a time in my own life.   After my wife Linda died, I was certain I would be single for the rest of my life. But God had other plans. He introduced me to a wonderful Christian woman (Aimee) whose husband (Tim) had died six months before Linda did. Aimee also expected to be single the rest of her life. But as we got to know each other it became increasingly clear that God intends for us to spend the rest of our lives together as husband and wife. Today is the day we are going public with our announcement and since you, my faithful readers, are very much like family to me, we wanted to share our joyful news with you as well.   Let me also say that marriage, or remarriage, is not the right answer for everyone. Jesus was single. So was the Apostle Paul, and Jeremiah, and Anna the woman who welcomed the baby Jesus in the temple, and many others. In my book “Getting Along without Going Along” I wrote an entire chapter about the gift of being single. So, marriage is not God’s answer for everyone, but it is for us and we wanted to share our good news with you. Here is that announcement:   Hello family and friends,   We, (Jim and Aimee), are happy to announce that we are engaged to be married. (We have been engaged for a while but this is our public announcement.)   We will be having two wedding ceremonies. The first will be on Sunday June 29th. It will be a small private ceremony with only immediate family in attendance. The second will be on Saturday October 18th at 2:00 at Oaklawn Farms in Crab Orchard, Tennessee. This one is for our family, church family, and friends.   We are getting married on June 29th in a small private ceremony because time is precious and we want every day we can have in this lifetime as husband and wife. Every day that passes without us being married is a day that is lost to us and we can never have it back.   But we are having a second wedding on October 18th because we both want an autumn wedding. We love fall (it is our favorite season); we love the fall colors (they are spectacular in Eastern Tennessee); and we both love a beautiful country setting with mountains, valleys, and rolling hills (Oaklawn Farms is exactly that). Also, we are excited about having a big barn-wedding on a crisp autumn afternoon with lots of family, friends, food, music, and dancing. Invitations will be coming soon!   Thank you for sharing in our joy. We love you all!   Jim and Aimee

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 can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word. I have sought you will all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands. Psalm 119:9-10 (CSB) Our thought for today: “This is how we find our true north” In recent days in this devotional series, we have been thinking about priorities, focus, simplicity, and even downsizing for selfcare and to achieve a better quality of life. But how do we get there from here? I mean, we live in a loud, chaotic, demanding world filled with responsibilities, pressures, distractions, and many competing demands for our time and attention. How do we filter through all of that, distill it, eliminate the superfluous and unhelpful, and somehow achieve that better quality of life? Recently I came across an interesting observation about the nation of Israel in Old Testament times that seems to speak about our society as well. It was from the editors of the “Experiencing God Study Bible” and it was part of the introduction to the book of Ezra. Here’s what they observed about Israel in those days: “About 458 B.C, almost a century after the first return from Babylonian exile, Israel looked for identity and hope as they struggled with worship without meaning, daily living without focus, and a nation without identity, ruled by foreigners. Ezra called God’s people to find meaning and hope in renewed worship, dedication to obey God’s commandments, and separation from pagan influences. The book of Ezra seeks to encourage an indifferent community of God to find new life in their worship of God and obedience to His word, as they forged a unique identity as the people of God.” That’s pretty good advice for us too. As Christians, many of us are lost in a world of noise and distraction, and it is killing us. It is draining away our spiritual vitality and leaving us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually empty. But the answer for us is the same as it was for them: Return to God. As the editors also noted, “The world lures God’s people into doing things the world’s ways rather than God’s. The Bible presents God’s unchanging standard for his people.” That’s it right there. The Bible, along with a vibrant practice of our faith, is our true north. That’s what the Psalmist meant in Psalm 119:9-10 and that is what will keep us headed in the right direction rather than getting lost in a confusing and dangerous world. This is important and there’s more that needs to be said about it, so we will continue this discussion tomorrow but for now, I encourage you to take care of yourself by spending time in God’s Word first thing this morning. It will help to keep your focused and headed in the right direction all throughout the day. 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: “But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.” 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Maybe you should downsize and simplify” In recent days we have been considering the idea that good selfcare often involves narrowing our focus for the purpose of going deep in all areas of life. Deep rather than wide, intimate rather than impersonal. I have introduced you to two great little books that will help in that effort, Chuck Swindoll’s “Intimacy with God” and John Mark Comer’s “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” And I have been sharing a bit of my personal story with you regarding my own decades-long effort to bring about quality over quantity in my own life. Today I will conclude that part of our study by sharing one more important evolution that needed to take place in my own life. It involved an intentional decision made more than a decade ago by my wife Linda (who is now in heaven) and myself regarding the need to downsize and simplify our lives. We realized we owned far too much stuff (most of which we didn’t use) and our lives were entirely too busy (filled with too many activities and responsibilities). We owned a large house that was entirely too much living space for only two people, on a large piece of property that required a lot of upkeep. So, we sold that house and bought a home less than half the size of what we had, on a smaller piece of property that required much less upkeep. We also sold or gave away approximately 75% of our possessions – most of which were going unused and sitting in storage anyway. Professionally, I narrowed my focus to being a pastor, a writer, and my jail/prison ministry, and I resigned from all other boards, committees, and ministry activities. In my personal life my focus narrowed to mostly my wife, my immediate family, and a circle of close friends. It was amazing how much space that created in my life. Head-space, for one thing, but also, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually I discovered how much more relaxed and peaceful my entire life became. My life still included much meaningful service for the kingdom of God, along with plenty of focus and interaction with the people who were most important to me. And we still owned the possessions that we needed and which were most important to us. But everything else went. And the difference was tangible. In some respects, it was remarkable how much more enjoyable our lives became. And I would not go back. That’s exactly the point both Swindoll and Comer were making in their books, and it’s the point the Apostle Paul was making in 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12. Simple is often better than complicated, small can be better than big. It’s also the point Solomon was making in the TEV version of Ecclesiastes 7:29 that we considered that other day: “God has made us plain and simple but we have made ourselves very complicated.” Sometimes an important part of good selfcare will involve simplifying and downsizing in life. Are there some ways in which you could create more space in your life? 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