A soft heart that yearns for God

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “A soft heart that yearns for God”
 
It breaks my heart that so many people have a distorted perception of God. So many people view Him as a stern, sometimes angry, disciplinarian. They imagine He is keeping close tabs on their behavior, carefully documenting every sin – every last little indiscretion – and deciding on how He will discipline them. In the minds of many people if God is a Father, He is a stern and demanding Father who is never satisfied with us.
 
But is that the picture of God the Bible gives us? It is not. It is true that God is a disciplinarian when He needs to be. Any good and loving father disciplines their child as needed. But the Bible depicts God as a good and loving Father, a Father who yearns for a warm and close love relationship with each of His children. If you want to read an accurate Biblical portrayal of God as Father, take a moment to read the parable of the Prodigal Son as found in Luke 15:11-32. Or, Google the song by Chris Tomlin, “Good, Good, Father.” Prayerfully and devotionally read that parable and then listen to the soft music and heartwarming lyrics of that song and you will never again think of God the Father as a stern taskmaster and strict disciplinarian.
 
The problem is not that God is hard and cold – it’s that we are. The problem isn’t with His heart but with ours. In Ezekiel 36:26-27 we find that God wants to change that for us. God wants to give us a new heart that is soft, tender, and responsive to His overtures to us. Then we will choose to live in ways that honor Him and which respect His standards, not because we are afraid that an angry God is going to spank us if we don’t, but because we love Him so much that we want to honor and please Him.
 
God wants to do something special for you. He wants to give you a new, softer, more tender heart that will yearn for Him, seek Him, and be receptive to His overtures of love, kindness, and mercy towards you.
 
God is indeed a good, good Father, and He loves to give His children good, good gifts. One gift He wants you to have is a heart that is soft and open and yearning and receptive. He wants you to have a heart that will accept His love and which will give your love back to Him.
 
A soft and tender heart that truly longs for fellowship with our kind and loving Father in heaven is a beautiful thing. If you do not yet have a heart that is soft, open, and yearning for God, pray and ask Him to give it to you. He will.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim  
 
(If you like what you are 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

At the top of the list

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “What is man that you take thought of him?” Psalm 8:4 (NASB)
 
Our thought for today: “At the top of the scale”
 
In yesterday’s devotional we thought about God as the great Romancer of our souls. He desires to have a deep love relationship with each of us and He actively pursues us in that way. But to be a healthy romance, the romance must flow in both directions. He pursues us and we must pursue Him back. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” (Jeremiah 29:13-14)
 
Author John Eldredge encourages us to think of this relationship with Jesus using another descriptive term that Jesus Himself used for us in John 15:14, that of friend “You are my friends if you do what I commanded you.” In his great little devotional book “Year of Restoration” Eldredge writes,
 
“The Scriptures employ a wide scale of metaphors capturing our relationship with God, and in a breathtaking progression. Down near the bottom of the totem pole you are the clay and he the Potter. Moving up a notch, you are the sheep and he the Shepherd, which is a little better position on the food chain but hardly flattering; sheep don’t have a reputation as the most intelligent creatures. Moving upward, you are a servant of the Master, which lets you into his house. Most Christians never get past this point, but you make a swift ascent. God calls you his son or daughter and himself our heavenly Father, which brings you into real intimacy with him. Still, there is something missing in even the best parent-child relationship. Friendship levels the playing field in a way family never can. Friendship opens a level of communication. And “friend” is what he calls you.”
 
In Psalm 8:4 King David asks “What is man that you take thought of him?” The answer to that is that we are so precious to Him that He seeks us, draws us to Himself, and then progressively elevates us in our relationship with Him until, at the top of the scale, Jesus sees you as His friend.
 
But that top-of-the-scale relationship is not automatic. It is conditional. “I call you friends if you do what I command.” That relationship is reserved for those who love Him most, obey Him best, and serve others in His name.
 
You can have as much of God as you want. You can have as deep and intimate a relationship with Him as you want. But God wants all of you. Do you want all of Him?
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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

The sacred romance

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “You will seek me and find me what you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” Jeremiah 29:13-14 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “The Sacred Romance”
 
Romance is defined as a sense of excitement, mystery, and adventure associated with love. It is a deep emotional connection and strong attraction between two people that involves seeking and discovery as each comes to know the other better. We usually think of romance as we know it between a man and a woman, but the original and most important romance is the one that is ongoing between God and His people.
 
God is a romancer. In love, He desires to develop a deep relationship with His people. In love, He seeks us and He wants us to seek Him back. John Eldredge is an accomplished Christian author with many great books to his credit. His very first book, written in partnership with his late friend Brent Curtis, was published in 1997 and continues to be a classic in modern Christian literature. The title is “The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to The Heart of God.” Here’s a teaser from the book:
 
“From childhood on, something or Someone has called us on a journey of the heart. It is a journey full of intimacy, adventure, and beauty – but … it is also fraught with more than a little danger. To ignore this whispered call is to become one of the living dead who carry on their lives divorced from their most intimate selves, their heart. The Sacred Romance calls to us in our fondest memories, our greatest loves, our noblest achievements, even our deepest hurts. The reward is worth the risk. God Himself longs for us, if we are but willing …”
 
God is present in all the moments of our lives, calling to us, wooing us, drawing us to Himself. But He wants us to want Him back. This is a romance, after all, and a healthy romance must flow in both directions.
 
In yesterday’s devotional we considered the fact that what the world needs now is love sweet love – the sweet love of Jesus. But you can’t give what you don’t have. You have to first cultivate that love of God in your own life before you will be able to share the love of God with others.
 
I encourage you to respond to God’s romantic overtures to you. He is there. He is calling. He is seeking your heart. Are you seeking His? This is a love story. A romance. It is a sacred romance.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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.


You can’t give what you don’t have

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “You can’t give what you don’t have”
 
Monday is my Sabbath. Sunday is my day of worship with my church family but being the pastor, it is also my busiest work day of the week. It is wonderful but it is also tiring and emotionally draining. By the time the day is done and I am finally home late in the evening, I’m toast – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually running on empty.
 
Monday is the second half of the Sabbath for me. On Sunday I experience great worship and then on Monday I rest, renew, heal, and restore. I have a life principle that guides my Monday’s, it is: “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which gives life.” On Monday I have the freedom from God to say “no” to lots of things I would otherwise say “yes” to on other days. I also have the freedom from God to fully embrace those things that feed my soul. That usually begins in the early morning with a couple of hours on the front porch (maybe with a fire in the firepit), and certainly with coffee. It includes extended time sitting quietly before God (Psalm 46:10), along with devotional thoughts, Bible reading, music, and anything else that enhances that time.
 
The rest of the day might include things like going to the gym, or for a long ride on my mountain bike, or for a hike, or kayaking, or reading a good book, or listening to more music, or … doing absolutely nothing (sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap!). Author John Eldredge challenges us to consider “What make your heart refreshed, what makes it come alive? … You need silence and solitude … You need to drink in beauty wherever you can get it … What does your heart need?”
 
I do this – every Monday, because I need to. I am a Pastor and a caregiver, a person called by God to help others heal and to discover new paths to spiritual growth. But I can’t give what I don’t have. I can’t minister effectively from an empty gas tank. I have to take care of myself first so I am then prepared to minister to others from the fulness of my own relationship with Jesus.
 
You too. You can’t give what you don’t have. You have to take care of yourself so you can then minister to others out of the fulness of your own relationship with Jesus. Even if your life is so busy (young parents?) that it’s difficult to find extended time for this, you can still be on the lookout for what a friend of mine refers to as “stolen moments.” Fifteen minutes here, ten minutes there – little snippets of time you can grab and spend with the Lord.
 
Our theme for this month is “What the world needs now.” Well, what the world needs is for you to be fully alive in Christ and to then be sharing His love with others. To do so, you have got to take care of yourself first because – you can’t give what you don’t have.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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

Death is dead. Let’s dance on its grave

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Death is dead. Let’s dance on its grave”
 
Today is Saturday, the day before Easter. It is usually referred to as Holy Saturday, but sometimes it is also called Black Saturday. It’s the day after Jesus was crucified and the day before He arose. His physical body was dead and was sealed in a tomb. To those who didn’t understand (almost everyone in that day), it was indeed a black day.
 
But that was Saturday and Sunday was coming. Death wasn’t the end of the story. It wasn’t the end of the story for Jesus, and it’s not the end of the story for us either. For the Christian, death leads to life. Right on the other side of death is glory. With His death and resurrection Jesus was giving us an example of what we would one day experience – life after death.
 
The popular contemporary Christian band MercyMe has a hit song on the radio right now with the title “Oh Death.” It’s a very clever play on the truth expressed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55. The singer depicts himself dancing on death’s grave. Death is dead and he sings, “I will dance on your grave!”
 
This is what we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday. Jesus defeated death and so will we. The physical body will die, that’s true – just like Jesus’ physical body died. But that’s not the end of the story. Death leads to life – eternal life. And it’s all thanks to Jesus.
 
At Oak Hill Baptist Church we will celebrate Resurrection Sunday with a feast and fellowship (an Easter breakfast buffet at 9:00), followed by a great Resurrection Celebration worship service. (We are Southern Baptists not Pentecostals and we don’t do a whole lot of dancing in the aisles, but we do have a few Bapti-costals among us and it is possible that they may do a little dancing on death’s grave. Will Foster?)
 
If you are close to Cumberland County, TN we invite you to join us for feasting, fellowship, and worship as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. If you’re not close, then please attend the church of your choice but please do not miss this time of celebrating the day that Jesus defeated death once and for all.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim 
 
(If you like what you are 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

Death is dead. Let’s dance on its grave

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Death is dead. Let’s dance on its grave”
 
Today is Saturday, the day before Easter. It is usually referred to as Holy Saturday, but sometimes it is also called Black Saturday. It’s the day after Jesus was crucified and the day before He arose. His physical body was dead and was sealed in a tomb. To those who didn’t understand (almost everyone in that day), it was indeed a black day.
 
But that was Saturday and Sunday was coming. Death wasn’t the end of the story. It wasn’t the end of the story for Jesus, and it’s not the end of the story for us either. For the Christian, death leads to life. Right on the other side of death is glory. With His death and resurrection Jesus was giving us an example of what we would one day experience – life after death.
 
The popular contemporary Christian band MercyMe has a hit song on the radio right now with the title “Oh Death.” It’s a very clever play on the truth expressed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55. The singer depicts himself dancing on death’s grave. Death is dead and he sings, “I will dance on your grave!”
 
This is what we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday. Jesus defeated death and so will we. The physical body will die, that’s true – just like Jesus’ physical body died. But that’s not the end of the story. Death leads to life – eternal life. And it’s all thanks to Jesus.
 
At Oak Hill Baptist Church we will celebrate Resurrection Sunday with a feast and fellowship (an Easter breakfast buffet at 9:00), followed by a great Resurrection Celebration worship service. (We are Southern Baptists not Pentecostals and we don’t do a whole lot of dancing in the aisles, but we do have a few Bapti-costals among us and it is possible that they may do a little dancing on death’s grave. Will Foster?)
 
If you are close to Cumberland County, TN we invite you to join us for feasting, fellowship, and worship as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. If you’re not close, then please attend the church of your choice but please do not miss this time of celebrating the day that Jesus defeated death once and for all.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim 
 
(If you like what you are 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

The sacrifice that leads to new life

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” John 12:24 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “The sacrifice that leads to new life”
 
In John 12:24 Jesus was alluding to the biological process of seed germination and plant growth. The parable uses the analogy of a grain of wheat being planted in the earth (dying) to ultimately produce more wheat. The seed essentially gives its life to spawn much more new life. This illustrates that from the sacrifice of a life-giving force like the seed of wheat (or like Jesus), much new abundant life can come forth.
 
That was certainly true of Jesus. His death was the seed that produced eternal life for multiple millions of souls who have since been born again. It was the ultimate sacrifice that produced tremendous results which will last for eternity.
 
This is what we celebrate on Good Friday and this is why Good Friday is “good.” His pain, suffering, and death were horrible, but the good results of His sacrifice were beyond description. There simply are no words to suffice. His sacrifice was the seed that produced a beautiful result beyond compare for all eternity for multiple millions of souls.
 
But the story doesn’t end there. As great as it is up to that point, the beauty of it continues today through the lives of His followers. Shifting analogies from grains of wheat to the life of a vine, Jesus continued illustrating the same truth in John 15:5. There He extended the analogy to illustrate His life pouring out, flowing through, and producing fruit through the lives of His followers, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
 
Whether we’re thinking about a grain of wheat being the seed that produces much more wheat which then becomes seed to produce even more wheat, or if we’re thinking about a vine that grows and the branches off that vine that then produce more fruit of the vine, the lesson is the same – the sacrifice is the seed that leads to new life.
 
On this Good Friday, take some time to worship Jesus. Thank Him for His sacrifice and for your new life. Then share Jesus so that others can have new life too.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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

A beautiful love story

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her … In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies.” Ephesians 5:25;28 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “A beautiful love story”
 
Last month I was on a mission trip in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Our mission team consisted of Christians from several different regions of the east coast, including a few from North Carolina. One day, during a break from our work, I had a fascinating and heart-touching conversation with one of those men from North Carolina whom I was meeting for the first time.
 
We were talking about our lives, our families, and special experiences. He told me a story about his wife that I will never forget. First, more than just being his spouse, his wife was his soulmate (There’s a difference between having a spouse and having a soulmate). Second, she was dying from kidney failure and her only chance of survival was to receive a kidney transplant. However, kidneys for transplant are in short supply, and finding a donated kidney that matches your body and which can therefore be transplanted into you is difficult. Not only does there have to be a kidney, but for the best chance of long-term survival, it has to match.
 
This husband knew that statistically there was little chance his kidney would be a good match for his wife, but he did volunteer to donate his kidney to someone else who was high on the transplant list if that would allow his wife to take that person’s place at the top of the list. However, before that transplant was approved, the medical team decided to test his kidney for compatibility with his wife. And incredibly, against the odds, it was a perfect match. So, his kidney was transplanted into his wife. That was years ago and she is alive and well today – with his kidney living inside of her and keeping her alive.
 
That husband and wife were close before the transplant (soulmates), but they have been even closer ever since. And as he told me that story, he had tears in his eyes and he was a little choked up with emotion. His love for his wife and the tenderness in his voice when he spoke of her were palpable.  What a beautiful love story!
 
As we approach Good Friday and then Resurrection Sunday, we will be celebrating the greatest loves story of all time. Jesus died so you could live. Jesus took the punishment for your sins and then He defeated death and rose from the grave so that you can spend eternity in heaven with the Father.
 
It’s a beautiful love story. The greatest love story ever. Celebrate it. Tell others about it.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim 
 
(If you like what you are 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

Come to me…

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Come to me…”
 
In our sanctuary at Oak Hill Baptist Church, high up in the middle of the center wall, directly behind the pulpit, there is a beautiful stained-glass window with a picture of Jesus with His arms wide open and an inviting look on His face. Below that image are the words from Matthew 11:28, “Come to me…”
 
The wall that window is on faces east and so during the Sunday morning service, as the sun is high in the eastern sky, it shines right through that window lighting it up. We also have a light behind the window that we keep illuminated. The sunshine and the light together cause the image of Jesus to glow. At the end of each sermon, during the time of invitation, as people are walking up the center aisle towards the front, they are approaching this glowing Jesus with His arms wide open to receive them. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
 
This morning, we will continue our thinking from the past couple of days about the fact that people all around us are struggling with life issues that are heavy and hard. People are weary and life is weighing them down. Every person you meet has something going on in his or her life that they wish wasn’t there and with which they are struggling. But Jesus wants to give them rest. He wants to help them carry those burdens and to deal more effectively with the issues of life.
 
In the last part of that passage Jesus used the illustration of a pair of oxen yoked together and plowing a field. In every team of oxen there is a lead ox, which is bigger, stronger, and more experienced, and there is a follower ox. The lead ox carries most of the burden and provides all the direction. The follower ox stays next to the lead ox, helps to carry some of the load, and learns from the lead ox. In this illustration Jesus was saying, “Let me be your lead ox. Yoke yourself to Me. Stay close to Me. We will do this together. I will carry most of the load and I will provide all the direction. You just stay close to Me and we will walk through life together.”
 
The people you encounter today need to be made aware of this invitation from Jesus. I encourage you to invite them to Easter Sunday worship service at your church so they can hear the Good News, (see the image of that stained-glass window if they come to Oak Hill Baptist), and find the rest and renewal their souls are so desperately longing for.
 
Jesus is calling, “Come to me…”
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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

Rest for a weary soul

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “Rest for a weary soul”
 
Easter week is about the love of the Father expressed to us through the gift of Jesus. Jesus gave His life for ours to pay the penalty for our sins. Then He rose from the grave defeating death and thereby making it possible for us to have eternal life in heaven. That’s the Good News that we have to share with others. It’s all about God’s great love for us.
 
But that’s a spiritual truth expressed in spiritual words. People are physical beings living in the physical world. That being the case, people relate most easily to physical realities. That’s why one of the most effective means of reaching people for Jesus is to meet their physical needs first. There is a truism that applies. It goes like this, “They won’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.” Meet their physical needs first and then they will be much more open to hearing the spiritual truth we have to share.
 
This morning, I want to continue our thinking from yesterday about the fact that every person you meet today will be struggling with something that they wish was not in their life, and every person needs Jesus to heal their deepest hurts.
 
I love the picture Jeremiah paints in the verse above – God refreshes the weary and He strengthens the weak. People all around us need this. They are weary and weak, struggling with life issues and living out of hurting hearts. People need what Jesus has to offer.
 
Ultimately, receiving what Jesus wants to give will have eternal consequences because the person will spend eternity in heaven instead of hell. But first, Jesus will meet them where they are in the physical world. In this case, rest for the weary and strength for the weak. Jeremiah was talking about refreshing the soul and strengthening the resolve as a means of revitalizing the body and giving the person the will and the ability to go on in life with renewed vigor. (Remember our lesson from a previous devotional in this series – we are body, mind, and spirit. All are interrelated and each impacts the other. Refresh the spirit and the body will experience the benefit too.)
 
This is an important understanding when we’re attempting to reach people for Jesus. We must meet them where they are and minister to them in ways that make an immediate difference. People all around you are weary and burdened deep down in their soul. Life feels heavy and hard. But Jesus will meet them at the deepest point of that need and give them rest for their weary souls.
 
As you are inviting people to church this Sunday to celebrate Easter, consider telling them about the rest and renewal they will find for their weary souls as they encounter and worship the Risen Savior.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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