Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

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

 

Our thought for today: “You can do it too.”

 

Yesterday I made reference to a couple of somewhat silly and yet inspiring examples from my childhood. I told you about Tigger, the character from the Winnie the Pooh series, and his little jingle that he had a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs. And I told you about my sparring partner, “Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Bozo”, and his unique ability to take a punch and bounce right back up.

 

Those examples serve to remind us that we all admire people who, like Tigger, can deal with whatever they encounter in a light-hearted and good natured way; or like Bozo, they have the ability to take a hit and bounce right back up.

 

I know a strong Christian woman who is currently in the end stages of cancer. She will go to be with Jesus soon. She has been fighting the cancer for many years and has endured countless chemotherapy sessions, gone into remission and enjoyed periods of good health, only to have the cancer come back. She has gone through that cycle several times. Now it’s back again and there’s nothing more that can be done.

 

But despite the fact that this has been going on for years, and despite the misery of the side effects of the chemo, and despite the deep disappointment of the cancer coming back again and again, she has pushed through it and lived a rich and full life despite the cancer. She is a woman of grace, strength, and great dignity. Even during the years of her protracted illness she has been active in a wide range of ministry activities. She has gone on mission trips, she has been financially generous for many good causes, and she has made it a point to be a blessing to numerous people. When you’re with her you quickly discover that she has no desire to talk about herself and her illness, instead she wants to talk about you and your life. She has been a walking, talking, living example of what the Apostle Paul described in Philippians 4:13.

 

Even the worst things in life can be endured and handled well as long as we are walking closely with Jesus. You too have been empowered by God to persevere. You too can push through adversity and do it with dignity and grace, with strength and confidence, with peace and with a strong resolve to bless others even while you fight through your own stuff. Jesus gives you that ability.

 

It’s not just Tigger and Bozo, the Apostle Paul and my friend who can do it – you too have what it takes to push through and bounce back, and to do it with grace and dignity. You can do it too.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Have a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs.”

 

Perseverance is a character trait the Bible promotes and which God values in us. Perseverance is closely related to resilience and indicates an ability to hang in there and to push through the adversities we encounter in life. It is also the ability to bounce back from setbacks.

 

In his book “Bounce: Learning to thrive through loss, tragedy, and heartache” author Aaron Fruh reminds us of the cute but inspiring example of Tigger, the furry and loveable tiger in the Winnie the Pooh series. Tigger is a happy-go-lucky character who just seems to shrug off problems and to keep moving forward – usually humming a tune and stopping to smell the roses along the way.

 

In one scene of a Winnie the Pooh movie we see Tigger singing a toe-tapping bouncy little tune about his ability to just roll with the punches in life. The refrain goes, “I have a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs.” In other words he was flexible and resilient. He could take a hit, roll with it, and bounce right back.

 

Tigger reminds me of the “Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Bozo” I used to have when I was a kid. It was a four foot inflatable clown made of a plastic/rubber material. Inside, the bottom was filled with about twenty pounds of sand – thereby anchoring it pretty solidly to the floor. This allowed me to punch Bozo in the face as hard as I could, maybe give him a good karate kick to the head too, and Bozo would fall almost to the floor, but then he would bounce right back up (the sand in the bottom caused this). No matter how much I pummeled poor Bozo, he would always bounce right back up.

 

This is the kind of thing the writer of the letter to the Hebrews was referring to in Hebrews 12:1. It’s also the virtue other Biblical writers such as Peter, Paul, Jesus, and Solomon all commended as well. As we mature in our faith, God develops in us a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs. He makes us resilient. He enables us to persevere and to bounce back.

 

This is an important character trait for the people of God to have because our ability to handle the tough times in life in a strong and confident way, with dignity and without whining, can be a great testimony to an unbelieving world. It shows that God strengthens us and helps us.

 

Maybe Tigger and Bozo are silly examples, but then again, we all need to be able to bounce right back up when life has knocked us down. There’s something to be said for having a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-ending stream!” Amos 5:21-24 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “The first step to dealing with adversity is to make sure you are right with God.”

 

The words of Amos in today’s Scripture probably sound harsh and they probably also sound familiar. We’ve heard essentially the same message from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Jesus. In each case the people of God thought they were doing well by worldly standards, but their religious observances were empty ritual and God was tired of it.

 

In each of situations highlighted by the different prophets the people were on the cusp of entering into a time of great suffering and adversity and it would be their own fault. Their number one problem was that they were out of fellowship with God. Even though they went through the motions of religious observances, it was phony religion and it was all meaningless in God’s eyes.

 

Their real problem (the problem from which all of their other problems would flow), was that they were out of fellowship with God. They were not walking the talk; they were not living what they professed to believe; it was all a religious show and therefore they did not have a firm spiritual foundation from which to deal with all the other issues of life.

 

That’s often true for us too. The root problem for much of the adversity we find ourselves facing is that we are out of true fellowship with God. That then leads to all sorts of other problems. Therefore the answer for us is the same as it was for them – we need to get right with God. Once we have our relationship with God right, then we will be ready to address whatever else it is that we’re dealing with.

 

I encourage you to attend worship services this Sunday, but do so with a heart that is truly seeking an encounter with God. Be prepared to offer Him genuine worship and then ask Him for the insight and wisdom needed to deal with whatever other situations you have going on.

 

Often the first step to dealing with adversity is to make sure you are right with God.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I am sending him – who is my very heart – back to you … If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.” Philemon 12; 18 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Take time to help the one who is messed up.”

 

Onesimus was in big trouble. He was a slave who belonged to Philemon. At some point he evidently stole some valuables from his master and then ran away. Back in the days of the Romans that was a hanging offense. Once captured the runaway slave would be beaten, imprisoned, and maybe executed.

 

Somehow Onesimus’ wanderings took him to the city of Rome and into the company of the Apostle Paul. In short order Onesimus placed his faith in Christ, and Paul convinced him that he had to return to Philemon and make things right. Fortunately for Onesimus, Paul knew Philemon. It turns out that Philemon was also a Christian. He had evidently been won to faith by Paul and was now serving as a leader in the church in Colossae.

 

So Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, letter in hand, and Onesimus placed himself at the mercy of Philemon. The entire thrust of this letter (which became one of the books of the New Testament) was that Philemon should now welcome Onesimus back but not as a returned slave, instead as a brother in Christ. Paul’s message to Philemon was “I am sending this man back to you but he is now your brother in Christ, so welcome him home with love and joy.”

 

The Bible doesn’t tell us how it all turned out but I think we can safely assume that Philemon did the right thing and welcomed Onesimus back. And I think we can also assume that Onesimus probably became the best and most trusted servant in the household of Philemon.

 

I think an important lesson we can draw from this short story is that at some point we all mess up (finding ourselves in deep doo-doo), and we all need forgiveness and help. Paul didn’t hesitate to welcome the runaway slave and help him to get his life on track. The assumption is that Philemon did the same. Through it all, the life of a young man was redeemed and Christ was honored. That’s the way these stories should turn out.

 

Today is Friday. Sunday is coming. When you gather with your church family there are going to be people there in the proverbial doo-doo times of life. They need to be blessed and helped. Will you be a Paul or Philemon to that person? Will you help them get right with God and with others?

 

What goes around comes around. If you’re not the one knee-deep in that stuff right now, you certainly have been in the past and probably will be in the future. The other folks need love and forgiveness and assistance from you now. Sometime in the future you will probably need the same from them. This is what Christians do for each other. This is how we get through times of adversity – especially when those times are of our own making.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “… and it shall come to pass,” Genesis 4:14 (KJV)

 

Our thought for today:  “This too shall pass.”

 

How often does the phrase “It shall come to pass” or “And it came to pass” appear in the Bible? Well, it depends on which version of the Bible you’re looking at. It appears in the King James Version 120 times. The phrase is sprinkled liberally by God all throughout the Bible and is used by Him in a variety of different ways. But always it indicates the passing of time and the turning of a page.

 

King Solomon wrote of this in the book of Ecclesiastes when he said, “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets and hurries back to where it rises.” (Ecclesiastes 1:4-5)

 

Yes, time passes. Minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, and as time passes so do the events of our lives. Nothing lasts forever. That includes adversity. As deep and painful and difficult as it may seem at the time – and as long as it might seem to be dragging on, nothing lasts forever.

 

So the goal for us is to hang in there and push through it, knowing that this too shall pass. Yesterday we learned the helpful lesson of “Press on Regardless”. That’s a mindset that will carry us through the toughest times in life. The Bible often refers to it as “perseverance”. Another word that is often used for those who have learned to persevere and to just push through is “resilience”. Such people are said to be resilient.

 

The truth is that we have no better choice, really. If we don’t lean into it and push through it then adversity will defeat us. It will knock us down and keep us stuck in misery and despair. But who wants a life of misery and despair? Not me and I’m sure not you. The only alternative is to lean into it and push through it knowing that in time, this too shall pass. And it will!

 

This isn’t something we’re prone to do naturally. We learn to do it. We think about it and we decide that we are going to hang in there and we are going to push through it. This month will about learning to do exactly that.

 

I don’t know what you’re dealing with today but I encourage you to hang in there and don’t give up because this too shall pass.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:11 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Press on regardless!”

 

In his great little book, “Bounce: Learning to thrive through loss, tragedy, and heartache”, author Aaron Fruh tells the story of Matthew Lawson. Matthew is remembered by his children and grandchildren for the valuable life-lesson he taught them.

 

Matthew was an adventurous soul who enjoyed challenges. An old picture of him shows him standing in his study, in front of a desk piled high with books, wearing an Indiana Jones – style hat, a leather jacket, a holster around his waist, and a six shooter in his hand. There’s an old oil painting of an Apache Indian chief hanging on the wall in the background.

 

When his children were still young, Matthew established an annual family tradition each summer that left a deep impression on all of his extended family. Matthew would take off by himself into a particular area of the Mexican wild lands. Then after a few days his family would leave their home in Arizona and follow after him. When they got to the designated starting point they would find a paper plate tacked to a wooded stake driven into the ground. On the plate would be the letters POR with an arrow pointing forward.

 

They would follow the designated path until they came upon another plate attached to a stake, also with the letters POR and an arrow pointing the direction. This would continue for hours until finally, the family would arrive at some special campsite already set-up by Matthew and waiting for them. The site would usually be at some spectacular setting and the family would then enjoy a fun-filled and adventurous family vacation.

 

The letters POR stood for “Press on Regardless” and were meant to inspire them to keep going no matter what. Even though they did not know exactly what lay ahead of them; even though they didn’t know what obstacles or challenges they might face along the way; even though they didn’t know how long the journey would last or how difficult it was going to be, they were to Press on Regardless.

 

The family continued to observe that tradition every year for as long as Matthew lived, and POR became a metaphor for life that everyone of them carried with them. No matter what challenge, obstacle, or adversity they faced in life, they were to Press on Regardless”.

 

Life is filled with obstacles, challenges, and adversity. We all face those things and when we do, we all have a choice to make. We can either let those things stop us in our tracks and we can feel sorry for ourselves as we wallow in despair, or we can press on regardless.

 

This month we’re going to spend our time exploring the theme of pushing through adversity. The Bible is filled with examples, exhortations, encouragement and commands designed to help us do exactly that. I’m looking forward to learning about it with you. Our goal will be to “Press on regardless!”

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A prosperous life”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “… rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Be an inspiration for others.”

 

Now that we’ve spent an entire month considering what a truly prosperous life looks like from God’s perspective, I’m sure you realize that a life that is lived well, a life that is truly prosperous in the ways that really matter, has much more to do with character than it does with wealth or possessions. Wealth and possessions are nice to have, and they can be good tools to be used in helpful ways by wise people, but wealth and possessions mean little if they’re not coupled with a life of godliness, integrity, and good character.

 

This is a point the Apostle Paul stressed to his young protégé Timothy. As Paul guided Timothy in his spiritual growth he repeatedly placed heavy emphasis on character, reputation, and relationships. His point to Timothy was that he was to lead a life that set a good example for others, and which would inspire others to live in a like manner.

 

To teach his lessons Paul often used vivid word pictures, especially metaphors that stressed toughness and dedication. For instance, to help teach the point that the Christian life lived well requires discipline and training, in his second letter to Timothy Paul used the example of a brave and faithful solider (2:3-4); a skilled and well trained athlete (2:5); and a hard working farmer (2:6). What those professions have in common are the virtues of training, dedication, toughness, hard work, and diligent persistence in order to be successful at them. The Christian life is like that too.

 

Does that describe your life? Are you committed, dedicated, and disciplined? Do you work hard, strive for excellence, and stick with a task until it is successfully completed? Can people count on you, and are they inspired by the outstanding example you set?

 

As we conclude our study of “A prosperous life”, a life that is lived well and which is successful in ways that really matter, I want to encourage you to prayerfully consider any adjustments you need to make, and then to incorporate those changes into your daily routine. As Paul taught in his letters to Timothy, living a godly life that is thriving and successful in meaningful ways is a learning process. We train ourselves for it by incorporating the right spiritual disciplines and activities into our lives, and then doing them over and over again until they become routine.

 

I pray you will live a life that is truly prosperous, and that it will be an inspiration to everyone who knows you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A prosperous life”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “This is why a prosperous life matters so much.”

 

It has always been Jesus’ plan to carry out His kingdom-building work through His followers. In addition to dying upon the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the world, another purpose of His was to raise-up followers to carry on His work once He returned to heaven.

 

All throughout His ministry years we see Him preparing that first group of followers to carry on with the work once He was gone. That’s what the Great Commission is all about. That’s what Jesus was referring to in Acts 1:8. But in order to carry on with His work of blessing others, sharing the Good News, and drawing others into the family of God, His followers would have to be focused on others rather than on themselves.

 

All this month we’ve been considering what a truly prosperous life looks like in Biblical terms. We’ve learned that although it may be prosperous to some degree in terms of worldly wealth, true prosperity from God’s perspective consists of a heart that is overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It’s a life of service as the person works to bless others (Matthew 25:31-40). It’s a life that is fairly low maintenance (1 Timothy 6:6-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12). And it is a life lived by a person who has learned to be content (Philippians 4:10-13).

 

When a follower of Jesus is prospering in Biblical terms, that person is well-equipped and in the right frame of mind to help carry on the Lord’s kingdom-building work. Such a person is not overly preoccupied with or distracted by the cares of life. Such a person has a buoyant and cheerful disposition and they are living a life that is attractive to those who need to be reached with the Gospel.

 

That right there is a key point. Are you living a life that unsaved people are likely to admire and be attracted to? When they observe you do they see a kind and compassionate person who truly cares about others and who goes out of their way to bless others? This is what a truly prosperous life looks like and it will be the subject of our final message on this topic tomorrow.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A prosperous life”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.” Ezekiel 33:31-32 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t fake it”

 

Ezekiel was a prophet and priest who ministered among the people of Jerusalem prior to and after the invasion of the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Along with Jeremiah, Ezekiel was one of the prophets who repeatedly warned the people of coming judgment from God if they didn’t change their ways. But, the people wouldn’t listen. Oh, they pretended to listen, they claimed to be very religious and they even went through the motions of practicing their faith, but their hearts were far from God.

 

The primary way in which their hearts were far from God, was in the way they lived when they were not in church. As Ezekiel 33:31-32 says, they came to the worship services and sang the songs; they seemed to listen attentively as Ezekiel preached; they mouthed religious clichés and they gave their offerings; but then they walked out the doors and engaged in corrupt business practices, or they mistreated other people, or they lived the proverbial lives of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll”.

 

Jesus spoke of this same thing almost six hundred years later in Luke 6:46 when He asked the people, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’, and then not do what I say?”

 

One thing that really angers God’s is phony religion. He hates it. Few things make Him angrier than for people to claim the name of “Christian” – followers of His Son Jesus, but to then behave in ways that His Son Jesus never would have. “Christian” means “to be Christ-like”. So as His followers we need to ask “What was Christ like?” and then we need to behave that way too.

 

Today is Saturday, tomorrow is Sunday. When you go to church tomorrow and sing the songs will you mean the lyrics you are singing? When you listen to the sermon will you embrace the truths you hear and then walk out the doors of the church and live what you profess to believe?

 

A truly prosperous life is a life that is lived in right relation to God, in a way that honors Him. Live what you profess to believe.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A prosperous life”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.” Acts 2:42 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A truly prosperous life includes a good church family”

 

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about church and what a big part of my life our church family is. It probably doesn’t surprise you that a Pastor thinks about church a lot, or that his church would be a big part of his life. But it’s not just me. All of the truly devoted Christians I know would tell you that church is a big part of their lives too.

 

Active participation in the life of a good church family seems to be a common denominator among those who are passionate about their faith and who are really living what they profess to believe. That’s because God designed church life to be a place of refuge where His children gather to support and encourage one another, and to help each other grow spiritually. With the sole exception of John the Baptist, you will not find any New Testament examples of “Lone Ranger” Christians. Healthy Christians are always shown in the New Testament as being actively involved in a church family.

 

In Acts chapter two we read about the early church in Jerusalem. The outstanding characteristic of those believers was that they were always together. The descriptive term used of them is that they were “devoted”. They were devoted to learning, they were devoted to praying, they were devoted to fellowship with other Christians, and they were devoted to sharing money and possessions in order to meet each others needs.  And it all took place within the context of being together.

 

Recently I’ve been reading a book that illustrates just one of the many advantages of being part of a good church family. It was written by father and son Bill and Jim Putman entitled “Hope for the Prodigal: Bringing the Lost, Wandering, and Rebellious Home”. As the title suggests, it’s a book for those who have prodigal children in their lives.

 

The authors have unique qualifications for writing such a book – they were both prodigals themselves; they then both raised prodigal children of their own; and they are both pastors of churches with prodigals. Bill was a prodigal child who eventually came back to the Lord and to his family. Then he became a pastor. His son Jim was a prodigal who also eventually came back to the Lord and to his family and then he too went on to become a pastor. Jim’s son Christian also was a prodigal who eventually came back to the Lord and to his family, and he ended up in ministry as well.

 

One of the keys Bill and Jim discovered to dealing with the problem of prodigal children is to make sure a good church family is involved. Raising a child in a good church helps to prevent them from becoming a prodigal to begin with. If and when a child does stray, a good church family helps the family to deal with the situation in a godly manner. And, a good church family gives the prodigal a welcoming environment to come back to.

 

I could write many pages about the important role a good church family plays in a life that is truly prosperous. Church is a place of worship, refuge, learning, encouragement, and growth. We all need a good church family. If you don’t already have one, we would love you have you visit with us at Oak Hill Baptist this Sunday. A good church family is an important part of living a life that is truly prosperous in all the important ways.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim