Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Celebrate while you can”   This morning, I want to continue our thinking from yesterday about living in the moment and celebrating the good things and the little victories that make up each day.   I once read a story about a man whose wife died suddenly and unexpectedly. Weeks after the funeral he was sorting through her things and he came across a fancy box that was still in the store bag. He opened it to find an attractive and expensive piece of clothing his wife had purchased. She had been saving it to wear for him on a special occasion. Sadly, that special occasion never arrived and the special outfit was never worn. With that realization, a wave of sadness, loss, and regret washed over him. He thought to himself, “Why do we delay doing the special things? Why don’t we do them while we still have the chance?”   Aimee and I had a similar encounter a few days ago. We were visiting an older couple who are in their 80s. The wife is currently in a rehab center recovering from a broken hip. She is trying to regain enough strength and mobility to go home but at her age, recovery and rehabilitation is a real struggle. At one point in the conversation the husband said to Aimee, “Take advantage of your healthy years while you have them. Do the things you want to do; do them now while you can.”   Far too many of us are waiting for some distant tomorrow before we do this or that; or before we celebrate some special occasion; or before we go to some special place. But tomorrow may never come. Don’t keep putting off special things for another time if you could do them now.   I don’t mean to suggest that we should impulsively do everything today and never put anything off for another time. We celebrate birthdays on the person’s birthday. We plan vacations in advance and then we wait until the appropriate date arrives. We retire when we’re eligible to retire but until then we work. Also, learning the discipline of delayed gratification is a good thing. So, some things should be put off until the appropriate time.   However, it really is true that, “Yesterday is but a memory and tomorrow is but a hope; today is all we really have”. The Psalmist said, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Let us celebrate now; do the special thing now; take advantage of the gift of today.   Yes, the Lord made all our yesterdays and if there are going to be any tomorrows for us, He will be the Creator and Lord of those days too. But today is what we have right now. So, let’s be glad; let’s rejoice; and let’s enjoy it. Celebrate while you can.   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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” Proverbs 27:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Live in the moment. Celebrate now.”   When Aimee and I realized the Lord had brought us together to spend the rest of our lives together, we also realized that we needed to decide how we were going to deal with the memories of our deceased spouses, Tim and Linda, who are both now in heaven. Sometimes, for some couples, the subject of former spouses is a sensitive subject that is avoided.   We decided that would not be the case for us. Tim was a great guy and together he and Aimee built a good life. Linda was my life partner for forty-seven years. We had a great life together too. So, Aimee and I decided we would fully embrace the memories and celebrate the lives we had with Tim and Linda. Tim and Linda are part of our family. We have family pictures of them on the walls in our home. We have memorabilia from their lives displayed in various locations too. We talk about them, we tell their stories, and we celebrate their lives.   That mindset led us to develop an overall philosophy for our life together which is, “We will cherish the memories of the past; fully embrace the present; and move forward into the future.”   Fully embracing the present means living in the moment. That’s a concept I have long strived to practice in my life, and it is an important element of celebration. Living in the moment is a life principle that helps us stay focused on and appreciate what’s before us right now, rather than lamenting a past that is gone or worrying about the unknowns of an uncertain future. Instead, we focus on what is here now. Once you look for it you will see that there is a lot to celebrate and to be thankful for in the present.   This is the truth Solomon was teaching in Proverbs 27:1. Live in the moment. More than 1000 years later, the New Testament writer James expanded on that thought when he wrote: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring – what your life will be! For you are like a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.” James 4:13-14   There’s plenty to celebrate right now – and we should. Cherish the past and have hope for the future, but live in the moment. I encourage you to celebrate now, while you can.     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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven … a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:1;4 (CSB   Our thought for today: “A season of celebration”   Hello everyone. I’m back. I thought I had been taking a break from writing these daily devotional messages to engage in a period of quiet reflection and deep introspection, but Aimee tells me I was just sitting there with my chin on my chest gazing at my navel and that it was time to get back to work. So, here I am.   The season of Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years is my favorite six weeks of the year. It’s a festive time of giving thanks, celebrating, and expressing hope for the future. I love the family gatherings, the giving of gifts, the increased sense of togetherness we all share, and the anticipation of the coming year. There’s usually lots of laughter and joy and fun. We need seasons like this. Celebrating is good for us.   The dictionary says that to celebrate is “To observe a day or event with ceremonies of respect, festivity, or rejoicing.” When explaining the concept of celebrating from a Biblical perspective, the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology tells us that celebrating is at the core of life for the people of God. Celebration is depicted in the Bible numerous times in multiple ways including festivals, weddings, religious ceremonies, the Lord’s Supper, in celebratory poetry such as in the Psalms, and much more. Clearly God intended for times of celebration to be a regular part of life for His people, which is why Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes chapter three that there are special times established specifically for celebrating. We need to be reminded of that.   Life is hard during the worst years, and challenging even in the best of times. Ups and downs, peaks and valleys, good times and bad – we just have to lean into it, push through it, and keep going. That being the case, a season of celebration is a great way to end one year and lead us into the next. We all need a few weeks of laughing, feasting, and gift-giving. We need a period characterized by love, joy, praise, and hope. We need to do some celebrating. Granted, there are practical realities that must be accounted for and adjusted to as well, life is still life, but we can and should find ways to celebrate.   All this month we will explore the Bible to discover the many forms celebration can take in the lives of God’s people. We will of course spend time considering Christmas and New Years as special occasions for celebration and festivities, but we will also discuss the importance of many other times and occasions for celebrations.   Life can be hard. Times of celebration serve not only to give proper attention to special occasions and events, but they also help to alleviate tension and release stress. Celebrating also reminds us to lighten up a little and enjoy life more. Let’s do that.   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, I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Aimee and I sure did with our family.  Over the fourteen years that I have been writing these daily devotional messages, from time-to-time the Lord has alerted me to the fact that it was time to take a short break from writing and focus instead on taking in rather than giving out. The creative writing process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Especially if you are attempting to do it every day, six days a week, for years on-end, as I have. Sometimes the focus needs to shift to personal filling and renewal.  This is one of those times. For probably a month or more I have sensed the Lord telling me it is time to take a short sabbatical from writing and to devote the extra time to personal renewal. At this time I don’t know how long that will be. I sense that the break will be relatively short, perhaps just a couple of weeks. The Lord will make it clear to me when it is time to start again. I do know that I love the ministry of writing for the Lord, and that’s especially true of writing these daily devotionals. So I don’t expect the break to last very long.  Thank you for your understanding and patience in this matter.  God bless,  Pastor Jim

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: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be silent and a time to speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:1;7 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Anger and bitterness or thanksgiving and joy?     I saw a sign in town the other day which read: “Thanksgiving: Fueling family dysfunction since 1863.” That’s funny but sad. And, sadly, it is also true. Many families can’t even get together for a few hours of holiday celebration without it bringing out the worst in some of them.   It’s an unfortunate reality that family life can be messy, and it’s not uncommon for there to be feuds in a family that go unresolved for long periods of time, sometimes for years. But you would think that adults would be mature enough and emotionally healthy enough to put aside hard feelings and to be civil with each other for just a couple of short hours at family holiday gatherings. If not for their own sake, then out of consideration for the rest of the family.   Sometimes family members refuse to even attend a family holiday celebration if another family member is going to be there. That is so, so sad, and almost always unnecessary. It should be especially unnecessary if those who are quarreling are professing Christians. Two Christians, both with the Holy Spirit living in their hearts, can’t be together in the same room for a couple of hours and be cordial to each other? That just should not be.   In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit in the heart of the believer produces “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Shouldn’t that be what we expect to see from nature Christians – especially in difficult situations?   As Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes 3:1;7 there is a time to speak and a time to hold your tongue. In other words, there is a time to engage in those difficult conversations and try to work out the differences, and there is also a time to simply hold your tongue. Family holiday gatherings are one of those times to hold your tongue.   It is my prayer that your family holiday gatherings this year will be filled with all the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that the Holy Spirit expects from us.   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: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Enhance their reputation”   In yesterday’s devotional I called your attention to Paul’s kind words about his friend and ministry partner Tychius (Colossians 4:7-8). I told you I believe that in addition to writing those words about Tychicus, he probably also said those or similar words directly to Tychius (and probably on more than one occasion). I believe that because Paul was a great encourager of others. He frequently commended them and built them up.   The focus of that devotional message was all about saying nice things directly to the person. Today I want us to think about saying nice things about a person to others. That is primarily what Paul was doing with respect to Tychicus, and it’s what Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 22:1. In that verse Solomon was writing about reputation – what other people believe to be true about you, and he reminds us of how valuable a good reputation is.   But where does a good reputation come from? How do we acquire one and how do we keep it? It comes first from how we conduct ourselves. If you are a man or woman of good character, a person of honesty and integrity, someone who can be counted to keep your word and to fulfill your promises; if you are a kind and compassionate person who serves others with grace and mercy, those things will gradually become known about you and that will be your reputation with others.   But the thing about a reputation is that it gets talked about. Good or bad, people talk to each other about what they believe to be true about someone else. That being the case, what others say about you matters because it will go a long way towards determining what your reputation is with them.   Sometimes dishonest people say malicious things that are not true. That is concerning – but not overly so. You don’t have to worry too much about that because in the long run, it’s your conduct that will tell the true story and everyone will know it to be so by simply observing you, and they will comment on it to others.   Our conduct establishes our reputation. It is then enhanced when people talk about it among themselves. We can help to bolster someone’s reputation by doing the thing that Paul often did – singing the praises of someone who deserves to be commended.   Whose reputation can you bolster today by pointing out their positive attributes to others? I encourage you to do it. There is power in those words.   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: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and so that he may encourage your hearts.” Colossians 4:7-8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t wait until the funeral. Tell them now.”   I once knew a fellow minister who had performed over 500 funerals in his long ministry career. He was a decades-long fixture in his small town, well-known by everyone, including the directors of the funeral homes. Not only did he perform funerals for the members of his own congregation, but he was frequently called upon by the funeral homes to assist families who had no pastor of their own.   I too have performed many funerals over more than thirty years as a pastor. They are all sad occasions, but many of them are approached as celebrations of a life well-lived and a celebration that the departed loved one is now in heaven. Those are much easier.   There is one thing I love about funerals and memorial services – the tributes that are paid to the departed loved one and the memories that are shared. Typically, there are framed pictures from all seasons of life; significant mementos from the person’s life are displayed; and there is often a visual video picture show. Combine that with the stories that are told, and we often learn much about the dead person that we never knew about them while they were still here with us.   But part of the problem with all the nice things that are said at a funeral is that the dead person doesn’t get to hear them. They’re dead. And often the things we say about someone at their funeral are things we did not say directly to them when they were alive. How sad. What difference might it have made in the person’s life if all those nice things had been said about them and to them while there were still here in this world to hear them?   In Colossians 4:7-8 the Apostle Paul was singing the praises of his friend and partner Tychicus. Paul proclaimed Tychicus to be a dearly beloved brother, a faithful minister, a fellow servant, and an encourager of others. I’m thinking Paul not only said those things about Tychicus but he also said them to Tychicus. This was something Paul did often. He commended and praised the people around him. I don’t think Paul left any doubt in the minds of his friends and loved ones what he thought about them – because he told them what he thought about them.   I encourage you to tell people the nice things you think about them. Don’t save it for their funeral. They’ll be dead then and they won’t hear you. Tell them now.   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, TM 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Share those good vibes”   The Apostle Paul was an encourager of the faithful. Although he was a great evangelist, most of his ministry was devoted to teaching, building-up, and encouraging believers. Paul wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. Every bit of that writing was directed to believers and was intended to instruct and encourage. Additionally, most of his preaching and teaching was directed to those who were already Christians.   Beyond that, Paul wrote with the expectation that his words would be passed on and shared with others. In several places he even included instructions to the recipients of his letters to be sure they passed them along to others: Colossians 4:16, “After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:27, “I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters.”   It’s important that we receive words of blessing and encouragement for ourselves, and it’s important for us to share words of blessing and encouragement with others. In two previous devotionals in this series I shared with you “The top ten best words” and the phrase “Life is good, pass it on.” I also asked you to share some of your favorite best words and phrases so I could then pass them along to other readers of these daily devotional messages.   You won’t be surprised to learn that many of the best words people offered came right out of Galatians 5:22-23 (The fruit of the Spirit), “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” The words bold, tolerance, and blessing also made the list. One person said she always ends her correspondence to people with the salutation “Blessings.”    Some phrases that were shared included, “Be bold but gracious,” “Live gratefully,” “Be courageous,” “Press on,” “In Christ,” and “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” One person said that they like to “share good vibes.”   What words of blessing and encouragement will you share with others today? Share those good vibes with someone who needs them.   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: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers and sisters, 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 anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (CSB) Our thought for today: “It’s the most important conversation you have”   What is the most important conversation you have? It’s the one you have with yourself about yourself. How you talk to yourself is even more important than how you talk to God. I say that because as important as prayer is, it’s our self-talk that is the most formative. It’s what we tell ourself about ourself that has the most powerful formative impact on us. Also, you talk to yourself more than you talk to God. A lot more.   So, what kinds of things do you talk to yourself about, and what kinds of things do you tell yourself about yourself? What words do you use about yourself deep inside the privacy of your own head? Truth be told, most of us are our own worst critics. We’re harder on ourselves than anyone else is on us. We imagine shortcomings in ourselves that aren’t there at all, or which we have magnified out of proportion to reality. We tell ourselves things about ourselves that are untrue or inaccurate. The words we say to ourselves about ourselves matter – a lot.   In Psalm 139:14 David proclaimed, “I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.” Is that how you think of yourself, as having been remarkably and wonderfully made by God? In Jeremiah 31:3 God spoke to His people (Israel back then and us today), and he declared, “I have loved you with an everlasting love …” Do you think of yourself as someone who has been wonderfully made by God and who is deeply loved by Him? And do you use words like that about yourself to yourself?   In Philippians 4:8 the Apostle Paul was encouraging us to develop a positive mindset that encompasses all of life. That would certainly include how we think about ourselves and how we talk to ourselves.   The things you think about yourself and the words you say to yourself about yourself have a formative power that is much deeper and much more impactful than most of us realize. That being the case, the most important conversation you have is the one you have with yourself about yourself.   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: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.” Philippians 4:13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Life is good, pass it on”   In yesterday’s devotional I shared with you the story of an old friend who had a treasure trove of the best words and phrases, and which she frequently dipped into and wove into her conversations to bless and encourage others. I also asked you to share with me some of your top ten words and phrases so I can share them with other readers in an upcoming devotional message.   This morning, I will share one with you which comes from author Regina Brett in her wonderful devotional book, “God Never Blinks: 50 lessons for life’s little detours.” In many ways, Regina had a hard life. Pregnant out of wedlock, college dropout because of the pregnancy, single mom for many years, numerous broken romantic relationships, finally met a good man and got married only to develop breast cancer and she had to have surgery and chemo.   One day, after her first round of chemotherapy (with many more to come), and feeling lousy, she met a man wearing a hat that said “Life is good.” She asked him about it and he said that he chooses to focus on the good things in life instead of dwelling on the negative because doing so makes life better. The hat helped to remind him of that truth.   Regina was inspired by that and thanked him. Two days later that same man showed up again but this time he had a hat for her with the same logo. Regina wore that hat every day of her chemo treatments and until she was declared cancer free. Then she began passing the hat on to other cancer patients, who then passed it on to others – thus the saying, “Life is good, pass it on.”   That’s the example the Apostle Paul was setting in Philippians 4:10-13. He had lived a hard life, he was an old man, his health was broken, he was in prison, and he was probably facing death. And yet, he wrote to his friends to tell them how content he was because he had learned to find the goodness in any situation. He had learned to draw his strength and comfort from Jesus Christ and not from his circumstances. Paul had learned that. It didn’t come naturally – he had to learn it. It was a conditioned response that he worked at and developed. Then, he passed it on to others, and his words have served to inspire countless others for two thousand years.   “Life is good, pass it on” is a healthy mindset to have and it’s good advice to follow. So, I pass it on to you this morning. What words of encouragement and blessing do you have that you can share with others today?   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