Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Trust Him to get you through this.”

 

An uninformed person reading 2 Corinthians 12:10 would probably conclude that Paul was crazy. He took pleasure in suffering? But if a Christian, enlightened with understanding by the Holy Spirit, were to carefully read the entire passage in context, they would discover an amazing truth revealed by the Apostle.

 

In the previous passage, in 2 Corinthians 11:22-33, Paul gave us a long list of the struggles, trials, persecutions, sicknesses, injuries, disasters, and pressing needs he had faced. It’s incredible that one man endured so much over such an extended period of years and lived to tell about it. But he did live to tell about it. Beyond that, Paul survived and thrived through it all. And while all of that was happening to him, he was living one of the most meaningful and productive Christian lives ever lived by anyone other than Jesus Christ Himself. How did he do it?

 

It’s important for us to understand that God didn’t cause the trials and tribulations Paul wrote about in that passage. In most cases it was other people who caused them. It was their sinful actions that resulted in Paul’s repeated suffering. In some of the other situations it was just life happening. Storms at sea, flooded rivers, sleepless nights, are all just part of life.

 

But what Paul discovered was that God was with him and God got Him through all of those tough times. As a result Paul’s faith was strengthened – and that is what he meant by the phrase “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The more Paul needed God, the more God was there for Him, and the stronger Paul’s faith in God became.

 

Sometimes we wonder why God allows us to suffer sickness, or unfair treatment at the hands of others, or unemployment, or any of a wide range of other issues. After all, God is sovereign and powerful so surely He could intervene on our behalf and prevent such things from happening to us if He wanted to.

 

And yet, He usually doesn’t intervene. It’s true that He could, and sometimes He does, but more often than not He allows life to unfold as it will, and then He walks us through whatever we’re dealing with. And like Paul, in the process our faith becomes stronger. When you are weak and at your point of greatest need, that’s when God shows up in the biggest ways. That then leads to an increase in your faith in Him and as a result, your weaknesses results in greater strength.

 

I don’t know what you’re going through in your life right now but I do know you’re dealing with something you wish wasn’t there. We all are. Everyone has something going on that they wish wasn’t happening, and about which they can’t do much.

 

Well, be encouraged! Your situation is precisely when God will show up and do His best work in your life. When you are weak you can turn to Him and He will make you strong.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3 (NIV)

 

I’m on a little vacation at the moment. It’s true that I’ve also performed a wedding, written daily devotional messages every day, answered email, followed the lives of my church members on Facebook, and toyed with ideas for the next sermon, but I’ve also allowed time for rest and relaxation, and I’m at least thinking about and trying to engage in some genuine leisure.

 

Towards that end I’ve been reading a book by the German philosopher Josef Pieper entitled “Leisure: The basis of culture”. It’s a deep dive into the philosophy of leisure and I’ve found it to be very helpful. For one thing, Pieper’s understanding of true leisure is revealing and convicting.

 

The true leisure that Pieper writes about isn’t a goofing off kind of leisure, like spending three hours lying on the couch watching television and eating Cheetos. Instead this is the leisure of Psalm 23:2-3: “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters; He restores my soul.” It’s the leisure of Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

 

This is leisure that’s nurturing, soothing, and restorative. And it’s the kind of leisure most of us get far too little of. For most of us, when we do finally relax, it’s usually more of the television and Cheetos variety of leisure – junk food for the mind and body.

 

Why are we so reluctant to spend time in true leisure? (Like Pieper, I mean quality time that will really do something good for your mind, soul and body.)

 

Maybe in some cases it’s because the person is spiritually lazy and vegetating in front of the TV is easier than spending time with God. But also, as was noted yesterday, I think many of us (including me) have a kind of Messiah complex. We secretly think that we have to save everyone; we have to solve all the problems; and that if we let-up for even a moment, the world will stop turning, or people’s lives will fall apart, or at the very least those who depend on us will think less of us for taking time-out for ourselves.

 

But the reality of the situation is that if we don’t take time for ourselves, time to engage in real leisure, the kind that nurtures our spirit and restores our soul, we will become progressively less and less effective at the things that keep us so busy (and which we believe to be so important). And with enough neglect of our own needs, we’ll eventually get to the point that our efforts at being there for everyone else will become counter-productive and we will end up doing more harm than good.

 

We all need that time the Psalmist writes about of lying down in the metaphorical green pastures and sitting beside the quiet waters (whatever that would actually look like in your life). Deep time with God – in prayer, in scripture, and in times of extended peace and quiet, is what real leisure is all about.

 

I encourage you to set aside that time for yourself soon. It’s ok – while you’re taking that time out for yourself you can trust God to take care of all those other things for you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work.” Exodus 20:9-10 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Give yourself a break.”

 

As you read this it is Monday morning and many of you are getting ready to go to work. Some of you love your job and are eager to get there. Some of you hate your job and are gritting your teeth at the thought of another day of your life being spent doing it. And some of you are being completely utilitarian about it in that you are going simply because you have to. “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.” The implication being that if you didn’t owe, you wouldn’t go.

 

But Biblically work is a good thing. We’re supposed to work hard so we can earn a living and thereby provide for ourselves and for those who depend on us. The problem for many of us is not that we don’t work enough, but that we work too much. Some of us are workaholics whose lives are defined by our careers. Others have allowed themselves to become so deeply in debt that they have to earn a lot of money just to keep their head above water. Therefore they work as many hours as they can in order to earn as much as they can. Either way, the bottom line is that work consumes too much of our lives.

 

I tend to be the workaholic type. I love what I do and I’m committed to it with a passion that borders on compulsion. And therefore I overwork. I don’t give myself enough of a break. I’m betting that many of you are like that too.

 

In the Fourth Commandment God built a weekly break into the normal rhythm of life. The Sabbath is designed for rest and worship – and it’s because we need it. But actually this commandment is intended to convey more than just a black and white legalistic rule about not working one day a week. There’s a larger lesson here – especially for workaholics like me. Often we’re tempted to think that the world will stop turning if we don’t keep working. Or the lives of other people will fall apart if we don’t vigilantly stay involved and try to help them solve their problems.

 

Well the reality is that life will carry on just fine if you stop for a while to give yourself a break. And other people will discover that they can solve their own problems and therefore it’s not necessary for you to constantly hover and intervene. It really boils down to a matter of trusting God.

 

The fact is that He’s God and you’re not. He’s going to be up all night watching over things anyway and therefore you don’t have to be. And should you take an extra day off, or even dare to go on a vacation, I’m betting God can cover that for you too.

 

Tomorrow we will continue this discussion about giving ourselves a break. We will consider the importance of leisure time – but not leisure as it is commonly understood. I’m talking about real leisure that genuinely makes a helpful difference.

 

There are some pretty significant benefits for us when we trust God to cover us while we take the breaks we need. Tomorrow we’ll explore this truth a little deeper.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” John 15:5 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Trust Him to work through you.”

 

Sometimes Christians are hesitant to attempt meaningful things for God because they don’t believe they have the ability or talent to do much for God. Well, maybe you don’t have many skills, talents, or abilities but it’s actually irrelevant. What you can or cannot accomplish for God has very little to do with what you are personally capable of doing, and it has everything to do with what God is capable of doing in you, with you, and through you.

 

In John 15:5 Jesus used the example of a grape vine and the branches that grow off of it to make this very point. The grape vine produces and bears its fruit through the branches which grow off of it. As long as the branch stays firmly attached to the vine, the life of the vine flows in the branch and the fruit of the vine is produced through the branch. But if the branch becomes separated from the vine then the fruit of the vine is no longer produced through the branch.

 

The Christian life works exactly the same way. Jesus is the spiritual vine. He lives His life and produces His fruit through the lives of His followers. As long as the follower of Christ remains firmly attached to Him (in a good and healthy relationship with Him), the life of Christ will flow through and work in the Christian. That then will result in the fruit of Christ being produced in and through the life of the Christian.

 

The ability of the branch to bear the fruit of the vine depends entirely on the branch remaining in right relationship with the vine. It’s the vine that produces the fruit. The branch just stays attached.

 

I encourage you to stop worrying about what you are or are not capable of achieving for Jesus. Focus instead on simply remaining in a good and healthy relationship with Him. Then trust Him to do with your life whatever it is that He wants to do with it. If you remain in a good and healthy relationship with Him, He will produce in your life the fruit that He wants you to bear. You can trust Him for it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.” Leviticus 26:8 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “God can do a lot with a little.”

 

In Leviticus 26:8 Moses was teaching a great truth about God to a skittish and doubtful nation of Israel. Repeatedly the people had shown themselves to be fearful and unfaithful in the face of adversity and big challenges. So Moses was explaining that even though they were a relatively small and weak group, especially when compared to their enemies, as long as God was working on their behalf they would be victorious despite the odds.

 

There’s an old saying that goes, “God plus one is a majority.” That was true in their case and it’s true in yours too. With God working in them, through them, and with them, five of them would chase away a hundred enemies; ten thousand of the bad guys would flee in fear before only one hundred faithful people of God. The point being that God can do a lot with a little.

 

I see this truth lived-out on a weekly basis in the life of Oak Hill Baptist Church. We’re a small church, currently running 70-80 on a Sunday morning. But we’re an Acts 1:8 church. We are committed to being on-mission with Jesus outside the walls of our church buildings in our Jerusalem (Cumberland County), in our Judea (Tennessee), in our Samaria (Eastern Kentucky), and to the ends of the earth (foreign missions).

 

We have ongoing ministry projects in our town with the Bread of Life Rescue Mission; in our state with the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home; in Kentucky with our partners at New Beginnings Church; and we also send people on international mission trips. And those are just the regularly scheduled large scale ministry projects. There is much more that our folks are involved in as well all throughout every week.

 

One of the most common observations visitors make about our church is that “You folks do so much!” and that is absolutely true. So it could lead a person to think that the members of our church must be exhausted by all that work. Surely the people must be stretched thin and running on fumes as we frantically try to squeeze it all in and make it all work.

 

But the exact opposite is actually true. Visit with us and you will find a group of happy, joy-filled, relaxed people who love each other, who take care of each other, and who genuinely enjoy being together. There is no striving and straining; no anxiety over ministry projects’ no stressing over results.

 

How can that be? How can so few do so much with so little and be peaceful and serene about it? It’s only by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. What you see at Oak Hill Baptist Church is a group of people who have surrendered their will for God’s will; people who are willing to simply be used by God to accomplish whatever it is that He wants done; and people who realize the truth of Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”

 

The truth is that God can do a lot with a little. If you faithfully give Him the little that you have to offer, you can trust Him do a lot with it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our Bible verse for today: “If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:8-10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Trust Him to always be with you.”

 

The Bible is true. Period. The Bible is God’s words to us and it is 100% true, all the time. Therefore anything written in the Bible, even if it only appears one time, is God-spoken truth. But if something is repeated in the Bible, especially if it is repeated numerous times, then that’s a truth God wants to drive home to us and to embed deeply into our hearts. When God repeats something numerous times in the Bible it’s because He wants to be certain that we get it.

 

One of the great truths God repeats over and over again is that He is always with us. Psalm 139:8-10 explains that truth in beautiful and poetic language. In other passages God uses much more direct language to make the same point. As was noted in a previous devotional on this topic, 13 times in the Bible God promises to go before His people. That means that you will never enter into any situation where God is not already there and waiting for you. 22 times He promises to never leave us. Hebrews 13:5 may be one of the most direct passages on this topic in all of Scripture, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” Matthew 28:20 is another, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

This is important because sometimes we can find ourselves doubting God’s presence, especially during times of trial and hardship when answers and resolutions don’t seem to be coming. We begin wondering, “Where is God in the middle of all this?” Well, the promise of Scripture is that He is right there with you. Even if you don’t sense His presence in that moment it’s no less true that He is still right there.

 

During those times when the presence of God seems far away or even non-existent ask yourself these questions, “Do I believe the Bible is true, in all respects and at all times?” “Do I really believe that God is with me always, just as He promised He would be?”

 

Then rest in the knowledge that He is in fact with you in the middle of whatever it is you’re dealing with. In the right way, at the right time, He will make His presence known to you and it will be obvious that He was right there with you all the time. You can trust Him to always be with you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.” Proverbs 17:17 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Can your friends trust in you?”

 

Not long ago a friend took a courageous stand on my behalf which I deeply appreciated. Without going into the messy details, there was a problem brewing behind the scenes in a situation where I was in a position of leadership. A disgruntled individual was at work stirring up strife and sowing seeds of dissension, and I was unaware of it. If left unchecked, it had the potential to create big problems for me and for others.

 

My friend made attempts to address the situation on my behalf by confronting the individual, but to no avail. So she came to me and told me what was going on. I was then able to get involved and deal with the situation before it created too much more damage. My friend did that knowing that it would quickly become obvious to the disruptive individual who it was that had exposed the situation – and that had the potential to involve my friend in conflict. But she came and told me anyway.

 

My friend had my back and I’m grateful for it.

 

Can your friends trust you to look out for them and to take action on their behalf, even when doing so could be hard, or even risky? That’s what friends do for each other.

 

In Proverbs 17:17 Solomon writes that a friend loves at all times. Obviously that means that a friend is faithful and trustworthy when times are good and things are easy, but the Proverb goes on to say that it especially means that a friend can be counted on when times are not good and things are not easy.

 

It means that as a friend you will be there for the other person when being there costs you something. I’m talking about 2:00 AM in the Emergency Room; or making a car payment for them when they’re unemployed; or standing over the grave and weeping with them when a loved one has died; or taking a courageous stand for them when doing so could mean conflict.

 

Are you a good and trustworthy friend? Do your friends know that you have their back? I encourage you to be the kind of friend that you would like others to be for you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “You can trust Him to guide you.”

 

Life can be very confusing. Worse than that, receiving guidance from God about important decisions can also sometimes seem confusing. Right at the time we need to hear from Him the most is often the time when we have the greatest difficulty hearing Him.

 

So what do you do? What do you do when you need guidance from God and it doesn’t seem to be coming? Worse still, what if you have reached the point where a decision simply has to be made and action must be taken, but you still do not have a clear word from God about it?

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us the answer. Decades ago I made this one of my personal life verses and I have relied on it frequently ever since.

 

There’s an old saying that goes, “God gave you a mind, and He doesn’t mind if you use it once in a while!” In other words, God wants us to think things through, pray hard, search the Scriptures, and then make the best decision we can and just move on.

 

It’s similar to how a parent teaches a child to make their own decisions. As the child matures he or she should become increasing more able to make good decisions of their own, without the parent having to give them explicit guidance every step of the way. That’s what God does with us. He wants us to become familiar with His written guidance in the Bible and spiritually mature enough so that we evaluate things and make decisions based upon Biblical principles. And then He wants us to use those skills to make good decisions of our own. He does not want us to remain spiritual babies who have to have every decision made for us and every step forward spelled out for us in detail.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 provides us with a simple three-step process we can use to confidently guide our decision-making:

 

1. Trust God. Realize that God wants to be understood by us so that we can then be obedient to Him. He has more at stake in this than you do. This is about one of His children conducting themselves in a way that honors Him. So He has a vested interest in making sure that we do conduct ourselves well.

 

1. Make sure that your heart is right and that your only desire is to know God’s will and then be obedient to it. Submit your will for His.

 

 

1. Pray and search the Scriptures for guidance.

 

1. When the time comes that a decision must be made and action must be taken, make the best decision you can and just get moving, trusting that God will guide and direct you as you walk it forward.

 

Remember, He wants your obedience even more than you do. He wants you to honor and glorify Him with your conduct and your life even more than you want it. So trust Him – and then get moving.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trust”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You can trust God even in the most difficult circumstances.”

 

Do you trust God? I mean really trust Him? Do you trust Him in the most difficult of circumstances; even when things look bleak and the way forward is uncertain and confusing?

 

Recently I learned a powerful lesson in trust and obedience. As you know, I have just returned from a two week medical and dental mission to the Amazon Rainforest in Peru. For a variety of reasons I really did not want to go on this mission trip. I’ve planned and led close to thirty international mission trips for CERT International over these last thirteen years and this is the only one that I really did not want to go on.

 

But I did go, and the entire experience turned out to be one of great revelation and enlightenment for me. Never before have I had such a tremendous awareness of God going before me into a situation, and then of being there with me all throughout it.

 

If you would like to hear more about that adventure in my life, and the lessons I learned from it, you can listen to our mission trip presentation which was given at Oak Hill Baptist Church yesterday, Sunday March 12^th. Just go to our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net, click on “listen” and select the sermon for March 12^th. Be sure to also select the PowerPoint option so you can see the pictures Brooke Foster presented as well. Also, in order to better appreciate the lesson God taught me on this mission trip about trust and obedience, I recommend you first go to “Google” and Google the popular Christian praise song “I Am Not Alone” by Kari Jobe and listen to it. Then view the mission presentation.

 

In Deuteronomy 31:8 we read of the time that the nation of Israel was about to go forward to take possession of the Promised Land – but they were not going to simply have it served up to them on a silver platter. They were going to have to fight for it, and against some pretty powerful enemies. The situation had the potential to be frightening to the point of causing them to turn away and not go forward (exactly as they had done forty years earlier).

 

Beyond that, their trusted leader Moses was not going to go with them. They were to go forward under the leadership of a new leader – the young man Joshua. So Moses summoned the entire nation, called Joshua forward in front of them, and then on behalf of God he spoke the words we read in 31:8, “The Lord is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

 

What was true for the nation of Israel going forward into the Promised Land was also true for me going forward into the Amazon, and it is true for you too. You will never enter into any situation where the Lord is not already there. He will have gone before you and prepared the way for you. Once you get there He will already be there and He will already have the situation well in hand for you.

 

Your job will always be to simply trust and obey. Do what you know He wants you to do and then simply trust Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers, read it, then went up to the Lord’s temple, and spread it out before the Lord.” 2 Kings 19:14 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Please pray for us”

 

In 2 Kings Chapters 18 and 19 we read the story of the time that the nation of Judah, under the leadership of the good godly King Hezekiah, was being attacked by the armies of Assyria. The city of Jerusalem was under siege. Hezekiah and the Jews were trapped inside. The Assyrian army had the city surrounded. And the siege went on, for a long time.

 

Finally the Assyrian General sent a letter to King Hezekiah explaining to him why continued resistance was futile and that if Hezekiah didn’t surrender, the Assyrians would kill everyone and ransack the city. In 19:4 we read of how Hezekiah responded to that. He went into the temple, knelt at the altar, spread the letter out before the Lord, and then prayed passionately for the Lord’s intervention on their behalf. Long story short, God answered that prayer and destroyed the Assyrian army.

 

How passionate are you in your prayers? To what lengths do you go to lay your requests out before the Lord? Is your attitude about prayer similar to Hezekiah’s? Obviously Hezekiah pleased the Lord with the way he prayed, to the point that the Lord answered in a mighty way.

 

Today I will depart for the Amazon Jungle in Peru. I’m part of a small team of medical and dental professionals who will be traveling in the restricted region of the Rainforest to bring free medical and dental care to Machigengua Indians who live in primitive conditions in small Jungle villages. We will be traveling the rivers in a 50 foot canoe with an outboard motor. We will be sleeping in tents and eating campfire meals. It will be hot, there will be swarms of bugs, and it will be physically demanding.

 

This will be the last devotional message until Monday March 13^th but I want to ask you to please keep this one, actually print it out, and then like Hezekiah, spread it out before the Lord each morning and use it to pray for our team. Specifically:

 

• Pray for safe travel to and from Peru with no missed flights and no lost luggage. (All of our medicines and supplies will be in our luggage)
• Pray all of our supplies and equipment will clear Peruvian customs in Lima.
• Pray for safe travel in-country, including in vans, trucks, boats, and hiking.
• Pray that no team members will get sick or be injured.
• Pray that the Indians will be receptive to receiving not only the medical and dental care, but also the love of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel.

 

We thank you in advance for your faithful prayers. For those of you who follow along on Facebook, we will post pictures and stories at the beginning of the trip and at the end. That’s because on February 26^th we will begin our trek into the Rainforest and we will be back out on the afternoon of March 7^th. For that period of time we will be out of communication.

 

Thanks again for praying for us.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim