Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Salvation past, present, and future”

Our Bible verse for today: “So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord … In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6;8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Immediately in the presence of the Lord”

In 2 Corinthians 5:6;8 the Apostle Paul makes it clear that the moment a Christian dies they immediately go to the current heaven to be in the presence of the Lord. Jesus alluded to this as well in Luke 23:43 when He told the repentant thief on the cross next to Him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” We also see it in Luke 16:22-32 when Jesus told the parable of Lazarus the beggar and the rich man. One was in heaven and one was in hell. Both had arrived at their destinations immediately after leaving this life and both were fully conscious and aware of where they were.

Lazarus and the rich man were in the current heaven. It’s the place that both Jesus and Paul were referring to. I say “current” heaven because it is a temporary place which will one day be replaced by “the new heaven and the new earth” described in Revelation 21:1.

The current heaven is what theologians refer to as “the intermediate state.” As author Randy Alcorn explains in his book “Heaven,” “This is a transitional period between our past lives on Earth and our future resurrection life in the New Earth. Usually when we refer to “Heaven,” we mean the place where Christians go when they die. When we tell our children “Grandma’s now in heaven,” we’re referring to the intermediate heaven.”

The intermediate heaven is, by definition, temporary. Anything that is intermediate is not the final destination. How do we know the current heaven is not the forever heaven? Because the Bible tells us so. In Revelation 21:1 we read, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away …”   

What will it be like in the current heaven? In the Bible there are plenty of clues. First, we know that we will be conscious and aware of our surroundings. Lazarus and the rich man both knew who they had been in life and they remembered important details about their life. From that scene we also know that we will be recognizable for who we were in this life. So, there is direct continuity between our lives on earth and our lives in the intermediate heaven.

Also, Jesus used the word “paradise” to describe it. Instead of telling the thief on the cross that heaven is beyond description and we are incapable of understanding what it is like, He chose to use a human word that has great meaning to us and which would create an image in our minds. According to the dictionary paradise is “A place or condition of great happiness where everything is exactly as you would like it to be. Like the Garden of Eden.” Read the early chapters of Genesis. There we find real people in a real place enjoying a perfect paradise. It was paradise, and in some way that’s what the intermediate heaven is like.

There’s more we can know about the intermediate heaven and so we will continue this discussion tomorrow.

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “A glorious eternity”   Without question, the consummation of our salvation is the best part of salvation. The assurance and peace that come from knowing that we have been saved, followed by the working out of our salvation as we enjoy the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the blessings of God in this lifetime, are great things. Salvation has already made a huge difference in your life. But it’s in the consummation that salvation comes to its glorious fulfillment for us.   Dwight L. Moody was an evangelist who lived in the mid-to-late 1800s. Moody had nothing going for him in terms of looks, education, speaking ability, or anything else. Throughout his life he was always considered to be poorly-dressed country bumpkin without cultural graces, and who butchered the English language. The one thing he did have was a strong faith in Christ and a passion for sharing the Good News of the Gospel. His faith was so strong and his passion so infectious that despite his many shortcomings, Moody was the Billy Graham of his day. He preached to stadiums full of people; he was sought-out by celebrities and sports figures; and he had dinner with presidents, kings, and queens.   When speaking about the consummation of salvation and what eternity is going to be like for those who have placed their faith in Christ he once said, “Some day you will read in the papers, ‘D.L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.’ Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I will be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal – a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”   “At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now …” That’s a great statement and it reveals an important truth. This life gives us a glimpse of the life to come. This life is good, but life in eternity will be better beyond description. What will that be like? We will spend the rest of this study considering what the Bible reveals to us about the intermediate state of our spirit after death; the resurrection body we will one day receive; the current heaven; and the new heaven and the new earth. My friends, it is going to be a glorious eternity!   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Good deeds done for the right reason”   As we continue considering the consummation of our salvation, we need to understand what will happen to us at the judgment seat of Christ referred to by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:10. The judgment is for both believers and non-believers. In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 Paul described the proceedings for us:   “If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built up survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved – but only through fire.”   The first thing that will be determined at the judgment seat of Christ is if a person’s name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. Did you place your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins in this lifetime? If you didn’t, then you are lost and the judgment is over. If you did, then your interview continues and the examination goes deeper.   It is at that point that your life is examined and your conduct evaluated. You are not punished for your sins. Jesus already took care of that for you on the cross. But your words and actions are evaluated by the Lord for their worthiness. Everything that is considered unworthy is tossed aside as worthless. Every thought, word, or deed that brought honor to the Lord is rewarded.   When Paul wrote in verse 15 of 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 that if a work is considered worthless you will “suffer loss,” he means that your efforts in that instance here on earth will have been shown to have been worthless and therefore you lost a potential eternal reward. When he writes that you will still have been “saved through fire,” he means that some people will make it into heaven, but their clothes will be smoking and their hair will be singed. They made it, but not by much.   The point is that there is a direct connection between how we live now and what eternity will be like for us forever. Even as people who have placed their faith in Christ and who are therefore assured of a place in heaven, we will not all be of the same spiritual stature, nor will we all enjoy the same rewards. We will enjoy heaven for all eternity to our full capacity, but our capacities for spiritual appreciation and enjoyment will be different based on how we lived and served in this life.   Good works done for the right reasons will be rewarded.   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me … Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:34-36; 40 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Small deeds; big rewards”   When it comes to fully understanding the doctrine of salvation – especially the consummation of it in heaven (the best part!), we don’t want to rush through it. There’s too much to consider and it is too important. So, we will continue our deep dive into what eternity will be like for those who have been saved by Jesus and who will therefore spend their eternity in heaven with Him.   In the passage from Matthew cited above, we find Jesus with believers on Judgment Day. We will consider the judgment in greater detail another time but for today, please notice in that passage that Jesus is rewarding believers in eternity for actions they took in this lifetime. Note also that the examples Jesus cites and the actions He commends are all small things – giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, housing for the homeless, a visit to a prisoner, etc.   He pointedly did not mention big accomplishments like being a television evangelist, or leading stadium crusades, or donating large sums of money to Christian causes. All those things are important and they do need to happen, but most ordinary Christians like you and me will never lead a stadium crusade or donate a million dollars to a Bible college. Most of us live ordinary lives that are filled with ordinary activities.   But small things matter too. In fact, small acts of kindness, compassion, and mercy constitute the bulk of Christian ministry in the world. The kingdom of God on earth grows by millions of Christians performing countless small acts of blessings everyday all over the world. These things matter very much. They matter to the people on the receiving end and they matter to Jesus. So much so that Jesus says here that He considers those small acts of kindness and blessing to have been done directly for Him personally. He will not forget them and in heaven you will be rewarded for every one of those small acts.   How you live now matters for all eternity. The big things matter but so do the small things. So, live in a way now that Jesus can reward you for later. Make it a point to bless people today in numerous small ways.   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “When you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:13-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Everything you do matters forever”   In the Gospels Jesus repeatedly taught that our actions in this lifetime affect our future in eternity. In those lessons He wasn’t just talking about placing your faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. That is of course the most important action you must take for the sake of eternity. However, His lessons were also about acts of service believers engage in that produce great benefits in eternity. As Bruce Wilkinson wrote in his great little book, “The Life God Rewards,” “Everything you do matters forever.” Your life now is having a direct impact on what your eternity will be like later.   In Luke 14:13-14 we find Jesus having dinner in the home of a religious leader. There were many dinner guests – most of them important religious figures, or businessmen, or local officials. They were all treated to a nice meal by the host, and Jesus was the guest of honor. Jesus used the occasion to teach an important spiritual truth. That’s what we just read in the passage above.   Jesus’ point in that lesson was not that the host did wrong by inviting his friends and family members to dinner. Nor, conversely, was the meaning that the only ones who should be treated to such a meal are the down-and-out and the outcasts of society. The larger teaching point was that when we engage in acts of kindness and compassion (especially to those in need) God will repay us for those actions – but not necessarily in this lifetime. Often the rewards for such acts are received in eternity. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “… for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”   Bruce Wilkinson wrote, “God will repay you for a good deed after you are dead.” “Although your eternal destiny (heaven or hell) is based on your belief, the nature of what that eternity in heaven will be like for you is based on your behavior in this lifetime.”   The subject of rewards earned now in this lifetime but not received until we get to heaven is extremely important because it has to do with what eternity will be like for us. Therefore, we will continue thinking about this tomorrow.   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Your rewards will be waiting for you”   In yesterday’s devotional we considered the truth that our spiritual stature in heaven is determined by how much we grow spiritually in this lifetime. The truth is that we won’t all have the same experience in eternity. It will vary from individual to individual based upon how we live now. We will all thoroughly enjoy eternity in heaven – to our maximum capacity for spiritual appreciation and enjoyment, but our capacities will be different.   Another way the Bible teaches this lesson is by describing rewards each person receives in heaven based upon how they lived in this lifetime. There are more than one hundred Scripture references, in both the Old and New Testaments, regarding the subject of rewards in heaven. Jesus taught about it on numerous occasions.   In Matthew 6:19-21, in the Sermon on the Mount, the illustration He used was that of storing up treasures in heaven. Most of us try to store up treasures on earth. We put money in savings accounts, build up retirement funds, invest in houses and property, we collect valuable coins, and so on. Many of us put great thought and disciplined effort into storing up for ourselves treasures here on earth. But Jesus tells us to shift our focus and to do the things necessary to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.   What an intriguing thought. You put money on deposit in The First National Bank of Hometown USA so you will have it for the future. Is it possible to put treasure on deposit in The First National Bank of Heaven so it will be there for you in eternity? According to Jesus, the answer to that question is emphatically “yes!”   This is vitally important. We need to be investing now for our future in heaven. This subject is so important that Jesus returned to in numerous times in His teachings. The body of Biblical literature on the subject is extensive. The Bible teaches so much about the next life (the current heaven, the new heaven and the new earth, the resurrection body, and how to prepare for it all), that we simply do not have enough days left in the month to cover it all – but we will make a good run at it! We will think more about it tomorrow.   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “It is determined in this lifetime”   The consummation of the salvation process happens in two stages, both of which occur after the death of the physical body. Stage one occurs at the time of death when the spirit is released from the body and goes to join God in heaven. At that time, you will be a spirit being (2 Corinthians 5:1-6), and at that point, you will have the spiritual stature that will be yours for the rest of eternity. The second stage occurs later, after the second coming of Christ, at which time all believers will receive their resurrection bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:52). (We will think more about the resurrection body in a future devotional).   Life in heaven will essentially be a continuation of your life on earth. Your eternal life with God began the moment you placed your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. The physical death of your mortal body simply results in a change of address. Your abode shifts from earth to heaven. There will be many differences between your life on earth and your life in heaven, it will be a great improvement, but there is a direct connection between the two.   In his helpful little book, “The Doctrine of Salvation,” Darrell Robinson explained it this way, “Believers will enter heaven as the same persons but as transformed persons … the persons we are at death or at the second coming of Christ we will continue to be in heaven. This life is the time for developing Christlikeness in character. All of God’s children will be true children of God and will share the same eternal life, but we will not be of the same spiritual stature. Capacity for God and for spiritual experience is an important factor for enjoyment in heaven. Maturing in Christlikeness is central in our developing a capacity for enjoyment in heaven. A Bible professor illustrated this point by comparing the Christian life to containers. One person, having developed in Christian maturity, has become like a gallon container. Another has developed a life like a pint container. In heaven each will be filled to overflowing. Each fully enjoys heaven according to their capacity for spiritual appreciation.”   The transition out of this life and into the next is where all the stages of the salvation process meet and converge. Sanctification leads to consummation and the nature of the consummation is derived from the process of sanctification. How you live in this life has a direct impact on what eternity will be like for you. Jesus taught this truth in several places in the gospels, and tomorrow we will look at one of those.   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “It’s building to something glorious”   All last month and now into this new month we have been refreshing our understanding of the important doctrine of salvation. We need to know this for our own sake, but we also need to have such a good understanding of salvation that we can quickly and easily explain it to others. That’s why we are engaging in this two-month review of things many of us have already been taught but which perhaps we have forgotten or don’t remember well.   The fact that we are saved is of course of supreme importance, but the greatest and most glorious aspect of salvation is what it’s leading to. Having been saved and living as a saved person leads us to the best part of salvation – eternity in heaven. This is the future of salvation and it is what we will spend the month of March thinking about.   In his book, “The Doctrine of Salvation,” Dr. Darrell Robinson likens our salvation experience to the flow of the mighty Mississippi River. The Mississippi begins as a small trickling stream way up north near the Great Lakes. As it flows south, it slowly picks up volume from other sources as it continues to grow larger and larger. By the time it finally arrives at its destination in the Gulf of Mexico, it comes crashing in with all the volume of a huge mighty river.   Interestingly, the river’s path is not a straight line from north to south. Instead, it winds and curves around mountains and obstacles; it meanders through valleys; and it goes up and down through various elevations by means of locks and canals. It constantly flows towards its ultimate destination, but the journey is a crooked path at best.   That’s a pretty good illustration of our salvation experience. We begin in the moment of salvation with a trickle of faith and a small spiritual stature. But then we begin the lifelong process of sanctification and as we progress on our journey, navigating life’s many challenges, praying and studying, participating in worship and fellowship, serving and being served, always growing, always maturing – we pick up great spiritual volume and we continue to increase in spiritual size and stature. Finally, we arrive at our ultimate destination (heaven) fully developed and ready to be the person God has always intended for us to be for all of eternity.   Be encouraged my friends. This Christian life you are living is headed to a glorious fulfillment and I assure you, it is going to be good!   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t become spiritually malnourished”   You need your church and your church needs you. It has always been God’s plan that His people would congregate in groups as a community of faith. There are no examples in the Bible of Lone Ranger Christians (Christians being alone, out of fellowship with other Christians, and it being a good thing). Jesus was in the desert alone, but that was only for forty days. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness, but great crowds of people went out to be with him (they had church in the desert!)   As Hebrews 10:24-25 teaches, God wants us to gather on a regular basis so we can look out for each other, love, support, and encourage one another. Our time together is also to be a time of teaching, equipping, group worship, and planning for works of service.   This life as a saved person is a time for growing in spiritual maturity as we become more and more like Jesus. The church plays an important role in our growth as Christians. Church is where we most often engage with our preachers, teachers, counselors, and friends. The role the church plays in our lives is often subtle, and the benefits of it are realized a little at a time over a long period of time.   You may have heard the story of the elderly deacon who encountered a younger man who had been absent from church for a long time. The deacon asked him why he had stopped attending. The man replied that on most Sundays he just didn’t feel as if church attendance was doing much for him. He said, “I can’t even remember most of the sermons I have ever heard.”   To that the deacon wisely replied, “You know, I’ve been married for fifty-five years. My wife has prepared a meal for me every day of those fifty-five years but I can’t remember most of them. However, each of those meals nourished my body and helped to keep me healthy. If I hadn’t eaten those meals I would have been malnourished and physically sick. The same is true about every sermon you hear. It nourishes your soul and helps to keep you spiritually healthy.”   You need to be in church. It’s an important part of the transforming work God wants to be doing in your life. Otherwise, over time, you will become spiritually malnourished.   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: “Salvation past, present, and future”   Our Bible verse for today: “In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ.” Colossians 2:11 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “You need to get circumcised”   Let’s talk about circumcision. You know, the surgical procedure that involves taking a sharp knife to the male penis and cutting away the excess foreskin surrounding the head. It is bloody and it is painful. However, in addition to the physical and hygienic function it serves there’s also spiritual symbology associated with it.   In yesterday’s devotional we read in Ephesians 5:15 where the Apostle Paul instructed us to Pay careful attention, then, to how you live – not as unwise people but as wise- making the most of the time …” Then he went on to teach us what it means to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. In that passage he was telling us that there should be something different and special about how we as the followers of Jesus Christ live our lives. That brings us to the spiritual significance of the symbol of circumcision.   In Genesis chapter seventeen, God directed Abraham to circumcise all the males in his household as a physical sign of the spiritual covenant He was making with them. It was a symbolic gesture which marked them as belonging to God. Later, in the time of the Exodus, God reconfirmed circumcision as a marker to identify His people. However, in Romans 2:25-29, and again in Colossians 2:11, the Apostle Paul explained that true circumcision is circumcision of the heart, not of the flesh. It involves cutting out of our lives anything that does not honor and please God. Physical circumcision isn’t required for New Testament Christians. It’s circumcision of the heart that marks us as the people of God.   What does this have to do with our theme for this month about salvation? Just that circumcision of the heart is an important part of the present state of salvation, which is known as sanctification. Now that you have been saved (salvation past), you are in the process of being transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus (salvation present). This will involve spiritual circumcision – cutting out of your life anything that does not honor and please God.   So, if you do happen to have one of those male appendages it does not need to be circumcised. But your heart does. So, please don’t run to your doctor to get physically circumcised (unless you really want to). As a matter of faith, it isn’t necessary. But please do circumcise your heart. Cut out of your life anything that does not honor and please God.   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