Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”   Our Bible verse for today: “But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result – the survival of many people. Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:19-21 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Forgiveness is important but difficult.”   Joseph’s act of forgiveness to his brothers was a pretty big deal – especially considering the magnitude of the wrong they committed against him. The ten older brothers hated Joseph so much that they beat him up, threw him down a well, and then sold him as a slave. Joseph then ended up spending thirteen long years first as a slave, and then as a prisoner in a dungeon, until God finally delivered him. Ultimately Joseph rose to be the second most powerful man in all of Egypt.   You can read the whole story in Genesis chapters 37-50 but long story short, many years later the brothers and their families ended up in Egypt under the authority of Joseph. Joseph could have retaliated against them, having them thrown into prison or even executed. Instead he chose to forgive them. Beyond that, he even blessed them richly. It was far more than they deserved or could have expected, but Joseph was a spiritually mature and kind man. Rather than holding a grudge and exacting revenge, he chose to forgive and to bless.   Forgiveness is a virtue that is important but often difficult. It’s important because the lack of forgiveness hurts everyone involved, none more so than the one who refuses to forgive. When you refuse to forgive an offense you yourself become a prisoner of your own lack of forgiveness. It causes resentment and bitterness to ferment in your heart. Unforgiving people tend to brood on the wrongs committed against them. The one who committed the offense has probably forgotten about it, or hardly ever thinks about it. But the person carrying the grudge thinks about it often. They tend to nurse that grudge, increasing the bitterness and resentment, and that then colors their personality in dark ways. They are the one who is hurt the most by their refusal to forgive. The lack of forgiveness also damages relationships. It keeps people separated rather than reconciled.   Joseph was bigger than that. Rather than clinging to and nursing a grudge he let it go. He forgave his brothers and he used the situation as an opportunity to bless those who did not deserve to be blessed. In the process he brought glory to God.   You can be like Joseph. You can choose to forgive and you can use the situation as an opportunity to bless those who don’t deserve to be blessed. Forgiveness can be difficult but I encourage you to forgive anyway. It’s always the right thing to do and it’s always in your own best interest.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2018 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: “Being a virtuous person” Our Bible verse for today: “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Virtue must be taught. Without question one of the greatest positive influences in my life was my mother. She was a kind, compassionate, and godly woman who modeled Biblical virtues in her own life and then taught them to her children. I was actually a rotten kid, and I usually didn’t behave like a child being raised by a godly mother, but the lessons she taught me and the example she set for me stuck with me, and it all bore fruit later in my life. It’s a common story. Anyone who was raised by virtuous and godly parents has stories to tell about the lessons they were taught in the home, the good examples that were set for them, and how those learning experiences have stuck with them throughout life. In his book, “The Moral Compass, former Secretary of Education William Bennett writes, “The transmission of virtues is one important reason for a home, and attention to the virtues is one of the important ties that bind a family together.” This is what Moses was getting at in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, adults have a God-given responsibility to teach and model Biblical virtues to the children they have influence over. First and foremost that occurs in the home with parents and grandparents. But not all children have homes in which Biblical virtues are taught and modeled. That’s where the church needs to step in. This is why churches send buses and vans to rough neighborhoods to bring children to church. It’s why Christian families pick-up nieces and nephews and friends of their own children and bring them to church. Many children are being raised in homes that do not provide a good, positive education in the Biblical virtues that will enable them to be successful in life. But if they are brought to church, there they will learn the lessons of virtue and they will be surrounded by godly adults who will set good examples for them. Biblical virtues are to be taught and modeled in the home. That’s where children will learn them first and best. But the virtues must also be taught and modeled in the church. Therefore good ministries for children and teens are vital parts of a healthy church life. We should thank God for the adults who are committed to teaching and modeling Biblical virtues to our children and teens, in the home and in the church. God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2018 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: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” 2 Chronicles 34:1-2 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Faith is the most important virtue”

 

Josiah inherited a mess. His grandfather Manasseh was probably the worst king the Jews ever had. Manasseh reigned for fifty-five years and he was evil to the core. He was followed to the throne by his son Amon (Josiah’s father) who was also evil through and through. Amon only reigned two years before he died but still, the nation had endured fifty-seven years of continuous evil leadership, and it showed.

 

But the boy-king Josiah (he was eight years old) developed a heart that sought after God. By the time he was only sixteen he began leading the nation to cleanse itself of six decades of apostasy and to return to the One True God.

 

It wasn’t easy and it required many years of difficult work on Josiah’s part. It also required a lot of faith. But faith was Josiah’s strong suit. His heart was fully devoted to the Lord and he was willing to lean into the challenge, persevere, and push through. He was a godly man and his strong faith shaped everything about him. Faith as a virtue is a powerful thing. God promises He will honor and bless faith and obedience. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God.”

 

One way to develop strong faith is to remember God’s promises. In his little devotional book “Bedtime Blessings” Pastor Chuck Swindoll once wrote, “A number of years ago, somebody counted the promises in the Bible and totaled up 7,474. I can’t verify that number, but I do know that within the pages of the Bible there are thousands of promises that grab the reader and say, ‘Believe me! Accept me! Hold on to me!’ And of all the promises in the Bible, the ones that often mean the most are the promises that offer hope at the end of affliction. Those promises that tell us, ‘It’s worth it. Walk with Me. Trust Me. Wait with Me. I will reward you.”

 

Would you like a little faith-building exercise that will help to strengthen your faith? At Oak Hill Baptist Church we give away free copies of a little book called “The Bible Promise Book: One thousand promises from God’s Word.” Take that book, start at page one, and prayerfully begin reading. And as you do, put a check mark next to the ones God has already fulfilled in your life.

 

Oh, and bring your lunch. You’ll be at it a while. You’ll be amazed at how many promises there are. And you’ll be even more amazed by how many of them have already been fulfilled in your life.

 

Faith is the most important virtue. With strong faith there is no limit to what God can do in and through your life. God’s promises help to strengthen our faith.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Pay careful attention then to how you live – not as unwise people but as wise – making the most of the time …” Ephesians 5:15-16 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A virtuous person makes good use of their time.”

 

In his book “Whisper” author Mark Batterson explains that in the New Testament there are two different Greek words used for time, each of which describes a different kind of time. Mark writes, “The first is “chronos”, and it refers to clock time or calendar time. It’s where we get our English word for chronology. Chronos is sequential – past, present, future. And it moves in only one direction.”

 

The second Greek word used for time in the Bible is “karios” and it refers to taking advantage of an opportune moment. “Chronos is quantitative; it counts minutes. Kairos is qualitative; it captures moments.” The idea of karios time is what Mordecai was referring to in Esther 4:14 when he said to Queen Esther, “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” It was an opportune moment for Esther so she needed to seize the moment and take advantage of the opportunity. It’s also what the Apostle Paul meant when he told us in Ephesians 5:15-16 to “make the most of the time …”

 

In numerous passages the Bible repeatedly teaches that as the virtuous people of God we are to make good use of our time, both chronos and karios. We are not to be lazy and fritter away the minutes, hours, days, and weeks accomplishing nothing of any significance (a waste of chronos time). And we must also recognize those special opportune moments, taking advantage of them while the opportunity exists (kairos time).

 

Chronos time is important. While do need to make time to rest and relax, we also need to be careful to guard against laziness and wasting time, as Solomon taught in Proverbs 6:6-11. Chronos time is precious, the clock ticks away and life ticks down. We only have so much time allotted to us.

 

But I would argue that kronos time is even more important. Sometimes we need to be smart enough to stop worrying about the clock (chronos) and focus instead on the special moment before us (karios).

 

A virtuous person makes good use of their time, both the minutes on the clock and the special moments of opportunity. Be wise enough to know the difference and then be careful to use both kinds of time well.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:12 (NASB)

 

Our thought for today: “You have to be intentional about it.”

 

Biblical virtues don’t just automatically spring up in our lives all by themselves. Exactly the opposite is true. We are sinful by nature and if left to ourselves, our thinking and conduct will be self-centered and evil. We are not good people by nature, we are sinners by nature.

 

If you want to be a virtuous person living a life of moral excellence you will have to work for it. It will have to be intentional. You must take the time to learn Biblical virtues, and then you must make the effort to incorporate them into your life. That will necessarily involve replacing old bad habits with new good ones.

 

But bad habits don’t just lie down, roll over, surrender, and die. They have to be killed-off. Bad habits are usually deeply ingrained. Chances are pretty much 100% that if you are a negative person today, when you wake up tomorrow morning you will still be a negative person (only more so because you will have had one more day of practice at it).

 

Bad habits are stubborn little buggers. Killing them off takes intentionality, structure, and discipline. You have to want it, you have to put the structure of new habits in place, and then you have to discipline yourself to stick with the new, better, virtuous practices until they become your new habits. That can be hard, but not impossible (especially since the Holy Spirit will help you do it).

 

Pray that God will help you to see which virtues most need to be developed in your life. Then find some Bible verses which teach about those virtues and memorize them so you can repeat them to yourself many times throughout the day. Then put a plan in place to help you begin moving away from the old bad habit, and to begin developing a new and better way of living. It usually takes twenty-one days for a new practice to start to become a habit. After that, the longer you practice your new virtue the more deeply ingrained it will become and the easier it will be to stick with it.

 

Being a virtuous person is a way of living that is intentional and it has to be cultivated. You have to work at it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over – will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. “Luke 6:38 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Be an honest person”

 

The primary lesson Jesus was teaching in Luke 6:38 was about how God blesses your generosity. If you are generous with others, God will bless you back in multiple ways. Generosity is certainly an important virtue, and that is the primary point in this lesson from Jesus, but it’s not what I want to focus on this morning. Instead I want to zero-in on a secondary lesson we can draw out of the illustration Jesus used to teach His main point.

 

His original listeners would have immediately understood Jesus’ reference to a good measure (as opposed to a bad measure). In their day it was common to go into a marketplace and see a merchant weighing out wheat, flour, or grain into a sack. A dishonest merchant would have inaccurate scales designed to cheat the customer. The scale would lead the customer to believe they were receiving the full measure they were paying for, when in reality they were getting a bit less. That’s a bad measure.

 

An honest merchant would not only have accurate scales, but once he had poured into the sack the full amount you were paying for, he would press it down to make more room in the sack so he could pour in a little extra. Then he would shake the sack up and down to further compress it so he could pour in even a little more. Then with a wink and a smile he would hand you your sack, filled to overflowing with even more than what you had paid for. That’s a good measure and that’s how God blesses us once we have blessed others.

 

Be like the honest merchant. Be completely honest with people. And then beyond that, bless them with a little extra. Give them a good deal, give them a smile, give them a wink, and send them off to have a great day. That’s how God deals with us and that’s how we should deal with others.

 

Be an honest and generous person and it won’t be long before everyone knows that about you. It will become your reputation, and ultimately, your legacy.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Develop the virtues of courage and optimism.”

 

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once wrote a eulogy in honor of the passing of his friend Federal District Judge Richard Casey. In the eulogy Scalia noted that the thing most people will remember about Richard Casey was that at the age of fifty-four, in the prime of his legal career, Casey lost his sight and became totally blind. But what was truly remarkable was that he did not retire from being a judge. With no complaints and without missing a beat Richard Casey simply learned how to be a blind judge. Like the Apostle Paul, he had others do his reading and writing for him. He listened carefully to the arguments being made in court and learned to make good mental notes. He had the sessions recorded so he could listen to them again, and he continued to be an outstanding judge even though he could no longer see.

 

As amazing as that was, through it all Casey maintained an upbeat and positive attitude that radiated joy and good cheer. He was resolute in the face of adversity, courageous as he worked hard to overcome obstacles, and he displayed unlimited optimism regarding the future. Scalia said being around Richard Casey made you ashamed of your own complaining and ingratitude.

 

He also had a great sense of humor and he treated his disability lightly, even joking about it. At one point he went to a ski school for the blind in Park City, Utah. As I remember the story, he was telling his friend Antonin about his skiing adventure and Scalia teasingly said, “Richard, you’re blind. You have no way of knowing if you were really in Park City, Utah or anywhere else. For all you know you could have been going up and down a big pile of snow on a K-Mart parking lot in Jersey City.” To that Casey replied, “Doesn’t matter. I had a blast anyway!”

 

In a similar story, yesterday (March 7^th) was the eleven year anniversary of the day my wife Linda had her stroke and brain surgeries. In many ways they have been eleven hard years for us. She has had multiple other health problems since then and her disabilities have required a lot of adjustments on both of our parts. But in other ways these have been eleven very good years too. A big part of the reason they have been good is because Linda has the same kind of attitude about her disabilities that Richard Casey had about his blindness. She accepted it, adjusted to it, and got on with life. But she did so with great courage and optimism, as well as good cheer and a great sense of humor.

 

Stories like those of Richard Casey and Linda Mersereau inspire the rest of us to also work to develop the virtues of courage and optimism. If they can live that way then the rest of should be able to as well. We need to learn to be courageous and optimistic, even in the face of great adversity.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “See the potential in others.”

 

One of the virtues the Apostle Paul possessed was an ability to see the potential in others. With the notable exception of Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, Paul had a unique ability to see potential in others and then to lift them up and encourage them to become all they were intended to be by the Lord. His mentoring relationship with young Timothy is probably the most notable example of that but there were others also, including Silas, Tychicus, Onesimus, Luke, and in later years (after reconciliation) Mark too.

 

Paul understood and practiced a principle that modern psychologists have long known to be true, that if you are an influential person in someone’s life, and if you treat them as they are, they will probably remain as they are. But if you treat them as you believe they can be, there’s a strong chance they will become what they could be. In other words, believe in people. See the potential in them, speak words of encouragement to them, lift them up, and help them to move in the direction of becoming what you know they can be.

 

There’s a famous story about a music teacher in Liverpool, England in the 1950s. In his class he had both Paul McCartney and George Harrison as teenagers. School records show that this teacher believed them both to be mediocre students at best, with little aptitude for music! Think about that – he had one half of the Beatles in his class and he didn’t notice anything special about them! Talk about not recognizing potential! Fortunately, in this case, Paul and George went on to fulfill their potential anyway – without the encouragement of the music teacher.

 

Jesus certainly had the ability to recognize potential in people. He selected some of the most unlikely characters to be His closest disciples and to then carry on His work for Him – characters like loud mouthed fishermen (Peter, James, John), a dishonest tax collector (Matthew), and a violent insurrectionist (Simon), just to name a few. These were men who didn’t believe in themselves, but Jesus did believe in them.

 

I encourage you to see the potential in people. Develop the virtue of encouragement. Be a source of motivation for others and help them to become the man or woman you and the Lord know they can be.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but in you forsake him, he will forsake you.” 2 Chronicles 15:2 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Honor the Lord and He will bless you. Dishonor Him and He will withdraw the blessing.”

 

Yesterday we considered the sad story of how King Solomon drifted away from the Lord. We learned that as long as he lived a virtuous life, as long as he lived Biblically and with moral excellence, he was blessed by God. But once he no longer lived within the Biblical boundaries and engaged instead in decades of promiscuousness, debauchery, conspicuous consumption, and disregard for others, his life became a mess. God withdrew His blessings.

 

Unfortunately Solomon’s story is all too common. Even right there in the book of 2 Chronicles we find more examples of it. Just a few chapters after Solomon’s story ends we find young King Asa making the same mistake. In 2 Chronicles 14:2 we read “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.” Asa then went on to enjoy many years of peace and prosperity in his kingdom. But the older he got and the longer he reigned, the more prideful he became and the less he relied on God. So the Lord withdrew His hand of protection and allowed enemies to besiege him. Where there had been peace and prosperity there was now war and hard times. Finally, after forty-one years as king, Asa died a sad and diseased man who was far from the Lord.

 

Just a few generations after that, in 2 Chronicles chapter 26, we read the account of King Uzziah – different man, same story. 2 Chronicles 26:5 says, As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” Uzziah did seek the Lord, and he did live a virtuous life of moral excellence based upon Biblical values – for a while. But then he became casual and lazy, not to mention prideful. “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” 2 Chronicles 26:16

 

We’re all familiar with plenty of contemporary examples of this same sad story. There’s the good Christian husband who had a great wife, beautiful children, a nice home, and a good life. But then he became bored and complacent. So he started flirting with the pretty secretary, ended up in an affair, and eventually lost his marriage, his children, and every good thing in his life. When he was faithful and virtuous God blessed his life, but when he drifted away from Biblical values and moral excellence, God gave him over to the consequences of his sin.

 

I encourage you to study the Biblical virtues of moral excellence. Pray over them, practice them, and don’t stray from them. As long as you honor and bless the Lord He will honor and bless you. If you stray from Him he will withdraw the blessings and give you over to the consequences of your sin.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.” 2 Chronicles 1:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t get casual and lazy”

 

Solomon started out so well. He was a young man with great responsibilities and he knew he needed the Lord. 2 Chronicles 1:1 begins by telling us that Solomon was great because God was with him and it was God who made him great.

 

Just a few paragraphs later we discover why God blessed Solomon so much. In verse 7 God encouraged Solomon to ask for anything he wanted. In verse 10 Solomon then prayed, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” To that God responded in verses 11-12, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever hand and none after you will have.”

 

Solomon had the virtue of humility. Even though he had been raised in wealth and splendor, and even though he had now been elevated to the highest position of authority in the land, he did not think too highly of himself and he earnestly sought the Lord. His desire was to simply honor God and to take good care of His people. God responded by blessing Solomon’s socks off. He gave Solomon the wisdom and knowledge he needed in order to be a good leader, and then He blessed him abundantly beyond that.

 

Sadly Solomon’s humility and devotion to the Lord didn’t last. Over time Solomon got casual and lazy. His descent into a life of conspicuous consumption and lasciviousness is recorded for us in the books of 1 Kings Chapters 10 and 11, and in the book of Ecclesiastes. He lavished upon himself every conceivable creature comfort and pleasure. He squandered the Lord’s resources and put a terrible burden on the people. He married 700 wives and had 300 concubines. And worst of all, he began worshipping foreign gods.

 

Finally it was too much for God. In 1 Kings 11:9 we read, “The Lord became angry with Solomon … “ 11:14 says, “Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary …” 11:23 goes on, “And God raised up against Solomon another adversary …” And then in 11:31 we read, “The Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand …”

 

And that is what happened. The blessing became a curse and his life became a mess. The entire book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon in his old age lamenting his stupidity for ever drifting away from the Lord.

 

Solomon started out as a virtuous and godly young man but as he aged he got casual and lazy – and then he started to drift. Soon he was living in ways he never would have imagined and he ended his life in sorrow and disgrace.

 

Being virtuous is a good thing. Remaining virtuous is vital. Don’t allow yourself to get casual and lazy in the practice of your faith. Stay faithful and continue to enjoy God’s blessings upon your life.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim