Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Just push pause.”

 

Last night I was sitting in my recliner in the living room. I had a fire going in the fireplace, some soft jazz playing in the background, and I spent a couple of hours reading a good book. It was quiet and relaxing. That’s one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. I rarely watch television. My idea of an evening well-spent is what I just described.

 

As I sit here this morning thinking about how relaxing that kind of an evening is for me, it brings to mind some other times when I also experienced a great sense of peace and relaxation. Many years ago I spent a few days by myself at a Christian camp in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. The name of the camp is Forest Home and it’s the same place where as a young man Billy Graham surrendered his life to God for evangelistic ministry. I sat in the same little chapel in the woods where Billy sat decades earlier when he came to that decision. I was alone. It was quiet, peaceful, very relaxing, and there was a great sense of the presence of God there with me. I vividly remember it to this day.

 

Another time that stands out in my mind was a couple of years ago here in Crossville, TN. It was a nice summer day, I was at the home of some friends out in the country, and we just sat out back drinking iced tea and talking for a couple of hours. There was a cool breeze blowing, I had nothing to do and nowhere to go, and we just sat and talked. It was enjoyable and very relaxing. I know there doesn’t seem to be anything special about that scene (except that I don’t do enough of it), but it stands out in my mind as a particularly enjoyable and relaxing time.

 

We all need times when we push the pause button of life and just chill for a while. Unfortunately in our fast-paced world many of us don’t allow ourselves enough of those times. It’s not that the opportunities aren’t there, they are. The problem is that we make excuses about being too busy, or having to do this or that or some other thing instead, and we simply do not stop and rest when we should.

 

In Mark 6:31 we read about one of the times when Jesus called a time-out and pressed the pause button for Himself and His followers. They all went off to a quiet place to just rest and relax for a while. It wasn’t the only time they did this and those times are recorded in the Bible for a reason. They’re there as an example for us. If those people needed to do it then so do we.

 

Today is Friday and the weekend is upon us. Do you have plans to push pause and relax for a while? I do, and I hope you do too.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth …: Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God doesn’t want us to overdo it.”

 

This morning I want to continue our discussion from yesterday with regards to overworking being a common source of imbalance in our lives. I’ve come to believe that people typically overwork for one of four reasons. The first is because we either believe it is expected of us or it actually is expected of us. In other words, the nature of the job is such that it requires an inordinate amount of our time.

 

A second common reason a person might overwork is they become so consumed with thoughts of advancement that they convince themselves if they just work long and hard enough they will get the promotions they crave. A third common reason is the desire to earn more money. This is seen most often with hourly wage earners who have the opportunity to work lots of overtime.

 

And then the fourth common reason for overworking is that the person simply loves what they do and they have difficulty leaving it alone. This is seen most often with small business owners and also with Pastors. This is my issue. I love what I do and sometimes I can’t seem to stop. Also, my primary office is in my home so technically I’m always at work. Often it seems like I just can’t to leave it alone.

 

In Deuteronomy 8:17-18 Moses explained that it is God who gives us our ability to do what we do. But as we’ve been learning this month, He desires for us to use those skills and abilities in reasonable ways that bring balance to our lives. We are not to be so consumed with our jobs (for any reason) that it throws the rest of our lives out of whack.

 

God gave you your skills and abilities so you can earn a living. He also gave them to you so you can add value to society and so you can serve others in His name. He can use you in that capacity without it being an all-consuming obsession on your part. If the performance of your job is causing other areas of your life to be out of balance then you have taken your job to an extreme that God never intended.

 

If we’ve learned anything so far this month it is that God intends for there to be a healthy balance to our lives. Therefore we should not allow our jobs to become so demanding that they throw the rest of life out of balance.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Remember, it is balance we’re seeking.”

 

If you have been following along with these daily devotionals for a while, maybe even trying to connect the dots between last month’s theme of “Living with no excuses” and this month’s theme of “balance”, you could be confused. It could seem as if I’m urging you to both get moving and to slow down – to get busy and do something, and to stop doing so much. Well, the answer is “it depends.”

 

It’s important that each of us honestly assess who we are and what we are like. We need to be honest about how we’re living and whether or not we’re trying to do too much or not enough. Most of us do fall into one of those two categories and often both categories at the same time. Sometimes we’re very diligent in one area, almost compulsive, but then we’re neglecting another area of life. If so, it means you need better balance. You need to stop making excuses for doing too much of one thing and too little of another.

 

This is especially true when it comes to jobs and careers (which is why I chose 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 as our verse for today). Many of us work so long and so hard that we overwork. That then leads to serious imbalance in other important areas of life like relationships and health. The Japanese actually have a word for this. They call it “Karoshi”. “Karoshi” means “death from overwork”. It’s a major problem in their society, just as it is in ours. People work so hard for so long and under so much pressure that it damages relationships with spouse, children, and friends, and there is also little time or energy left for exercise, good nutrition, and adequate sleep. They’re working themselves to death.

 

With respect to work, we sometimes need to recalibrate our thinking and back it down a bit. No job is worth your health, your marriage, or your relationship with your children. It’s much better to have a simple job with good balance in the rest of your life, than an all-consuming career that’s sucking the life out of your life.

 

Work is often the most common cause of imbalance but it’s not the only one. It’s crucial for each of us to be honest with ourselves about where we’re at in this balance equation and whether we need to crank it up a bit in one area, or perhaps back it down somewhere else. Remember, it is good balance we need and are seeking.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Fight the FOMO”

 

Are you addicted to your smart phone? Are you connected to social media 24/7? Can anyone get in touch with you at any time in any place for any reason? If so, why do you allow it? Why do you feel the need to be so connected all the time?

 

Our smart phones and other technology provide us with continuous access to not just phone calls, but also to text messages, emails, internet access, and constant Facebook news feeds. Why do we need to (or even want to) stay so connected all the time?

 

FOMO is the “Fear of Missing Out”. It’s the fear that there’s an adorable video on Facebook of a momma monkey holding a baby monkey in her lap (complete with diaper and baby bonnet), she’s feeding it with a bottle, stroking it’s head, and lovingly gazing at her little baby. All of your friends have seen the video, they’re chuckling and cooing about it, but you haven’t seen it yet. You’re missing out. Or a group of friends are going to hang out later and they want you to join them. But if you don’t have your phone so you can take the call or receive the text, you could be missing out.

 

The Fear Of Missing Out – on anything – is what has caused so many of us to become so compulsive and obsessive about staying connected. But seriously, what are we gaining by allowing the world to have constant access to our minds and hearts like that? The answer is “not much”. We’re not gaining much. In fact we’re losing peace of mind. More and more studies are showing that excessive interaction with social media creates increased levels of anxiety, it raises blood pressure, and it actually results in a decrease in a person’s overall quality of life. Technology often creates an imbalance in our lives.

 

Also, staying constantly connected to social media like that crowds out God. Our minds remain focused on phone calls and text messages and video streams and snap chats, and there is little quiet time for God to speak to our mind and whisper to our heart. That’s what we’re missing out on. We’re losing peaceful meditative reflective time with God.

 

We don’t need to be better connected to social media we need to be better connected to Jesus. Social media doesn’t improve our lives, Jesus does. In John 10:10 Jesus reminds us that He offers us life in all its fullness. The connection we need is with Him. If you’re going to be in fear of missing out on something it should be the fear of missing out on time with Jesus.

 

I encourage you today to fight the fear of missing out. Lose the phone and find the Lord.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.” Deuteronomy 24:5 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Putting the Honey in the Honeymoon”

 

I enjoy using the “Every Man’s Study Bible” for my personal daily Bible readings. It’s a study Bible that is specifically designed for men and it includes lots of helpful (and often humorous) sidebars and editorial comments. Such is the case with Deuteronomy 24:5. The editors glibly referred to the practice described in that verse as “Putting the Honey in the Honeymoon”.

 

In this verse we read that early in the history of the nation of Israel newly married men were given an entire year off from work so they could stay at home to firmly establish a good home life with their new wife. Evidently this was a cultural thing that was planned for. Couples must have saved the money to cover their expenses for a year. Family and friends evidently helped; employers were willing to hold the job position for them; and the man spent that first year doing all the many things a man needs to do at home in order to make sure his wife is well cared for and happy.

 

This may be where we originally got the old adage “If momma ain’t happy then nobody is happy.” They seemed to recognize that a stable home life provides a solid foundation for the rest of life. But if life at home is unstable and chaotic, it can be a major distraction that prevents us from really focusing well on other things.

 

The primary reason so many marriages fail is because the spouses get caught-up in the busyness of life and they drift away from each other. Rather than doing the things necessary to keep their marriage healthy, they get sucked into the whirlwind of careers and kids and hobbies and friends, and they drift away from their spouse mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

 

That is a classic example of what happens when our lives get out of balance. Its how husbands and wives grow apart; its how distance is created between parents and children; and this is how we slowly but surely get fat and out of shape. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can be intentional about establishing correct priorities (that’s what was happening in Deuteronomy 24:5) and then we can take the steps necessary to protect those priorities. We can remain balanced.

 

I know a couple who appear to be on a twenty-five year honeymoon. They have been married for about twenty-five years and yet they still act like they’re on their honeymoon. They hold hands, they laugh and giggle, they treat each other not just as spouses but as best friends, and they do lots of stuff together. They’re intentional about keeping the honey in the honeymoon and keeping that marriage strong.

 

That’s a good example for everyone and for all of life – not just for husbands and wives in a marriage relationship. Establish right priorities and good balance. Then do the things necessary to protect that balance.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Breathe”

 

Last year there was a hit song that got a lot of airplay on Christian radio. It was by Johnny Diaz and the title was “Breathe”. If you’ve never heard the song and are therefore unfamiliar with the tune, as you read these lyrics try to hear in your head a very fast paced, high pitched, staccato tune, perhaps the sound of a small hammer rapidly hitting an anvil – a driving beat pushing the person to frantically race through life. And then suddenly, in the middle of all the loud noise and the high pitched driving beat a pause, total silence for a moment, and then the soft drawn out words … breathe, just breathe …

 

Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life

 

Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life
It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say just ….

 

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe ….

 

I encourage you to Google the song now and listen to it. The reason the song is so popular is because it speaks directly to the condition of so many of our lives. We race through life at ninety miles an hour when what we really need to do is … just breathe.

 

The primary reason God established the Sabbath (the fourth commandment) was so we would stop and rest. I know, you thought the primary reason for the Sabbath is to get you to go to church. No, it was first and foremost to be a day of rest. Gathering with God’s people for worship, learning, and fellowship is an important part of that resting and renewing, but the Sabbath is a day of rest, a day to stop running and to just breathe.

 

This is what I was describing in yesterday’s devotional and it’s one of the primary reasons we all need to be in church. It’s a time to stop and to just breathe as you are refreshed and renewed spiritually. I encourage you to take the time out of your busy life to rest and renew. An important part of that renewal will take place as you gather with others for worship.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go up to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You need this.”

 

King David knew the value of regularly gathering with God’s people. Not only did he recognize the value of it, but doing so brought him great joy. That’s what he was describing in Psalm 122:1. The Psalm is known as “A song of accents” and it pictures a joyful procession (a parade) of people singing and dancing as they’re walking up the hill into Jerusalem on their way to the temple.

 

I love it! I want us to do this on some Sunday morning at Oak Hill Baptist. Let’s gather the congregation, get some horns and trumpets and drums, wave some Christian flags, and march along the street to church. We can sing and laugh and wave to people as we invite them to join us. That’s what David was describing – a parade that leads to the church service.

 

Is that the way you feel about going to church? Do you have a joyful sense of eager anticipation? If not then you go to the wrong church. God created local churches so His people would have someplace to gather with other Christians on a regular basis. He intends for it to be a time of fellowship, worship, instruction, and spiritual renewal. It should be joy-filled, encouraging, helpful, and refreshing. Does that describe your church? Again, if it doesn’t then you go to the wrong church. I believe it does describe Oak Hill Baptist and I think if you will visit with us you will agree.

 

What does this have to do with our theme of “balance”? Regular participation in the life of a good church is an important way in which we maintain good spiritual balance. We need this. Life is hectic and often chaotic. We rush through our days pressured and pressed by the demands of life. But church is a sanctuary. It is a refuge. It’s the place we go to shut out the cares of life, to focus on God and on our brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is the place where we can recalibrate, refresh, and renew. Gathering with the church like this helps us to regain our center of balance.

 

This is why God has instructed us (commanded us actually), to not neglect these times of gathering together with our church family (Hebrews 10:24-25). He intends for each of us to be an active member of a local congregation and then to faithfully attend the regularly scheduled gatherings of that family of faith. We need this.

 

If you already are a member of a good church family then I encourage you to attend the services this Sunday. If you don’t have a church, then I invite you to visit us at Oak Hill Baptist. You can find us at 3036 Genesis Road in Crossville, TN. Sunday school is at 9:00, Worship service begins at 10:00, and the evening service is at 6:00. We look forward to having you join us soon.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Hello Everyone,

This message is being sent to the Daily Devotional Reader Groups on email, Facebook, and the Oak Hill Baptist Church website.

One of my personal goals for 2018 is to publish my next book. I have already had a meeting with my publisher and we have a tentative agreement in place. However, I have three different manuscripts, each of which is pretty much complete, with the exception of some formatting and editing. Therefore any one of the three could become the next book. My task is now to decide which of the three it will be. I would like to ask for your feedback to help me decide.

Whichever of the three manuscripts becomes the next book, the profits from the book will all go to the Oak Hill Baptist Church Mission Trip Scholarship Fund. This is a fund we maintain at the church to provide financial assistance to our church members who need it, in order to go on international mission trips.

Below I will provide the working title and a brief description of the book. I would like to ask you to vote for the book you would be mostly likely to buy, read, and give as a gift to friends and relatives (especially at Christmastime).

1. “Breakfast with Barnabas: Encouraging Devotionals to Start Your Day” This book was inspired by one of my favorite people in the New Testament, Barnabas “The Son of Encouragement”. This is a compilation of the 12 most popular Daily Devotional themes from the last seven years (as voted for by you).

The book will have 12 chapters. Each chapter will be about a particular theme and will contain 26 daily devotional readings on that theme. It can be used as a One Year Daily Devotional Guide or it can be used for quick reference. If the individual is seeking information or guidance on one of the 12 themes they can turn to that chapter and find 26 passages of scripture and 26 short teachings on that subject.

The downside here is that it is a daily devotional guide, and anyone seeking a daily devotional could simply sign up to receive the ones I write each day. (Unless you want two daily devotionals, one for the morning and one for the evening. Then you could read the new one in the morning and use Breakfast with Barnabas at night. I do this myself. I have the daily devotional I write for publication each morning and then I also have another devotional guide I use at night just before going to bed).

2. Grounded in Grace: Living free in Christ without running amuck.

A life application commentary of the books of Galatians and James. This book will be similar to my second book “Walking with Paul”. It will be a life application commentary which will examine the major themes in Galatians and James and it will offer practical applications for living the Christian life well.

The reason this book will consider both Galatians and James is because Galatians is all about grace and living free in Christ, whereas James is largely about the structure and self-discipline we need in order to live well. On the face of it those two emphasis’ could appear to be contradictory or even counterintuitive. But they’re not. Actually they compliment each other and fit hand-in-glove. We need to fully embrace the grace described in Galatians in order to enjoy our freedom in Christ, but we need the structure and self-discipline taught by James so that we don’t run amuck and slide into what C.S. Lewis once referred to as “cheap grace”.

3. Biblical Sexual Ethics in an Age of Controversy and Conflict: Getting along without going along; loving your neighbor without compromising your principles.

This book first of all establishes God’s ethics for sexual relations as clearly explained in the Bible. It then addresses a wide range of sexual ethics issues in our society today including homosexual behavior, same-sex marriage, transgender issues, sex outside of marriage, polygamy, open marriages, recent court decisions, social and legal issues faced by Christians today, and much more.

The book is based entirely upon what the Bible actually says, and is supplemented by significant social and scientific research. It is written from the perspective that Christians can stand firmly on clear Biblical principles, without apology and without fear, but we can do so without being mean, ugly, or unnecessarily provoking. It is possible to love your neighbor without compromising your principles.

So those are the three choices. Again, please tell me which of the three you would be most likely to buy, read, and give as a gift. Please rank them in order, 1-3.

Also, the titles listed are just the working titles and can still be changed. So if you have a suggestion for a better title by all means please share your suggestions with me.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in beautiful places; indeed I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Be thankful for what you have.”

 

A couple of days ago I was having a conversation with a friend who is dealing with a lot of challenges in life. This person has a spouse with a long-term illness, family members dealing with various difficult life-issues, a couple of grandchildren with some health issues, and an often stressful work environment.

 

But as we were talking this individual said, “I have a beautiful life. I am so blessed!” She went on to say “Despite the challenges, I am a very fortunate person and I am grateful.” We then moved on to talk about a mutual friend of ours who is currently serving as a medical missionary in a refugee camp in a remote location on the other side of the world. The refugees have been forced to flee from their homes, they left all their possessions behind, and they are now living in tents with an uncertain future.

 

Our First-World problems are not problems at all compared to what multiple millions of people around the world are dealing with everyday. To remind me of that I keep a note to myself in my Bible which reads, “Many millions of people around the world would love to have your life.”

 

I love the picture King David painted for us in Psalm 16:6. When he wrote that “the boundary lines” had fallen for him in beautiful places he was referring to the contours of his life. He was thinking of things like health, family, home, profession, friends, etc. His life wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but it was pretty good and he was grateful for it. That’s what my friend meant when she made a similar comment about her own life – not perfect by a long shot, but pretty darn good just the same.

 

King David’s lessons is and important one. One of the primary reasons our lives get out of balance is because we’re not grateful and we’re not satisfied. Therefore many of us work excessive hours of overtime so we can afford the payments on things like a boat and a camper (which we seldom use because we work so much!) Or we spend numerous hours in the gym trying to achieve the perfect body while our spouse and children wait at home, starving for some of our attention. Or we become so obsessed with children’s sports leagues (which play many of their games on Sunday mornings now) that we have the whole family out of church and at a soccer game instead – and so our spiritual lives get neglected.

 

In order to achieve proper balance in life we have to be willing to give the important areas of our lives the time and attention they need in order to be healthy and thriving. If one area is getting more than its share of time or attention that will necessarily mean that one or more other areas are being neglected. The result will be a life that is out of balance.

 

Rather than getting obsessive about one particular area of your life (to the detriment of other areas), I encourage you to learn to be content and to strive instead for good balance instead.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Work to achieve wholeness”

 

I first encountered the concept of “wholeness” in the Christian life many years ago at conference in Los Angeles. The conference was sponsored by the Renovare Institute, which is a Christian ministry committed to assisting individual Christians and churches to pursue spiritual formation at a deeper level. The concept of wholeness in the Christian life was a prominent theme in many of the workshops and sermons.

 

A generally accepted definition of Christian wholeness is “The state of being well in body, soul, and spirit (with the soul being understood to incorporate the mind, will, and emotions).” So a Christian who is enjoying “wholeness” is healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

 

Additionally, each of those areas impacts and affects the others. For instance, how you feel physically influences to some degree how you’re doing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Likewise, if you’re struggling with your mental or emotional health, it is often difficult get motivated to exercise, or eat right. And of course since at your core you are a spiritual person, if you are not healthy spiritually then that has a negative impact on every other area of life.

 

You are a “whole” person. You consist of a physical body, a mind that is mental and emotional, and you are a spiritual being. All of them are intricately connected and they impact one another. Therefore you need to be balanced and healthy physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually in order to be enjoying the “wholeness” I described a moment ago.

 

This is what Paul was writing about in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The sanctification he referred to in that verse is the process of transformation the Holy Spirit is using to slowly and progressively change us into the men and women God intends for us to be. First, foremost, primarily, and most importantly that transformation is spiritual in nature. But it isn’t just spiritual. As Paul inferred in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, it includes your body and you mind too (may your spirit, soul and body be kept sound …)

 

The book I referred to yesterday, “Toughness Training for Life” by Dr. James Loehr, is not a Christian book. Although Dr. Loehr does acknowledge the importance of the spiritual person, his focus is mostly on the physical, mental, and emotional areas of life. If you’re looking for an excellent study that illustrates how professional athletes achieve a healthy balance in those areas, this book is worth your time to read. In the days to come I will offer you additional suggestions that incorporate good spiritual growth as well. In the meantime please be thinking about the importance of being a whole and balanced person physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim