Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Handle your finances well.”

 

As a Pastor I spend a lot of time working with individuals and families who are struggling. The issues vary from one situation to another but one common complicating factor is financial problems. If money problems are not the primary issue, it is often a complicating factor.

 

Few things in life cause as much stress as money problems. Usually those problems are rooted in poor financial discipline. Rarely do I encounter a person who has established good financial habits, and maintained them over a long period of time, who is now in financial distress. Almost always they have financial problems (either as their primary issue or as a complicating factor) because of poor financial habits.

 

Even though we live in the wealthiest nation in the world, with the highest standard of living found anywhere in the world, most middle class Americans have money problems. They spend everything they earn; then they start looking for additional sources of income (like sending Mom out to work instead of staying at home to take care of the children); and then, when two incomes still aren’t enough, they go deeply into debt to acquire even more stuff.

 

Most of us live beyond our means. We spend more than we earn. Our homes are too big and expensive, our vehicles come with huge monthly payments, we pay for Christmas and vacations on credit cards, and we simply spend too much money – money we don’t really have.

 

All of that creates great stress in life and that then becomes fertile soil from which grows all sorts of other problems. A better way is to live modestly, below your means. Whatever your income is, you live on a little less than that. That will probably mean that you own a smaller home, drive a less expensive car, and only buy things you actually have the cash to pay for. It will also mean faithfully giving a full tithe to your church, and putting money in savings each month.

 

God expects us to be good stewards of the money He has entrusted us with. We are to live simply not extravagantly. We are to use some of our income to help further His kingdom-building work here on earth, and we are to generously bless others.

 

Do you have a goal for 2018 to be a better steward of the money God will entrust to you? One of the best resources available for becoming a good money manager is the Dave Ramsey series of books and workshops “Financial Peace University” and “The Total Money Makeover”. You will find them to be very helpful. I encourage you to consider ways in which you and your family can do a better job of handling your money in 2018.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Here I am today, 85 years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” Joshua 14:10-11 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Take care of yourself”

 

I have a friend who is a family doctor. I was in his office one time and I noticed a cartoon tacked to his bulletin board. It showed a very old man on the exam table being examined by his doctor. The patient was wrinkled and shriveled, bent and hobbled, and obviously in pain and distress. The doctor looked at him and said, “You know those extra 15 years of life you worked so hard to get by eating right and exercising? These are them.”

 

That’s funny and it does make an important point – if we live long enough we will get old, we will get sick, and we will eventually die anyway no matter how good we took care of ourselves. But it’s also true that there are things we can all do to make sure we stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible. I mean after all, if you’re going to be alive anyway then why not do what you have to do in order to be as healthy as possible so you can really enjoy your life?

 

I love the example of Caleb in the book of Joshua – 85 years old and still kicking butt and taking names! I want to be like Caleb! But in order to live long and well we do have to make an effort to take care of ourselves.

 

I know a 98 year old woman who still lives by herself in her own home and until just a few months ago she still drove her own car. Her mind is sharp, she is bright and perky, and she fully enjoys life. I know another man who is 83. He lives a full and active life, including driving everywhere and working in his woodshop each day. He just had a hip replaced and he recovered from that surgery in only 3 weeks.

 

Conversely, I know a couple of people who are only in their 40s and their health is a train wreck. They’re obese, they have bad type-two diabetes, they have to take lots of medicine, and they’re already unable to work.

 

There’s a lot in life that we can’t control, and at times we will all get sick or have an accident and get hurt. But generally speaking, the better you take care of yourself the longer you will live and the more you will enjoy your life.

 

Unfortunately this is an area that many people make excuses about. We all want to be in good health but many of us aren’t willing to discipline ourselves to eat right and to exercise. But it’s really not that hard. Just eat moderate amounts of reasonably good food and get some exercise every day.

 

As we approach 2018 I encourage you to make a New Year’s resolution to establish better habits of eating and exercising. Have a goal, make a plan, and walk it out. In the long run you’ll be glad you did.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living without excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You’re not Rambo”

 

Probably the most popular Sylvester Stallone movie of all time was the first Rocky movie. I’ve seen it multiple times and I still love it. In my opinion the second best Stallone movie was Rambo. John Rambo was a Vietnam era Special Forces soldier. He was calm, quiet, and confident. He was also very physically fit, an expert with weapons and in hand-to-hand combat, and he was highly trained in wilderness survival. According to his old commanding officer he could keep himself alive “by eating things that would make a Billy Goat puke.”

 

Much of the movie is all about Rambo’s incredible ability to survive on his own in the wilderness, and to confound and overcome numerous enemies who were pursuing him.

 

Over the years I’ve known professing Christians who seem to think they are a spiritual Rambo. They believe they can survive in the spiritual wilderness just fine all by themselves. They don’t need to be surrounded by other Christians, they don’t need help withstanding the enemy, and they don’t need to be an active member of any church.

 

Wrong! The New Testament teaches the exact opposite. I challenge you to search your New Testament and find a single passage where a Christian was not in active fellowship with other Christians and the Bible portrayed it as a good thing. (Spoiler alert: You won’t find one because there isn’t one.) What you will find is exactly what the writer of the letter to the Hebrews instructs us about in Hebrews 10:24-25. God intends for us to be fully engaged in the life of a good church. It’s for our own benefit (there is strength in numbers), and it’s for the benefit of the church (others need you to be there).

 

The only possible exception to this that we can find in the New Testament would be the example of John the Baptist. He was sent by God out into the wilderness, alone, for a time and for a specific reason. But I’m pretty sure God is not calling you to be a modern day John the Baptist and therefore He intends for you to be in church. If you don’t already have a good church then I invite you to visit with us at Oak Hill Baptist in Crossville, TN. We’re located at 3036 Genesis Road. Sunday school is at 9:00, Worship service is at 10:00, and the evening service is at 6:00. You can also check us out on the web at www.oakhillbaptist.net.

 

God doesn’t intend for any of us to be a spiritual Rambo, or (shifting metaphors), a Lone Ranger Christian. His desire is for us to be in regular fellowship with other Christians. I encourage you to go to church this Sunday, and every Sunday.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’, and don’t do the things I say? Luke 6:46 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “If He is your “Lord”, then do what He says.”

 

There’s a difference between Jesus being your Savior and Jesus being your Lord. If you have placed your faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins then He is your Savior. But if you have also made Him the Lord of your life then that means you are now doing the things that He says. It means that you read the Bible, study His commands, consider His ways, follow His example, and then walk in His footsteps. To be a Christian means to be Christ-like. So we must ask the question “What was Christ like?” And then we go and do likewise.

 

For many Christians Jesus is their Savior but He is not their Lord. They do not do the things that He says, and they do not follow the example He has set. If Jesus is your Lord then your words should sound like His words, your actions should look like His actions, and you life should be centered around accomplishing His work in this world.

 

Too many today claim to be followers of Christ but then do not do the things that He says. Instead, we make excuses. We make excuses for not praying more, we make excuses for not reading the Bible more, we make excuses for not going to church, we make excuses for not participating more in the life of the church we do go to, and we make excuses for not being involved in acts of ministry to others. Those are all things that Jesus taught us to do but which many Christians do not do.

 

“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and then not do the things I say?”

 

In yesterday’s devotional I referred to the Fruit of the Spirit as described by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. I made the point that spiritual growth is the most important thing that can happen to us, and that there is nothing in life that will do more to improve the overall quality of a person’s life than to grow spiritually. I encouraged you to set a goal for 2018 to incorporate some practices in your life that will place you in a position whereby the Holy Spirit can bring about more spiritual growth in you, and I recommended to you Richard Foster’s classic book on the subject “Celebration of Discipline”.

 

I encourage you to stop making excuses about these things. Resolve that in 2018 you will live as if Jesus really is your Lord and not just your Savior.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: ‘Set a goal and make a plan for spiritual growth.”

 

Without question the most important thing any of us can do to improve the overall quality of our lives is to grow spiritually. Nothing a person achieves or acquires will have as much of a positive impact on their life as will spiritual growth.

 

In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul described the virtues the Holy Spirit develops in the life of a committed follower of Christ. The more mature a Christian becomes, the more these virtues become a part of his or her character.

 

This is important because when it comes to being a happy and content person there is nothing in life that can take the place of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those are things everyone wants and is striving for, but money, accomplishments, relationships, and other worldly things simply cannot really or fully satisfy that need. All of it comes up short. That’s why it’s not uncommon to see successful and rich people whose lives are a train wreck. But then you see a poor and simple man or woman who doesn’t seem to have much in terms of worldly possessions, but who does have a mature Christian faith and is therefore a happy and content person. That’s the fruit of the Spirit in their life.

 

The best thing you can do in 2018 to help improve the overall quality of your life is to grow spiritually. But here’s the thing – only the Holy Spirit can give spiritual growth. It’s not something you can do for yourself. However there are things you can do to place yourself in a position before God so the Holy Spirit can do His work in your life. I’m talking about things like prayer, daily Bible study, full participation in the life of a good church family, acts of service, etc. The more of those things you do, the more the Holy Spirit can work in your life.

 

One of the best books ever written that explains these basic disciplines in simple and practical ways is Richard Foster’s “Celebration of Discipline”. If one of your goals for 2018 is to give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to bring about more spiritual growth in you, then “Celebration of Discipline” is a book you should read. It’s not full of lots of theological jargon and it isn’t a long and complicated book. It’s an easy read with short chapters. Richard explains the disciplines in easy to understand ways, and he provides practical suggestions for implementing them.

 

Christians often make excuses for why they don’t pray more, read their Bible, or participate in church more. They know they should do those things but they make excuses for why they don’t. As a result, their spiritual growth is limited.

 

Reject excuses. Spiritual growth is the most important goal you can have for yourself. I encourage you to read Richard Foster’s book and implement some of the practices he recommends. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God is up to something.”

 

The story of Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis is one of the most inspiring examples in the Bible of living with no excuses. Joseph certainly did have good reasons to slip into a pity party of feeling sorry for himself, and to blame his problems on everyone else. He could have done that but he didn’t.

 

Joseph was hated by his older brothers. At one point they beat him up, threw him down a well, and then sold him into slavery in Egypt. Joseph spent years as a slave in the house of a high government official, and then more years in prison after having been falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. For thirteen long years Joseph’s situation was bleak and difficult. Finally God orchestrated events in his life that elevated him to the second highest position in all of Egypt. Joseph then ended up rescuing his brothers and their families from a great famine in their homeland. You can read the entire story in Genesis chapters 37-50.

 

Yes, Joseph had plenty of reasons to just curl up in the fetal position and spend the rest of his life whimpering and whining about unfair it all was. Instead he accepted his situation for what it was, he determined that with God’s help he would handle it in a way that honored God, and he would trust God for the ultimate resolution.

 

When we’re faced with tough times in life the temptation is to use those tough times as an excuse to either give-up altogether, or to whimper and whine and blame others. That’s never how God wants us to handle it. Joseph knew that God was always with Him and that he could trust God without exception. So he resolved to simply do his part as best he could, and to trust God for the rest. We can and should do that too.

 

Your situation is what it is. Resolve to deal with it in a dignified, confident, God-honoring manner. God used Joseph’s difficult situation to ultimately accomplish great things. He can do the same with your situation if you will trust Him and remain faithful to Him.

 

I encourage you to take the time to read Joseph’s entire story in Genesis chapters 37-50. God included it in the Bible as an example for us. In 2018 you will face challenging situations. We all will. Resolve in advance that you will honor God with the way you handle it. No giving up. No excuses.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

 

Our thought for today: “With Jesus you can do it.”

 

The other day I introduced you to the story of Noah Galloway. He was the soldier who lost an arm and a leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq but who, even as a double-amputee, went on to become a physical fitness trainer, an author, and a star on the television show “Dancing with the Stars”. Noah’s autobiography is aptly titled “Living with no Excuses”.

 

One of the most important motivating factors that occurred during Noah’s recovery, which resulted in forming his thinking in a positive way regarding his injuries, came from his mother. It happened at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just a few days after Noah was returned to the USA. His mother (who is one tough cookie) was with him in the critical care unit, and as she stood there considering the extent of her son’s injuries she said to him, “Look, this is what it is, now let’s figure out what’s next.”

 

And that was it. That was mom’s attitude. “You’ve lost two limbs, you can’t get them back, now let’s get on with life.” She not allow Noah to wallow in self-pity. “It is what it is, now deal with it in the best you can and get on with life.” It took a while for Noah to accept that fact and to adopt his mom’s attitude about it but once he did, everything changed. He went on to be a victor rather than a victim.

 

The same can be true for us. We all have stuff wrong with us and we all have limitations, but so what? It is what it is. Now figure out how to deal with it the best way you can and get on with life. That’s not to say it will be easy, because it probably won’t be. But whatever your situation is, there are things you can do to deal with it in a positive way and to make the best of it.

 

It doesn’t seem as if Noah Galloway is a Christian. Therefore what he achieved he did in his own power. How much more should you and I be able to accomplish with the help of Christ? In Philippians 4:13 the Apostle Paul reminds us that we can accomplish anything God wants for us as long as we rely on Christ. It’s true that you have to do your part too. It will take will hard work and discipline from you too, but as difficult as your situation might seem, with Christ there is no limit to what can be done.

 

I encourage you to establish God-given goals for 2018. In prayer ask God to help you see the areas of your life that need improvement. Develop a plan to address those issues and then look to Christ for the strength to walk it out and accomplish the things that God has set for you. No excuses. Keep your eyes on Jesus, depend on Him, and just keep moving forward.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Use your time wisely.”

 

The other day I paid a visit to an elderly lady who is close to death. She is in her 80s and has been sick for a long time. Now she is bedridden, very weak, and her mind is wandering. One moment she remembered who I was and the next minute she was sure she didn’t know me. It wasn’t too many years ago that this woman was healthy and active. But, the years pass, the body declines, and one day death comes. And, it happens faster than we realize.

 

My favorite quote regarding the truth that time is valuable and we have to use it wisely comes from Benjamin Franklin. Rephrased in modern language it reads, “Do you value life? Then value your time, because time is the stuff life is made of.”

 

Yes, life is made up of time, and we only get a limited amount of it. Beyond that, once a moment is gone you can never get it back. It is gone forever. So use your time wisely. That’s the lesson of Psalm 90:12. You only have a limited number of days allotted to you and they will pass faster than you realize, so use them well.

 

One of the most common excuses people use for not doing things is “I don’t have the time.” Well, that’s just not true. You do have the time. You have as much time as anyone else has. You have 60 seconds in every minute, 60 minutes in every hour, 24 hours in every day, 7 days in every week, and 52 weeks in every year. The question isn’t whether or not you have the time – the question is how you will use that time. The truth is that ultimately you will use your time for the things that are most important to you.

 

Now, I can hear your protests all the way over here in my office in Fairfield Glade, TN. You’re protesting about all the things you want to do (and which you claim are “important” to you), but which you just don’t have the time for, right? Well, if those things were important enough to you then you would do them instead of doing something else.

 

If working out so you can lose weight is really that important to you, you would go to the gym instead of watching television. If painting the shutters was important enough to you, then you would paint them instead of mowing the lawn. If writing my next book was important enough to me, then tonight instead of spending two hours reading a book I would spend those two hours writing a book.

 

You get the point. You make the time for the things that are most important to you. Many times we claim that something is important to us but then rather than doing it we spend the time doing other things instead. Nope, sorry, if you spent the hour on the couch instead of on the treadmill then being on the treadmill just wasn’t really that important to you.

 

As we approach 2018 and you give thought to the goals you are going to set and the things you hope to achieve in the New Year, I encourage you to use your time well. Don’t waste it on frivolous things. You only get so much of life. Use it well. Don’t make excuses.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t use perceived limitations as an excuse.”

 

All of us have something wrong with us. Everyone does. Nobody is perfect. Therefore we all have something about us that we can use as an excuse if we want to. For the Apostle Paul it was an eye disease that resulted in very poor vision. Therefore he had to conduct most of his thirty years of ministry without being able to read or write for himself. He had to have others around him all the time to read and write for him. But he didn’t use that as an excuse. He went on to be the greatest evangelist and church planter in Christian history, and he wrote more than half of the New Testament.

 

I recently finished reading the autobiography of Noah Galloway. I borrowed the title of this month’s theme from his book, “Living with no excuses”. Noah was a soldier in Iraq. He was injured by a roadside bomb and lost his left arm and his left leg. Not only did he not allow his status as a double-amputee to become an excuse, he used it as a motivator to push himself to greater heights than he probably would have otherwise achieved in life. He became tremendously physically fit, to the point of becoming a physical fitness trainer. He also became a reality show television star. He is a successful author; and he came in third on the show “Dancing with the Stars”. Yes, that’s right, a double-amputee and he came in third in a professional dance contest!

 

So what’s your excuse? What perceived limitations are keeping you from doing the things you would otherwise like to do? I could write pages of examples of people with significant challenges who refused to use them as an excuse. There’s a man in our church who years ago suffered a terrible stroke, and he has to use a walker everywhere he goes. But he goes everywhere. He participates in everything – even church workdays. He just pushes through and finds ways to do it. My wife Linda is a similar story with her stroke and brain surgeries. She is handicapped but that doesn’t stop her from being the Energizer Bunny with her little black walker on wheels with Harley Davidson stickers and flames.

 

For most of my life I’ve had to contend with a mild case of Tourette’s Syndrome. Fortunately, most of the time, it has been mild – consisting mainly of annoying little ticks and some odd mannerisms. But there have been times when it has manifested itself in violent jerks and twitches which were very noticeable to everyone around me. It was especially bad during the years when I was serving in the military as a non-commissioned officer and then as a commissioned officer. It was something I just had to deal with and push through if I wanted to have a career in the military. I could not use it as an excuse.

 

All of us have something wrong with us. There are things in each of our lives that we can use as an excuse if we want to – but we don’t have to. I encourage you – I challenge you, to live without excuses.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.” Proverbs 13:4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Set goals for the New Year”

 

Personally I’m a big fan of making New Year’s resolutions. I know some people think such resolutions are silly and unnecessary – after all, you can decide to better yourself, make a plan, and then carry it out at any time of the year. You don’t need to wait until January 1^st. That’s true enough, but I think the first day of the New Year is a powerful symbol because it represents a New Year filled lots of opportunities, and therefore it’s a great time to start something new.  A New Year’s resolution can be a good motivator that gets us started in the right direction.

 

Goals in general, whether made as New Year’s resolutions or at any other time of the year, are important. There’s a lot of truth in the old adage “If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time.” Goals give us focus. Add a plan to your goal and now you have a map to guide you on your way.

 

Beyond that, I believe we should always be striving to improve ourselves in all areas of life. We’re all works in progress and as long as you are still living and breathing, God isn’t done with you yet. This is true no matter how old you are or what you have already accomplished in life. You are a living thing, and living things must grow or they stagnate and die. Granted, one day we will all die but as long as you are alive, why not be as alive and as healthy and as productive as you can be? Setting goals and working towards them helps us to do exactly that.

 

You might be surprised to learn that the primary difference between those who achieve meaningful things in life and those who do not isn’t something like talent, or intelligence, or opportunity, it’s the issue of excuses. People who achieve things do so because they don’t make excuses – they just do it. They set a goal, they make a plan, and then they walk it out.

 

In life excuses are the enemy of achievement. That’s what Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 13:4. The excuse-maker achieves little or nothing. The diligent person sets a goal, makes a plan, carries it out, and achieves much.

 

For the month of December, as we approach the New Year of 2018, with all the opportunity it holds for us, we will think devotional about “Living no excuses”.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim