Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord, the God of Hosts will be with you … Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate.” Amos 5:14-15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We must actively seek to do good.”

 

It’s not enough to simply avoid evil – we must actively seek to do good. That’s essentially the message God was giving to the Jews through the Old Testament prophet Amos. “Seek” good and not evil; “Establish” justice … those are action verbs. As the people of God we must actively seek to do good not just to avoid evil.

 

Edmund Burke was an Irish political philosopher who lived in the 1700s. He once wrote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Unfortunately, that is precisely what many people do – nothing! In the face of evil they turn a blind eye and look the other way. They may not necessarily participate in the evil, but they don’t take any action against it either. That then, allows evil to triumph. That’s essentially what Amos was warning against.

 

As the people of God we have been called by God to be forces for good in a broken and bleeding world. We are to be the change agents in society. It’s one of the most common themes in the Bible. It’s why Jesus urged us to be salt and light. It’s why Paul told us that we should not get weary in our efforts to do good deeds. It’s why Peter urged his readers to strive to live in an excellent manner.

 

We must actively seek to do good. Here’s another famous quote on the subject that you might find inspiring:

 

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

 

There’s some debate regarding who actually said that first, many people attribute it to the great protestant reformer John Wesley. But who gets the credit for it doesn’t really matter, the truth of the statement is still powerful and 100% Biblical. And, it’s a great rule of thumb for us to live by.

 

I want to encourage you today to be a force for good in your world. Actively seek not just to avoid evil, but to do good.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, lifted their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. The glory of the Lord rose up from within the city and stood on the mountain east of the city.” Ezekiel 11:22-23 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “The drift from excellence to mediocrity is gradual.”

 

In Ezekiel’s day the people of God were living in idolatry and rebellion. They were not being faithful to God. For His part, God kept sending prophets and messengers to call them back to faithful obedience, but they were largely unresponsive and they continued to drift further and further away from God.

 

And so, gradually, God progressively withdrew His glory from them. As we follow the progression as it unfolds in chapters nine through eleven, we find that God’s glory moved from the altar in the Temple to the threshold of the Temple. Then it moved outside the Temple, and then it hovered over the city, and then it stood atop a mountain overlooking the city, and then it was gone.

 

The steady drift from excellence in their relationship with God, to mediocrity in that relationship, to the total absence of God’s glory, was gradual but steady. They got lazy in the practice of their faith and God responded accordingly.

 

This is actually a pattern we see played out repeatedly all throughout the Bible, beginning with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, continuing on throughout the long history of God’s people as recorded in the Old Testament, and then right up to the book of Revelation when Jesus said in Revelation 3:15-16: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.”

 

In our relationship with God, and as a matter of how we practice our faith, we are to strive for excellence. We will never be perfect, but perfection should be our desire and the pursuit of excellence should be our goal. When we get lazy in the practice of our faith, and content with a casual and superficial relationship with God, we have drifted into mediocrity. That will never turn out well for us. If we drift away from God He will let us go, and we will be the ones to suffer for it.

 

If we want God’s blessings in our lives we need to live in such a way that He can bless us. God does not and will not bless mediocrity. He will instead withdraw His glory. He will withdraw it from our congregations and from our individual lives. I urge you not to be that person from whom the Lord must gradually withdraw the glory of His blessings. Remain faithful and strive for excellence in your relationship with Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Never, never, never give up.”

 

Winston Churchill is thought to have been one of the greatest leaders of the 20^th century. Mostly he is remembered for leading England through one of the darkest and most difficult periods of that country’s long history.

 

For much of World War II the Nazis were winning and it seemed as if England was doomed. It was only towards the end of the War that the tide turned, and for much of the time before that, the Nazis bombed London. Every night, night after night, the bombs fell. Much of the city was destroyed, thousands were killed, and the people lived in fear. It seemed as if there was no way of stopping Hitler’s relentless assault.

 

But Winston Churchill refused to give-in or give-up. Day after day and night after night he exhorted the people to hang in there and to have faith. Over and over again he pounded his podium and insisted that as a nation they would “never, never, NEVER, give up!” And they didn’t. And eventually, they won. Hitler and his Nazi hordes were defeated, proving once again that nothing is over until you give up (and if you don’t give up – it isn’t over!)

 

In his book “The Traveler’s Gift”, author Andy Andrews lists persistence and perseverance as one of the seven key decisions a person must make in order to live a life of excellence and success. My personal paraphrase of that decision goes like this:

 

“I will persist and persevere without exception. I hold fast to my dreams and visions. I stay the course. I do not quit. Fatigue is often a precursor to victory. I will not be one of those who gave up just before the victory would have come. I waste little time worrying about how things are now, and focus instead on how they are going to be. In the game of life nothing is less important than the score at halftime. Trying times produce great men. I will persist and persevere without exception.”

 

Remember, nothing is over until you give up. So … don’t give up! Just keep at it until you achieve that God-given vision or goal, or until you have come through that difficult situation. The example of Winston Churchill encourages us to hang in there and never give up. That’s exactly the point the Apostle Paul was making too. Persistence and perseverance in doing what is good and right leads to success and even excellence.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank.” Daniel 1:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God’s ways are always best.”

 

Daniel and his three young friends were Hebrew boys who had been taken captive by the Babylonians, sent to the capital city of Babylon, and were in training to be servants in the king’s royal court. As part of their training they were required to eat a special diet which consisted of foods and drink that were specifically forbidden to them by the Levitical Law of Moses. So in order to obey the king’s command, they would have to violate God’s command.

 

But Daniel was having none of it. In Daniel 1:8 we read that he and his friends decided they wouldn’t eat that stuff, no matter what. We then read that he asked the official in charge of their training for permission to have a diet that was consistent with the requirements of his faith. The official agreed and what he discovered was that Daniel and his friends “looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.”

 

Surprise, surprise, right? Or maybe not. Daniel and his friends made up their minds to obey God and to keep His commands, and it turned out to be exactly the right thing to do.

 

God’s ways are always best. Always.

 

That was true for Daniel and his friends and it’s true for you and me too. When it comes to living with excellence (according to God’s estimation of what is excellent) there is no substitute for knowing the Bible and living by it. The Psalmist was right when he wrote in Psalm 119:1-2 “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the Lord’s instruction! Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart.”

 

That Apostle Paul also wrote about this to young Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

 

Likewise in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any 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.”

 

“It is able to judge the thoughts and ideas of the heart.” That’s a key understanding right there. The thoughts and ideas of the heart are fickle and faulty and sometimes downright evil. Left to our own understanding we will go off in a thousand directions that are contrary to God’s Will. It’s the Bible that keeps us on track.

 

God’s ways are always best and they are explained clearly for us, in writing, in the Bible. We need to know it, and we need to live by it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come … And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:6; 14 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Just be faithful and do your part.”

 

Recently I heard a news commentator say, “It seems like the whole world is on fire.” He was referring to the fact that there are armed conflicts going on across the globe. Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are all becoming increasingly more aggressive. There are terrorist cells operating in our cities, attacking Americans in their own communities. Mobs of our own citizens are rioting in our streets overturning and burning cars, looting stores, attacking and killing police. Demented individuals dressed up as evil clowns are lurking around schools and parks scaring people and creating havoc.

 

Beyond that, the moral fiber of our society seems to be unraveling and behaviors that were unthinkable just a few decades ago have now been declared good, legislated into law, and are being taught to our children in the public schools.

 

What in the world is happening in the world? The answer is that we’re getting ever closer to the end of time. In Matthew Chapter 24 Jesus told us it would be like this. But He also told us we are not to be alarmed by it. God’s people are not to be like a bunch of “Chicken Little’s” running around crying that the sky is falling. Well, actually, the sky is falling, but we don’t need to be scared, intimidated, or even alarmed by it. Jesus is still Lord and all of these things must come to pass before the end.

 

So what are we, God’s people, to do while all of this is happening all around us? We are to be the church. Verse 14 of chapter 26 makes it clear that while all of these things are going on in the world we are to calmly, confidently, and boldly preach the gospel. The worse things get, the more people will realize how much they need Jesus.

 

When it comes to living in an excellent manner, in a way that honors and pleases God, while the world is on fire all around us, we are to simply be faithful and share the Good News of the Gospel.

 

At times it will seem as if the world is such a mess that our individual efforts really don’t matter much, but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s like the old story about the young boy walking along the beach. He sees that there are literally hundreds and hundreds of starfish that have washed up on the shore and which are dying in the hot sun. So he begins to pick them up, one at a time, and throw them back into the ocean so they can live. A man comes by, sees what he is doing, and in amusement tells him, “Son, there are hundreds of starfish on this beach and you can’t possibly save them all. What you’re doing really won’t make much of a difference.” The boy looked at the man, picked up another starfish, threw it back into the ocean and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

 

As the world continues to deteriorate into chaos all around us we must simply be faithful and strive to make a difference in the lives of the people we have contact with – one life at a time. That’s how you live with excellence in a world that’s on fire.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that 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.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A life of excellence must involve passing the faith on to the next generation.”

 

As the people of God we have a God-given responsibility to pass the faith on to our children, grandchildren, and to the children around us. Yesterday I wrote about living a simple and quiet life of faithfulness and of how such a life is pleasing to God. Today I want to emphasize that that must include passing the faith on to the next generation.

 

The most important thing a parent can do for a child is to instruct them in the ways of God. Grandparents are often some of the most convincing and inspirational examples in a child’s life. And when a child is consistently around other mature Christians, such as when they faithfully attend a good church, the examples of those faithful Christians will have a profound impact on that child’s development.

 

But let me be quick to point out that just talking to them about faith and just reading the Bible to them is not enough. As important as those things are, the children in your life will be impacted much more deeply and more profoundly by what they see you do rather than by what they hear you say.

 

If the children in your world don’t actually see you faithfully practicing the faith you tell them about, then your words will ring hollow and empty. Eventually they will realize that you talk a good game but you don’t walk it out, and they themselves will be much more likely to follow your example rather than your instructions.

 

Over the years I’ve heard many Christians say something like “I can worship God just as well on the golf course on Sunday morning as I can in a church.” Well, I’m sorry but that is just a lame and flimsy excuse for not doing the thing God has clearly commanded you to do. Read Hebrews 10:24-25. God does not give us the option of skipping church. He simply tells us to be there.

 

Tying this back to our theme of living a life of excellence and of our responsibility for passing the faith on to the next generation, there are a couple of key points that need to be made. First, if you do not faithfully attend church then you are not living a life of excellence according to God’s measure of excellence. You can’t be because you are living in direct defiance to His clearly communicated command.

 

Second, if you do not faithfully attend and participate in the life of a good church then you are setting a bad example for the children in your life. So-much-so that your example could convince them that they don’t need to be in church either. Remember, they will be influenced much more deeply and more profoundly by what they see you do rather than what they hear you say.

 

A life of excellence must involve passing the faith on to the next generation. The most important and effective way of doing that is by your example.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But we encourage you brothers … to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may walk properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.” 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “An excellent life is one of faithfulness.”

 

God measures an “excellent” life differently than the world does. The world measures excellence in terms of accomplishment, stature, power, influence, and often wealth. But God measures excellence in terms of faithfulness. This is a theme the Apostle Paul wrote about numerous times in his letters.

 

In 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 he encouraged his readers to seek to live simple and quiet lives. He urged them to mind their own business, work to support themselves, and to set a good example for others. He said it again in 1 Timothy 2:2 when he wrote of how we should strive for a “tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

 

In Hebrews Chapter 11, which has come to be known as “The Faith Hall of Fame”, along with the rare giants of the faith such as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, the writer refers to the faith of a large unnamed group of common everyday people who simply and quietly lived faithful lives which honored God, and they did so in spite of difficult circumstances and even intense persecution.

 

The key characteristic in all of those cases is faithfulness. What we learn from those examples is that you don’t have to be a flashy “success” by worldly standards in order to be approved by God. You don’t even have to be a giant of the faith, leading evangelistic crusades and saving the world for Jesus. If you are simply a faithful and committed man or woman of God, living a quiet life in godliness and dignity, honoring God and setting a good example for others, then you are living a life of excellence as far as God is concerned.

 

Faithfulness is the character trait God is most looking for in His people. A key part of a life of faithfulness must include faithful attendance and participation at the regular gatherings of your church. I encourage you to open your Bible right now and read Hebrews 10:24-25. Then I encourage you to plan to attend your church this Sunday. If you don’t have a church home then I invite you to visit with us at Oak Hill Baptist in Crossville.

 

An excellent life in the estimation of God is a simple and quiet life of faithfulness.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

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 moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Right thinking leads to excellence in character.”

 

In 1903 James Allen wrote a little book that has become a classic of Christian literature. The title of the book is “As a Man Thinketh” and it is based upon the verse in Proverbs 23:7 which reads in the King James Version: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

 

That verse expresses a basic truism of human nature – what’s in your heart determines who and what you are. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus expressed this same truth in a slightly different way: “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (NIV) In other words, what’s in your heart is who you truly are, and eventually that will be evidenced by what you say and do. Solomon also wrote of this in Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

 

The heart is the wellspring of life, the very essence of who you are as a person. In Biblical terms “the heart” is the center of a person’s inner personal life. It is the place where thoughts, feelings, and emotions come together to form personality and drive behavior.

 

All of this helps us to understand what Paul was getting at in Philippians 4:8. The mind feeds the heart. Along with the eyes and the ears, it is a gateway for influences that will ultimately end up in this place within you which the Bible refers to as your “heart”.  So guard carefully what you allow into your mind because those things will go straight to your heart and ultimately will determine who you are as a person.

 

Here are a couple of quotes from James Allen’s book:

 

“As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them.”

 

“A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts.”

 

Long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts … that’s what Paul was talking about in Philippians 4:8 – cherishing Godlike thoughts, filling our mind with them, dwelling on them, nurturing our heart with them. That then will help to develop a Godlike heart within us, and that in turn will be evident for all to see by the words that we speak and by the actions that we take.

 

An excellent character is a matter of the heart, and the heart is formed by the things we allow into our mind. Right thinking leads to excellence in character.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” Philippians 1:21

 

Our thought for today: “Excellence is achieved through purpose.”

 

As I write this I have just returned from a mission trip to Haiti. Our team conducted medical and dental clinics, construction projects, preparing hundreds of hot meals for children, and work with orphans. Our primary partner in Haiti is a young man named Michael. His father is a Bishop, the founder and leader of one of the largest and most well-developed Christian ministries in Haiti.

 

Michael was born in the USA while his parents were on a trip here and therefore he is a citizen of both the USA and of Haiti. Michael is also a professional singer. He is so good that when he came to the USA for college he was able to pay his own way through both college and graduate school by the money he earned as a singer. He even appeared on the television show “American Idol” in the second season of that show, the year that Carrie Underwood was on it. Michael knew Carrie and appeared on television with her.

 

After graduate school he continued his music career and had a very nice life in the Atlanta area. Then in 2010 the great earthquake hit Haiti. The day after the earthquake Michael got on a plane and flew to Haiti to see how he could help. As he approached his hometown, the site of his father’s ministry headquarters, he saw rubble everywhere and bodies lying in the street. In that moment Michael received a vision from God that he was to stay in Haiti and help his father and others to rebuild the country.

 

He never looked back. He gave up his nice life in the USA and his career as a professional singer and became his father’s right-hand-man. That was more than six years ago. Today Michael and his wife Luce live in a small apartment in a missionary compound; they spend their days helping to run Grace International and caring for orphans; and they do it in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

 

Just a few days ago while I was in Haiti, I was wondering how Michael could endure so much hardship and deprivation, living in such difficult circumstances compared to the life he once had, and doing it with such obvious joy. This is what he said, “When you know your God-given purpose and you’re passionate about it, nothing else matters.”

 

That’s the key to excellence – knowing your purpose and pursuing it with passion. When you’ve arrived at that point, nothing else matters. That’s where Michael is at in life. The Apostle Paul was there too. That’s what he was writing about in Philippians 1:21 – his purpose and his passion was to serve Christ. All of the Old Testament prophets had it too. So did the New Testament disciples, as well as so many other followers of Jesus down through the ages.

 

When you know your purpose in life and you are passionate about fulfilling it, excellence is the natural result. Once you have that, nothing else will matter much to you.

 

Your purpose in life will probably be different from Michael’s and Paul’s. Your purpose and passion will be unique to you. That’s as it should be. But I encourage you to discover that purpose, focus on it, pursue it with passion, and then strive to be excellent at it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Let your light shine.”

 

Yesterday I wrote that excellence is often determined by how you define it. I personally believe that in most cases it should be measured by effort as opposed to an arbitrary fixed standard that applies to everyone in all cases.

 

My wife is a case in point. 9 ½ years ago she suffered a major stroke. The doctors had to remove a part of her brain in order to save her life. As a result she was left with significant physical and mental disabilities. But that catastrophic life-changing event also made her an even better person than she was before.

 

How so? Although she was always a hardworking and dependable person even before the stroke, her stroke-induced limitations have actually become a source of motivation for her. She has a positive “can-do” attitude and she rises above those limitations to be the best she can be in spite of them.

 

She’s like the Energizer Bunny buzzing around with her little black walker on wheels, decorated with Harley Davidson stickers, the basket usually loaded with children’s craft materials for her latest project at church. Rather than being defined by her limitations and using them as an excuse, Linda just keeps moving forward, doing the best she can in every situation.

 

Another example is my friend Tom. He too is a stroke survivor. He too is very limited in physical mobility. He too needs a walker to get around. Come to Oak Hill Baptist Church sometime and see Tom drive into the parking lot (he was told he would never drive again). Then watch him walk from the far end of the parking lot (he was told he would never walk again). And then notice that if the doors of the church are open, he is there.

 

Come to a church work day and see Tom leaning over his walker sweeping the floor, then moving his walker and sweeping some more, little by little making his way down the hallway. Go ahead and tell Tom that he can’t do this, or he can’t do that, and then get out of the way and watch as he goes right ahead and does the very thing you thought he was incapable of.

 

What you’re seeing in both of their cases is excellence in action. They consistently do the best they can with what they have to work with – even over and above! And oh my do their lights shine! Their examples are a source of inspiration and motivation for others. Both Linda and Tom excel for Jesus and bring glory to Him in the way they live.

 

So what’s your excuse? For that matter, what’s my excuse? And the answer of course, is that we don’t have one. Each of us should strive to excel in everything we do and we should do it to the best of our ability. When we do, we will shine for Jesus.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim