Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

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

 

Our thought for today: “Resolve to continue growing.”

 

Last night I was reading some of the writings of Vice-Admiral James Stockdale. You may remember that as a Navy Captain Admiral Stockdale was the highest ranking prisoner of war held by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. He spent eight years in captivity, four of them in solitary confinement, two of them in leg shackles. He was tortured fifteen times and was permanently disabled because of it.

 

Despite his years of captivity in horrifying conditions, and despite the repeated brutal torture, Admiral Stockdale never gave-in to his captors. He also assumed command over the other POWs and served as an inspiration to all them. After being released at the end of the war Admiral Stockdale was awarded the Congressional Medal Honor. He also continued his career in the Navy – ultimately being promoted to Three Star Admiral before retiring.

 

I met Admiral Stockdale in 1996. My old friend Sam Tangredi was assigned to be the Commanding Officer of a ship in San Diego. Sam asked me to attend the change-of-command ceremony as his guest. The guest speaker that day was Admiral Stockdale. Sam’s family had been friends with the Stockdale family as Sam was growing up and so Sam had known Admiral Stockdale for many years. At the reception after the change-of-command ceremony Sam introduced me to the Admiral. I got to shake the great man’s hand and spend a few minutes speaking with him.

 

In the Admiral’s book that I was reading last night I came upon a passage where he was reflecting on four attributes that he had observed in the life of virtually every successful person he had ever known – attributes which in his experience are essential elements in any life lived well. When I read his four attributes I immediately realized that the Apostle Paul teaches these same lessons in his writings.

 

1. A successful person is committed to continual self-improvement in all areas of life. Such a person never stops learning and is always striving to improve. Admiral Stockdale considered this commitment to continual growth and personal improvement the most important element in a successful life.  (Ephesians 4:15).
2. A successful person is known for his or her integrity. This is a man or woman who has learned to be honest, trustworthy, and dependable, and they diligently practice those virtues even when doing so isn’t easy. (2 Timothy 1:13)
3. A successful person never gives up, especially in the face of adversity, set-backs, and failure. (Galatians 6:9)
4. A successful person is willing to be seen as a leader and they set a good example for others. ( 2 Timothy 2:2)

 

I’ve said it before and I want to repeat it again this morning, “Attitude is everything”. How we think about life, and how we approach it, determines almost everything else about us.

 

But developing a good attitude, and the virtues that comprise it, is a continual process of learning and growing, of developing and transforming. I encourage you to never stop growing. Make it your goal in life to learn new things everyday and to keep improving in all the ways that really matter.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We must be strong and courageous but also merciful and kind.”

 

In recent days we’ve been thinking about cultivating character traits such as boldness, courage, determination, perseverance, and faithfulness. Yesterday I pointed out that since all of those attitudes have a strong element of assertiveness to them, it’s important that the whole package be clothed in grace. Today I want to continue that discussion.

 

Probably my favorite illustration of the kind of person who exemplifies this balance of assertiveness and gentleness comes from a book written by Dr. Audrey Andelin many years ago entitled, “Man of Steel and Velvet”. Such a person has an inner core of steel (we’re talking about strong convictions and moral stature that is rock solid and unshakeable), but it’s wrapped in an outer covering of velvet. This is a person who is unmovable in terms of integrity, honesty, and firm moral conviction, but at the same time is kind, gentle, compassionate, and merciful.

 

In the book Dr. Andelin used Abraham Lincoln as his model of such a man, and I believe that to have been a good choice, but I can think of lots of others who meet that standard as well. Joshua would be one of those. From everything we read about him in the Bible he was a man or rock solid integrity, firm convictions, strong faith, great courage, and admirable boldness, but he was also fair, kind, and easily approachable. He had an inner core of steel but it was wrapped in an outer covering of velvet.

 

When God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous I believe He was talking about more than just physical strength and courage. I think that command also applies to moral strength and courage. It involves the strength of character and the courage to be willing to stand-up for what you believe to be right, to oppose those who are wrong, and weather the storms of adversity for the sake of righteousness and justice. I believe Joshua was that man. This was the inner core of steel.

 

And then we see the other side of his personality, the outer covering of velvet, when at the end of his life he challenged the nation of Israel to consider the example he had set in the life of his own family. In Joshua 24:15 he challenged the people with the statement, “As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.” Other translations say, “As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.”

 

That right there gives us a glimpse of the other side of Joshua. He was a man of great faith, a man who prayed and who led his family in the ways of the Lord. It shows us a man who obviously loved his wife, children, and grandchildren and was therefore the husband, father, and grandfather they needed him to be.

 

The concept of steel and velvet applies to all people, men and women alike, and it’s a general attitude of life that we can all aspire to and work to cultivate. I encourage you to be strong and courageous, but also kind and merciful – an inner core of steel, wrapped in an outer covering of velvet.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Be gracious”

 

Already this month we’ve given some thought to the advice the Apostle Paul gave to his young protégé Timothy in the letters first and second Timothy. You may remember that Timothy was a young man who had been trained by Paul to be an evangelist, church planter, church fixer, and a pastor. It was hard work and Timothy often found himself discouraged and sometimes doubtful. The letters Paul wrote were filled with advice and encouragement about how to survive and thrive in difficult circumstances – and so much of it had to do with maintaining a good attitude.

 

We’ve already learned from the advice Paul gave to Timothy that some of the character traits that comprise a good attitude include boldness, courage, perseverance, and faithfulness. We saw these same attributes modeled for us in yesterday’s devotional when we considered the example of Caleb who, at the ripe old age of 85, was still fired up and ready for whatever life brought next. Today we’ll consider the attribute of graciousness.

 

In 2 Timothy 2:1 Paul urged Timothy to be strong in grace. He was referring to the grace that is found in a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Not only do we experience grace from Christ, but we are also to be dispensers of the grace of Christ. A gracious spirit should be a prominent aspect of our personality.

 

To be gracious means to be characterized by kindness, warmth, courtesy, tact, mercy, and compassion. This becomes especially important if you are also in the process of cultivating the other character traits we’ve considered such as boldness, courage, and even the feistiness of old Caleb. Those character traits are all important and needed, but if they’re not clothed in grace then such a person can easily become arrogant, obnoxious, rude, and even hurtful. It’s good to be bold and courageous and even feisty, as long as it’s all wrapped up in grace.

 

Billy Graham was bold, but he was also very gracious. Mother Teresa was bold, but she was also gracious. President Ronald Reagan was bold, but he was gracious. This needs to describe us too. We’re going to explore this idea a little further tomorrow as we discuss the concept of “Steel and Velvet”. In the meantime, be gracious.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Here I am today, 85 years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” Joshua 14:11 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Be like Caleb!”

 

Caleb is one of my Old Testament heroes and the guy I want to be like. He was the lifelong buddy of Joshua and as a young man he was one of the twelve spies Moses sent out in Numbers Chapter thirteen to scope out the Promised Land. But unlike the ten girly-men who came back whimpering and whining about giants and fortified cities and big hairy scary potential problems, Caleb, along with Joshua, came back fired-up and ready to charge forward in the name of the Lord.

 

It was Caleb who, after the “frightened ten” told their sad story of doom and gloom, stood up and attempted to quiet and calm the now disturbed Jews. In Numbers 13:30 we read, “Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, ‘We must go up and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!”

 

Well, you know the rest of the story. The people didn’t listen to Caleb and Joshua and they did not trust the Lord. So they ended up wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Every adult of that generation, except Caleb and Joshua, perished in the desert and never got to enter the Promised Land.

 

But Caleb did. Not only did he survive the forty years of wandering in the desert, he thrived. Now, here in Joshua 14:11, we find him a vigorous and spunky 85 years old. He was in the process of receiving his inheritance in the Promised Land and he was still ready to kick butt and take names!

 

I want to be Caleb! I want to be 85 and still riding my Harley. I want to stay healthy, and strong, and vigorous right up until the end. At 85 Caleb was probably still taking the rambunctious young guys out behind the woodshed for a talking-to and a little corrective therapy. I want to be like that.

 

But staying strong and healthy and vigorous doesn’t happen by accident. It requires the right attitude. It requires positive thinking, daily discipline, vision for the future, and living a life that God can and will bless. And it requires never giving up. Caleb didn’t give up. He hung in there. He walked through forty years of tough times. He obviously never lost his faith in God or in himself. And he must have been very determined to persevere. That needs to be true of us too.

 

Regardless of your age it’s important to have the right attitude about life. It’s true that as we age our physical abilities decline and therefore our activities must be adjusted. But it’s also true that far too many people use advancing age as an excuse and they end up doing far less than they are really capable of. Many of them end up just sitting around waiting to die. I urge you not to do that. Live life – really live it – to the fullest you are able to. Caleb didn’t just sit around waiting to die and neither should we. Be like Caleb.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.” Proverbs 9:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Are you spiritually mature enough to admit when you are wrong and to accept correction?”

 

It’s a good question, really. Are you spiritually mature enough to admit when you are wrong and to accept correction? Many people aren’t. It takes a good measure of humility. Spiritually immature people often let their pride get in the way and they refuse to admit they are wrong and they resent words of correction.

 

The fact is that nobody is infallible. We are all wrong about things from time-to-time. The question isn’t whether or not you will be wrong about some things, sometimes; the question is whether or not you’re a big enough person to admit you were wrong and to be grateful that someone cared enough to talk to you about it.

 

In Proverbs 9:8 King Solomon observed that a small-minded, spiritually immature person will resent the implication that they are wrong and they will be angry at you for attempting to correct them. But a wise person will immediately recognize their error, admit it, and be grateful to you for caring enough, and for having the courage, to talk to them about it.

 

There is no shame in being wrong. But there is shame in staying wrong. And the longer you stay wrong the more damage your error is likely to cause. Arguments drag on when they could have and should have been resolved; relationships remain broken when they could have been healed; jobs are lost, ministries are harmed, resentment and bitterness take root; and all because stubborn people don’t have the spiritual maturity and strength of character to admit they are wrong.

 

Sadly, this is such a common problem that many books have been written offering guidance on what to do when you’re dealing with someone like this. Many years ago there was a book written by Gene Edwards with the catchy title, “Crucified by Christians”. It offered good guidance to Christians about what to do when another Christian did something wrong which caused you great harm but they refuse to admit it or to correct it.

 

One of the greatest things that can happen to any of us is to grow in spiritual maturity to the point that we are able to admit when we are wrong and to gracefully accept correction.

 

There is no shame in being wrong. But there is shame in staying wrong.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

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

 

Our thought for today: “Be faithful”

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

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

 

Our thought for today: “Just do it.”

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

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

2 Samuel 23:20 (NLT)

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Attitude”

 

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

 

Our thought for today: “Be bold”

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim