Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” Proverbs 15:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Words and tone matter.”

I read an interesting article in the newspaper recently. The title was “Bring ‘better angels’ back to politics.” The phrase ‘better angels’ was borrowed from Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address. As Lincoln was preparing to assume the office of the Presidency the nation was on the brink of war. He had been elected with less than 40% of the popular vote, his own party was split into angry factions, the American people were divided over the issue of slavery as well as many other issues, and all sides all across the country were screaming at each other.

Lincoln knew that words and tone matter. He knew that the things that are said, and the tone in which they are said, matter very much. As Proverbs 15:1 says, a gentle answer has great power to turn away anger but a harsh word stirs things up. So Lincoln understood that the first thing he needed to do in order to try to avert a disaster for the country was to get everyone to turn down the volume and to temper their words. Here’s part of what he said:

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

By “better angels” Lincoln was appealing to the better, more virtuous instincts of the American people in general. He was saying, “We’re better than this. We are better people than the tone of our current angry rhetoric suggests.” Sadly, the people didn’t listen to Lincoln. The angry and overheated rhetoric continued to escalate, words translated into actions, and the nation was torn apart by four years of devastating Civil War.

The article I was reading was about a national bi-partisan network that has been created in our country recently called “Better Angels”. It’s a network of influential thinkers, political and social leaders, and regular Americans from all walks of life who recognize, as Lincoln did, the inherent danger associated with the tone of our national dialogue, and who are committed to trying to change it. Nobody has to change their position on anything. But we do need to change the way we discuss our differences. The tone has got to change because words lead to actions, and angry words lead to angry actions. There’s no way that can have a good outcome.We all need to temper the tone with which we discuss our differences. Words, and tone, matter.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “(Be) ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect.”

1 Peter 3:15-16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We must help to change the tone of the conversation.”

This month my next book will be published. The title is: “Getting Along without Going Along: Biblical sexual ethics in an age of controversy and conflict”. The primary purpose of the book is to provide Christians with well researched and accurate information about sexual ethics – sexual ethics as defined by God in the Bible. The book consists of thirty-four short essays arranged in three categories: “What the Bible Says”; “Good Answers to Hard Questions”; and “A Way Forward”.

A secondary purpose of the book however, is to encourage Christians to publically contend for Biblical truth, but to do so with kindness and respect, as opposed to with anger and overheated rhetoric.

I think everyone would agree that the tone of our national dialogue has become shrill and nasty. Regardless of the issue being discussed, it seems that people can no longer have a calm and reasoned discussion about social issues. Instead the language used is strong, exaggerated, and often mean-spirited and unkind. That’s true of high profile politicians; it’s especially true in the news media; but it’s also becoming increasingly true among the population in general.

However it should not be true of Christians. Peter teaches in 1 Peter 3:15-16 that we must be able to contend for Biblical truth (in private conversation as well as in the public arena), with gentleness and respect. Not only should that be true when it is Biblical principles we are advocating for, but it should be true of our tone and demeanor regardless of the issue.

As we’ll see in our study this month, Jesus (especially in the Sermon on the Mount); Solomon, in the Proverbs; Paul, in his letters; Peter, in 1 Peter 3:15-16; and other Biblical writers as well, all teach us to keep our anger and emotions in check and to treat others with kindness and respect. That would include those with whom we disagree.

In our increasingly polarized society, with so much angry and overheated rhetoric flying in all directions, Christians should have the courage and the boldness to contend for Biblical truth, but we should also be the voice of reason and reconciliation. We will spend the month exploring that idea.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “God’s guidance”

Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Trust Him to guide you.”

Attempting to seek guidance from God about anything is often a confusing and anxiety-inducing time for many people, but it shouldn’t be. As I’ve explained several times throughout the course of our study this month, God wants to be understood by His people so He can then be obeyed. It would be unfair on God’s part if He expected to be obeyed but then didn’t make Himself clear about what He wanted us to do.

As we complete our study of seeking God’s guidance, I want to conclude by reviewing a couple of key points. First, I’ve decided to use Proverbs 3:5-6 as our Bible verse for today even though it’s already been used once this month. I’m doing that because it teaches such an important truth. When seeking guidance from God you must trust Him. Then make sure that to the best of your ability you are seeking His will and not your own. If you are doing that, you can be sure He will guide you as necessary. Even if you don’t receive specific step-by-step instructions, you can go forward in confidence that since your heart is right and you are sincerely seeking His will, He will guide you.

That then brings us to the second important point we need to remember. Many times God doesn’t give us specific instructions. Instead, more often, He simply gives us Biblical boundaries within which we are to stay. It is then up to us to use our spiritually mature good judgment, make our best decision, and get on with life. In most cases there are multiple potential choices we could make that would be just fine with God, as long as we stay within the boundaries.

The story Dallas Willard used to tell about guiding his children when they were young is a helpful illustration of this point. Dallas would often send the children out to play in the fenced backyard. Once they were in the backyard they were free to swing on the swings, play in the sandbox, sit under a tree and read a book, or any number of other activities they might choose, as long as they behaved themselves and stayed within the boundaries of the backyard. Dallas didn’t feel as if he needed to give them specific guidance regarding particular activities, as long as they were being obedient to the general rules of good behavior and they were staying within the established boundaries of the backyard they were free to make their own choices.

The same is often true for us with respect to how God is guiding us. As long as you behave yourself and stay within the boundaries you can make your own choices. So, don’t fret about it and don’t get bogged down in indecision which prevents you from doing anything. Pray, sincerely seek God’s will and not your own, give God plenty of opportunity to speak to you if He wants to, but then make a decision and get on with life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “God’s guidance”

Our Bible verse for today: “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Distinguish between wants and needs.”

Do you know the difference between a want and a need? Many people confuse the two. Food and shelter is a need. A new iphone is a want. Protection in a dangerous situation is a need. Praying for the Braves to win the pennant is a want. The dictionary tells us that a need is something that is a necessity and which is required; a want is something that is desired and wished for, but not really necessary.

When praying for God’s guidance it’s important to distinguish between a legitimate need and something that is only a want. Over and over again throughout the Bible God assures us that He is aware of our true needs and that He is committed to caring for us. The words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 may be the most reassuring passage in all of scripture regarding this (it’s the “do not worry” passage). In that passage Jesus assures us that our Father in Heaven knows what our needs are and that He will provide for us, if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Likewise, in Philippians 4:19, the Apostle Paul boldly proclaims his confidence that his God (the God that he knows so well and so personally, and who has provided so well for him through all of his own times of trial and need) will also supply all of our true needs.

Beyond that, God will often also grant us our wants as well. We know from scripture and from personal experience that God blesses us abundantly, over and above what we had hoped for or expected. But, it’s essential that we remain clear in our own minds which things are genuine needs and which are only wants. And should we get confused about it, I think God will help to clarify things for us, probably by denying us the want we are confusing as a need, and He will do it in order to help us see that we really don’t “need” that thing after all.

We can be much bolder in our prayers about things that are genuine needs. But when it comes to things that are merely wants and nice-to-haves, it’s still okay to pray for such things, but we better be sure to tell God we understand and appreciate the difference. Otherwise He might have to teach it to us.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “God’s guidance”

Our Bible verse for today: “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Seek God’s will, not your own.”

In his famous Bible study, “Experiencing God: Knowing and doing the will of God”, Henry Blackaby teaches an important lesson about how a congregation in a business meeting should prepare themselves for making decisions. He teaches that the business meeting should begin with a time of silent prayer as each person asks God to help them put aside their own opinions, preferences, and biases, and to the best of their ability genuinely seek only His will in the matters to be decided upon. If enough people in the meeting are determined to only seek God’s will, so they can then obey it, you can trust that God will reveal His will to those people. This is a pattern that we use at all of our business meetings at Oak Hill Baptist Church.

What’s true for an entire congregation is also true for us as individuals. When it comes to seeking guidance from God we have to do what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, we have to put aside our own wants and desires, and to the best of our ability seek only God’s will in the matter.

Jesus certainly had a strong opinion about how He would have preferred that matter to have been resolved. He would have preferred for God the Father to come up with some other solution, rather than He (Jesus) taking upon Himself the sins of the world and then dying a torturous death on the cross. In His flesh Jesus wanted a different outcome. But it was God the Father who had the good and perfect plan. It was true that Jesus would suffer terribly for a relatively brief time, but His suffering would result in eternal glory for Him and deliverance from sin for all those who would place their faith in Him. The Father’s plan was best, and Jesus knew it. And so, He submitted His will for the Father’s and simply did what He knew He needed to do.

As you are seeking God’s guidance for anything, you have to be committed to submitting your will for His – even if that means accepting an outcome that is different from the one you were hoping for. There is no better place for you to be than right in the center of God’s will.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “God’s guidance”

Our Bible verse for today: “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in him.” Matthew 12:34-35 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Follow your heart.”

In yesterday’s devotional I explained that God is in the process of transforming you into the man or woman He wants you to be. Your life is a work of art in His hands and you are His masterpiece in the making. It is actually your heart that He is molding and shaping. The rest of your life is the outward manifestation of what is in your heart. That’s what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 12:34-35.

To a very large degree a person’s actions are driven by what is in his or her heart. It’s true that those impulses and inclinations can be controlled to an extent, and for a while, through simple will power and discipline, but ultimately it’s what is in your heart that will determine how you think; that will then determine the choices you make; which will dictate the actions you take; and the actions you take will collectively add up to the life you have.

With respect to seeking God’s guidance in any given moment, there are two lessons in this for us. First, commit yourself to the daily spiritual disciplines that will keep you in a position before God whereby He can progressively transform your heart. This is the first and best way to conform to God’s will for your life. If your heart has been molded and shaped into something that is good and holy, the rest of your life will follow along. Good decisions on your part will occur largely automatically simply because of who God has transformed you into.

The second lesson in this for us involves conscious choice on our part. As you are considering the choices before you, consider which one would most likely be made by a person with the kind of heart Jesus described in Matthew 12:34-35 – a heart that is a storehouse of good. That’s the kind of heart you want to have, it’s the kind of heart that God is trying to form within you, and it is the kind of heart that will lead to good decisions.

It’s we are often confronted with desires and impulses that are not consistent with a good heart, and which pull us strongly in a different direction. So think, which choice would be most consistent with the kind of heart Jesus described? Then make that choice. Make it regardless of any other impulses or desires you might be experiencing at the moment.

When I encouraged you to “follow your heart”, this is what I meant. Consider the good that is stored up in your heart and let that be what guides your thinking and your actions.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “God’s guidance”

Our Bible verse for today: “For we are His workmanship (His own master work, a work of art), created in Christ Jesus (reborn from above – spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used) for good works, which God prepared (for us) beforehand (taking paths which He set), so that we would walk in them (living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us).” Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified Bible)

Our thought for today: “Your life is a work of art.”

The Amplified Bible is a special translation of the Bible which uses all the English words necessary to capture the full meaning of the Hebrew or Greek words used in the Bible. Hebrew and Greek are rich languages and the words often have many layers of meaning. Therefore it sometimes takes multiple English words to capture the full meaning of a single Hebrew or Greek word. The Amplified Bible uses as many English words as necessary in order to do that. It makes for awkward reading, but it does help us to gain a fuller understanding of what’s being taught in the verse.

Paul’s intent in Ephesians 2:10, was to help us understand that God is at work in our lives creating a masterpiece, a work of art. God is in the process of molding and shaping us into the men and women He wants us to be. You have been reborn in Christ Jesus, renewed in the Spirit, transformed from who you used to be, and prepared by God to accomplish His good works in this world. In His eyes you are becoming progressively more and more beautiful, and you are slowly becoming the person He wants you to be.

Some of the most beautiful people I have ever known were old and wrinkled, sometimes in poor health and with few worldly possessions. They might not have been “beautiful” in terms of physical attractiveness, fashionable clothes, expensive jewelry, but they were beautiful in spirit. They were beautiful in their expression of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

As you’re seeking God’s guidance for the various decisions you have to make in life, remember that He is in the process of transforming you into a spiritual masterpiece, and any guidance He gives you will be intended to move you along in that process of transformation. So ask yourself, “Which of the choices before me would produce the most positive change in me, or would be most likely to bring out the Fruit of the Spirit in me?” Since your transformation is God’s ultimate objective, answering such a question could be very helpful in discerning His guidance for you in this moment.

Your life is a work of God’s art. You are His masterpiece in development and God is guiding you in that direction.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is: