Good Morning Everyone,

 

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

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:34-35 (NRSV)

 

Our thought for today: “God is speaking but are you listening?”

 

There’s no question that God speaks. The problem is that many of us don’t really listen. From start to finish the Bible is evidence of the fact that God wants to be heard by His people and He wants to be understood by them.

 

The Bible itself is God’s letter to us. Beyond that, we find both in the Bible and by experience in our own lives and in the lives of others, that God also speaks in an infinite number of other ways. He speaks to us through His creation, through dreams, through circumstances, and through other Christians. We read in the Bible that to some people He spoke through a burning bush, through a storm, and even through the mouth of a donkey. That example has always been encouraging to me. I mean, if he can speak through the mouth of a donkey then He can certainly speak through me as a preacher (although between the two of us I’m sure I’m more of a challenge to Him than the donkey was!)

 

The problem isn’t whether or not God speaks to us – He does, the problem is that we don’t listen. There are things we have to do in order to place ourselves in a position before God whereby we’re attentive and can hear Him. God seldom shouts or even raises His voice. Instead He is soft and quiet and almost never audible (I’ve never audibly heard His voice). He speaks to us primarily through the words of the Bible, but also through prayer, and through the circumstances of our lives, and through the counsel of mature Christians, and through preaching and teaching, and through Christian music, and in many other ways too.

 

Unfortunately many of us make excuses for not doing the very things we need to do in order to hear from God. We make excuses for not reading our Bibles, or for not praying. We make excuses for not going to church, and therefore we don’t hear the sermons and Bible studies, and we are not in fellowship with other Christians. You get the point. If we want to hear from God then we need to place ourselves in a position before Him whereby we can hear Him.

 

The more ways in which we place ourselves before Him the more we will hear from Him. Seldom does He speak to us in only one way. Usually, if He has something to say to us, He will do so in multiple ways. That’s necessary because we’re thick-headed and spiritually dull. Therefore we need to have His word confirmed for us. So you will hear from Him through the words of the Bible, and then perhaps through impressions in prayer, and maybe in the words of a sermon, and perhaps through the counsel of friends, and probably in other ways too.

 

The fact is that God does speak to us, but often we’re not listening. Instead we’re making excuses for not reading, not praying, not going to church, etc. I encourage you to renew your commitment in 2018 to do as many things as you can to place yourself in a position before God whereby you can hear Him clearly and often.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

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

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that He has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “It will be very impressive.”

 

Earlier in this series I told you the story of Noah Galloway, the army soldier who lost an arm and a leg in a roadside bombing incident in Iraq. Although he could have used his status as a double amputee as an excuse for living a limited and restricted life, he refused to do that. Instead he pushed through it, found ways to adapt, and ended up becoming a physical fitness trainer as well as an author, a star on a reality television show, and he placed third one season on the show “Dancing with the Stars”.

 

Noah’s success at overcoming his disabilities came from his attitude. He refused to use his apparent limitations as an excuse. At one point it occurred to him that any life lived well is impressive, but just think how much more impressive it will be to live life well as a double amputee! From that point on his disabilities became a motivating factor for him. He was determined to find ways to accomplish things with only two limbs that many people with four limbs can’t do.

 

Have you ever thought of your perceived limitations as a motivator rather than as an excuse?  Colin Powell was raised by a single mom in an inner-city ghetto. He went on to graduate from West Point. He became a four star Army general, he served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he was the Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. Joni Eareckson Tada has spent her entire adult life as a paraplegic in a motorized wheelchair. Yet she is the author of many books, she is a motivational conference speaker, she founded and leads a large Christian ministry, and she paints art gallery quality paintings by holding a paint brush in her teeth.

 

I could go on for many pages citing example after example of people – famous and not famous, who refused to use their personal limitations as an excuse, and who instead went on to accomplish meaningful things in spite of those limitations. But you get the point. Their accomplishments are all the more impressive because of those limitations.

 

So what is it in your life that you’re using as an excuse? Are you too old, too young, too big, or too small? Are you too poor, too busy, too weak, or too … what? What is it that you’re using as an excuse for not accomplishing the things you want to accomplish in life? Your limitations may be real but all that means is that your success will be even more impressive.

 

Don’t use your limitations as an excuse. Use them as a source of motivation – and then just go do the thing.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

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

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Exodus 24:3 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “We need structure and discipline”

 

Dr. Richard Halverson spent his life as a Pastor. He was an intelligent man who received his education at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was close friends with many high profile Christians of his day like Billy Graham, Roy Rodgers, and Bill Bright (The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ). During his life Dr. Halverson wrote fifteen books, he served on the board of directors for World Vision, and he also served as the Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. So he spent his life among accomplished people who were intelligent, driven, and very successful.

 

One thing he discovered was that successful people are almost never lazy or unfocused. Instead they’re structured and disciplined. They know what they have to do in order to accomplish the goals they have set, and then they are methodical and disciplined in the pursuit of those goals. They don’t procrastinate and they don’t make excuses. They figure out what needs to be done and then they just go do it. Dr. Halverson once wrote:

 

“No man ever became great doing as he pleased. Little men do as they please. Great men submit themselves to the laws governing the realm of their greatness.”

 

As a Christian “the laws governing the realm of your greatness” are found within the pages of the Bible. To become the man or woman God wants you to be you have to be living with the boundaries He has given us in the Bible. That’s our structure, that’s the fence line for us. There’s a lot of room for a lot of living within those boundaries but still, there are boundaries. We have to know them and we have to stay within them. That’s what Moses was telling the Israelites in Exodus 24:3. “You will be great in God’s eyes when you submit yourself to the laws which govern life in His kingdom and then live within that structure.”

 

That’s true in life overall, but it’s also true when it comes to specific activities, goals, and objectives. When it comes to accomplishing the God-given goals and objectives we have for 2018 we need structure and discipline. We need the structure of a plan to guide us, and we need the discipline to stick to that plan.

 

Dr. Halverson was on to something in his statement quoted above. People who accomplish meaningful things in life do so because they have structure and discipline. I encourage you to set some good goals for 2018. Then make a plan to guide you in the accomplishment of those goals and discipline yourself to stick to it. We are at our best when we have structure and discipline.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

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