Our theme for this month: “Taking care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly, ‘My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she can get well and live.’ So Jesus went with him …”
Mark 5:23-23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Make it personal.”

Jesus’ ministry to people was almost always direct, personal, face-to-face, and hands-on. Although He was God and He could therefore have ministered to people from a distance with a simple thought, or by just speaking a word from afar without ever having any direct contact with them, most of the time He didn’t do it that way. He didn’t simply mail them a miracle. Instead He interacted with people face-to-face, one-on-one. He visited in their homes, He talked to them, He touched them, He ate meals with them, and He had a deeply personal relationship with individual people.

The idea that we need to be with people in order to take care of them seems like a no-brainer. But in truth it can often seem easier and safer and more appealing to simply sit comfortably inside our little Baptist forts and just send prayers, or to write checks and send them off in the mail, rather than dealing directly with actual people.

At Oak Hill Baptist Church we make it a point to make it personal. First, within the church, we get involved in each other’s lives. If a brother or sister is in need or is hurting and struggling in any way, we’re there for them – in person.

But also, as a group, we get up out of our pews, leave the building, go out into the world, and have personal, one-on-one, face-to-face contact with the people living at the Bread of Life Rescue Mission in our town; and the girls who live in the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home in the next county; and with the children at the Lighthouse Christian Camp; and we go to the coal-mining region of eastern Kentucky to work side-by-side with our partners at New Beginnings Church in Hi Hat, KY; and we send mission teams to the El Arca Children’s Home in the Amazon Jungle in Peru, and to the Grace International orphanage in Haiti.

The point is that when it came to taking care of people Jesus made it personal – so we need to make it personal too. There are people right now in your town, in your neighborhood, at your place of work, or perhaps even in your church, who would be blessed by having a personal, one-on-one, face-to-face encounter with you today.

I encourage you to on out there and make it personal!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land the Lord swore to give to their fathers. You will enable them to take possession of it.’” Deuteronomy 31:7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be a source of inspiration and encouragement for others.”

There’s an interesting theme that God has woven all throughout scripture, which appears over and over again. It’s the truth that He does not want His people to live in fear and doubt. Instead, He wants us to have courage and confidence as we walk through life obeying Him, fulfilling His will, and bringing Him glory. He has promised that He will go with us, He will empower us, He will fight for us, and He will protect us. For our part, we are to obey Him and trust Him. And then, we are not to live in fear.

Although I haven’t actually counted them myself, I’ve read from numerous authors and Bible scholars that the command to “fear not” appears in some form exactly 365 times in the Bible – one for each day of the year. Sometimes that command is delivered directly from God Himself, such as in Joshua 1:9 when God told the young leader Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Or Isaiah 41:10 where He says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”

At other times God used angels to deliver the command to “fear not”.  But actually, the way in which the “fear not” command is delivered most in the Bible, is from one person to another, such as we read in Deuteronomy 31:7. There, Moses was attempting to encourage and inspire the young man Joshua as he was about to assume leadership of the nation of Israel so he urged him to “be strong and courageous …”

More than by any other means, God communicates those words of encouragement and inspiration to us through our brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, this is one of the most important acts of service we can do for each other. It’s a big, bad, mean, and troubled world that we live in, and life can be hard. We need encouragement and inspiration, and often that comes to us through our fellow Christians reminding us of God’s words. Moses was simply repeating to Joshua what he himself had heard from God. Joshua then repeated it numerous times to the people of Israel. Many of the New Testament writers, including Paul, James, Peter, and John, included such words of encouragement in their letters. Preachers, teachers, and everyday Christians have been offering similar words of encouragement and inspiration to us for two thousand years since then.

Many people you encounter today will be hurting and struggling in some manner. We all need to be encouraged and inspired by the truth that our God is always with us, He goes before us, He protects, empowers, guides, and provides for us, and therefore we can live with courage and confidence instead of in fear and doubt. Remind someone of that important truth today.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “God sets the lonely in families …” Psalm 68:6 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Your church family is a gift from God.”

I come from a fairly large family. I’m the oldest of six siblings. I also had nineteen first cousins (sixteen living less than an hour away). As my siblings and I got older and had families of our own, there were ten different spouses (and counting), who added nineteen nieces and nephews to the family (most of whom now have children of their own). And that doesn’t count the multiple spouses and numerous children of the cousins either. So, ours is a large family.

But as we all grew older many of us moved away from our original homes in the suburbs surrounding New York City. For most of our adult lives we have been spread out across the country and have often gone for years, even decades, without seeing each other. I’ve found that to be a significant missing element in my life and I regret it. I would like to have had family closer during those years. For one thing, a good family takes care of each other and they are there for each other during the tough times in life.

So, I’ve been especially grateful for our church families. Regardless of where Linda and I and our children have lived (we’ve moved a lot), our church family has always filled an important need in our lives. God gives us our church families as a gift. Those people effectively become our family – our brothers and sisters, grandmothers and grandfathers, sons and daughters, and yes, even grandchildren. A good church family takes care of its members every bit as well (and perhaps better) than even a good biological family does.

Even for those who have a lot of biological family close-by, church family is important. The relationships you have with your brothers and sisters in Christ goes deeper and lasts longer than the ties you have with your biological family. The biological ties end at death, but the spiritual ties last for eternity.

As I write this it is Saturday. Tomorrow is Sunday, the day our church families will gather together. I encourage you to faithfully attend the gatherings or your church. You need to be there and they need to have you there. Don’t skip the weekly family reunion!

If you’re not a member of a good church, you need to be. You are missing an important element in your life. If you are in Crossville, or even close to Cumberland County, Tennessee, I invite you to visit us at Oak Hill Baptist Church, 3036 Genesis Road in Crossville. Sunday school begins at 9:00, the worship service is at 10:00.

Church families are a gift from God.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:37-40 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s not that complicated.”

This morning I want to return to our subject of the last two days about taking care of each other by living by the Golden Rule, as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:12. Just treat others as you would want them to treat you if the roles were reversed. In Matthew 22:37-40 (above) Jesus taught that same point again and he paired it with the statement to love God with all your heart. That’s it – just love God and love other people and you’re good-to-go.

Jesus was a great simplifier. He uncomplicated things and distilled them down to easily remembered and easily followed principles. We find other examples of this kind of simplification in both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament prophet Micah wrote in Micah 6:8: “Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

In 1 John 4:19-21 the Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.” So, it’s not complicated; it’s not hard to understand. Love God and love other people.

The other day I came across a wonderful statement written by Phillips Brooke, who was a Christian author and songwriter in the mid-to-late 1800s. He urged us to: “Be such a person, and live such a life, that if every person were such as you, and every life such as yours, this earth would be God’s paradise.” That’s great advice. Live the life you wished everyone else was living. Stop trying to fix everyone else and focus instead on being the be the best “you” that you can be. Love God, love people, and you’re good-to-go. It’s not that complicated.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Take care of each other”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Treat them well even if they don’t deserve it.”

In yesterday’s devotional we thought about “the Golden Rule”, as taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:12). “Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them …” The application is that we are to treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated if the roles were reversed.

But what if they don’t deserve to be treated well? What if the other person is being a knucklehead? What if it’s your inconsiderate husband who left dirty dishes in the sink and underwear on the bedroom floor? How does the Golden Rule apply then? Well, before you spout off in anger with some snarky remark ask yourself, “What if I was the one who left dirty dishes in the sink and underwear on the floor? How would I want him to bring it to my attention?” Chances are you would prefer a gentle reminder, or even a little good-natured ribbing about it, rather than an angry retort. So, do the same for him.

Treating others well, even if they don’t deserve it, is Biblical and it honors and pleases God. Your good example could even inspire them to change their behavior. Pastor Chuck Swindoll put it this way, “Hey, who knows whom you could persuade if you walked with God? Few things are more infectious than a godly lifestyle.” In other words, you should do the right thing regardless of whether the other person is or not. You be a godly man or woman and trust that your good example will inspire them to good conduct too. That’s what Jesus was modeling for us in John 13:15.

When it comes to taking care of each other, we need to do so whether we think the other person deserves our kindness or not. The great Christian author C.S. Lewis reminds us, “There is always one thing more going on in a person’s life of which you know absolutely nothing.” He meant that people have issues, and there’s a reason they act the way they do. Maybe your husband dropped his underwear on the floor and forgot about it because his mind is preoccupied with an issue at work. Maybe the Holy Spirit told him to leave the dishes in the sink in order to create yet another opportunity for you to be a good wife and to serve your husband. (Okay, I’m stretching, but you get the point.)

So be considerate and sensitive. Kill them with kindness.  Treat them well even if you think they don’t deserve to be treated well.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Live by the “Golden Rule”.

Currently at Oak Hill Baptist Church I’ve been preaching through the Gospel of Matthew on Sunday mornings. This Sunday we will complete what has been an in-depth study of the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7). This past Sunday (February 2^nd), we studied “The Golden Rule”, as taught by Jesus in Matthew 7:1-12. If you weren’t there for that, I encourage you to go to our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net, click on the “listen” tab, and listen to that sermon.

“The Golden Rule” is an important Biblical principle. It’s intended by God to simplify our understanding about how to live in a way that honors and pleases Him. “Treat others the way you would want them to treat you”. This is such an important principle that God has repeated it numerous times in both the Old and New Testaments. In Leviticus 19:18 Moses expressed it this way: “Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself.” In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus put it like this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

The Apostle Paul wrote about the Golden Rule too. In Romans 13:9-10 he explained, “The commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the Law.” And in Galatians 5:14 he wrote, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

I know a person who goes to great lengths to bless and care for others in need. A comment she often makes is, “This could be me. This could be my family. And if it was, I would want someone to help me. Therefore, I need to be willing to help them.”

Yes. That’s it exactly. “There but for the grace of God go I. This could be me. This could be my family. And if it was, I would want them to help me. So, I need to do for them what I would want them to do for me if the roles were reversed.”

I encourage you to live by the Golden Rule. It’s what Jesus has taught us to do.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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