Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A Fresh Encounter”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than a double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “The Bible offers us unlimited fresh encounters with God.”

 

The Bible is God’s primary method for communicating with us. He speaks in other ways too, and throughout this month we will consider some of those other ways, but His written word is His primary means of communicating with us.

 

One of the most important jobs of the Holy Spirit, as our Counselor, Teacher, and Guide, is to use the words of Scripture to communicate to us the things that God wants us to know. Often those things will be general Biblical principles that provide basic guidance, but other times He will use the words of the Bible to bring us something specific, something tailored to us for this moment in our lives. It could be a word of encouragement or inspiration; it could be conviction of sin; or it could be the answer to a perplexing life issue you’ve been wrestling with.

 

Hebrews 4:12 is clear that the word of God is alive. That means that the Holy Spirit takes those words, which in themselves are nothing more than ink on paper, and He infuses them with divine life, speaking deep into our mind and heart. Once that takes place, the word from God then becomes like a sharp sword, penetrating to the deepest parts of us, speaking truth and conviction, communicating promises, and providing inspiration.

 

But all of this depends on how we as individuals approach our time of Bible study. First, we have to actually have that time. And second, we must approach it with a desire and an expectation to have a fresh encounter with God. Far too many Christians force themselves to do their daily Bible reading because they think they’re supposed to. It’s little more than a religious duty. Others read for mileage. They’ve decided they want to read through the Bible in a year (a good goal), but then they put the pedal to the metal and speed through their readings just to get them done so they can put a check in the box.

 

Neither of those approaches are likely to result in very much of an encounter with God. And what a shame that is! The Word of God is alive and powerful, and through it God is ready and eager to speak deeply into our hearts. But we have to approach the scripture as if every word of it is a new opportunity to encounter God in a fresh way.

 

The Bible offers us unlimited fresh encounters with God every time we read it. I encourage you to slow down, be attentive, and think deeply about what you’re reading.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A Fresh Encounter”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?” Psalm 42:1-2 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “How do you feel about God?”

 

Yesterday our Bible verse for the day was Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.” That verse expresses one of the greatest truths in Scripture – God wants to be heard and understood by His people.

 

And so, God invites you to call out to Him, to come to Him, and He in turn will speak with you. So the question then is not “How much does God desire your presence but how much do you desire His?” It’s not the condition of God’s heart that’s in question here, it’s yours. How much do you want God?

 

Psalm 42:1-2 has always been special to me. I love the picture it paints of a thirsty heart longing after God like a thirsty deer longs after a cool stream of water. Virtually every time I see a deer I think of this passage, and that then causes me to consider my relationship with God. I want this verse to describe how I feel about God.

 

I’ve sometimes heard it said that your relationship with God is the most important thing about you, and I believe that is true. Your relationship with God will determine how you think, speak, and act. The depth and quality of your relationship with God will determine how diligently you seek Him, how much time you spend with Him, and how much He impacts your life. Your relationship with God will determine everything else about you.

 

But the quality of your relationship with God is going to be determined to a very large degree by how you feel about God. If God seems to be a distant deity with whom you have little personal contact then your relationship with Him won’t have much impact on you. But if He is so real, and His presence is so enjoyable, that you find yourself longing to put the rest of life on hold so you can just savor being with Him, then those feelings will drive you to seek Him often and to truly enjoy being with Him.

 

If Psalm 42:1-2 does not describe how you feel about God then I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to make it so. Read this passage; think about it; meditate on it; invite the Holy Spirit to create this kind of longing in your heart. How you feel about God will determine what your relationship with Him is like, and your relationship with Him will determine everything else about you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A Fresh Encounter”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God wants to revive us.”

 

At Oak Hill Baptist Church we’re beginning a new Sunday night Bible study series entitled “Fresh Encounter” by Henry and Richard Blackaby. It’s all about personal spiritual renewal and church-wide revival.

 

In the introduction to the study Henry makes this observation, “Many churches are filled with professing Christians who are not experiencing the power of God in their lives.” He then goes on to say, “There are lifeless, powerless churches dotting the landscape which are making little difference for God’s kingdom.”

 

That’s a shame and it should not be. Many individual Christians, and consequently many churches, are not experiencing the power of God as they should be.

 

There’s actually a cyclical pattern which is easily observable and which repeats itself over and over again. First God draws people to Himself; they respond to Him; they are excited and passionate about their relationship with Him; but then their passion cools and they get lukewarm and begin to drift; God then disciplines them in some manner; they cry out and repent; they return to God; and once again He blesses them.

 

It is a sad and unnecessary pattern that’s repeated over and over again and at some point most of us go through it. But God never gives up pursuing His people and calling them back into a deep and healthy relationship with Himself.  Jeremiah 33:3 is just one of numerous passages which remind us that God calls us to Himself and when we respond, He blesses us.

 

Throughout the month of April I’ll share with you in these devotional messages some of the lessons we’re learning in our small group time at Oak Hill Baptist. Oak Hill is a wonderful little church which has actually been in a condition of slow, steady, progressive revival for the last 2-3 years. Just the other night some members were marveling and giving God glory for the healthy changes He has brought into our church life during that time.

 

But as good as those things are, we recognize that God always has more for His people. No matter how much individuals or churches have changed and grown, with God there is always something more, always something new, always something better. The adventure never ends. So we continue to seek those fresh encounters with Him and, we invite you to join us. I’m looking forward to sharing insights with you and growing together as we seek spiritual renewal and revival.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Absolute futility, says the Teacher, absolute futility. Everything is futile.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Our trust must be in God alone.”

 

Last night I was watching a news program and it occurred to me how much of the newscast was dedicated to the never-ending and seemingly unsolvable problems in our federal government. It was just one story after another about arguments and debates, stalemates and political maneuvering, he-said she-said, and we the viewing public are left wondering what’s true and what’s not. All we know for sure it that not much is getting done.

 

The last Presidential election was supposed to solve all of that for us. They promised us it would. And yet, the gridlock is worse than ever and nobody trusts anybody. And that’s just on the federal level of our government. A similar scenario plays out at all levels of government and is also becoming increasingly evident throughout all parts of our society. We truly are a deeply divided nation.

 

The biggest problem we face though is the fact that we insist on putting our trust in leaders and programs and policies to fix things for us. We allow ourselves to believe that if only our candidate is elected, if his or her policies are fully implemented, if there were new and better laws, if others in our society would only see things our way and agree with us, everything would be ok. But when we do that we’re putting our trust in the wrong things. People and politicians and policies and programs are not the answer. God is the answer.

 

That was certainly the lesson King Solomon learned and recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is one long and sad record of a lifetime spent placing his trust in all the wrong things. Solomon depended on wisdom, and on wealth, and on pleasure, and on public projects, and entertainment, and government, and everything he could think of, only to finally realize that it was all futile, “a chasing after the wind”. After he had experimented with every possible solution life had to offer he finally discovered that, “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: “Fear God and keep His commands.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

 

The truth is that the President, your Senator, your political party, your career, your lifestyle choice, and your social policies are not the answer. Faith in God is the answer. As individuals and as a nation we need to place our trust in God and in His ways. That’s the only hope for us. I encourage you to put your full trust in God – in no one else and in no thing else.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion, until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God’s not done with you yet.”

 

As I write this it’s very early in the morning and I’m getting ready to leave the house to make a long trip to Nashville. I have a meeting this morning with a young man I have been mentoring. He is currently doing time in a maximum security prison.

 

My friend is a Christian and he really is a fine young man. But he was raised in a bad environment which got him off to a pretty rough start in life. Since then he has made some poor decisions, the consequences of which are pretty severe. He makes no excuses and he doesn’t blame others. He knows that he’s responsible for his choices and for the consequences of those choices. The task now is to put the pieces of his life back together again and to move on with life in a positive way. I believe he will do exactly that.

 

It would be easy for a person in circumstances like that to conclude that his life is ruined and there is nothing good waiting for him in the future. But that would be a wrong assumption. As long as he stays in right relationship with God he will be fine. God is working in this young man’s life and God has a good plan for his future. All this guy needs to do is walk it forward with God, and to trust God.

 

That’s true in your life too. Regardless of your past, and regardless of whatever it is you’re going through right now, the truth is that God’s not done with you yet. If you’re a Christian then God has a great plan for you and even if you make mistakes along the way, God will never give up on you. He will keep guiding and directing and providing, all in an effort to get you where He wants you to be and to accomplish in your life the things He wants accomplished. As Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6, He started a good work in you, and He will stick with you until He brings it to completion.

 

I have often said (especially at funerals), that you cannot determine the full measure of a person’s life until that life has been fully lived. It’s true. As long as you are still living, God’s not done with you. It’s not until your last breath is breathed, and you are at home with Him in heaven, that the full story of your life can be told.

 

So here’s the good news: “God’s not done with you yet!” He has a good plan for you and He is in the process of bringing it to completion. Your job is to just trust Him and obey Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Where were you when I established the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” Job 38:4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “He is God and you are not.”

 

In my personal Bible reading I have just finished the book of Job. I’ve always found his story inspiring and instructive for multiple reasons – not the least of which is that although Job was a good man, he was not a perfect man. Overall he did do a pretty admirable job of handling disaster, pain, and suffering well, but he also had his moments of doubt and whining.

 

Throughout the long course of Job’s trials he held firmly to his faith in God and he resolved to honor God as best he could regardless of the circumstances of his life at any particular moment. But he also went through periods of depression and dismay. There were times when Job was ready to throw-in the towel and just give-up and die. There were other times when he wondered why God had even allowed him to be born in the first place if He was going to allow him to suffer like this.

 

There were times when Job accused God of being unfair and of maybe even being a bit callous and heartless. And then there were the multiple times when Job angrily declared that he didn’t deserve what was happening to him, it wasn’t fair, and that he longed to challenge God face-to-face so God could explain Himself. (The longer this goes on the more it sounds like me.)

 

Then finally, beginning in chapter thirty-eight, God responded. “Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me. Where were you when I established the earth?”

 

And things went downhill for Job from there. God proceeded to lay-out for Job very clearly that “I am God and you are not!” For four long chapters, 137 verses, God puts Job in his place.

 

To Job’s credit he got the point and he learned his lesson. In 42:2 he said, “Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

 

Additionally, after a long period of pain and suffering and bewilderment, and then finally through renewed faith in God’s goodness, Job’s faith grew by leaps and bounds. He ended up coming to know God in a deeper and more intimate way than he ever had before all his suffering: “I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes.” 42:5-6

 

So then, at the end of the story we read, “So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first.” 42:12

 

Whatever it is you are dealing with in life right now you can trust that God is aware of it and that He is Sovereign over it. Nothing happens without His knowledge and permission, and He is a good God and a loving Father.

 

Even if you don’t understand why this is happening or why God is allowing it, it’s imperative to remember that He is God and you are not – and you can trust Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it into writing …” Ezra 1:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God is always at work behind the scenes.”

 

At the time of the opening chapters of the book of Ezra the nation of Israel had been in captivity for 70 years. However God had previously promised, through the words of the prophet Jeremiah and recorded in Jeremiah 29:10-14, that at the end of the 70 years He would deliver His people from their captivity and allow them to return home to Jerusalem. Now that was about to happen.

 

Interestingly, God used a pagan king to accomplish His purposes for His people. It was King Cyrus who felt led to begin the process of sending the Jews home and he was the one who put it into motion. As it turned out, during all those years of misery and deprivation while they were in captivity, God had been quietly working behind the scenes to orchestrate His next round of blessings for His people. And He used one of the most unlikely sources of all to accomplish it, a pagan king.

 

The fact is that God is always at work behind the scenes, working to accomplish His purposes for His people. And like a master chess player, he strategically moves pieces and orchestrates strategies, sometimes over very long periods of time and using unlikely people and situations, to ultimately bring about His purposes.

 

It’s true on a large scale in terms of nations and churches, but it’s true in individual lives too. It’s true in your life too. Don’t ever doubt that God is at work behind the scenes patiently moving the pieces and setting things up to accomplish His intended purposes for you. Even if current circumstances are difficult and confusing, (as was true for the Jews in the years preceding the book of Ezra), God is there nonetheless and He is at work on your behalf.

 

If you doubt that, or if you simply need to be reassured, there are multiple stories in the Bible you could refer to where you will see God at work in that way in the lives of other people. Joseph in the book of Genesis would be a good one to look at. The book of Job shows us another powerful example of that truth. As does the story of Esther, not to mention what we read about in Ezra and Nehemiah. Those stories are in the Bible as examples for us of how God works in the lives of His people.

 

Think of Him as the Cosmic Chess Player if you will, but don’t doubt that He is patiently at work behind the scenes in your current life situations working to bring about His desired purposes in and through and for you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of Yahweh.’ Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.” Job 1:20-22 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “It’s in the worst times of suffering that we learn to trust God the most.”

 

For more than 3000 years Bible readers have been fascinated by the story of Job. A good and godly man who had great success and who honored God with his life, Job suffered a series of horrible and seemingly inexplicable tragedies in his life. It was like a cascading row of dominos falling, with one awful event leading right into the next.

 

In order to really understand the lesson of Job you have to have endured terrible loss and pain in your own life – or you have to have been close to someone who did and you walked through it with them.

 

But in reality, Job’s story is all of our stories because sooner or later life brings tragedy and great suffering to all of us. And the questions are always the same: “Why is this happening to me?”, “What am I supposed to do about it?”, “How long is this going to last?” and “What’s going to happen next?”

 

The story of Job reinforces the truth that we live in a broken and bleeding world that is filled with sin and suffering. Worse, we have an adversary (Satan) who actively seeks to bring pain and suffering into our lives to further his own evil purposes. The challenge for us is that we must trust God to help us face those situations and in the middle of it all we have to remember that God is supremely good and absolutely sovereign, and therefore He has a purpose for allowing these things into our lives.

 

As we follow Job’s story we discover that he suffered greatly. We also see that he did not pretend to like it or to be happy about it – and he also did not attempt to minimize the severity of what he was suffering. But through it all he remained focused on the proven goodness of God. The lesson is that in the good times and in the bad times God is still God. He is still good, He is Creator, Redeemer, Savior, Sovereign, and Lord; and we can trust Him.

 

If that’s our confession in the middle of suffering, then Satan’s best efforts in our lives have been rendered harmless and he is shown to be a defeated foe.

 

Yes life can be hard, and we will be faced with situations we don’t like and would rather not be going through. But in such times we are to stay focused on the great truth that God is there with us in the middle of the trial, He has a purpose and a plan for it, and when it’s all said and done it will be shown to be true that God is good and we can trust Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.” Psalm 96:10 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Trust that God is in control.”

 

Do you ever find yourself getting discouraged about the things going on in the world today? Wars, famines, cataclysmic weather events, economic woes, corrupt government officials, biased news media, and the list goes on. And then there are all of our personal problems such as bills, job problems, cranky kids, troubled marriage, inconsiderate neighbors, those ten pounds you can’t seem to lose …

 

Well here’s the good news: “The Lord reigns”. Yes He does. God is in control. In street language they say “He is large and in-charge!” In theological language we say that God is “Sovereign”. This is the biblical teaching that God is king, supreme ruler, and lawgiver of the entire universe. His sovereignty is expressed in His active involvement in world affairs as well as in the affairs of our daily lives, to bring everything into conformity to His purposes.

 

What this means is that God is in ultimate control of all things. Real sovereignty does not belong to the idols of the world; nor does it depend on money or power; it does not belong to the rich and famous; not to multi-national companies or CEOs; not to kings or presidents. It is the Lord who rules and reigns. And because He does, we His people are not judged by the standards of the world, and it’s not the world that ultimately matters.

 

We belong to a loving, gracious, benevolent God who is able to control all things and who has our best interest always in mind. So trust in Him, not in your job or your spouse or your talents or in any other person or thing or set of circumstances. He alone is Supreme and you can trust in Him.

 

To really lock that truth into your mind and heart, I encourage you to attend worship services this Sunday so you can worship the One who rules and reigns. If you have a good church home, then go there. If you don’t have a church home, then visit with us at Oak Hill Baptist. Sunday school begins at 9:00 and worship is at 10:00. Then at 6:00 we will begin a new Sunday evening Bible study series entitled “Fresh Encounters”. It’s about personal and corporate spiritual renewal and it will go a long way towards helping each of us to focus on the One who rules and reigns, rather than on the problems and distractions of life.

 

I have a personal paraphrase of Psalm 96:10 which I try to apply to my own life. It reads like this: “The Lord reigns in my life. Therefore my world is firmly established and it cannot be shaken.”

 

If you fully surrender your life to God then your world will be firmly established and it will not be able to be shaken. The storms of life will come, as they always do, but your life will be established on the firm foundation of trust in God. He will help you to be strong and solid and unshakeable. You can trust Him for that.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14 (HCSB)

 

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

 

Most of you are probably familiar with the Biblical story of Esther. She was a young orphaned Jewish girl who, through an incredible series of unlikely and completely unpredictable twists and turns, ends up being the Queen of Persia.

 

On the face of it, there seemed to be no reason for Esther’s assent to such lofty heights. But, God was up to something. The Jews were about to be targeted for genocide by the evil official Haman and God would use Esther, in her position as Queen, to foil Haman’s plot and to save the Jewish people. But Esther had no idea that’s what was going on in her life. However her uncle Mordecai did have a suspicion that God was going to use Esther’s situation in a special way, and that’s why he famously said what he did in Esther 4:14, “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for us a time as this.”

 

It’s probably unlikely that God is going to elevate you to the position of Queen of Persia and then use you to save your people. But He is up to something in your life never-the-less. There’s a reason He has chosen to allow you to experience the things you are experiencing, and to be where you are in life.

 

It is possible, as was the case with Esther, that God has actually orchestrated events to place you exactly where He needs you to be so He can use you for a specific purpose. He caused it all to happen so He can then use it for His purposes.

 

Or, it’s equally possible that He has simply allowed events to unfold as they have and since you are now where you are, He will use you and your situation for some glorious purpose. Either way, God is sovereign over the events of your life and if you, like Esther, simply cooperate with Him, there’s no telling what God will do.

 

God used Esther to save a nation of people. He used Abraham Lincoln in the same way. Both were unlikely choices and both were brought to their situations by God for a specific reason. But your situation will probably be less dramatic. Maybe you’re going through a terrible time of testing and struggling right now and unbeknown to you, someone is watching and being impressed by the admirable way in which you are handling it. And maybe God plans to use your example now to help them later when they’re going through something similar.

 

Or, maybe your simple and faithful acts of service now will have an impact on someone years from now. I’m familiar with the story of a husband and wife who lived a simple, modest, and godly life – unremarkable and yet inspiring to their young son. Although their own lives never amounted to anything beyond the ordinary, their godly example of faithfulness inspired and motivated their son, and he ended up becoming the President of a Bible College and a popular author.

 

Who knows why God has you in the situation you are currently in, or how He plans to use it? Only God Himself knows. Your job in the middle of it is to simply be faithful and to trust Him to use it all for His good purposes. God is up to something in your life.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim