Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15-16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Come home to the Father”   The other morning, in my devotional book “Year of Restoration” by John Eldredge, I read this: “Most believe that Christianity is an offer of forgiveness. What isn’t often grasped is that there’s more. Forgiveness was made available to you so that you might come home to the Father. Forgiveness is not the goal. Coming home to the Father is the goal.”   In a previous devotional in this series I noted that the Bible is primarily a love story. It is about the love of God for human beings and His deep desire for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. However, sin keeps us from Him and so He sent Jesus to earth to rescue us from the consequences of our sins and to provide a way for us to come home to Him in heaven. As Eldrege so eloquently explained, forgiveness is not really the goal, coming home to the Father is the goal. Forgiveness is simply the path that gets us there.   As Paul explained in Romans 8:15-16, what we’re seeing here is the heart of the Father for His adopted children. He wants you to be with Him so badly that He went to extraordinary lengths to make it possible. I can relate. All four of my children were adopted, the two youngest by international adoption from Korea. Adoption can be quite an ordeal and it is often very expensive. But Linda and I happily, willingly, eagerly went through the ordeal so we could have those children in our family. What we did for our children pales in comparison to the lengths God went to for us. More than anything, He wants us to come home to Him in heaven.   This morning, I’m beginning two weeks of vacation. I will be going first to Texas, to gather my family, and then on to Hawaii for a family vacation. Therefore, this will be the last devotional until Monday May 19th.   For the next two weeks I encourage you to review some of the devotionals from the previous month in this series about the love of God. The love of God is the most important reality in your life. I encourage you to think about it. Pray about it. Embrace it. And enjoy it. The Father is longing for you to come home to Him and experience His great love for you – forever.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:10 (ESV)   Our thought for today: “Who can do it more? Who can do it better?”   I recently came across a wonderful commentary note about the subject of showing proper honor – Biblical honor – to others. “We may think of honor as esteeming someone, but when Scripture says to give honor to one another, what does it look like in a practical way? This means that we demonstrate regard for others’ needs before attending to our own. We do this not just practically, but also spiritually and emotionally.”   Let me unpack that for us: First, honoring someone is indeed esteeming them. It is a matter of seeing the other person as being worthy of respect and dignity. Second, in a practical Scriptural way, “honor” is a verb, it is an action word. Just as love is a verb and is meant to be demonstrated not just felt and not even just talked about. So too with showing honor or esteeming someone. It needs to come out in our words and actions. The esteem and respect we show them, the dignity we impart to them, should come through in our words and in the way we treat them.   Third, this form of Biblically honoring someone is unselfish. Our focus is on the other person not on ourselves. And we are willing to inconvenience ourselves, perhaps even sacrifice to make the other person feel honored, respected, esteemed. And fourth, we do it with the intent of building the person up spiritually and emotionally. It is our intent for the person to walk away from this encounter feeling lifted up, encouraged, and blessed.   Now, what if that was our normal church experience? And what if we were all doing it? Paul says in Romans 12:10 that our goal should be to outdo each other in the extent to which we are intentional about showing Biblical honor to each other – esteeming, respecting, blessing, lifting up, encouraging.   What if every single one of us on Sunday morning was intent on being the biggest blessing to the largest number of people? What if it was a contest to see who can do it more and who can do it better? I don’t know about you but I think that would be one awesome church family and an awesome church experience (Oak Hill Baptist I’m giving you a shout-out here!)   I encourage you to make honoring others something you do naturally and often. In the best Biblical sense, honor is a verb. It is an action word.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “This is what makes Jesus happy”   Recently a good friend made me aware of a great devotional book by Dane Ortland called, “Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.” It’s a helpful study of the heart of Christ specifically intended for those who are suffering in some way, or who are struggling with guilt and just can’t let it go. Ortland’s intent is to help the reader understand the tender heart of Christ for those who are hurting.   In one section, Ortland asks us to consider Hebrews 12:2 and the phrase, “For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross …” What joy was it that lay before Jesus? What was it He was looking forward to that brought joy to His heart? Surely not the cross itself. That was going to be an unspeakably evil and awful experience. The joy that lay before Him, the joy that He was looking forward to so much was what would be true after the cross. He would be at the right hand of the Father in heaven interceding on our behalf (Romans 8:34) – being there for those who are hurting and suffering and struggling with guilt – the source of our comfort and relief (Matthew 11:28-30).   Jesus wants you to bring all your pain, grief, and woundedness to Him. It brings Him joy to forgive you, to comfort you, and to heal you. It’s why He suffered and died and then rose again. Understand this please: Jesus wants to minister to you. He wants to heal you. He wants to bring joy into your life because doing so brings joy to Him. This is what makes Him happy. Ortland describes it this way: “Christ’s “own joy, comfort, happiness, and glory are increased and enlarged by his showing grace and mercy, in pardoning, relieving, and comforting his members here on earth.”   Certainly, much of the healing and helping ministry of Christ to us takes place in our own quiet times of prayer and devotions with Him. But much of it also takes place when we are gathered with our brothers and sisters. Jesus often ministers to us through each other. You are surely familiar with the old phrase, “Church isn’t a country club for saints, it’s a hospital for sinners.” Church is where we come to get well. Dr. Jesus is there, along with His multiple assistants, to lovingly attend to, comfort, and nurse back to health those who are sick at heart, those who have been wounded, those who need to heal.   Today is Friday. Sunday is coming. You need to be in church and you need to bring it all to Jesus. It will put a smile on His face. It will make Him happy. He suffered so that you don’t have to. He took your guilt so that you could let it go. This is why He came to us and it is why He wants us to come to Him. This is what makes Him happy.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostle’s feet.” Acts 4:36-37 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be somebody’s Barnabas”   What the world needs now is love, sweet love. And the best love of all is the love of Jesus. The world needs it and you have it. So, share it.   There’s a lot more that needs to be said about spreading the love of Jesus in this broken and bleeding world that we live in – this world filled with so much pain, suffering, and despair. So, we are going to continue that theme through the month of May.   Barnabas is one of my favorite people in the New Testament. He was known as “The Son of Encouragement” because he was evidently a kind, happy, positive person who took joy in lifting others up and being a blessing to them. As we read in in Acts 4:36-37, he was also a generous man who happily shared with others.   I have told you the story before of how, many years ago, Linda and I owned a book company we called, “The Barnabas Book Company.” Our logo was, “Encouraging books that will change your life.” We loved spreading the love of Jesus (along with His joy, happiness, and encouragement), through good Christian books. Unfortunately, I was a terrible businessman. I was so eager for people to have our books that I gave away more than we sold and we ended up going out of business. But it was fun while it lasted!   In our church, Oak Hill Baptist, in every pew-back, we keep a supply of blank encouragement notes. We urge our people to write a note of encouragement to someone and place it in the offering plate (encouragement of others is an offering that pleases God and so, it is part of our worship service). We then send those notes to the intended person as a blessing for them.   Kind words of encouragement are a great way to share the love of Jesus with others, and it is free – it costs you nothing but a moment in time and a small bit of effort to intentionally encourage someone who needs a little lift.   Be someone’s Barnabas today. Share a word of encouragement, an act of kindness, a smile, and some grace. Bless someone today with an expression of the love of Jesus – it’s what the world needs more of.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love – but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The power of love”   I once heard someone proclaim, “The only news we listen to around here is Huey Lewis and the News!” He was referring to the Rock and Roll group from the 1980s and I believe his point was that the news from the world is so bad these days that he just shuts it out and escapes into music.   Perhaps the most well-known of all the hits produced by Huey Lewis and the News was a song called “The Power of Love.” Part of the song went:   The power of love is a curious thing Make one man weep, make another man sing Change a hawk to a little white dove More than a feeling, that’s the power of love You don’t need money, don’t take fame Don’t need no credit card to ride this train It’s strong and it’s sudden, and it’s cruel sometimes But it might just save your life That’s the power of love That’s the power of love   Yesterday I told you about the death of my sister and how it is that the power of love made such a dramatic difference at the end of her life. That reminded me of another example of the power of love that I had the privilege to witness. It involved an older couple in the first church I was the pastor of back in the 1990s. Their names were Bob and Carol and they were strong Christians who lived their faith in observable and impressive ways.   Bob had an ex-wife who was an angry and mean person much of her life. As a result, she was also a sad and lonely person who lived alone in her bitterness. Finally, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and didn’t have long to live. She was about to be placed in a nursing home to spend her last days there, when Bob and Carol stepped in. They offered to bring her into their home and care for her – which is what they did. For almost six months this woman who had spewed so much hate and vindictiveness at Bob and Carol for decades lived in their home, in their spare bedroom, being fed, bathed, waited on, and loved.   It didn’t take long for that loving care from Bob and Carol to break through the hard shell of the ex-wife’s heart and soon, she came to faith in Christ. She died at peace surrounded by kind people who loved her and cared for her in the name of Jesus.   In big ways and in small, the power of the love of Jesus makes all the difference. Who can you share the love of Jesus with today?   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “In the end, love wins”   Last night my sister, Helen, died. She was only fifty-four and it was a sad ending to a sad life. Helen lived a rough life, a tragic life filled with mistakes and bad choices. She hurt a lot of people, none more than her daughters who for the most part, hardly knew her. She left them when they were quite young and it was only in the last ten years that any relationship at all was reestablished, but even that was infrequent and superficial.   But mostly, Helen hurt herself. She was a deeply unhappy person who was unhealthy on many levels and in many ways. There was mental illness, to be sure. There were multiple chronic lifestyle choices that destroyed her health including heavy smoking, drinking large volumes of full-sugar Coca-Cola every day for years on end, lots of junk food, no exercise, and even homelessness.   Finally, her body gave out. She ended up in ICU in a hospital in Chattanooga, TN on a ventilator and heavily sedated for more than a week. Until finally, yesterday, we had to disconnect the life support and just let her go. It was a premature death and a sad ending to a sad life.   Except, that it wasn’t. Not entirely. There was an element to the end of her life that was not sad but which was actually a cause for joy. In recent years Helen professed faith in Jesus Christ several times, but I don’t think it was real. At least, there was little discernable evidence that it was real. But several months ago, during a visit with her, I noticed a significant change. She seemed different, peaceful. Her self-absorption and preoccupation with herself and with her own problems and issues had dissipated significantly and she was genuinely interested in me and in others. She seemed calmer and expressed regret for all the bad choices and all the harm she had caused. She talked about the love she had for her family and how proud she was of her daughters. She once again professed faith in Christ and this time, I believe it was real. Two months ago, she even traveled from Tennessee to New Jersey to see her daughters and to meet her granddaughters for the first time.   As I sat there with her yesterday and into the evening as she slowly faded away, I couldn’t help but reflect on how it is that love often wins out in the end. In Helen’s case the love of Jesus finally broke through (just in the nick of time) and Helen had a couple of good months to do some important repairing of relationships.   But in terms of love winning in the end, I’m especially proud of my nieces. They among any others in Helen’s world have been hurt deeply, badly, over the course of decades. And they more than any others could understandably be bitter and they could have shunned her. Instead, they welcomed her back into their lives, they expressed their love for her, and once she passed, they posted pictures and narratives (happy pictures and happy narratives) about their mother. It has been amazing to watch and I am very proud of them.   You see, if we allow it to, love will win in the end. The love of Jesus is a powerful thing. It will change us and it will have a powerful, positive impact on those around us. Love will win if we will only allow it to.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Now this is what the Lord says – the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel – “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1-2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The Bible is a love story”   The Bible is a love story. It’s all about God’s love for us and His intense desire to have us there in heaven with Him forever. From start to finish – from the moment He created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden until the day the New Heaven and the New Earth have been formed and put into place and populated with the people of God for all eternity – all of it is about God drawing us to Himself in love.   Isaiah 43:1-2 is just one example of that – a beautiful example. In that specific case, He was speaking directly to the nation of Israel but the truth being articulated applies to us too. God created us (Psalm 139:13-18); He formed us (Jeremiah 18:1-7); therefore, we should not fear (Joshua 1:9); He has redeemed us (Revelation 5:9-10 / 2 Corinthians 5:21); He has called us by name (Jeremiah 1:5); we belong to Him – we are His (John 10:27-28 / Romans 14:8).    From start-to-finish the Bible is all about God calling to, reaching out to, drawing, embracing, redeeming, saving, and blessing the children He loves so much and for whom Jesus died.   People all around you are longing for this love, but most of them don’t realize this is what their hearts are searching for. “He has placed eternity in the heart of man.” “You have created us for yourself, oh God, and our hearts are restless, searching, until we find our rest in you.” “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of man that can only be filled by God.” Those insights from Solomon, Augustine, and Pascal remind us that people all around us have been confused and misled by the enemy of their souls and they are therefore looking for love in all the wrong places. Their hearts are longing for God even if they don’t realize it.   It’s up to you and me to tell them about how Jesus meets this great need we have deep in our hearts to know God and to be in a love relationship with Him. It is very, very true that life with Jesus is always better than life without Jesus, and that is true regardless of any other circumstances regarding that life. It is true for the person living in a mansion in Beverley Hills, and it is true for the impoverished family living in a hut in a remote region of Africa. It is true for the young single mother struggling to make ends meet in small-town USA, and it is true for the man sitting in a prison cell looking at years of incarceration ahead of him. Life is always better with Jesus rather than without Him because Jesus leads us to discover the great love of God which our hearts have been longing for all along. This is the story of the Bible.   People need to know this. We need to tell them. I encourage you to tell someone today about the love of God they will experience when they let Jesus bring them into the Father’s heavenly family.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “What a glorious eternity awaits us!”   If you were reading along with these devotional messages in recent months, then you will remember that the previous series was “Salvation past, present, and future.” We explored salvation from the moment of repentance, through a lifetime of growing in our relationship with Christ, to the moment we arrive in heaven, and then the last part of the series was about what eternity is going to be like for us in the New Heaven and the New Earth. (The positive response I received to that series was strong and so I am in the process of turning it into a book manuscript for publication. I hope to be able to offer that to you in a few months.)   The reason I refer to that is because it dovetails beautifully with our theme this month of “What the world needs now (is love sweet love – the love of Jesus). People need to know about the wonderful and amazing eternity our Father in heaven intends to give to each of His children and which Jesus is in the process of preparing for us now (John 14:1-3). His love for us is so strong that He desires for us to enjoy all the riches and treasures of heaven forever.   In 1 Corinthians 2:9 the Apostle Paul was stretching to somehow communicate the truth that God has things prepared for His children that are simply beyond the scope of our human understanding. Our Father does it out of His great love for us. As we learned in yesterday’s devotional, He is a good, good Father and He gives good, good things to the children He loves so very much. That’s true now, in this lifetime, and it will be especially true in eternity in heaven.   The world needs to know this about God and it is up to you and I to tell them. Tell them how much God loves you (and them.) Tell them how much God has blessed you (and wants to bless them.) Tell them about your assurance of life after death, eternity in God’s beautiful paradise, and tell them that you want them to be there too.   What a glorious eternity awaits those who are God’s children through Christ. People need to know this, and it’s up to us to tell them. What a different world this would be if more people accepted, embraced, and lived with the knowledge of how much our Father in heaven loves them and what a glorious eternity He has prepared for His children.   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

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

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