Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We have to help each other figure it out.”

 

If you talk to any Navy Seal he will tell you that the members of his Seal team are family to him. That’s true of any fighting unit. The situations those team members face are difficult and often life threatening, and therefore they have to be able to depend on each other. And those close family-like relationships often last a lifetime.

 

In his book “Resilience” former Navy Seal Eric Greitens tells the story of a fellow Seal that he had served with years earlier and with whom he had had a close relationship. In the book Eric called him “Walker” but that was not his real name. The story is that after leaving the Seals and attempting to begin a new life in the regular world, Walker lost his way because he had lost his purpose. When he was a Navy Seal he had a crystal clear purpose for his life. He knew exactly who he was and what his purpose was. But once he left the Seals he was lost – he had no clear purpose and his life spiraled out of control.

 

He then reached out to his old buddy Eric for help. He just needed someone who understood the situation and who would talk it through with him. Over the course of the next couple of years Eric and Walker exchanged a long series of letters as Eric attempted to guide his buddy as he discovered a new direction for his life. The book “Resilience” is a compilation of those letters and it’s packed full of profound and wise advice.

 

There are two lessons we can take from Walker’s example. The first is that we need a purpose in life. We all need something in our lives that causes us to want to get out of bed in the morning. It could be anything from a job we love and are eager to get to; or a college degree we are working on and we can’t wait for the next class; or it could be our love for our children and we’re excited about the thought of spending the day with them.

 

The people who thrive in life are those who have a clear purpose and are passionate about pursing it. But sometimes, like in the case of Walker, we transition into new seasons in life when our old purpose fades away and we have to develop a new one. Those transitions can often be difficult and bumpy, and so we need help. We need counselors.

 

And that is the second lesson we can take from Walker’s example. We all need trusted advisors in our lives – people who will talk with us about the tough issues and then walk with us through them. This is where family should come in. It could be a spouse or a sibling, it could be members of your church family, or it could be a small group of close friends.

 

The point is that we all need trusted advisors – counselors who will help us discover answers to the tough questions in life. That’s what family, and family-like groups, do for each other – we help each other to get it figured out.

 

If you don’t have a small group of trusted advisors who you can turn to about the tough questions in life, I encourage you to get one. We all need help getting it figured out.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!” Luke 2:14 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “I wish you peace.”

 

In Luke 2:8-14 we’re reading about that first Christmas night as shepherds were out in the field at night tending their sheep. Suddenly the veil separating the physical world from the spiritual world was drawn back and a great choir of angels showed themselves to the shepherds. At first the shepherds only saw only one angel. He stepped forward and said:

 

“Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”

 

Then, once he was done delivering that message, the lights went up and revealed a great host of angels standing there as well, and together they lifted their voices in song and praise:

 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!”

 

That was their message, “Glory to God and peace to His people.” That’s what the birth of Jesus signifies. And that is my message to you today as well. First, let’s give glory to God – and let’s do it together. I want to invite you to join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church for a Christmas Eve candlelight service at 5:00 on Christmas Eve. Then join us again for a Christmas morning celebration at 10:00.

 

And then, I wish you peace. May you and your family be blessed beyond measure and may you thoroughly enjoy the Christmas celebration. From the Mersereau family to yours: “Merry Christmas”.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You belong in God’s family.”

 

In their introduction to the Gospel of Matthew, the editors of “The Mission of God” study Bible wrote this about the birth of Jesus, “The mission of God now bursts onto the world scene with greater clarity and authority than ever before.”

 

That’s an important statement. The claim is that with the birth of Jesus the mission of God on earth proceeded in a new and more dynamic way. First of all we have to ask, “What is this mission of God?” Well, the angel revealed the answer to that question to Joseph in his dream when he said in Matthew 1:21 that Jesus would save His people from their sins. That has been God’s intent from the moment the first sin was committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. From that moment on, God was on a mission to save His people and the entire Old Testament was leading up to the birth of the Savior.

 

It has always been God’s mission to save His people from their sins so that they could then join Him in heaven as part of the family of God forever. In various ways God has always made provision for that salvation, even throughout the Old Testament. But the birth of Jesus ushered in the fulfillment of God’s plan – God’s plan not just for the entire human race, but God’s plan for you personally.

 

John 3:16 tells us, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” That was the primary reason Jesus was sent. Then in Luke 19:10 we read that Jesus went on a hunting expedition to locate those who needed to be saved, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (He was talking about you.)

 

And then in 2 Peter 3:9 the Apostle tells us, “The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” This is huge! It means that God refuses to draw His mission to a close because there are still others who need to be saved and He isn’t ready to give up on them.

 

At Christmastime, as we consider the very reason for Christmas, don’t lose sight of the fact that ultimately the birth of the Christ child was all about God wanting you to be in His family. The birth of Jesus made that possible.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted.” Isaiah 61:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Reach out to a lonely person.”

 

“He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” … that sentence is taken from a longer passage of Scripture found in Isaiah 61:1-11 which has come to be known as “The Messiah’s Jubilee”. Through the prophet Isaiah God was prophetically telling us about the coming of the Messiah.

 

Seven hundred years later, as Jesus was beginning His earthly ministry and was visiting in the synagogue in Nazareth, He was asked to participate in the worship service by reading the scripture passage for the day. The leader of the synagogue handed to Him the scroll that contained this very passage from Isaiah which prophesied about the coming of the Messiah. So the Messiah Himself stood there and read that 700 year old passage about His own promised appearance.

 

As the snippet quoted above reveals, one of the reasons Jesus came to us was to bring healing to the brokenhearted. Well if you’ve ever been brokenhearted, and if in the midst of your brokenness you have turned to Jesus for comfort and healing, then you know what an important part of His mission this was. The truth is that there is comfort and healing, strength and renewal, to be found in Jesus. In Matthew 11:28-30 He explained it this way:

 

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

Today we are only three days away from Christmas. For many of us this is a time of great joy and celebration – but not for everyone. Some people have lost a loved one this past year and are therefore about to experience their first Christmas without that person. Others are alone and they don’t have family to spend the day with. Others don’t even have any close friends. These people need Jesus. Not only do they need Jesus Himself, but they need Jesus’ people – they need to be with Christians who will welcome them, include them, and love them.

 

You probably know people like this. If not, just ask the Lord to open your eyes and to show you some of them because they’re all around you. One action you could take is to invite them to join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church for our Christmas Eve service at 5:00 and at our Christmas morning service at 10:00. We would be happy to welcome them into our church family. But also, how about inviting a lonely person to join you and your family at your Christmas celebrations? Do you have room in your heart, and in your life, to include a person who is sad and lonely and struggling through the Christmas season alone?

 

Jesus came to offer comfort and healing to the brokenhearted. In our day, that comfort and healing usually comes by means of the Spirit of Jesus working through the people of Jesus. That’s you and me. I encourage you to reach out to a lonely person this Christmas.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.” 2 Timothy 1:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Give the gift of prayer”

 

So, how would you like to have the Apostle Paul praying for you night and day? Would the knowledge of his prayers for you be a source of encouragement? It sure would be for me! That’s the assurance that young Timothy had. In the opening passage of his second letter to Timothy, his son in the faith, Paul assured him that “I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.”

 

As I write this we’re just a few days away from Christmas. I suspect some of you are still struggling for ideas about gifts to give family, friends, and loved ones. Well, how about the gift of prayer? You could give that person a card with a note inside that says, “My gift to you this year is that I will pray for you every day in 2017. I want you to know that everyday, before you even get out of bed in the morning, you will already have been prayed for.”

 

What a unique and special gift! It will probably be the most meaningful and useful gift that person will receive from anyone. In James 5:16, James the brother of Jesus reminds us that, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

 

Throughout his letters to the New Testament Church we find the Apostle Paul repeatedly assuring friends that of his prayers for them, and asking them to pray for him. The reason prayer is emphasized so much in the Bible, and the reason it is such a beautiful gift to give someone, is because God hears our prayers and moves in response to them. We all know, from the Bible and from personal experience, that when God’s people pray – things happen.

 

So I encourage you to give the gift of prayer this year. You can’t pray for everyone everyday, but you can choose one or two special people who you will pray for everyday. Give the gift of prayer to someone special on your list.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I’ll go to him, but he will never return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:23 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We will see our loved ones again.”

 

The scene recorded in 2 Samuel 12:15-23 is very sad. It tells of the time that the child born from David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba was taken from them by God. David was devastated, as he should have been, but the death was actually no penalty to the child. That child got to skip all the pain and sorrow and heartache that is a normal part of life on earth, and instead went straight to heaven.

 

There’s actually a great spiritual truth about death revealed to us in this passage. Right at the end, in verse 23, David consoles himself with the knowledge that one day in heaven he would get to see his son again. This is just one more place in the Bible where God assures us that one day in heaven we will see our saved loved ones again, and we will recognize them for who they are.

 

As I write this we’re just days away from Christmas. For most of us Christmas is a joy-filled time of celebration. We will be surrounded by family and friends and it will be an enjoyable time of good cheer and happiness. But at the same time we will surely think about those friends and loved ones who are no longer with us because they have gone on to heaven. That can make the holidays a time of sadness as well as a time of joy. But if you are a Christian, and if those friends and loved ones were Christians too, then you have the promise of seeing them again in heaven.

 

Recently I’ve been re-reading Dallas Willard’s great book “The Divine Conspiracy”. The other night I came across a passage where he was writing about the subject of what death means for the Christian. He explained that the moment of death is nothing but a transition from this life into the next. The illustration he used to help explain that transition is that of two rooms. Imagine two rooms separated by a doorway. You are in the first room filled with people, but headed through the doorway into the second room. As you pass through the doorway into the second room you begin to see and hear the people in the second room, and so your attention turns from those in the first room to those in the second.

 

In previous generations, before the days when medical professionals kept patients heavily sedated as they were dying, it was not uncommon for people on their deathbed to be awake and talking to people in the room with them, while at the same time apparently being able to see friends and loved ones who had died before them. The dying person would often engage those dead loved ones in conversation as he or she was passing through the moment of death. It was clear to everyone witnessing the death that the dying person was seeing friends and loved ones waiting for them on the other side of death (or in the next room).

 

The point is that if you are missing a friend or loved one who has already died, and if you are a Christian and so were they, you can rest assured that you will see them again.

 

For the Christian death is just a transition from this life into the next and when we get there, we will see our family and friends and loved ones again. They will be there waiting for us.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head – Christ.” Ephesians 4:15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Speak the truth in love.”

 

I hope you are a part of multiple family-like groups. I hope you have a good family of father, mother, sisters, brothers, children, and grandchildren. I also hope you have a good church family; and a group of close friends who act like a family; and perhaps some other groups like a good healthy group of co-workers who genuinely enjoy working together and who are good for each other.

 

But in order for any of those groups to be truly “good”, there has to be a level of comfort among the members that allows for the truth to be spoken in love. In fact, speaking the truth in love is an essential element for a family-like group to be truly good and healthy.

 

The truth is that none of us are infallible – not one of us has cornered the market on wisdom and good decision-making. From time to time each of us strays in some way and so we need people around us who will gently and loving speak words of counsel and correction. My wife is especially good at this. You’ve probably heard it said that “The man is the head of the house.” That may be true but it’s also true that the woman is the neck that turns the head. It’s true. My wife can guide and correct me without me even realizing I’m being guided and corrected!

 

We can all think of situations where the truth is not spoken, and consequently all sorts of bad decision-making, sin, depravity, and destructive behavior is allowed to exist. I’ve known of situations where adult children, living with their parents, were doing drugs in the house and even having drug-using friends over to do drugs with them. The parents didn’t like it but they also didn’t stop it.

 

Sometimes situations exist in churches where a member is involved in something sinful, and others know it, but nobody is willing to say anything about it (after all, nobody wants to cause conflict in the church).

 

But this shouldn’t be. If you love somebody you will speak truth to them. If you love a person then you won’t silently sit by and say nothing as they engage in behaviors that cause harm to them and to others.

 

In the Bible God requires us to hold each other accountable and to speak truth to each other when needed. We are to speak the truth in love, but we are to speak it. This is an essential element in all family-like groups. I encourage you to have the courage to say what needs to be said. Speak the truth in love.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “These words I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’ Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Raise your children in church.”

 

I was raised in the Catholic Church. My mother was a devout Catholic her entire life and she raised all six of us children in the church. Our church was Saint Matthews Catholic Church and it was right around the corner from our house. If the house across the street had not been there, I could have seen our church from our front yard.

 

Every Sunday morning without fail my mother would lead the six of us up the sidewalk, around the corner, and into the church. Every Wednesday night we would all repeat that trip to go to catechism classes (the equivalent of Sunday school).

 

My mom was a godly woman of deep faith and she worked hard to plant the seeds of faith into the hearts of her children. This is what Moses was commanding in Deuteronomy 6:6-9. What he was describing there were homes that revolved around a deep faith in God. He describes a family where the parents regularly share their faith with their children. They talk about it, they model it in their own behavior, and all throughout there home there are numerous reminders of the faith.

 

One of the best things parents and grandparents can do for children is to raise them in a Christian home – a home that is filled with talk and conduct and constant reminders of how important our faith in Christ is. And also, we must take our children to church. I didn’t say “send” them to church; I said “take” them to church. Your children will be much more impacted by what they see you do than by what they hear you say. So make sure they see you living the faith, not just talking about it.

 

I’m so deeply grateful for my mother’s example. I have to admit that as a child I went along with all the Christianity stuff simply because I had to. It was required of me by my mother. Unfortunately as a teenager and young adult I was far, far away from anything that resembled Christianity. But the seeds of faith had been planted in my heart as a child and years later, those seeds bore fruit.

 

Don’t ever underestimate the power and importance of a good Godly example on your children. Speak to them about the faith; model Biblical principles for them by the way you conduct yourself; and bring them to church.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The wicked man borrows and does not repay.” Psalm 37:12 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Avoid borrowing. But if you do borrow, then repay, and repay on time.”

 

Yesterday I felt led to write a devotional message about borrowing and lending. My main point was that borrowing and lending between family members and friends is often a risky business. It opens the door for one party to feel indebted to the other, and it also creates the possibility of the loan not being repaid, or not repaid on time. That then creates anger and resentment, and it often leads to damaged relationships.

 

The message yesterday was directed primarily at those who have been approached for a loan, and my word of advice was to either say “no”, or to give the money as a gift. I encouraged you to avoid extending loans to family or friends.

 

But I think a word also needs to be said to those who might seek to borrow. First of all, you should avoid it to the greatest extent possible. Each of us has a responsibility to provide for ourselves and to live as best we can on what we have. But, sometimes you might get into a financial jam and need a little help. So if you are going to seek a loan from a family member or friend, pay it back. And pay it back on time. The Bible says that it is wicked to default on your debts.

 

As a potential lender we also need to be careful that we don’t enable bad financial habits on the part of those who tend to borrow frequently. Years ago there was a woman who was close to my family who had the bad habit of borrowing frequently. She always seemed to have a sad story to tell and there always seemed to be a reason that she needed to borrow some money. She also had the bad habit of not repaying what she borrowed. There was usually a sad story to go along with that too.

 

Finally I cut her off. I simply told her that there would be no more loans and she just needed to get to the point in life of providing for herself. And guess what? She survived! It’s true! Once I stopped being her personal ATM she just had to figure it out for herself. And she did. That was years ago and to this day she is still figuring it out for herself. She has actually begun demonstrating some personal responsibility.

 

Would she have achieved that increased level of personal responsibility if I had continued to feed her money? Almost certainly not. When I finally started saying “no” to her requests did she have some tough times and was it a little painful for her? Yes it was. But that was a good thing. It’s what we refer to as “education through pain”. Sometimes our lessons need to hurt a little bit in order for them to result in the needed change.

 

If you are the kind of person who tends to borrow from family and friends I encourage you to stop it. If you are the kind of person who tends to be an enabler of those who have the habit of borrowing, I encourage you to stop it too.

 

Borrowing and lending is best avoided to the greatest extent possible.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Family”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “And if you lend to those whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” Luke 6:34-35 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Borrowing and lending within families creates opportunity for conflict.”

 

I’ll be honest with you – I’m not sure why I’m writing this devotional message on the subject of borrowing and lending. It was not on my list of topics I wanted to address this month. But this morning the Lord convicted me about it and I haven’t been able to shake it. All I can conclude is that there’s someone out there who needs to read this.

 

Let me be clear that the Bible does not forbid us to be a borrower or a lender. There are many instances in the Bible where both were done. However Proverbs 22:7 does tell us that, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender.” And on the other side of the coin there are many passages which caution the lender not to take unfair advantage of those who borrow.

 

So the Bible doesn’t forbid us to borrow or to lend, but it is clear that the act of borrowing and lending brings with it many possible problems. A borrower becomes indebted to the lender and may find themselves in a position where they cannot repay the debt; or worse still, in a position where they don’t want to repay the debt and therefore try to find ways to avoid repaying it.

 

On the lender’s side there is often the temptation to charge interest and therefore make a profit off of the person who was in the position of needing to borrow. And if repayment becomes a problem, lenders will sometimes give in to anger and resentment and perhaps take strong measures against the borrower who is in default. The Bible cautions us against both paths – defaulting on debts, or getting overly tough with those who default against us.

 

However in Luke 6:43-44 Jesus hints at a different approach. In that passage he suggests that a lender should be content to not be repaid at all. Likewise in other passages, Jesus used illustrations of kind lenders graciously forgiving outstanding debts. What Jesus was describing for us was a model based upon mercy, compassion, generosity, and grace.

 

In his classic work on Christian financial management, “The Total Money Makeover”, author Dave Ramsey builds on that concept of grace and mercy and generosity and suggests a rule that involves no lending at all. He says that you should either say “no” to the request for a loan, or you should give the money as a gift; but don’t get involved in lending money to family or friends because that just creates opportunities for conflict.

 

I agree with Dave and therefore Linda and I have adopted that rule as our own. We don’t lend money to people. We either say “no” or we give it as a gift, but we don’t loan.

 

I don’t know who you are out there this morning, but somebody needs to hear this. I’m thinking that somebody has extended a loan to a friend or family member that is now in default and is creating problems; or you’re thinking about extending a loan and therefore opening yourself up for possible problems in the future.

 

Pray about it, do what you think is best, but relationships are more important than money. If there is a loan and it is in default, you might want to think about forgiving it just to clear the table and get the issue out of the way. If you’re thinking about extending a loan, it might be better for both of you if you just give it as a gift – or just say “no”. But it really is true that relationships are more important than money and borrowing and lending opens the door for conflict and anger.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim