Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person” Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Avoid unholy alliances” 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 gives us an important Biblical principle that is an essential part of living a virtuous Christian life, but which needs to be understood and applied in context. Historically some Christians have attempted to apply this passage in an extreme way by withdrawing from society and attempting to avoid all contact with unbelievers. This is how in previous ages they ended up with hermits living in caves in the desert and believing that doing so was somehow making them more holy. But that’s not what Paul meant. In 1 Corinthians 5:10 he even explained that believers are not to withdraw from all contact with unbelievers. Likewise in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus gave us His famous analogy of believers being “salt and light” – in the world, among unbelievers. What Paul did mean in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 is that we are not to form intimate close relationships with unbelievers. Most commonly this is applied to marriage. Christians are not to enter into marriage with non-Christians. The reason is that your faith is the very core of who you are as a person. If two people are not in synch spiritually then they are out of synch at the very core of who they are as individuals. And also, rather than the Christian having a positive influence on the non-Christian and leading that person to faith in Christ, it usually ends up being the other way around – the non-Christian spouse leads the Christian spouse away from the Lord. This passage also applies to things like business partnerships, and any other kind of close relationship which would cause you to depend on the character and virtuousness of the other person. Do not form those kinds of alliances with unbelievers. In another passage, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul cautioned us, “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” In other words, be careful who you associate with because in time we tend to become like those we associate with. If you are entering into alliances with people of disreputable character, over time they will have a bad influence on you and the alliance will become an unholy one. An important aspect of being a virtuous person is being very selective about who you associate with, especially when it comes to forming partnerships and close alliances. Don’t enter into unholy alliances. God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2018 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, Tn 38571

Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person” Our Bible verse for today: “Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Joy is a virtue” The Jews in Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day were among those who had lived in exile in Babylon, but they had been allowed by the king to return to Jerusalem and to begin rebuilding the city. It was a huge task because the temple, the city, and the walls around the city were in ruins. After many years of hard labor a new temple was built, but it didn’t begin to match the temple of Solomon which had been destroyed. Then the city was cleaned up a bit and partially rebuilt, but it still was not repopulated. And then finally the walls around the city were rebuilt. However the Jews had been opposed every step of the way and at this point they were still surrounded by enemies who sought their destruction. It was hard living. But Nehemiah gathered the people together and led them in a great worship celebration to dedicate the newly restored walls and to praise God for all he had done. As part of the celebration the Book of The Law of God was read and as it was, the people were reminded all over again about the great sins the nation had committed that led to the terrible destruction and devastation that they were now working so hard to recover from. And so they wept in remorse and regret. But Nehemiah commanded them not to weep or grieve. Instead they were to find their joy in the Lord. He reminded them that the joy of the Lord is a source of strength for them. The Apostle Paul wrote something similar to the Christians in Rome. They were enduring hard times and persecution too so he wrote in Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” There’s a lesson in this for us. Joy is a virtue and it comes to us from God when we look to Him rather than at circumstances. One of the reasons Nehemiah had the people gathered together like that was so that they could worship, celebrate, lift-up and encourage one another. Their common sense of joy would be infectious and would spread among them. That’s also why we gather in our local churches for worship. When we’re together like that we can share the joy of the Lord. Life is often hard. We need the sense of refuge and renewal that comes from gathering with God’s people in worshipful celebration. I encourage you to attend church this weekend. If you don’t have a home church, then please visit with us at Oak Hill Baptist. Sunday school is at 9:00, worship is at 10:00, and the evening service begins at 6:00. Joy is a virtue that is experienced and shared by God’s people. We would be happy to share the joy of the Lord with you. God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2018 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, Tn 38571

