Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:3-4 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “God has proven Himself trustworthy throughout the ages.”

 

The great French philosopher Blaise Pascal once wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of man which can only be filled by God.” This is what Solomon meant when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He (God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men.”

 

As part of our basic human nature we have an innate understanding and awareness that there is more to creation then just the physical world, and there is more to life than just our years on earth. Belief in God and in the supernatural has existed as long as human beings have. Every culture that has ever existed in the history of the world has always maintained a belief in the supernatural, and they have always had gods which they worshipped.

 

This is especially true when it comes to belief in and understanding of the One True God. Mankind’s awareness of God dates all the way back to the Garden of Eden. The origins of the Old Testament go back more than 3500 years. The New Testament is almost 2000 years old. It’s impossible to calculate how many millions and millions of people over all those thousands of years have had faith in, and trusted in, the One True God. Today there are more Christians on planet earth than at anytime in history and the kingdom of God continues to grow.

 

Also, many of the most influential and intelligent people in history have had a strong faith in the One True God. Kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, philosophers and poets, historians and professors, some of the greatest minds that have ever lived have considered the evidence for God and have concluded He is real and He is trustworthy. The case for God is very strong.

 

And so, as the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 145:3-4, God’s praises have been sung down through the ages; and the stories of His mighty works, of His power, of His faithfulness, and of His trustworthiness, have been passed along from generation to generation – each experiencing Him for themselves in new and fresh ways in their own lives.

 

And the story continues. In our day God continues to be faithful and trustworthy. Therefore He is worthy of your praise and worship. Trust Him today. Trust Him fully. Then tell others about Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living – they praise you, as I am doing today; fathers tell their children about your faithfulness. The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.” Isaiah 38:18-20 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “God’s not done with you yet.”

 

Have you ever wondered why God didn’t bring you straight to heaven the moment He saved you? It’s because He has a purpose for your life. There are things He wants to do in you and through you all the days He has you here on earth.

 

His purposes for your life are many and include things like giving you the opportunity to grow and mature in your faith; using you to serve others in His name and thereby advance His agenda here on earth; and sharing the Good News of the Gospel with others.

 

But another reason He left you here is so you can join with other believers in worship, and so that the worship of Him will ring out all around this planet. Isaiah was referring to this great truth in Isaiah 38:18-20. Once we’re dead we will certainly participate in the worship which takes place in heaven, but our voice on earth will have been silenced. As long as we are alive here, we can join our voices with the multitudes of others who are also singing out His praises.

 

In my opinion one of the greatest songs ever written and recorded about this was by The Newboys and was titled “He Reigns”. The song paints a picture of believers around the world signing out praises to God in worship. Here’s the first verse and chorus:

 

“It’s the song of the redeemed, Rising from the African plain.
It’s the song of the forgiven, Drowning out the Amazon rain.
The song of Asian believers, Filled with God’s holy fire.
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation, A love song born of a grateful choir.

 

It’s all God’s children singing Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns. It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah, He reigns, He reigns”

 

Since you are still living and breathing you can trust that God still has a purpose and a plan for your life. There are multiple facets to His purpose and plan for you but one of them is, without question, for you to join with other believers here on earth to sing His praises. I encourage you to do exactly that. If you don’t have a home church to go to then I invite you to join us at Oak Hill Baptist in Crossville. The service begins at 10:00.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil – he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortress, his food provided, his water assured.” Isaiah 33:15-16 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Do the right thing and then trust God for the outcome.”

 

Doing the right thing can be difficult. Sometimes it can also be costly, or even dangerous. That being the case, people commonly shrink from doing the right thing. They will often look for the easy way out, seeking the path of least resistance.

 

Sometimes they will pretend they don’t see the situation that needs to be addressed or they will simply ignore it, hoping it goes away or that someone else will deal with it. But God expects His people to be bold and to courageously deal with situations as they are, not as we wish they were.

 

In Isaiah chapters thirty-two and thirty-three the prophet was making this very argument to the people of Israel – and he did it by contrasting the behavior of those who pretend to be righteous but whose behavior doesn’t really bear it out, and those who truly are righteous and whose actions show that to be true. Here’s another excerpt from that dialogue:

 

“For a fool speaks foolishness and his mind plots iniquity. He lives in a godless way and speaks falsely about the Lord. He leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink. The scoundrel’s weapons are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies, even when the poor says what is right. But a noble person plans noble things; he stands up for noble causes.” Isaiah 32:6-8

 

“He stands up for noble causes.” Remember, Isaiah was writing to God’s people and he was comparing and contrasting the attitudes and actions of groups of people within the community of faith. Some of them were engaged in blatantly sinful conduct. Others were tip-toeing along the line between right and wrong – living in the grey areas between ethical and unethical behavior. Some were silently observing it all and saying nothing. Now go ahead and re-read Isaiah 33:15-16 above:

 

The point the prophet was making in all of this was that as the people of God we are to do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may. We are to say the things that need to be said and take the actions that need to be taken, and then trust Him for the outcome. In 33:15-16 he made it clear that God will take care of those who are faithful to Him and who do the right thing even when doing so isn’t easy.

 

 

I encourage you to have the courage and boldness to say the things that need to be said, and do the things that need to be done; then trust God for the outcome.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I will send down showers of blessings in their season – showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Thank God for His blessings, and trust Him for more.”

 

As I write this it is early Thanksgiving morning 2015. This is the sixty-second time I’ve had the privilege to celebrate Thanksgiving in my lifetime – and I certainly do have much to be thankful for.

 

As I sat here this morning quietly thinking back over my life and remembering all the many ways the Lord has provided, delivered, and blessed me – over and over again, year after year – for some reason my thoughts drifted back to the twenty-one years my family and I lived in Southern California. Those were good years and we enjoyed them. But one thing about Southern California is that it seldom rains. So when it does rain, it’s something of an event and everyone takes note and celebrates it.

 

Our church in those days was Hilltop Baptist Church in Chula Vista, CA. On those rare Sundays when it rained, we could count on our Pastor’s wife, Louise Teel, to joyful lead us in singing that great old Hymn “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing”:

 

“There shall be showers of blessing; This is the promise of love; There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.

 

Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need: Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we need.

 

There shall be showers of blessing, precious receiving again; over the hills and the valleys, sound of abundance of rain.

 

Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need: Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we need.”

 

There’s more but you get the idea. When we sang that song we were celebrating the rain, but even more so, the abundant blessings of all types that God had consistently showered upon us all. The song reminded us of how much we had to be thankful for, besides just the rain.

 

I hope today you and your family will take time to consider the showers of blessings God has rained down on you. Be thankful – and know that you can trust that His blessings will continue.

 

My family and I wish you and yours a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away.” Psalm 139:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You can trust that God knows the truth about you.”

 

For the second half of 2015 I have been using Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, “The Message” for my personal morning devotional time. Yesterday I was reading in Isaiah and was startled by Peterson’s rendering of Isaiah 1:12-17:

 

“Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings – I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.”

 

That passage reminded me of what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 139:1, “Lord, you have searched me and known me.” That’s what Isaiah was getting at. None of your religious charades fool God. He knows your true heart. He knows what you do behind closed doors, what you think, and what you say. He knows what’s really in your heart. Yes, you can trust that God knows the truth about you. He isn’t fooled by outward shows of piety.

 

So what do we do? How do we change so that our hearts are right with God and that our behavior really is a true reflection of the condition of our heart? For the answer to that I’ll refer to another Psalm, this one written by King David. He wrestled with this issue just like you and I do:

 

“God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12

 

That’s the answer. Just be real with God. Acknowledge the struggle. Admit your failures. Truly desire to be better, holier, more righteous. Then trust Him to cleanse you and to restore to you a renewed spirit and the joy of salvation.

 

You can trust that God knows the real you. He isn’t fooled by outward shows of piety and righteousness. So be real with Him and get right with Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the Lord’s instruction!” Psalm 119:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “The best life you can have is one lived according to God’s commands.”

 

In the Bible God has given us all the guidance we need in order to live life well. In fact, the best life you can possibly have is a life that is lived according to God’s commands.

 

The Bible provides us with a clear description of the boundaries within which God wants us to live. Those boundaries are actually very wide and offer us great freedom and many choices, but there are God-ordained limits to how we are to live. As long was we stay within the boundaries He has established for us, we will be fine. It’s when we wander outside of the Biblical boundaries that we get into trouble.

 

This is what the Psalmist was talking about in Psalm 119:1. Living Biblically leads to the best life a person can have. This was also a major theme for the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote the majority of the New Testament and most of it was all about how to live the Christian life well. In Ephesians 5:8-12 he wrote:

 

“Walk as children of light – for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret.”

 

Now listen to how Eugene Peterson renders that same passage in his paraphrase of the Bible, “The Message”:

 

“Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see.”

 

Wow, is that ever true! Look closely at the lives of those who live un-Biblically – participating in the deeds of darkness such as substance abuse, sexual immorality, unethical and even criminal behavior. They end up with broken relationships, sick bodies, bankruptcy, jail time, etc. Then compare that to those who intentionally obey the commands of the Lord, living Christ-honoring lives. No contest! Jesus wins hands down! Life with God is always better than life without God.

 

Choose to live your life within the Biblical boundaries established by God, honoring Him with your life, and you can trust that He will give you the best life you could possibly have.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Just keep moving forward.”

 

Sometimes the best you can do is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and just keep moving forward. But very often, that’s enough. In fact, much of success in life is simply a matter leaning into your situations and issues, pushing through them, and trusting the Lord to guide you and protect you along the way as you keep moving forward.

 

The Apostle Paul understood this well. For him much of his daily life consisted of dealing with difficult people and difficult situations. Beyond that, the future for him was often uncertain and even ominous. Paul’s strategy however kept him always looking forward and moving forward. He refused to dwell in the past or even to allow himself to become overly fixated on or discouraged by his current circumstances. His focus was always forward-looking.

 

That approach will work equally well for us. The great Christian writer Woodrow Kroll once observed, “If God was faithful to you yesterday, you have reason to trust Him for tomorrow.”

 

Yes. During those times when I do briefly glance backwards, I see that God was always there for me and He always brought me through whatever the situations were back then. And as I look around me now I see that I am not homeless, I am not hungry, I am reasonably healthy, and even though there are situations to deal with, overall life is pretty good. So as I look forward to tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and next year, I remember that God has a pretty good track record in my life. Therefore I can just keep pressing forward and trust Him for what lies ahead.

 

That goes for you too.

 

If life seems a little tough for you right now I encourage you to do what Paul did. Forget what is behind, don’t get too obsessed with the issues of today, focus on tomorrow, put one foot in front of the other, and trusting in God just keep moving forward.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “If you are in the will of God, then you will be ok.”

 

A couple of days ago I wrote the daily devotional about the lessons taught in Psalm 126. As I was doing that, my eyes drifted ahead to Psalm 127. Immediately I knew there was an important lesson in this Psalm too about trusting God, and that I wanted to be sure to circle back and address it before the month ends.

 

Those of you who know me well know that one of my life verses is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight.”

 

That promise clears up a lot of confusion for me and gives me the confidence I need to boldly move forward in life, even when the path forward isn’t clear. The key is to genuinely want and to seek the will of God, and then trust Him to lead and guide you. If your heart is right, and if you truly do just want to understand His will and be obedient to it, He will guide you.

 

Psalm 127 addresses this same truth, only with slightly different words. In fact, it is a truth which God states and then restates in many places in the Bible.

 

Verse 1: “Unless the Lord builds the house; its builders labor in vain.” In other words, if the Lord is directing this activity it will prosper, if He isn’t, it will fail. So here again the key is to seek the will of God and then be obedient to it.

 

Verse 1: “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” You see, it doesn’t matter how big and bad you are, how strong and well armed; if God isn’t protecting you then you are weak and vulnerable. However if God is protecting you, then it doesn’t matter who or what comes against you.

 

Verse 2: “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves.” What a common story! People kill themselves trying to earn a living, working ridiculous hours under tremendous stress, only to discover they’re unhappy and unfulfilled. That happens because they are out of synch with God. But when we are right in the middle of God’s will, our lives will be balanced and healthy, our needs will be met, and we will sleep well.

 

The key to all of this is that when we truly and genuinely seek to know and obey the will of God, He will take care of us. We can trust Him for it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.” Proverbs 10:4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Trust God, but then do the hard work to accomplish meaningful things.”

 

I read a statement in a book last night which impressed me as being profoundly true. So much so, that I want to share it with you this morning as we continue to consider our theme of “trusting God”. Here it is:

 

“God sets destinies in heaven, but those destinies have to be hammered out on earth one arduous minute at a time. We strain. We bleed. We grieve. We have to conquer each step. No one gets a pass. No one moves to the head of the line. Everyone is flawed.”

 

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the great promises of the Bible which helps us to understand that God has a plan, a destiny in mind, for each person who belongs to Him. He has things He wants accomplished in your life. But Proverbs 10:4 is just one of the many passages which remind us that we have a role to play in this too. We have to cooperate with God. We have to do our part. That’s what this author was referring to.

 

As part of His beautiful and perfect plan, God sets our destiny. But then it’s up to each of us to hammer out that destiny one tough step at a time. In the unfolding of this lifelong process we will have to overcome our personal flaws and weaknesses; we will be faced with innumerable problems that we will have to lean into and push through; we will get hurt; we will encounter disappointments and sorrows; and maybe we will even bleed a little. That’s just life.

 

The author of the book made the above statement as he was attempting to illustrate the qualities of character and integrity that combined to make great men great. In his example, he referred to the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, both of whom battled lifelong depression; both of whom suffered through multiple personal tragedies; and both of whom had to persevere through numerous failures in life before they experienced great success.

 

The author then went on to point out that if you conduct a study of the lives of great men and great women throughout history, one common denominator you will discover in all of their lives is that they had to fight for success. They all endured tremendous struggles, great pains, lots of opposition, and numerous failures. But it was their perseverance through such difficulties that led to their greatness.

 

Don’t ever doubt that God has a wonderful plan for your life. But also know that you have a great responsibility to embrace that plan, and a lot of hard work to do, if that plan is to come to fruition. Trust God for the plan, and also trust Him for the process. Know that He will help you, but also remember that you have to do the hard work in order for the vision to become reality.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “And now, God, do it again – bring rains to our drought-stricken lives …” Psalm 126:4 (The Message)

 

Our thought for today: “God blessed you before, He’ll bless you again.”

 

Have you ever stopped to consider – really consider – how much and how frequently God has blessed you? Can you even begin to count all the acts of mercy, compassion, provision, and protection He has poured into your life over the years? The answer of course is “no”, you can’t. He blesses you in a thousand ways every day. From the air you breathe, to the sounds you hear, to the sights you see, to the food you eat. Then there are the near-miss car wrecks you were never even aware of, and the deadly germ you almost inhaled but which passed you by, and, well, I could go on and on.

 

Then consider the nice home you live in, the dependable car you drive, your job, your spouse, your children. And how about the times of crisis He brought you though like the time you lost your job and needed another? Or when you were deathly ill but He healed you, or He brought your wayward child back to you, and so much more.

 

The point is that God has blessed you over and over again in the past (in big ways and in small) and He will continue to bless you in the future. You can trust Him for it.

 

I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Psalm 126 in his paraphrase of the Bible “The Message”. It’s a short Psalm so let me just quote the entire thing for you:

 

“It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned Zion’s exiles. We laughed, we sang, we couldn’t believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations – “God was so wonderful to them!”

 

God was wonderful to us; we are one happy people. And now, God, do it again – bring rains to our drought-stricken lives so those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, so those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessings.”

 

I love it! I want what he just said: “Yes, God, do it again! You’ve blessed me richly in the past – many times, in big ways and in small, so do it again now!”

 

I believe it’s perfectly legitimate to pray that way. In fact, it’s Biblical. After all, the Psalmist did it.

 

You can trust God to bless you. He loves blessing you. He has blessed you many times in the past and He’s eager to continue blessing you now and into the future. God ahead and ask Him.

 

“Do it again Lord, do it again!”

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim