Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Simplicity is good for enthusiasm”

This past weekend my wife and I held a yard sale. It was a really big deal for me because I hate yard sales. Detest them. I don’t go to them and I absolutely don’t hold them – except this time.

Linda and I recently came to the realization that it was time to downsize and simplify our lives. Our house was entirely too big for only two people, and we owned far too much stuff – most of which we hadn’t used in years. So we bought a smaller house just right for the two of us. But once we were all moved into it, and even after we had given away a lot of furniture and possessions to friends and family, we were still left with a two car garage packed so full of furniture, housewares, knick-knacks, and who knows what, that there was no room to walk. And all of that was extra stuff. Stuff we didn’t need, couldn’t use, and didn’t want. A two car garage filled with it!

Part of the dawning realization we had about the need to downsize and simplify was the understanding that rather than owning all that stuff, it actually ended up owning us. Once we had it we had to maintain it and store it – and that required time and money that could have been better used for other things.

In addition to our lives being jam packed with many more possessions than we needed, we had also allowed ourselves to become much busier than we should be. And all of that, the lives which were too busy and the mountains of extra stuff that we didn’t need, was distracting. Our attention was so divided, and there were so many things and activities swirling around the edges of our lives, that we weren’t paying full attention to the activities and people who matter the most.

In 1 Timothy 6:6-8 Paul writes about a better way. There he advocates for a simple life. It’s a common Biblical theme. King Solomon learned it the hard way and ended up writing an entire book of the Bible about it (Ecclesiastes). Simplicity and contentment is also a major theme in the book of Proverbs. Jesus modeled it for us, and the Apostle Paul wrote about it in several of his letters.

When we narrow our focus in life to the things, activities, and people who matter most, we’re able to pay deeper attention to them. That then will increase the joy we experience and the enthusiasm we have. Simplicity is good for enthusiasm.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Romans 15:1 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Be enthusiastic about helping others.
In Romans chapter 15 the Apostle Paul wrote about the importance of Christians being  unselfish by putting the needs and concern of others, the church, and the kingdom of God first, and their own needs, wants, desires, and opinions second.

Paul went so far as to say that we need to be eager and enthusiastic about seeking out those who are weaker than us, less mature in the faith, and those who might be struggling with life issues and/or spiritual concerns, and we should make it our mission to help them.

In “The Message” Eugene Peterson explains it this way: “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”

Please note that chapter 15 of Romans comes right after chapter 14 of Romans. You will remember from yesterday’s devotional message that in chapter 14 Paul admonished the Roman Christians for getting caught-up in petty issues which were creating strife and division among them. He urged them to put aside the silliness about nonessential matters and focus instead on the things that really mattered in kingdom terms. Chapter 15 continues that train of thought by urging the readers to enthusiastically seek opportunities to be a source of help, strength, and encouragement to others.

We need to be sure we take the lessons of these two chapters together and in context. We are to help, strengthen, and encourage others regarding the things that really matter, instead of trying to force them to conform to our personal opinions and desires regarding secondary issues.

If you consider yourself to be strong in the faith and mature in your understanding of the things that really matter, then use that strength and maturity to help, strengthen and encourage others. Be enthusiastic about helping in ways that truly matter.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:19 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “When you enthusiastically serve God and others, you will be much less likely to be critical of others.”

In Romans chapter 14 Paul was making the case that Christians should not be critical of each other over differences in minor, secondary matters. In the case of Romans 14, Paul used the issue of food to make his point. In that culture in that day there were strong differences of opinions among Christians regarding what foods were “clean”, and therefore ok to eat, and which were “unclean”, and therefore to be avoided. The disagreement was causing considerable conflict among the Roman Christians.

Paul admonished them by telling them that their arguments over such things were silly and counter-productive because their preoccupation with those secondary issues was distracting them from what really mattered. They should have been focused instead on cooperating for the sake of the Kingdom. I like the way Eugene Peterson rendered verse 20 in his paraphrase of the Bible, “The Message”:

“God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.”

I think Peterson hit on an important understanding which will go a long way towards resolving the silliness and pettiness that so often exists within churches over things that ultimately matter very little. If your focus is to single-mindedly and enthusiastically serve Christ and others, you will no longer care much about who’s eating what, or what color the carpet in the sanctuary is, or whether we sing all hymns or all praise songs or a mix of both. Instead you will be concerned about winning people to faith in Christ and helping them to grow as His disciples.

Let’s close today with the words of Paul in Romans 14:16-18: “Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.” (HCSB)

Amen! Let’s not be silly people who are preoccupied with silly things. Instead let’s enthusiastically focus on the things that really matter.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Make God visible to others.”

When Jesus was physically here on earth in a human body, the people around Him could see Him, hear Him, touch Him, and know Him as a flesh and blood human being. But Jesus isn’t here in that way anymore. In His place He has left the church. He has placed His Holy Spirit in the hearts of all those who follow Him, and through the guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit, in the lives of those Christians, Jesus continues to live and breath and move and work in this world. He lives in and through us and collectively, we the church, are known as “The Body of Christ”.

In his book, “Finding God in Unexpected Places” author Philip Yancey tells the story of a woman named Joanna whom he met in South Africa in 2004. Joanna had a ministry that involved going into the worst and most violent prison in the country to conduct Bible studies, worship services, and to offer Christian counseling to the prisoners. This prison was so bad and so violent that the prisoners was kept locked in their cells twenty-three out of twenty-four hours a day.

It was a dangerous place for an attractive young woman but she went in faith, trusting the Lord to protect her. She brought a message of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God, and the prisoners responded enthusiastically. The Bible study groups and worship services were packed and after only one year, the number of violent assaults in that prison went from 279 down to 2.

When Yancey interviewed her and asked her to explain the remarkable success of her ministry in such a troubled and violent setting she responded, “Well, of course Philip, God was already present in the prison. I just had to make him visible.”

She just had to make God visible for them. They couldn’t see the Spirit of God, but they could see the Spirit of God living, breathing, and working in and through Joanna, and that made all the difference.

You too can make God visible to others. Jesus can and will use your hands and feet, your smile, your eyes, your words and your actions, as His own. He will accomplish His work through your body, and people will be able to see Him in and through you.

If you only will, you can make God visible to others. Now that’s something to be enthusiastic about. I encourage you to make God visible to someone today.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Take the time to assess your growth.”

Do you keep a daily journal? Christians down through the ages have found journaling to be a helpful tool for a variety of reasons. For one thing, writing helps us to think more clearly. When we take the time to write something down it causes us to think about it, often re-reading and even re-writing it, until we’re sure it does accurately express what we’re thinking and feeling.

But a journal also provides a record of where we’re at spiritually at any given time and what God was doing in our lives at that time. Then at a future date we can go back and review those entries and compare where we were at with God then, and where we are now. The journal then becomes a tool which helps us to assess our spiritual growth.

In Philippians 1:6 Paul was referring to the doctrine of “sanctification”. Sanctification is the process whereby overtime, God progressively molds us and shapes us into the men and women He wants us to be. It’s a process of change and growth that makes us evermore like Jesus.

If you’re living the Christian life well, and if you have established a daily structure that includes the practice of the basic spiritual disciplines as Richard Foster so clearly describes in his great book “Celebration of Discipline”, then you are growing and changing and that is something to be happy about.

Unfortunately sometimes we have trouble realizing just how much God has changed us. This is where assessment tools become so helpful. As has already been mentioned, a journal can help in this respect. Richard Foster’s book is helpful too. How many of those thirteen basic disciplines of the Christian faith are a regular part of the practice of your faith, and do you really enjoy them? Do you find those practices refreshing, fulfilling, and nurturing, and do you look forward to them?

Galatians 5:22-23 (The Fruit of the Spirit) is also a helpful measuring rod. Are you experiencing more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control now than in the past? If the answer is “yes” then you have grown in your likeness of Christ.

Those are just a few examples of helpful methods to assess your spiritual growth over time. There are others, but the point is that over time, God does change us and grow us and that should be a source of encouragement for us. It should also result in you being even more enthusiastic about what He is doing in your life, and to want more of it.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I have given you and example that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:15 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Service breeds enthusiasm”

There is joy in the act of giving. Few things are as satisfying or fulfilling as seeing someone else being blessed by an act of your service or generosity. When my children were young I was usually a bigger kid on Christmas morning than they were. For weeks before the big morning I would visualize and anticipate the looks of surprise and joy on their faces as they opened their gifts. The satisfaction and fulfillment I got from giving those gifts far exceeded what they experienced from receiving them.