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”   Our Bible verse for today: “But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result – the survival of many people. Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:19-21 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Forgiveness is important but difficult.”   Joseph’s act of forgiveness to his brothers was a pretty big deal – especially considering the magnitude of the wrong they committed against him. The ten older brothers hated Joseph so much that they beat him up, threw him down a well, and then sold him as a slave. Joseph then ended up spending thirteen long years first as a slave, and then as a prisoner in a dungeon, until God finally delivered him. Ultimately Joseph rose to be the second most powerful man in all of Egypt.   You can read the whole story in Genesis chapters 37-50 but long story short, many years later the brothers and their families ended up in Egypt under the authority of Joseph. Joseph could have retaliated against them, having them thrown into prison or even executed. Instead he chose to forgive them. Beyond that, he even blessed them richly. It was far more than they deserved or could have expected, but Joseph was a spiritually mature and kind man. Rather than holding a grudge and exacting revenge, he chose to forgive and to bless.   Forgiveness is a virtue that is important but often difficult. It’s important because the lack of forgiveness hurts everyone involved, none more so than the one who refuses to forgive. When you refuse to forgive an offense you yourself become a prisoner of your own lack of forgiveness. It causes resentment and bitterness to ferment in your heart. Unforgiving people tend to brood on the wrongs committed against them. The one who committed the offense has probably forgotten about it, or hardly ever thinks about it. But the person carrying the grudge thinks about it often. They tend to nurse that grudge, increasing the bitterness and resentment, and that then colors their personality in dark ways. They are the one who is hurt the most by their refusal to forgive. The lack of forgiveness also damages relationships. It keeps people separated rather than reconciled.   Joseph was bigger than that. Rather than clinging to and nursing a grudge he let it go. He forgave his brothers and he used the situation as an opportunity to bless those who did not deserve to be blessed. In the process he brought glory to God.   You can be like Joseph. You can choose to forgive and you can use the situation as an opportunity to bless those who don’t deserve to be blessed. Forgiveness can be difficult but I encourage you to forgive anyway. It’s always the right thing to do and it’s always in your own best interest.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2018 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: “Being a virtuous person” Our Bible verse for today: “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Virtue must be taught. Without question one of the greatest positive influences in my life was my mother. She was a kind, compassionate, and godly woman who modeled Biblical virtues in her own life and then taught them to her children. I was actually a rotten kid, and I usually didn’t behave like a child being raised by a godly mother, but the lessons she taught me and the example she set for me stuck with me, and it all bore fruit later in my life. It’s a common story. Anyone who was raised by virtuous and godly parents has stories to tell about the lessons they were taught in the home, the good examples that were set for them, and how those learning experiences have stuck with them throughout life. In his book, “The Moral Compass, former Secretary of Education William Bennett writes, “The transmission of virtues is one important reason for a home, and attention to the virtues is one of the important ties that bind a family together.” This is what Moses was getting at in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, adults have a God-given responsibility to teach and model Biblical virtues to the children they have influence over. First and foremost that occurs in the home with parents and grandparents. But not all children have homes in which Biblical virtues are taught and modeled. That’s where the church needs to step in. This is why churches send buses and vans to rough neighborhoods to bring children to church. It’s why Christian families pick-up nieces and nephews and friends of their own children and bring them to church. Many children are being raised in homes that do not provide a good, positive education in the Biblical virtues that will enable them to be successful in life. But if they are brought to church, there they will learn the lessons of virtue and they will be surrounded by godly adults who will set good examples for them. Biblical virtues are to be taught and modeled in the home. That’s where children will learn them first and best. But the virtues must also be taught and modeled in the church. Therefore good ministries for children and teens are vital parts of a healthy church life. We should thank God for the adults who are committed to teaching and modeling Biblical virtues to our children and teens, in the home and in the church. God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2018 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: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” 2 Chronicles 34:1-2 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Faith is the most important virtue”

 

Josiah inherited a mess. His grandfather Manasseh was probably the worst king the Jews ever had. Manasseh reigned for fifty-five years and he was evil to the core. He was followed to the throne by his son Amon (Josiah’s father) who was also evil through and through. Amon only reigned two years before he died but still, the nation had endured fifty-seven years of continuous evil leadership, and it showed.

 

But the boy-king Josiah (he was eight years old) developed a heart that sought after God. By the time he was only sixteen he began leading the nation to cleanse itself of six decades of apostasy and to return to the One True God.

 

It wasn’t easy and it required many years of difficult work on Josiah’s part. It also required a lot of faith. But faith was Josiah’s strong suit. His heart was fully devoted to the Lord and he was willing to lean into the challenge, persevere, and push through. He was a godly man and his strong faith shaped everything about him. Faith as a virtue is a powerful thing. God promises He will honor and bless faith and obedience. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God.”

 

One way to develop strong faith is to remember God’s promises. In his little devotional book “Bedtime Blessings” Pastor Chuck Swindoll once wrote, “A number of years ago, somebody counted the promises in the Bible and totaled up 7,474. I can’t verify that number, but I do know that within the pages of the Bible there are thousands of promises that grab the reader and say, ‘Believe me! Accept me! Hold on to me!’ And of all the promises in the Bible, the ones that often mean the most are the promises that offer hope at the end of affliction. Those promises that tell us, ‘It’s worth it. Walk with Me. Trust Me. Wait with Me. I will reward you.”

 

Would you like a little faith-building exercise that will help to strengthen your faith? At Oak Hill Baptist Church we give away free copies of a little book called “The Bible Promise Book: One thousand promises from God’s Word.” Take that book, start at page one, and prayerfully begin reading. And as you do, put a check mark next to the ones God has already fulfilled in your life.

 

Oh, and bring your lunch. You’ll be at it a while. You’ll be amazed at how many promises there are. And you’ll be even more amazed by how many of them have already been fulfilled in your life.

 

Faith is the most important virtue. With strong faith there is no limit to what God can do in and through your life. God’s promises help to strengthen our faith.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Pay careful attention then to how you live – not as unwise people but as wise – making the most of the time …” Ephesians 5:15-16 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A virtuous person makes good use of their time.”

 

In his book “Whisper” author Mark Batterson explains that in the New Testament there are two different Greek words used for time, each of which describes a different kind of time. Mark writes, “The first is “chronos”, and it refers to clock time or calendar time. It’s where we get our English word for chronology. Chronos is sequential – past, present, future. And it moves in only one direction.”

 

The second Greek word used for time in the Bible is “karios” and it refers to taking advantage of an opportune moment. “Chronos is quantitative; it counts minutes. Kairos is qualitative; it captures moments.” The idea of karios time is what Mordecai was referring to in Esther 4:14 when he said to Queen Esther, “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” It was an opportune moment for Esther so she needed to seize the moment and take advantage of the opportunity. It’s also what the Apostle Paul meant when he told us in Ephesians 5:15-16 to “make the most of the time …”

 

In numerous passages the Bible repeatedly teaches that as the virtuous people of God we are to make good use of our time, both chronos and karios. We are not to be lazy and fritter away the minutes, hours, days, and weeks accomplishing nothing of any significance (a waste of chronos time). And we must also recognize those special opportune moments, taking advantage of them while the opportunity exists (kairos time).

 

Chronos time is important. While do need to make time to rest and relax, we also need to be careful to guard against laziness and wasting time, as Solomon taught in Proverbs 6:6-11. Chronos time is precious, the clock ticks away and life ticks down. We only have so much time allotted to us.

 

But I would argue that kronos time is even more important. Sometimes we need to be smart enough to stop worrying about the clock (chronos) and focus instead on the special moment before us (karios).

 

A virtuous person makes good use of their time, both the minutes on the clock and the special moments of opportunity. Be wise enough to know the difference and then be careful to use both kinds of time well.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:12 (NASB)

 

Our thought for today: “You have to be intentional about it.”

 

Biblical virtues don’t just automatically spring up in our lives all by themselves. Exactly the opposite is true. We are sinful by nature and if left to ourselves, our thinking and conduct will be self-centered and evil. We are not good people by nature, we are sinners by nature.

 

If you want to be a virtuous person living a life of moral excellence you will have to work for it. It will have to be intentional. You must take the time to learn Biblical virtues, and then you must make the effort to incorporate them into your life. That will necessarily involve replacing old bad habits with new good ones.

 

But bad habits don’t just lie down, roll over, surrender, and die. They have to be killed-off. Bad habits are usually deeply ingrained. Chances are pretty much 100% that if you are a negative person today, when you wake up tomorrow morning you will still be a negative person (only more so because you will have had one more day of practice at it).

 

Bad habits are stubborn little buggers. Killing them off takes intentionality, structure, and discipline. You have to want it, you have to put the structure of new habits in place, and then you have to discipline yourself to stick with the new, better, virtuous practices until they become your new habits. That can be hard, but not impossible (especially since the Holy Spirit will help you do it).

 

Pray that God will help you to see which virtues most need to be developed in your life. Then find some Bible verses which teach about those virtues and memorize them so you can repeat them to yourself many times throughout the day. Then put a plan in place to help you begin moving away from the old bad habit, and to begin developing a new and better way of living. It usually takes twenty-one days for a new practice to start to become a habit. After that, the longer you practice your new virtue the more deeply ingrained it will become and the easier it will be to stick with it.

 

Being a virtuous person is a way of living that is intentional and it has to be cultivated. You have to work at it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over – will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. “Luke 6:38 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Be an honest person”

 

The primary lesson Jesus was teaching in Luke 6:38 was about how God blesses your generosity. If you are generous with others, God will bless you back in multiple ways. Generosity is certainly an important virtue, and that is the primary point in this lesson from Jesus, but it’s not what I want to focus on this morning. Instead I want to zero-in on a secondary lesson we can draw out of the illustration Jesus used to teach His main point.

 

His original listeners would have immediately understood Jesus’ reference to a good measure (as opposed to a bad measure). In their day it was common to go into a marketplace and see a merchant weighing out wheat, flour, or grain into a sack. A dishonest merchant would have inaccurate scales designed to cheat the customer. The scale would lead the customer to believe they were receiving the full measure they were paying for, when in reality they were getting a bit less. That’s a bad measure.

 

An honest merchant would not only have accurate scales, but once he had poured into the sack the full amount you were paying for, he would press it down to make more room in the sack so he could pour in a little extra. Then he would shake the sack up and down to further compress it so he could pour in even a little more. Then with a wink and a smile he would hand you your sack, filled to overflowing with even more than what you had paid for. That’s a good measure and that’s how God blesses us once we have blessed others.

 

Be like the honest merchant. Be completely honest with people. And then beyond that, bless them with a little extra. Give them a good deal, give them a smile, give them a wink, and send them off to have a great day. That’s how God deals with us and that’s how we should deal with others.

 

Be an honest and generous person and it won’t be long before everyone knows that about you. It will become your reputation, and ultimately, your legacy.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Being a virtuous person”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (CSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Develop the virtues of courage and optimism.”

 

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once wrote a eulogy in honor of the passing of his friend Federal District Judge Richard Casey. In the eulogy Scalia noted that the thing most people will remember about Richard Casey was that at the age of fifty-four, in the prime of his legal career, Casey lost his sight and became totally blind. But what was truly remarkable was that he did not retire from being a judge. With no complaints and without missing a beat Richard Casey simply learned how to be a blind judge. Like the Apostle Paul, he had others do his reading and writing for him. He listened carefully to the arguments being made in court and learned to make good mental notes. He had the sessions recorded so he could listen to them again, and he continued to be an outstanding judge even though he could no longer see.

 

As amazing as that was, through it all Casey maintained an upbeat and positive attitude that radiated joy and good cheer. He was resolute in the face of adversity, courageous as he worked hard to overcome obstacles, and he displayed unlimited optimism regarding the future. Scalia said being around Richard Casey made you ashamed of your own complaining and ingratitude.

 

He also had a great sense of humor and he treated his disability lightly, even joking about it. At one point he went to a ski school for the blind in Park City, Utah. As I remember the story, he was telling his friend Antonin about his skiing adventure and Scalia teasingly said, “Richard, you’re blind. You have no way of knowing if you were really in Park City, Utah or anywhere else. For all you know you could have been going up and down a big pile of snow on a K-Mart parking lot in Jersey City.” To that Casey replied, “Doesn’t matter. I had a blast anyway!”

 

In a similar story, yesterday (March 7^th) was the eleven year anniversary of the day my wife Linda had her stroke and brain surgeries. In many ways they have been eleven hard years for us. She has had multiple other health problems since then and her disabilities have required a lot of adjustments on both of our parts. But in other ways these have been eleven very good years too. A big part of the reason they have been good is because Linda has the same kind of attitude about her disabilities that Richard Casey had about his blindness. She accepted it, adjusted to it, and got on with life. But she did so with great courage and optimism, as well as good cheer and a great sense of humor.

 

Stories like those of Richard Casey and Linda Mersereau inspire the rest of us to also work to develop the virtues of courage and optimism. If they can live that way then the rest of should be able to as well. We need to learn to be courageous and optimistic, even in the face of great adversity.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim