Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When you come to appear before Me, who requires this of you – this trampling of My courts? Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to Me.” Isaiah 1:12-13 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t let your plan interfere with your worship.”

 

For the most part, planning a worship service is a good thing. Actually, it’s a necessary thing. Although on occasions worship can be and should be spontaneous, for the most part regularly scheduled group worship services need to have good planning and structure.

 

But sometimes planning creates problems too. For one thing, if worship leaders are too fixated on a particular plan or structure they can inhibit the moving of the Holy Spirit among a congregation. But also, over time, a plan repeated over and over again can quickly become mindless habit, and that then can lead people to simply go through the motions of worship without really engaging with God at the heart level. I was raised in one of the most highly structured and ritualized denominations there is and so I have experienced many worship services that were virtual carbon copies of each other – week, after week, after week. Eventually I came to wonder how much actual “worship” was really taking place.

 

In the opening chapter of the book of Isaiah, God had the prophet address two worship-related issues with the people of Israel. One was that many people were living like the devil six days a week but then coming to the Temple on the Sabbath, going through the rituals of worship, and then walking out the door and returning to their sinful lives. It was like what the singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffet once sang about, “There’s a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning!”

 

But the second issue Isaiah addressed is more to my point and it is that for many of the people, worship had become a matter of mindless routine. It was the same thing over and over again and they were just going through the motions and putting a check in the box.

 

Sometimes our religious plans do that to us. That’s why variety is important, both in our public worship and in our private time with the Lord. At Oak Hill Baptist Church we make it a point to use different kinds of music (traditional hymns and contemporary praise); and we sometimes incorporate dramas; and interpretive dance; and also video clips, testimonies, and more.

 

We have a different person open the service each week with Bible reading and prayer; we also have a time of informal fellowship (meet and greet) when people freely wander around the sanctuary shaking hands, hugging, greeting, and laughing. That portion of the service is sometimes a loud and chaotic mess but it’s a happy mess that is joyful and loving. I personally think God is probably smiling warmly as He watches it unfold as part of the worship service.

 

Planning worship is important, but so is flexibility and variety. That’s true in our private relationship with the Lord as well as in group worship. We need to mix it up in order to keep it fresh. Don’t let your “plan” interfere with your worship.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Plan who you will associate with – and who you won’t”

 

The other day I found myself back in jail again. That seems to happen to me a lot. But don’t worry, I’m not leading a life of crime, I’m just a visitor in the jail not a resident. I go to the jail fairly often to meet with men who have led a life of crime – usually petty crimes associated with long term drug addiction, and all the criminal behavior which typically stems from that lifestyle.

 

On this day I was meeting with a young man who was raised in a home where the adults used drugs, sold drugs, and always had drug-using friends over the house. So it should come as no surprise that as a teenager and then as a young adult this young man became a drug user and drug dealer too. It’s a basic law of human nature that over time we become like those we associate with.

 

I explained to him that if he wanted his life to be different he would have to begin by changing the crowd of people he associates with. If you’re going to hang with drug users it’s a pretty good bet you will be a drug user too. That being the case it’s essential for him (and for all of us too), to think carefully about the kind of life we want to have and then surround ourselves with people who are already living that life. You become like those you associate with.

 

But changing your sphere of influence, especially one that has been established over years or decades, is hard. You have to be intentional about it. You have to have a well thought out plan for how for you’re going to go about it and then you have to be disciplined in sticking to that plan.

 

The best association any of us can have is to be fully involved in the life of a good church. A good church is filled with strong Christians who love Jesus and who live Biblically. Being surrounded by people like that will rub off on you and they will influence you to become a strong and faithful Christian too. You become like those you associate with.

 

This Sunday, September 11^th, we at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Crossville will celebrate our annual “Homecoming Day”. This is a day at the beginning of the new church year when we gather-in all of our current members and attenders, many former members, friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and lots of visitors, for a special day of celebration. The service will include special music, interpretive dance, a homecoming message, and it will be followed by lunch and a relaxing afternoon of fun and fellowship.

 

I can’t think of a finer group of God’s people than those you will find at Oak Hill Baptist Church. They are warm and kind, caring and compassionate, loving and welcoming, and in terms of being a good influence, they sure have kept me in line!  I invite you to come and experience it for yourself. Sunday school begins at 9:00 and the Worship service starts at 10:00. We would love to have you visit with us.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” Proverbs 21:20 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Have a financial plan”

 

It never ceases to amaze me that we Americans can live in the most affluent nation in the world and yet still have so many financial problems. It’s because we live in such a consumer-oriented culture. We are awash in every conceivable form of advertising, which is all designed to make us discontented with what we have and to convince us that we have to have more. So we end up being conditioned to consume at enormous rates that far exceed the consumption of any other society in the world.

 

Some have labeled it “conspicuous consumption.” And it is unbiblical. In the Bible conspicuous consumption is always portrayed as a bad thing. Instead, we’re taught to live modest lives of contentment. Here’s just one example, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8.

 

As a result of this consumer-oriented culture bent on conspicuous consumption, many Christians get caught-up in the trap of spending every dollar they earn in order to acquire all that they can get, and then, when they run out of money, they go deeply into debt so they can acquire even more. And so we have a situation where many people are deeply in debt to the point of practically being insolvent. In most homes if one paycheck is missed they’re faced with a financial crisis. They have no reserves to cover it.

 

That’s why a financial plan is so important. In order to be a good steward of the finances the Lord has entrusted you with, you must have a financial plan that begins with the understanding that “I will live modestly and below my means.” In other words, you learn to live on whatever your income is, and you will not spend more than you earn. Your financial plan must also include a detailed budget that you actually live by.

 

In his book “The Total Money Makeover” Dave Ramsey writes that “You must tell your money where to go, or your money will just get up and go.” There’s a lot of truth to that.

 

In Proverbs 21:20 Solomon expressed an age-old truth that shows itself to be true in every culture and in every age of human history. Those who have a financial plan and who stick to it are wise and they consistently have enough. Those who don’t have such a plan make poor use of what they do have, and they never seem to have enough.

 

I encourage you to have a financial plan and to stick to it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Satisfaction and fulfillment does not come for the good things in life, but from the Giver of life.”

 

“Our thought for today” is actually a paraphrase of something I read recently in the Daily Walk Bible. It’s an observation about what Solomon was referring to in Ecclesiastes 1:2. In frustration and despair he wrote that life seemed totally meaningless.

 

In order to fully appreciate the depths of Solomon’s despair and what prompted him to write about it, we have to understand the context of Ecclesiastes. Solomon was the king of Israel. He was the richest, wisest, most powerful man in the world. He could have, and he did have, absolutely anything he wanted.

 

He was the proverbial “poor little rich boy”. He had it all but still, he was bored with life. So in his boredom he devised a plan to experience everything life had to offer. He then spent decades trying one worldly pursuit after another including women (1 Kings 11:3 tells us he had 700 wives and 300 concubines); educational pursuits (Ecc. 1:17); pleasure (2:1); hard work (2:17); and career advancement (4:13-16).

 

The end result? He discovered that ultimately it was all meaningless. In the grand scheme of things he ended up with an empty life. Ecclesiastes was written towards the end of his life. It’s a long and sad lament from a man who realized he had wasted his life in the pursuit of things that ultimately didn’t really matter.

 

Finally, after decades of wine, women, song, and chasing after the things of this world Solomon finally discovered this: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.” (12:13)

 

Now here’s the thing we need to be sure to catch: Solomon “planned” to live like he did. He made a “decision” to go after those worldly pleasures and then He spent almost his entire adult life pursuing them. But in retrospect he found himself wishing he had put all that time and effort into developing a deeper relationship with God.

 

So, what plan do you have for your life? What is it that you are spending the days, weeks, years, and decades of your life in pursuit of? And when you reach the end of your days will you have a peaceful sense of having lived your life well or will you, like Solomon, find yourself crying out that it was all meaningless and wishing you had lived differently?

 

Think this through. Way too many people spend their lives climbing what they believe to be the ladder of “success” only to get to the top and discover the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.

 

Learn from the lesson of Solomon. What really matters is a life lived in faithfulness to God and His commandments. As the writer said, “Satisfaction and fulfillment doesn’t come from the good things in life, but from the Giver of life.”

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.” Proverbs 21:5 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Planning provides focus”

 

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “Aim at something and you just might hit it, aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time.” In other words, if you’re not aiming at a specific target that you want to hit, then the results of your efforts will be from random chance, and that may turn out good or bad – but probably bad.

 

Here’s another old saying that can be very helpful: “Plan your work and then work your plan.” Give careful thought to what you’re trying to accomplish, think through the steps required to accomplish it, then work your plan and stick to it.

 

That’s the point Solomon was making in Proverbs 21:5. Those who are serious about accomplishing meaningful things with their time and efforts will take the time to plan their activities. Then they will be diligent about carrying out that plan. Those who don’t do that are actually being somewhat reckless. They’re leaving the results up to chance and more often then not, their efforts will either prove to be wasted entirely, or they will certainly be less successful than if they had taken the time to make a plan.

 

There are many Biblical principles which support the idea of doing good planning and then being diligent about working the plan. First and foremost would be the Apostle Paul’s instruction in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (NIV) In other words, do your best. Don’t be casual, nonchalant, and thoughtless about it.

 

But your efforts aren’t going to be your best if you haven’t thought it through and devised a plan. That certainly applies to the work environment, but not just to the workplace. It applies to all areas of life. Paul wrote, “Whatever” you do, do it with all your heart.

 

My personal observation from more than sixty-two years of life, forty-five of them in the workforce and most of those in positions of leadership, is that those who are focused and diligent have the most productive and successful lives and those who are unfocused, indifferent, and even lazy, end up with lives that are much less than what they otherwise could have been.

 

God wants us to strive to be the best that we can be and do the best that we can do. Planning provides focus, and that helps to keep us on track and moving forward.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

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: “Happy Labor Day”

 

God had a plan for our labor. We are to work diligently and well for six days and then we are to have a day of rest. Working hard is good for us and as I’ve noted in previous devotional messages this month, we do our best and most effective work when we plan it.

 

But we must also plan for our days of rest. God Himself has woven into His plan for our work lives regularly scheduled periods of rest from our labor. That’s one of the purposes of the Sabbath Day.

 

It’s also the purpose of Labor Day. It’s not certain exactly who came up with the idea of Labor Day, or when it started, but its origins can be traced back to the late 1800’s and the Labor Movement. The economic greatness of America is due in large part to the skill, diligence, and hard work of the men and women who make up the labor force in our nation. In the late 1800’s individual cities and towns began to designate a certain day each year for the celebration of the American worker. Individual states soon followed and finally in 1898, the Federal Government officially designated the first Monday in September as a national holiday and named it “Labor Day”.

 

Working hard is important. Being a good worker at whatever you do is also a spiritual discipline. It is part of the practice of our Christian faith. I personally believe that Christians should be the best workers in any business or organization and we are at our best, when we have a plan.

 

But that’s also true when it comes to rest from our labor. You have to plan for it. The Sabbath Day is designed to be a planned day of rest. So is Labor Day. Beyond that, each of us should individually plan regular periods of rest from our labor.

 

Happy Labor Day!

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “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. They do nothing wrong; they follow His ways. You have commanded that Your precepts be diligently kept; How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word.” Psalm 119:1-4; 9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Knowing the Bible and obeying it makes you wise.”

 

As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, the Bible provides us with our clearest and best communication with God and it also provides us with all the instructions and guidance we need in order to live in a way that is pleasing to Him.

 

When it comes to making plans and God-honoring decisions, there is no better resource available to us than the Bible. This morning I want to share with you a devotional thought I read recently in “The Daily Walk Bible”:

 

“If a carpenter can take a block of wood and turn it into a beautiful piece of furniture, we say that person is a gifted craftsman.

 

If a conductor can shape the myriad skills of an entire orchestra to produce the sounds of a symphony, we say that person is a musical genius.

 

And if a man or woman, boy or girl, can take the raw materials of life and shape them skillfully according to the blueprint God has provide in his Word, we say that person is wise. It has nothing to do with IQ and everything to do with obedience. You can be wise with an IQ of 70; you can be a fool with an IQ of 170. The choice is up to you.

 

Whether you are a parent struggling to discipline a child, a teenager wrestling with peer pressure, or a rising executive tempted to follow the crowd in an unethical choice, you’ll find Proverbs brimming with insight for living. Pick a topic you are eager to study from God’s perspective and retrace your steps through the book of Proverbs. Don’t be surprised if God provides some heavenly (un)common sense.”

 

The point is that no matter what the issue, the starting place for wisdom is the Bible. Check with God for specific instructions, as well as for general principles which apply to your situation, then make your plans and decisions from there.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Check the Bible before you make your plans.”

 

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the entire Bible and it is also one of my personal favorite Psalms. For 176 verses the writer literally gushes about his love for God’s Word and about how much he depends on it for wisdom and guidance. In verse 105 he writes of how the instructions found in God’s Word actually serve as a lamp that lights the path before him so he can clearly see the best and safest way to go in life.

 

This Psalm addresses a vital issue for God’s people. The Bible is our clearest form of communication with God. The Bible provides us with many explicit written instructions, as well as many general principles, all designed to provide us with the wisdom and insight we need in order to live in a way that is pleasing to God.

 

We cannot make good plans and choices that are consistent with God’s will unless we know the Bible and live according to it. And yet, I’m amazed at how many Christians formulate plans and make important decisions without ever bothering to check to see if those plans and choices are consistent with Biblical instruction and principles.

 

There have been times when someone has made a decision or taken an action that I disagreed with and in my discussions with them about it, I have asked them to please show me the passages from the Bible that support what they have done – only to get a blank look in return. It quickly becomes apparent that it never even occurred to them to check to see what the Bible has to say about this issue before they made their decision.

 

I’m not just talking about average church members here either. I’ve also had such encounters with Christian leaders. I’m talking about leadership level decisions that have been made about ministry related issues that have appeared to me to be inconsistent with Biblical teaching and principles, and when I asked those leaders for the Biblical support upon which their actions were based, I’ve gotten that blank look in return.

 

The Bible is amazingly complete. It provides either specific instructions or general principles that apply to every situation in life. There is no decision you will ever have to make that does not have underlying Biblical instructions or principles which apply.

 

So, know your Bible. Check it before you make your plans and take your actions. If you do, you’ll discover that like the Psalmist says, it will be a lamp for your feet and a light upon your path.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Planning”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “We should make plans.”

 

September is the beginning of the fiscal year for most churches. The summer is over, children and college students are back to school, most people in the congregation are done traveling, and everyone is settling down to begin both a new academic year and a new church year. So this is the time of year that many new plans are put into action.

 

Planning can sometimes be something of a conundrum for Christians. On the one hand, we know that God is sovereign over the affairs of our lives and that He has a good plan for us. That being the case some Christians believe they can just wander through life willy-nilly, with little planning or initiative on their part, because God already has it all figured out for them.

 

Others tend to become overly fixated on creating their own plans and once they have those plans developed, they are so obsessive about sticking to them that they leave no room for the Holy Spirit to correct and guide them.

 

The Biblical truth is that God works in partnership with us. Yes He does have a plan for your life. And yes it is His will that must prevail in our individual lives and in our church lives. But the clear example of Scripture is that God intends for us to use our brains, evaluate situations, consider options, make plans, and get moving – all while praying hard and including Him every step of the way.

 

Isaiah 30:21 is a case-in-point. Please note that the individual is obviously already in forward motion, doing something and going somewhere. Decisions of some sort have been made and something is happening. Then, as he is moving, the Holy Spirit is whispering, nudging, guiding.

 

Yes God does have a plan and yes He does have a desired outcome for this individual and for this activity. And so, He provides guidance step-by-step and moment-by-moment but He does it in partnership with the individual as that person is thinking, deciding, and acting.

 

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.” He gave us a powerful brain that provides us with the unique ability to engage in rational thought, evaluate circumstances, and come to conclusions. He also gave us a free will that enables us to make choices that should please and honor Him.

 

All this month we will consider the subject of making and carrying out plans, but doing it as an act of faith and in partnership with the Lord. He does have a plan – but so should you. The key is for your plan to be the same as His. We’ll work on that.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “If God calls you, He will also enable you and empower you.”

 

Zerubbabel was appointed by King Cyrus to be the governor over Jerusalem during the time when Cyrus was allowing some of the Jews to return to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the destroyed city and the Temple. Zerubbabel’s primary responsibility was to oversee the rebuilding of the Temple. Ultimately he did it, and that Temple ended up becoming known in history as Zerubbabel’s Temple, but it was a huge task and at first it appeared impossible.

 

That’s what the prophet Zechariah was speaking about in Zechariah 4:6. Through the words of the prophet, God was making it clear to Zerubbabel that he would be able to successfully complete his God-assigned task but it wouldn’t be because of any strength, or power, or intelligence of Zerubbabel’s, but because God willed it and the Spirit of God enabled it.

 

Dwight L. Moody was a dirt-poor farm boy. He was uneducated, uncouth, clumsy and awkward. Looking at him you would conclude there was no way he would ever amount to much. But Moody gave his life to Christ -fully surrendered – and the Holy Spirit of God then enabled and empowered D.L. Moody to become the Billy Graham of his generation. Moody never learned to speak well (he was commonly accused of “butchering the king’s English”). He also never learned to dress well, and his manners and social skills were always a bit rough, and he was clumsy his entire life. But he preached to kings and queens, to presidents and millionaires, and he led millions to faith in Christ. It was by the Spirit of God that such a thing happened.

 

Chances are that you are not a Zerubbabel who will supervise the building of a magnificent temple for the Lord, and you are probably not a D.L. Moody who will preach to kings and queens, but the lesson holds true for your life none-the-less. Whatever it is God is calling you to do He will also enable you and empower you to do.

 

Don’t allow your own perceived limitations and short-comings to become an excuse that holds you back from a lifetime of service to God and to others. Fully surrender your life to Him, go where He calls you to go, do what He calls you to do, and trust that by His strength and by His power it can in fact be done.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim