Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any praise – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t stop talking to yourself.”

 

Do you talk to yourself? Come on, admit it, of course you do. We all do. In fact, some of the best conversations I have are the ones I have with myself. Truth be told, I’m the most interesting person I know. Lol. I’m certainly the person I know the best and the one I spend the most time with. And so, I’m also the one I talk to the most.

 

So the question isn’t whether or not you talk to yourself, but rather how much do you talk to yourself and what do you talk about? In our mind there’s a tape playing of noise and thoughts and ideas – noise and thoughts and ideas that, because they do play over and over again in our head, they end up penetrating deeply into our sub-conscious mind thereby becoming key factors in determining who we are and what kind of personality we have.

 

Self-talk is one of the most important determining factors regarding our sense of self-worth. It also goes a long, long way in determining what our attitude is about life in general and about specific people and events in particular. That being the case then, self-talk can help us or it can hurt us; it can build us up and help us to be happy and successful, or it can tear us down, keeping us depressed and discouraged.

 

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received in this regard was “Jim, talk to yourself like a coach.” What does that mean? Well, consider the relationship between an athlete in training and his or her coach. The coach is constantly talking to the athlete – guiding, correcting, encouraging, exhorting, but always in a way that’s designed to help the athlete to keep getting better and better. We need to talk to ourselves like that. We need to make the voice in our head be the coach we need to help us stay positive and uplifted and moving in the right direction.

 

We do that by following Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:8. We fill our mind with good, positive, nurturing, uplifting and encouraging thoughts and then we play that tape over and over again.

 

But, easier said than done, right? Yes, that’s true. But how we talk to ourselves is simply a matter of habit. And like any other habit, a bad one can be broken and a good one can be learned. It just takes time, effort, and disciplined practice. That’s true whether you’re training yourself to run a marathon, bench press 300 pounds, chew with your mouth closed, or stop leaving the toilet seat up. Through effort and practice you can change. Old bad habits can be broken and they can be replaced by new good habits. And that includes how we talk to ourselves.

 

So don’t stop talking to yourself, just change what you’re saying. Talk to yourself like a coach.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

 

Our thought for today: “Be faithful”

 

When we think about the character trait of faithfulness probably the first thing most of us think of is our determination to be faithful to God. We resolve to believe in Him and to trust in Him no matter what. For those of us who are married the concept of “faithfulness” also reminds us of our commitment to remain faithful to our spouse.

 

But the practice of faithfulness actually extends to all of life. When we are a faithful person we will be faithful to God and to our spouse, but also to others and to ourselves. We will be a man or woman of our word. We will say what we mean, mean what we say, and then do what we promise we will do.

 

Therefore other people can count on us to be truthful and dependable. Beyond that, we can count on ourselves to be truthful and dependable. Not only can others count on you, but you can count on you.

 

Faithfulness is such an important character trait that Paul includes it as part of the “Fruit of the Spirit” which God develops and brings out in the life of a committed follower of Jesus Christ. The more spiritually mature a person is, the more faithful that person will be – in all areas of life.

 

I have intentionally addressed this issue of faithfulness today because it’s directly connected to the issue addressed in the devotional from yesterday regarding the bad practice of excuse-making and procrastination. Faithful people don’t make excuses and procrastinate. They just get things done. They make a commitment (to God or to others or to themselves), and then they just start walking it out until the commitment is fulfilled.

 

One of the most helpful strategies for being a faithful person is the same one we discussed yesterday – segmenting. The best way to faithfully fulfill a commitment is to break it down into easily achievable steps and then just start walking it forward, one small step at a time. There’s an old saying that goes, “Life is a game of inches.” That’s really true. We make progress, and ultimately accomplish things, one moment at a time; one step at a time; one instance of faithfulness at a time.

 

And so, spiritual growth occurs over the long-term out of the daily habits of things like prayer, Bible study, service to others, and participation in the life of a good church, among others. A college degree is earned one course at a time, one lesson at a time, one homework assignment at a time. Physical fitness is achieved one workout session at a time, one good dietary decision at a time. Children are raised one day at a time, finances are cleaned up one good decision at a time, and on it goes. Life is a game of inches. Success at anything is achieved through thousands of little acts of faithfulness, one after another, day after day, ultimately culminating in a life that is characterized by faithfulness.

 

I encourage you to work on developing the attitude of faithfulness. Be a faithful person. Make sure that others can count on you. More importantly, make sure that you can count on you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Just do it.”

 

I think it was it Yoda who said “There is no try, there is only do.” The emphasis in that statement is on the doing. Talking about doing something isn’t good enough. Even “trying” is only ok if that’s just the starting point. The object is to keeping trying until you do it. Years ago the shoe company Nike had a slogan that said “Just do it!”  That’s good advice.

 

Many of us talk a good game. We have the best of intentions and we fully intend to accomplish this thing someday – just not today. Unfortunately if we’re in the habit of making excuses and procrastinating, then there will always be an excuse and someday will never come. And so, we need to “Just do it!”

 

One of the best strategies for just doing it is called “segmenting”. Segmenting is when we break down a goal or objective into smaller, easily managed pieces. Then we simply focus on accomplishing the smaller and easier part that we have before us right now, rather than focusing on the end objective. I recently read a great illustration of segmenting in the book “Resilience” by Eric Greitens. He used the example of a deeply depressed person trying to get out of bed:

 

“A person with severe depression might find it overwhelming to get out of bed in the morning. So, don’t do it. You don’t have to. You don’t have to get out of bed if it’s overwhelming. But you do have to ask yourself, Can I move my toes? Yes. Then do it. Can I move my fingers? Yes. Then do it. Can I open my eyes? Yes. Can I take in a deep breath? Yes. Can I put one leg over the side of the bed? Yes. Can I put another leg over the side of the bed? Can I put some weight on my heels? You’re out of bed.”

 

Segmenting works! Whether you’re simply trying to get out of bed, lose 50 pounds, or earn a college degree, break it down into smaller easily managed parts and then go forward one easy step at a time. Do enough of that and before long you will find yourself out of bed, or 50 pounds lighter, or crossing the stage to receive your diploma. Simple tasks offer fewer excuses. The more complicated you make something the more excuses you can create for not doing it. So make it simple and then just do it – one easy step at a time.

 

So don’t procrastinate. Don’t make excuses. Do something! Like Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:13 – ready your mind for action. Decide that you are going to do something and then do it. Excuses and procrastination are killers. They hold us back from ever achieving our dreams or making meaningful progress in life. The truth is that there is always something you can do to make your situation a little bit better than it is. So just do it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “On a snowy day, he chased a lion into a pit and killed it.”

2 Samuel 23:20 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t be timid.”

 

This morning I want to build on the devotional thought from yesterday about approaching all of life with a spirit of boldness and confidence and courage. If you listened to the sermon on the Oak Hill Baptist website (www.oakhillbaptist.net) from Sunday January 1^st then you know that I’ve been inspired by the book written by Pastor Mark Batterson entitled, “Chase the Lion”.

 

The book is based on the passage from 2 Samuel 23:20 where we read about the man Benaiah, who was one of King David’s mighty men. Benaiah was known primarily for the fact that he chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and then killed it. The way the story reads is that he didn’t just do battle with a lion and kill it, but instead he chased after the lion, drove it into a pit, then jumped in the pit after it, fought it, and then killed it. It was a very impressive act of bravery and skill.

 

Mark’s book then, is all about us leading a life of boldness and courage but the lessons in it are inspired by the example of Benaiah. Let me share a quote from the book that will help you to gain a glimpse of the kind of lessons we can learn from Benaiah’s example. In the introduction Mark writes:

 

“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-sized passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Stop pointing out problems. Become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past. Start creating the future. Face your fears. Fight for your dreams!”

 

It’s a great little book and I recommend it to you.

 

Folks, as we learned in yesterday’s devotional message from Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:7, we are not to approach any situation in life with a spirit of fear or timidity. Instead we are to embrace the spirit of courage and boldness provided to us by God. That then must be our mindset as we go forward to engage the issues of life.

 

Far too often we let fear and doubt hold us back. We run way from challenges instead of towards them. We sacrifice our dreams – and even our destiny, on the altar of fear and doubt. We make excuses and we procrastinate. That simply should not be. That’s not the life God has called us to.

 

Tomorrow we will spend some time considering the problems of excuses and procrastination.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (Amplified Bible)

 

Our thought for today: “Be bold”

 

The Amplified Bible is a very unique translation of the Bible which is especially helpful in assisting us English speakers in grasping the full meaning of the original Biblical languages. Hebrew and Greek are rich languages filled with words that have deep, nuanced, and multi-layered meanings. The challenge for Bible translators attempting to translate the original language into English is to find comparable English words which accurately communicate the meaning intended in the original language.

 

Towards that end, the translators of the Amplified Bible include all the English words and phrases needed in order to convey the full meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek. Sometimes that makes for elongated and cumbersome sentences in English, but it does provide us with all the words and phrases needed in order to grasp the full meaning intended by the original writer. That’s why 2 Timothy 1:7 reads a bit differently in the Amplified Bible than it probably does in whatever translation you normally use.

 

And so, reading that verse in the Amplified translation we understand very clearly that God wants His people to be bold. We are not to approach any situation in life with a spirit of timidity or cowardice or craven and cringing and fawning fear, but instead He gives us a spirit of power and love, a calm and well-balanced mind, discipline and self-control. That’s what the Holy Spirit offers us. The other mindset comes from Satan.

 

This is not a new Biblical principle first introduced by Paul in 2 Timothy. Instead it’s a principle God has been speaking to His people from the earliest days. Almost fifteen hundred years before the time of Paul God spoke these words to Joshua:

 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (AMP)

 

Although I haven’t counted them myself I have heard it said that there are 365 instances in the Bible where God has commanded us to “fear not”, or some variation of that statement. That would be one “fear not” for every day of the year.

 

As we begin our new attitude for the New Year I want to encourage you to reject the spirits of fear and doubt. That’s of Satan. Instead, make it a point to embrace the spirit of boldness and confidence that is rightfully yours as a child of God.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5

 

Our thought for today: “A new attitude for the New Year.”

 

I entered the full-time workforce at the age of only seventeen. In 2017 I will turn sixty-three and so that means I’ve been in the full-time workforce for more than forty-five years now. More than forty of those years have been in positions of leadership – in the civilian sector, in the military, and then in Christian ministry.

 

In those capacities of leadership I’ve had many hundreds of people work for me over the years and if there is one lesson that stands out in my mind above all others it’s that “attitude is everything.” It’s true. Almost always a good attitude is more important than intelligence or training. I would rather have one worker with an average IQ but a good attitude and a great work ethic, then ten workers with above average IQs but bad attitudes and lazy work habits.

 

In the long run the person with the good attitude and the great work ethic will not only be more productive and more pleasant to have around, but they will be more successful too. The world is filled with very smart and highly educated failures who despite their high IQs and college degrees, haven’t gotten far in life because they have bad attitudes and nobody likes them. And conversely, there are many success stories of average people who are really nice, who work very hard, and who then go on to own the company.

 

Attitude is everything, and not just in the workforce but in all of life. Studies of human behavior have proven over and over again that optimists do better, live longer, and are happier than pessimists.

 

In Philippians 2:5 the Apostle Paul told us that as Christians we are to strive to emulate the attitude of Christ. Did Jesus have a good attitude? (It’s a rhetorical question. Of course He did). What was the attitude of Christ like? A study of the Gospels reveals that He was humble and faithful. He was also full of love and kindness and compassion and mercy. But also He was bold, confident, and passionate about His life and His mission. That should describe us too.

 

Yesterday, as the New Year’s sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church, I preached on the subject of “A New Year, a New Attitude”. Listening to that sermon would be a pretty good starting point for this month of devotional messages. If you would like to hear it you can go to our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net and click on “listen”.

 

In life attitude is everything. As we begin the New Year this would be a good time to check your attitude and maybe make a few adjustments in how you think about things and how you approach them. A good attitude will go a long, long way towards having the kind of life you really want to have.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Children are a gift from God.”

 

The other day I was on an airplane from San Diego to Nashville. In the seat right across the aisle was a young couple holding their 8 month old daughter. She was a little princess, as cute as could be. Normally on long flights I read the entire way, but not so much this time. For much of the flight I sat there making silly faces at the baby. In return she laughed and giggled and smiled. I think she loved me.

 

In Psalm 127:3 King Solomon reminds us that children are a gift from God. That’s true not just for parents and grandparents, but children are a gift from God for entire societies, and for neighborhoods, and for church families, and for bored airline passengers. Children are a gift from God period, and all of our lives are enriched by having plenty of them around.

 

As we conclude our month of devotional messages on the theme of “family” I want us to think about how important children are to our homes, our churches, and to our society. Not only do they represent the future, but their presence in our lives greatly enriches our lives. And, we all have a responsibility to see that they are raised well, protected, nurtured, and loved.

 

The Bible provides a plethora of guidance on how to raise children Biblically – guidance for parents, yes, but for the rest of us too. Chapter twelve of my book “Walking with Paul” provides an in-depth study of Paul’s teaching about the parent/child relationship as he presented it in Ephesians chapter six. You can get a copy of that book at www.JimMersereauBooks.com or, if you visit with us at Oak Hill Baptist Church, I would be happy to give you a copy as a gift. On my website you can also access the free article “A Biblical Model for Parenting”.

 

We all have a vested interest in ensuring that the children around us are thriving and well. Children are indeed a gift from God. Let’s praise Him for them and then let’s make sure that the children in our lives are well-cared for, loved, nurtured, and raised in good Christian homes.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Wives, submit to your own husband as to the Lord … Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church …” Ephesians 5:22;25 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Strong families begin with strong marriages.”

 

As our month of devotional thinking about families draws to a close, we cannot end without giving some consideration to the two most important family relationships there are, that of husbands and wives, and parents and children. Today we’ll consider the marriage relationship and tomorrow we will conclude with some thoughts about parents and children.

 

The foundation of a strong marriage is based upon a concept I refer to as “mutual submission”. It’s taught by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:21-33 and it’s the key to a happy and successful marriage.

 

In that passage the Apostle teaches that we have to begin our thinking about a strong marriage relationship from the understanding of mutual submission – a man and a woman in submission to one another. Within the structure of the marriage each one has a different role to play, and each of them is equally important- just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal within the structure of the Trinity, they just have different roles.

 

The interesting thing about Paul’s teaching in this passage is how much of the burden of responsibility and sacrifice falls on the husband. While the wife is required by God to submit to her husband’s godly leadership, the husband is required to serve his wife sacrificially, just as Jesus serves the church sacrificially. Jesus leads the church, but He also loves the church with all His heart, serves the church sacrificially, and even gave His life for the church.

 

If a husband has that attitude about his wife – that she is the most important person in his life and that his goal is to serve her lovingly and sacrificially, then his leadership of the family with be godly, kind, loving, and compassionate. Not many women will have a problem with that!

 

There’s much more that needs to be said on this subject than we have room for here this morning in this devotional message. For an expanded teaching on this passage and what it teaches us about building a strong marriage, see chapter eleven of my book “Walking with Paul”. If you don’t have a copy of it you can get one at www.JimMersereauBooks.com. Or, also on that website, you can download a free copy of the article “A Biblical Model for Marriage”.

 

A truly healthy marriage – a Biblical marriage – is based upon the concept of mutual submission.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “He makes us strong in the broken places”

 

It’s always a difficult thing to watch someone we love and care for going through a difficult and painful season of life. We want to help them so badly, but often we just don’t know what to do or say. And honestly, often there is little we can do or say.

 

Many times we simply have to be content to be there for them and to walk through it with them. That’s because often the solution to the situation is out of our hands. Perhaps there is physical healing that has to take place, and that’s up to the Lord, the doctors, and the medicine. Or maybe there’s an addiction that has to be overcome. Or the person has lost a loved one and now they have to progress through the stages of grief, acceptance, and adjustment.

 

There could be endless examples but the point is that sometimes there is no quick and easy answer and so our part is to simply be there for them, support them as we can, and offer our love, prayers, and words of encouragement as appropriate.

 

One of the Bible verses I frequently refer people to in such cases is 2 Corinthians 1:4. This verse reveals several important spiritual truths about suffering, comfort, hope, and readjustment.

 

For one thing it reminds us that God is our source of comfort during times of affliction. This is just one of numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments that remind us to bring those times to God so we can receive comfort and peace from Him.

 

This verse also encourages us to take our eyes off of ourselves and to focus instead on being a blessing to others. Yes, even in the middle of our own pain we are to look for ways to bless others. When you take your eyes off of yourself and focus instead on blessing others, you discover that your own situation doesn’t seem as bad anymore and is a little easier to deal with.

 

But another important Biblical truth that Paul refers to in this verse is the fact that God will often use our pain and suffering as a means of preparing us to minister to others in that same situation. Many times as we heal from the thing that is hurting us, we end up stronger in the very place we were broken.

 

That’s why the best addiction counselors are usually those who were once addicts themselves. It’s why the founders of MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving) were all mothers who had lost children because of drunk drivers. It’s why those who have fought their way through deep depression sometimes end up being clinical counselors who help others to fight their way through depression. And on and on the examples go. We often end up strongest in the very areas in which we were broken.

 

What does this have to do with our theme this month of “Family”? Just that when you have someone close to you who is going through a difficult season of life one of the ways in which you can encourage them is to remind them of the great truth of 2 Corinthians 1:4. Remind them to take the situation to God, every day. Encourage them to focus on blessing others as a means of working through their own pain. Help them to see that this season of suffering can be the prelude to a new purpose in their life. And remind them that we often end up being strongest in the very place where we were broken.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust have eaten.” Joel 2:25 (NKJV)

 

Our thought for today: “There are no “throw-away” people.”

 

I love the great truth expressed by the Lord through the Old Testament prophet Joel in Joel 2:25. The southern kingdom of Judah had suffered a terrible disaster. As a result of their continued disobedience the Lord had allowed a plague of locusts to descend upon the land and strip it bare of every living green thing. It was awful and the people were as destitute as they could be.

 

But through Joel God spoke a word of hope and promise. If they would repent not only would God forgive them, but He would restore to them all they had lost. It would take a while, and the pain they suffered (which they brought upon themselves) was real and terrible, but still, God was prepared to receive them back and restore His blessings to them if they would repent and change their ways.

 

In recent years I’ve spent a lot of time in the local jail visiting with men who, through years of drug abuse and crime, have lives that look a lot like that devastated land of Judah. Joel 2:25 is one of the verses I frequently share with them because it’s a great truth of God that applied not only to those people back then, but to us in our day too. If we repent not only will God forgive us and restore His blessings to us, but He will often help us to regain much of what was lost.

 

This is one of the reasons I believe there are no throw-away people. Since God never gives up on us, we cannot give up on others. They do have a responsibility to repent and change their ways, but we also have a responsibility to help them do it and to then offer them a way back.

 

I believe this must be true in traditional family units and homes, but also in places like churches and groups of friends. It’s true that sometimes individual members of our families and family-like groups behave in ways that are completely unacceptable. When they do that not only do they suffer terribly in their own lives, but they hurt others too. So for our own sake and safety we often need to put distance between them and us. Appropriate boundaries are always needed when inappropriate behavior is frequent.

 

But the opportunity for forgiveness and restoration should still exist as well. There are no throw-away people so don’t ever give up on anyone. Don’t enable bad behavior – take the action necessary to protect yourself and to allow the individual to suffer the consequences of their own bad choices; but once they have repented and changed their ways, make sure you have left them a path back for reconciliation and restoration.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim