Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Death is dead. Let’s dance on its grave”   Today is Saturday, the day before Easter. It is usually referred to as Holy Saturday, but sometimes it is also called Black Saturday. It’s the day after Jesus was crucified and the day before He arose. His physical body was dead and was sealed in a tomb. To those who didn’t understand (almost everyone in that day), it was indeed a black day.   But that was Saturday and Sunday was coming. Death wasn’t the end of the story. It wasn’t the end of the story for Jesus, and it’s not the end of the story for us either. For the Christian, death leads to life. Right on the other side of death is glory. With His death and resurrection Jesus was giving us an example of what we would one day experience – life after death.   The popular contemporary Christian band MercyMe has a hit song on the radio right now with the title “Oh Death.” It’s a very clever play on the truth expressed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55. The singer depicts himself dancing on death’s grave. Death is dead and he sings, “I will dance on your grave!”   This is what we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday. Jesus defeated death and so will we. The physical body will die, that’s true – just like Jesus’ physical body died. But that’s not the end of the story. Death leads to life – eternal life. And it’s all thanks to Jesus.   At Oak Hill Baptist Church we will celebrate Resurrection Sunday with a feast and fellowship (an Easter breakfast buffet at 9:00), followed by a great Resurrection Celebration worship service. (We are Southern Baptists not Pentecostals and we don’t do a whole lot of dancing in the aisles, but we do have a few Bapti-costals among us and it is possible that they may do a little dancing on death’s grave. Will Foster?)   If you are close to Cumberland County, TN we invite you to join us for feasting, fellowship, and worship as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. If you’re not close, then please attend the church of your choice but please do not miss this time of celebrating the day that Jesus defeated death once and for all.   God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” John 12:24 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The sacrifice that leads to new life”   In John 12:24 Jesus was alluding to the biological process of seed germination and plant growth. The parable uses the analogy of a grain of wheat being planted in the earth (dying) to ultimately produce more wheat. The seed essentially gives its life to spawn much more new life. This illustrates that from the sacrifice of a life-giving force like the seed of wheat (or like Jesus), much new abundant life can come forth.   That was certainly true of Jesus. His death was the seed that produced eternal life for multiple millions of souls who have since been born again. It was the ultimate sacrifice that produced tremendous results which will last for eternity.   This is what we celebrate on Good Friday and this is why Good Friday is “good.” His pain, suffering, and death were horrible, but the good results of His sacrifice were beyond description. There simply are no words to suffice. His sacrifice was the seed that produced a beautiful result beyond compare for all eternity for multiple millions of souls.   But the story doesn’t end there. As great as it is up to that point, the beauty of it continues today through the lives of His followers. Shifting analogies from grains of wheat to the life of a vine, Jesus continued illustrating the same truth in John 15:5. There He extended the analogy to illustrate His life pouring out, flowing through, and producing fruit through the lives of His followers, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”   Whether we’re thinking about a grain of wheat being the seed that produces much more wheat which then becomes seed to produce even more wheat, or if we’re thinking about a vine that grows and the branches off that vine that then produce more fruit of the vine, the lesson is the same – the sacrifice is the seed that leads to new life.   On this Good Friday, take some time to worship Jesus. Thank Him for His sacrifice and for your new life. Then share Jesus so that others can have new life too.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her … In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies.” Ephesians 5:25;28 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “A beautiful love story”   Last month I was on a mission trip in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Our mission team consisted of Christians from several different regions of the east coast, including a few from North Carolina. One day, during a break from our work, I had a fascinating and heart-touching conversation with one of those men from North Carolina whom I was meeting for the first time.   We were talking about our lives, our families, and special experiences. He told me a story about his wife that I will never forget. First, more than just being his spouse, his wife was his soulmate (There’s a difference between having a spouse and having a soulmate). Second, she was dying from kidney failure and her only chance of survival was to receive a kidney transplant. However, kidneys for transplant are in short supply, and finding a donated kidney that matches your body and which can therefore be transplanted into you is difficult. Not only does there have to be a kidney, but for the best chance of long-term survival, it has to match.   This husband knew that statistically there was little chance his kidney would be a good match for his wife, but he did volunteer to donate his kidney to someone else who was high on the transplant list if that would allow his wife to take that person’s place at the top of the list. However, before that transplant was approved, the medical team decided to test his kidney for compatibility with his wife. And incredibly, against the odds, it was a perfect match. So, his kidney was transplanted into his wife. That was years ago and she is alive and well today – with his kidney living inside of her and keeping her alive.   That husband and wife were close before the transplant (soulmates), but they have been even closer ever since. And as he told me that story, he had tears in his eyes and he was a little choked up with emotion. His love for his wife and the tenderness in his voice when he spoke of her were palpable.  What a beautiful love story!   As we approach Good Friday and then Resurrection Sunday, we will be celebrating the greatest loves story of all time. Jesus died so you could live. Jesus took the punishment for your sins and then He defeated death and rose from the grave so that you can spend eternity in heaven with the Father.   It’s a beautiful love story. The greatest love story ever. Celebrate it. Tell others about it.   God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Come to me…”   In our sanctuary at Oak Hill Baptist Church, high up in the middle of the center wall, directly behind the pulpit, there is a beautiful stained-glass window with a picture of Jesus with His arms wide open and an inviting look on His face. Below that image are the words from Matthew 11:28, “Come to me…”   The wall that window is on faces east and so during the Sunday morning service, as the sun is high in the eastern sky, it shines right through that window lighting it up. We also have a light behind the window that we keep illuminated. The sunshine and the light together cause the image of Jesus to glow. At the end of each sermon, during the time of invitation, as people are walking up the center aisle towards the front, they are approaching this glowing Jesus with His arms wide open to receive them. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”   This morning, we will continue our thinking from the past couple of days about the fact that people all around us are struggling with life issues that are heavy and hard. People are weary and life is weighing them down. Every person you meet has something going on in his or her life that they wish wasn’t there and with which they are struggling. But Jesus wants to give them rest. He wants to help them carry those burdens and to deal more effectively with the issues of life.   In the last part of that passage Jesus used the illustration of a pair of oxen yoked together and plowing a field. In every team of oxen there is a lead ox, which is bigger, stronger, and more experienced, and there is a follower ox. The lead ox carries most of the burden and provides all the direction. The follower ox stays next to the lead ox, helps to carry some of the load, and learns from the lead ox. In this illustration Jesus was saying, “Let me be your lead ox. Yoke yourself to Me. Stay close to Me. We will do this together. I will carry most of the load and I will provide all the direction. You just stay close to Me and we will walk through life together.”   The people you encounter today need to be made aware of this invitation from Jesus. I encourage you to invite them to Easter Sunday worship service at your church so they can hear the Good News, (see the image of that stained-glass window if they come to Oak Hill Baptist), and find the rest and renewal their souls are so desperately longing for.   Jesus is calling, “Come to me…”   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Rest for a weary soul”   Easter week is about the love of the Father expressed to us through the gift of Jesus. Jesus gave His life for ours to pay the penalty for our sins. Then He rose from the grave defeating death and thereby making it possible for us to have eternal life in heaven. That’s the Good News that we have to share with others. It’s all about God’s great love for us.   But that’s a spiritual truth expressed in spiritual words. People are physical beings living in the physical world. That being the case, people relate most easily to physical realities. That’s why one of the most effective means of reaching people for Jesus is to meet their physical needs first. There is a truism that applies. It goes like this, “They won’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.” Meet their physical needs first and then they will be much more open to hearing the spiritual truth we have to share.   This morning, I want to continue our thinking from yesterday about the fact that every person you meet today will be struggling with something that they wish was not in their life, and every person needs Jesus to heal their deepest hurts.   I love the picture Jeremiah paints in the verse above – God refreshes the weary and He strengthens the weak. People all around us need this. They are weary and weak, struggling with life issues and living out of hurting hearts. People need what Jesus has to offer.   Ultimately, receiving what Jesus wants to give will have eternal consequences because the person will spend eternity in heaven instead of hell. But first, Jesus will meet them where they are in the physical world. In this case, rest for the weary and strength for the weak. Jeremiah was talking about refreshing the soul and strengthening the resolve as a means of revitalizing the body and giving the person the will and the ability to go on in life with renewed vigor. (Remember our lesson from a previous devotional in this series – we are body, mind, and spirit. All are interrelated and each impacts the other. Refresh the spirit and the body will experience the benefit too.)   This is an important understanding when we’re attempting to reach people for Jesus. We must meet them where they are and minister to them in ways that make an immediate difference. People all around you are weary and burdened deep down in their soul. Life feels heavy and hard. But Jesus will meet them at the deepest point of that need and give them rest for their weary souls.   As you are inviting people to church this Sunday to celebrate Easter, consider telling them about the rest and renewal they will find for their weary souls as they encounter and worship the Risen Savior.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Everyone is struggling with something”   Romans 8:28 is true and everyone you will meet today needs to know it is true. Everyone is struggling with something. God can and will reach into the middle of those struggles and bring good things out of the trials for those who love Him.   Those of you who are familiar with my personal story know that these last few years have been very difficult for me. My wife, son, and daughter all died (at different times and from different causes, but all within a short period of time). In the middle of that, I was attacked by a pit bull. The dog charged, lunged at me, knocked me over into a ditch on the side of the road, bit me up a little, then climbed over me to get to my dog. It ripped her stomach open and killed her right there in front of me.   These years have been hard. But through it all I learned, grew, and, I have come out of it stronger. Recently, in my studies about trauma and grief I came across a term I had been unfamiliar with: Post-Traumatic Growth, or PTG. Here’s what that is: “PTG refers to the phenomenon of major crises and traumatic events having a positive psychological effect on those who experience them. PTG doesn’t deny deep distress, but rather posits that adversity can unintentionally yield changes in understanding oneself, others, and the world. Post-Traumatic Growth results in recognizing and embracing new opportunities; forging stronger relationships with loved ones; cultivating inner strength through the knowledge of having overcome tremendous hardship; gaining a deeper satisfaction in life; and discovering new depths of faith and spirituality.”   When I read that psychological definition of PTG my first thought was, “They stole that from the Bible! That’s just Romans 8:28! That’s God reaching into a bad situation and bringing good things out of it!” That then caused me to reflect and realize that I’m hardly the only one who has gone through or is going through a dark valley on this journey through life. And I’m not the only one for whom Romans 8:28 is true.   The fact is that every person you meet today will have at least one thing going on in their life that they wish wasn’t there and which is causing them pain and heartache. And every person you meet today needs Jesus to reach into their bad situation and bring good things out of it for them.   When it comes to sharing the love of Jesus with those around you, this is a crucial understanding. That person in front of you is hurting in some manner. Jesus wants to heal that hurt and He will use you to help do that. I encourage you to look for opportunities today to help people discover the healing power Jesus wants to bring into their lives.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “He has also placed eternity in their hearts.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “They want what you have”   This morning, I want to share with you a very important truth that I also addressed in my sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church last Sunday (4/6/25) (www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville). It is this: You have spiritual truth to share that the other person’s heart is longing for. Even if you don’t realize it; even if they don’t realize it; and even if it doesn’t appear to be true; the heart of every person you meet today is longing to know God. The reason that is true is because that’s the way God created the human heart. That’s the great spiritual truth Solomon revealed to us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 – God has created the human heart with an inherent awareness that there is a God and we do want to know Him.   That’s why every culture that has ever existed in the history of the human-race has had a belief in the supernatural and in an afterlife, and it is why all cultures have created gods for themselves and they have worshiped those gods. It’s because God has created the human heart with a desire to know Him. Deep in the human heart there is a longing for God.   The great theologian Saint Augustine wrote, “You have created us for yourself, oh God, and our hearts are restless, searching, until we find our rest in you.” The French philosopher Blaise Pascal observed, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of man that can only be filled by God.” Those statements are true of every person you will encounter today even if they don’t know it, or if they deny it, and even if they refuse to accept it.   People try to soothe that ache in their heart and to fill the empty place with all sorts of things including other gods, and drugs or alcohol, or accomplishments and possessions, but really what their heart is longing for is God.   My friend, deep down in their heart that other person wants what you have. You know Jesus and you can share Him with them. Start by showing them the love of Jesus, then you can tell them the truth about Jesus.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Let your light shine”   Okay, come on, sing it with me:   “This little light of mine, Oh, I’m gonna let it shine; This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine; let it shine, all the time, let it shine … Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, all the time, let it shine …”   There’s a lot of profound Biblical truth contained in that simple children’s nursey rhyme/song. Jesus calls us to shine the light of His love into the dark places of our world. We are to do so intentionally and with confidence.   You are probably familiar with the old illustration regarding Carlsbad Caverns and the power of a little light. I’m told that if you descend deep into the bowels of the Caverns you arrive at a spacious area where your group assembles and then the guide turns out the lights. The darkness is so thick and so deep that it is total – you literally cannot see your hand in front of your face. For some people it feels suffocating and they could begin to panic. Then the guide turns on a small flashlight and suddenly you can see. Even in that vast cavern, the light from that little flashlight is enough to chase away the darkness.   That’s a beautiful illustration of the power of spiritual light too, and it’s what both Jesus and the song were referring too. Even a little of the light of Jesus chases away a whole lot of the darkness created by Satan. When you, the follower of Jesus, walk into any spiritually dark situation and you shine the light of Jesus’ love, the darkness recedes. It might not be entirely dispelled, but it will at least shrink way back.   Christian, you have the light of Jesus within you and you bring that light with you everywhere you go. I encourage you to be intentional about shining the light of Jesus’ love into the situations you find yourself in today.   And I know, I know, now you’re going to have that tune stuck in your head all day. Sorry. (Not sorry). Lol.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Are you a friend of Jesus?”   Jesus calls us to love people on purpose. He teaches that He wants to live His life through us, producing His fruit in the world through us, and the first fruit of His Spirit is “love.” You have been chosen for this purpose – to be a conduit through which the love of Jesus flows to the world.   But you must cooperate with Jesus. He won’t force you to do this. He won’t use you as His instrument of ministry if you don’t want to be used by Him like that. You will have to decide you will do it and then follow that decision with intentional action. Remember, love is a verb. It’s an action word. Jesus calls us to love people with our will and with our words and with our actions, whether we have feelings of love for them or not.   Doing this isn’t easy. It requires us to be intentionally obedient to His command. But if you will, then there’s a gift Jesus wants to give you – His friendship. That’s what He taught in John 15:14. If you do what He has been teaching (what He has commanded), then He moves you from the category of servant and into the realm of friendship.   But please note, that friendship with Jesus is not automatic. It’s evidently not something that every professing Christian automatically gets. Clearly, Jesus has reserved that special relationship for those who are all-in and who truly are on-mission with Him in this world helping to spread His love and to build the kingdom of God on earth. Personally, I think of Jesus as my Lord and I think of myself as His disciple and servant. But He thinks of me as His friend.   I want to ask you this morning, “Are you all-in? Are you truly and fully on-mission with Jesus to share His love with the world? If you are, then Jesus calls you “friend.”   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask in my Father’s name, he will give you.” John 15:16-17 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You have been chosen for this”   This morning, I want to briefly return us to two metaphors that have been used in previous devotionals in this series and which serve to illustrate how we should be helping to spread the love of Jesus in our world. The first appeared on April 3rd and was about the snow machine (Cover them in God’s Love). The second was on April 7th and it was the branches and the vine illustration (This is how you love them on purpose). If you don’t remember those illustrations, please go back and reread them because they each teach an important lesson about how we, the followers of Jesus, are His chosen instruments for spreading His love in our world today.   As a follower of Christ, you have been chosen and commanded to be a conduit for His love to flow through. That has been His point in this entire teaching session so far in John chapter fifteen, and it is the point that He made very directly in verse 16. He chose you and He appointed you to produce His fruit and to spread His love. This is God’s plan for the human-race – the followers of Christ dispensing the love of Christ all around the world.   All over the world there are multiple millions of Christians strategically placed by the Holy Spirit to blanket the world with the love of Jesus (the snowmaking illustration). All over the world there are many millions of Christians strategically placed by the Holy Spirit to offer people the opportunity to taste the sweet love of Jesus (the branches and vine illustration).   You have been chosen for this. You have been strategically placed by the Holy Spirit to be exactly where you are in the world, at this very moment in time, to be the conduit through which the love of Jesus flows to your little part of the world. The question for each of us then is, “Who should be experiencing the love of Jesus today because they were around me?”   Will you do this? Will you make a decision and take an action to share the love of Jesus with someone today? If you will, then Jesus has something very special He wants to give you, and we will consider what that special thing is tomorrow.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571