Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Protect your time with the Lord” Pastor Chuck Swindoll once wrote, “How busy we can become … and as a result, how empty.” The great author, preacher, and teacher from an earlier generation, A.W. Tozer, had a similar and more expansive take on the same subject when he wrote, “May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping through the corridors of the Kingdom like children in the market place, chattering about everything, but pausing to learn the true value of nothing?” What both Swindoll and Tozer were referring to is the tendency to allow ourselves to get so busy that we just rush right past our spiritual opportunities, or neglect them altogether, or, as Tozer illustrated, we are so distracted by less important things that what spiritual experience we do have is superficial and treated lightly rather than seriously. Tozer’s illustration reminds me of how sometimes we allow our small-group Bible studies to become more of a talkfest than a Bible study. Participants start with prayer requests, but then get caught up telling stories and chasing rabbits and soon the talk is about things that have nothing to do with the topic at hand (the study of Scripture). Times of casual fellowship and idle chitchat are needed and time should be made for them – in other forums. But if we allow our times designated for serious study to devolve into storytelling and chitchat, then we have become the children Tozer refers to, skipping through the corridors of the Kingdom like children in the market place chattering about everything but learning nothing. In terms of selfcare, the most important step we can take to be healthy at the deepest part of our being (our spirit) is to protect our time with the Lord – both our individual time and our group times. Towards that end, in the days to come we will consider some ways to establish and maintain the appropriate boundaries so we can be sure our time with the Lord is not intruded upon or wasted. 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 you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down to sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side.” Psalm 3:3-4 (CSB) Our thought for today: “The Lord will be your shelter in the storm” I read a cute story the other day which beautifully illustrates how God wants to be our shelter in the storms of life. “It was early in the morning, and the little boy awoke to the flash of lightening and the clap of thunder. He felt the house rumble and heard the rain splattering on the rooftop. The tin roof created a rhythmic sound that lulled him back to sleep. Snuggled under his warm blanket, he slept the storm away and then awakened a second time to his mother’s voice calling him for breakfast.” In the middle of our storms in life, as the threatening events are unfolding and with lightening flashing and thunder rumbling, the Lord will be for us like that warm bed was for that little boy – a place of comfort and security. This is the provision of God for those who have learned to trust the circumstances of life to Him. And this is the objective of lifelong discipleship. Our goal is to learn to surrender everything to God and then to trust in His watch-care over us. The greatest act of selfcare is to learn to embrace God-care, and then to surrender everything to Him. This is the goal of Christian maturity. In Psalm 3:3-4 King David was writing about the time when he was forced to flee for his life from the armies of Absolom. He was in real danger of being murdered, but as we read there, he trusted the situation to God and discovered a great sense of peace and security for having done so. It’s our human nature to be anxiously preoccupied with working out the details of our own problems. But it’s our spiritual maturity that leads us to surrender it all to the Lord and then to trust Him to shelter and protect us. As pastor Chuck Swindoll once wrote, “I am finally learning that surrendering to my sovereign Lord, leaving the details of my future in His hands, is the most responsible act of obedience I can do.” May that be true for us too. Surrender your situation to the Lord and trust Him to be your shelter in the storms of 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

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Here I am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” Joshua 14:10-11 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Stay active and stay engaged” I have written many times about the fact that Caleb is one of my favorite people in the Bible. All the evidence points to a man who was vital, vigorous, and engaged through all the seasons of his life. As a young man we find him being sent by Moses as a spy to the Promised Land (Numbers 13:6). In middle-age we find him continuing to serve his people and presiding as the patriarch over his family (Numbers 14:24). Here in Joshua 14:10-11 we learn that even in his old age he was active, strong, involved, and looking forward to the future. That’s how you do it. That’s how you live life large, make a meaningful difference in all the stages of your life and living fully until the day you die. This is a life lived well and the attitude behind it is a key element in good selfcare. Whereas idleness and living without focus or purpose all add up to a life that is much less than it could be, a life filled purpose, focus, intentionality, and a determined resolve to make a meaningful difference is the key to living well. Not only will that attitude and approach to life help to keep us physically healthy, but it keeps our minds sharp as well. In the Pastor’s devotional book, “Apples of Gold” the editors offer this insight: “Throughout our lives the flexibility of our brains, called neuroplasticity, is reinforced by learning and experiencing new things … Maintaining the ability to acquire new skills and knowledge in our roles is critical to staying current and staying healthy. Doing new things and meeting new people helps us grow in understanding and wisdom so we don’t stagnate in an inflexible life.” Don’t stagnate in an inflexible life. Essentially, that means that we will be at our best, and we will stay at our best, when we stay actively engaged in life by participating in meaningful activities. That’s what Caleb did throughout his long life and we see that modeled for us by active people all around us – people who are living life large and who are helping to make their little corner of the world a better place – and doing so throughout all the seasons of life. So, that’s how you do it. That’s how you stay vital and dynamic even into old age. Stay active and stay engaged.   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: “… my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Live until you die” The singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffet once sang, “I’d rather die while I’m living than live while I’m dead.” What he meant was that he wanted to keep his life filled with meaningful activities right up until the day he died, rather than retiring into a life of inactivity and aimless shuffling through his days. I get it. For more than ten years I lived in a retirement community (although I myself was not retired). In that community there were many people who had retired into a life of nothingness. By that I mean they had little focus or purpose. They spent their days on the golf course and fishing and playing cards and drinking beer and watching television. Day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month and year-after-year – nothing. That’s no way to spend an entire season of life. But then I have known many others (especially in the church) who have retired from the working world and then invested their time in ministry activities, community organizations, mentoring disadvantaged children through organizations like our local “Kids on the Rise” program, and other volunteer opportunities. Others have started part-time side businesses or they have gone back to school to learn something new. This is a matter of selfcare. It’s intentionally filling your life with meaningful activities that make a difference. Such people are intentional about staying vital and vibrant while maintaining a sense of purpose and fulfillment. That’s what we’re reading about in Acts 20:24 where the Apostle Paul, towards the end of his life, affirms that he intends to live until he dies – fully engaged and making a difference for the cause of Christ. Yesterday I recommended a book for those in midlife who might need to make a course correction for the second half of life. It was “Halftime: Moving from success to significance” by Bob Buford. Bob also wrote a similar book for those in the next season of life – the retirement years. That title is “Finishing Well: What people who really live do differently.” If you are in the retirement years, I encourage you to resolve to live until you die. Really live. Make a difference with this season of 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

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Fill your life with meaningful activities” This morning, we will continue our thinking from yesterday about how it is that sometimes our jobs can be too small for our spirit. When author Studs Terkel wrote that line he was referring to the fact that most jobs do not add sufficient meaning and fulfillment to our lives and consequently, our spirit is left yearning for something more meaningful. So, what to do? Let me offer you three suggestions that might help: First, approach your job in the spirit of Colossians 3:23. Your real boss is Jesus and you are doing your job to please Him – as an act of service to Him. Whatever your job is, you can honor the Lord by how you perform it. Christians should always be the best employees in any workplace. Also, you can use your job as a platform for ministry – to bless others in the name of Jesus. Doing this will add great meaning to your work and it will add to your sense of fulfillment. Second, if don’t like your job, or worse, if it seems oppressive and soul-crushing, then begin preparing yourself for something new and better. There’s an old rule-of-thumb that says, “Decide what you love to do then get someone to pay you for doing it.” I’m fortunate to have a job like that. I love being a pastor, preacher, teacher, and writer. I find my work rewarding, fulfilling, and spiritually rich. My life would be diminished if I couldn’t do this. My wife, Aimee, has a similar situation. She is a licensed clinical therapist in a Christian counseling center. She loves helping people and hopes to continue doing so for many years to come. If you don’t love your work, then find a job that you will love. An excellent resource to help you prayerfully think through this would be Bob Buford’s excellent book, “Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance.” It’s all about making a midlife course correction. A third option is to stick with your current job – being the best employee you can be and serving the Lord in the process, and then fill the rest of your life with meaningful activities that you find rewarding and fulfilling. There’s a lot to be said for simply earning your living in an honest profession, providing for yourself and your family, and then filling the rest of your life with things like being an exceptional spouse, parent, neighbor, and friend; along with service in church ministry and community organizations and activities like that. All of that adds meaning and significance to your life.   Whether you are a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker; a doctor, a lawyer, or a stay-at-home mom; your life can be filled with many meaningful activities that honor God, bless others, and give you a sense of fulfillment. But what if you are retired and don’t have a job? Tomorrow I will have some thoughts to share with you about making the most of that season of your life too. 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: “What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?” Ecclesiastes 1:3 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Is your job too small for your spirit?” The primary purpose the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes sought to achieve was to get us to consider if all our toil in life, along with our relentless pursuit of accumulating wealth and possessions, is really the thing that will gain for us a rewarding and fulfilling life. The book is twelve long chapters of cynicism, complaint, and criticism, interwoven with pearls of wisdom and thought-provoking insights. The grand conclusion of it all however, when taken in its totality, is that the best life any person can have is a balanced life lived under the Lordship of God. As chapter three explains, there is an appropriate season and time for every activity under heaven. One of the lessons we should learn from Ecclesiastes is the futility of placing too much importance on our jobs. That’s the point Solomon was making in verse 1:3 (above). Now, let me be quick to say that jobs are important and they are Biblical. It was God’s idea for us to work and to be productive in society, and the Bible commands us to do so. But many of us place too much emphasis on work, to the point that the rest of life gets out of balance. Worse still, many of us have jobs that we dislike and which are unfulfilling. That’s tragic because we spend so much of our time (so much of our life) at work. In 1974 the researcher and author Studs Terkel published a groundbreaking book entitled “Working”. It was a series of interviews with more than 100 workers in different fields. The purpose of the research was to discover how satisfied, or dissatisfied, the average American worker is with his or her job. Terkel reported, “For many, there is discontent. The blue-collar blues is no more bitterly sung than the white-collar moan. “I’m a machine” says the spot-welder. “I’m caged,” says the bank teller, and echoes the hotel clerk. “I’m a mule,” says the steelworker. “A monkey can do what I do,” says the receptionist. “I’m less than a farm implement,” says the migrant worker. “I’m an object,” says the high-fashion model.” Terkel concluded, “Most of us … have jobs that are too small for our spirit. Jobs are not big enough for people.” A job by itself (no matter how important or successful), is not the most meaningful measure of a person’s life. There must be other things in life that are more important to us and more meaningful. But the problem has only gotten worse in the fifty years sense that book was published. Much worse. In terms of selfcare, if such a large portion of life is taken up by an activity that creates distress rather than fulfillment, what kind of quality of life can we expect a person to have? And what can be done about it? The good news is that there are some options, and we will discuss three of them tomorrow. 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: “I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life. It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts.” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Are you working at your play?” Have you ever come back from a vacation exhausted, feeling like you need a vacation after your vacation? I’m sure we’ve all had that experience. We are so eager to squeeze as much “fun” into our vacation that we end up rolling from one activity to another until finally, we’re exhausted from playing and vacation time was not restful at all. Sometimes we work at our play – to the point that play leaves us as exhausted and worn out as does our work. Social commentator Gordon Dahl once wrote, “In truth, for millions of Americans – hard-working Americans – leisure has come to mean little more than an ever more furious orgy of consumption. Whatever energies are left after working are spent in pursuing pleasure with the help of an endless array of goods and service … It offers men the choice of either working themselves to death or consuming themselves to death – or both.” What Dahl was referring to is our tendency to work too hard, followed by our tendency to play to hard, all of which, when added together, leaves us exhausted, drained, and unhappy with life. Once your exhausting vacation is over you now get to go back to your exhausting job. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not arguing against vigorous activity as a form of recreation. I love whitewater kayaking, 10-mile hikes, long rides on my mountain bike, open-ocean swims, and much more. Such activities are good for us. They leave us tired but content and feeling good – if we don’t overdo it. Too much of that, especially strung together activity after activity, becomes work and leaves us exhausted rather than rested. The picture Solomon paints for us in Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 is of the people of God engaging in leisurely (unhurried and relaxing) fun activities and doing so with God’s blessing. We will think more about this in the days to come but for now, I encourage you to do something today that relaxes you physically and which also feeds 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

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Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven … a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:1;4 (CSB) Our thought for today: “We need a theology of play” The word theology refers to the study of God and His relation to the world – what is true about Him, how we interact with Him, and how we practice our faith. The term theology can be used in a broad sense to describe our complete understanding of our faith and practice, but it also applies in a more narrow and focused manner to individual beliefs and practices. Therefore, we have a theology of worship, and a theology of prayer, study, stewardship, service, etc. We also have a theology of work, in that we are to approach our labor as ordained by God and ultimately as an act of service to Him. In that vein, we should also have a theology of play. As Solomon teaches in Ecclesiastes chapter three there is a God-ordained time for everything under heaven. That would include our times of recreation and play. But do we think of our times of recreation and play as being ordained by God and as a gift from Him? Usually not. In fact, I submit that we are more likely to feel a little guilty about such times, as if we’re stealing time from other more important things and neglecting higher priorities to goof-off on the golf course or lake. In his wonderful little book “The Christian at Play” Dr. Robert Johnson urges Christians to develop a theology to govern our times of playing and recreation. He maintains that it was God’s idea for us to carve out time for play and recreation and that doing so is a necessary element in maintaining a healthy life overall. The human person is a complex composite of the physical, mental/emotional, and the spiritual and we must be healthy in all those ways if we are to be living our best life – balanced and thriving. Times of play and recreation are an important part of that mix and therefore in the Bible, God gives us permission to play and we see examples of His people doing exactly that. In the days to come we will consider what a personal theology of play would look like in actual practice. In the meantime, I encourage you to allow yourself some time today to do something fun. 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: “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Jesus was joyful and we should be too” For more than twenty-five years I have had a picture hanging on the wall in my office of Jesus laughing (Aimee and I also have a copy of it on the wall in our living room). It’s my favorite picture of Jesus. His head is back, He has a broad smile and a look of delight on His face, and He is clearly letting loose with a deep belly laugh. This is more than just a grin and a chuckle. This is more like holding-your-sides and trying not to pee your pants robust laughter. And I love it! As I gaze at that picture (with a grin on my own face), I wonder if Jesus was really like that. Did He laugh like that? Did He have moments (perhaps frequent moments) when He was so thoroughly enjoying Himself that He just let loose with howls of laughter? Yes. I believe He did. In John 15:11 Jesus told us that one of His objectives was to instill in us the joy that He Himself experienced. But I think when we read that statement, we might over-spiritualize it. In our quest to be pious we conclude that Jesus must have been referring to a kind of reverent, button-down, dignified, stained-glass joy (little more than a small smile and a nod of approval.) But I’m not buying that. Have you ever been to a Jewish wedding, or perhaps seen one depicted in a movie? It’s a riot. It’s loud and boisterous with fast music, clapping, singing, dancing, laughing, feasting, and wine. Lot’s of wine. Jesus went to such weddings. John chapter two tells us so. And get this, Jesus made the wine. More than 100 gallons of it, and the passage tells us that it was deemed by the master of ceremonies to be the finest of wines. The good stuff. This is a devotional not a wine commercial and my only point is that Jesus was a fun-loving person and as His followers, we should be too. We need light-hearted attitudes about life and we need what author Robert Johnson once referred to as “a theology of play.” In terms of selfcare, this is important. Therefore, we will spend the next several days exploring this idea of developing a personal theology of play. In the meantime, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about Jesus as joyful and playful, and then let His joy be your joy. 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: “Live your best life!” What’s the secret to living your best life ever? The secret is that it’s not a secret. Through the writer of Psalm 119 God told us plainly almost three thousand years ago that we would find our best life ever 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 is exactly what the Psalmist was expressing in Psalm 119:1-2. Make the effort to know and understand and apply the principles for living 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 is 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 could have had and 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 – living by the direction of and in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. The Spirit will make you strong, tough, and resilient as you tackle the many challenges life throws at you. Let me say it again: The secret to living your best life ever is that it isn’t a secret. God has made it plain. Seek Him with all your heart. Study His Word. Live by it. Then enjoy life in the center of His will. 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