These days I lead short-term mission teams to remote locations around the world. It’s a tremendous privilege to be the bearer of God’s gifts to people in great need. I’m always careful to make sure the people understand that the relief supplies are coming to them as a gift from God and not from me – I just get to be the conduit through which they flow. But still, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to do things like that for people in great need.

In John chapter 13 Jesus performed a humble act of service for His closest disciples by washing their filthy feet. Then He instructed them to go out into the world and perform similar acts of service for people in need. Jesus wasn’t teaching a lesson about foot washing. He was teaching a lesson about having a servant’s heart. This is the primary way in which people end up coming to faith in Christ. A servant of Christ meets a very real physical need in that person’s life, and that then often creates an opportunity to share the Good News of the Gospel.

There are real and compelling reasons to serve those in need, both physical reasons and spiritual. But what Jesus didn’t mention in this passage was the serendipity embedded in those acts of service. Servants end up experiencing great joy in their own hearts as a result of their acts of service to others and you often end up feeling more blessed than they do. One of the most effective ways of igniting enthusiasm in your faith is to engage in acts of service.

Five years ago at Oak Hill Baptist Church we adopted “The Acts 1:8” model of ministry. We believe the Lord is calling us to be on-mission with Him outside the walls of the church building – in our Jerusalem (Cumberland County); in our Judea (Tennessee); in our Samaria (the USA); and to the ends of the earth. We then developed small ministry projects in each of those locations and we regularly venture outside the church buildings to all of those locations to serve people in need. The effect this had on our church was significant. There’s a spirit of enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to the cause of Christ that is really pretty remarkable in a day-and-age when so much of church life in the USA tends to be inwardly focused.

I encourage you to participate in acts of service to those in need. You’ll discover that although your acts of ministry are a blessing to them, the bigger blessing will be what God does in your own heart. Service breeds enthusiasm.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:7 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Discipline builds character and strengthens enthusiasm”

Unfortunately the word “discipline” often has a negative connotation for many people. We tend to associate it with punishment as in “We had to discipline him.” And while that is one meaning of the word, it’s actually not the primary meaning. The dictionary defines discipline as, “1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior. 2. Controlled behavior resulting from such training. 3. A state of order based on submission to rules and authority.” Discipline as punishment is only fourth on the list.

Likewise, in Rodale’s Synonym Finder there are thirty synonyms for discipline listed that have to do with character and growth before any mention is made of discipline as a form of punishment. My point is that discipline, as a form of voluntary structure that we choose and then implement for ourselves, is a good thing. Such discipline is needed if we’re going to grow into the men and women God wants us to be.

That’s what Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 1:7. The “fear” of the Lord – a healthy sense of awe, reverence, respect, and love for Him, is the beginning of knowledge. That’s the starting place for spiritual growth. But a fool despises such wisdom and doesn’t implement the voluntary disciplines necessary to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God.

Discipline in the spiritual life is essential. One of the greatest and most helpful books ever written on this subject is Richard Foster’s classic work, “Celebration of Discipline”. In it Foster describes the thirteen basic disciplines of living the Christian life. He does so in a clear, straight-forward, and uncomplicated way, and all throughout the book he offers simple and practical steps for incorporating those disciplines into our lives.

The concluding chapter – the concluding spiritual discipline, is “Celebration” (Yes, “celebration” is actually a spiritual discipline). This is what all the other disciplines lead us to. What we discover as we read this chapter is that a disciplined life is a happy, joyful, productive, and very enthusiastic life – and that will include lots of celebration.

Spiritual discipline is a good thing. We need it. I encourage you to read Richard Foster’s book to learn more about how the structure of spiritual discipline will greatly enhance your relationship with God.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “A deep relationship with God creates enthusiasm for Him and for our role in His kingdom-building work.

I love the picture painted by the Psalmist in Psalm 42:1-2. In our mind’s eye we can see an image of a thirsty deer in the forest drinking deeply from a cool mountain stream. The cold water is refreshing and invigorating; the deer is renewed and satisfied.

The Psalmist clearly intended his example to serve as a metaphor for the soul of a God-follower, one who so longs for God that he or she is panting with spiritual thirst and will only be refreshed and renewed by drinking long and deep from the Living Water.

All this month we’ve been considering the subject of “enthusiasm” from a devotional point of view. Our ultimate goal is to become more enthusiastic regarding our relationship with God and our service to others in His name. When we have the kind of desire for God described in these verses, our level of enthusiasm for Him and His kingdom will be very high.

In his book, “Intimacy with the Almighty”, Pastor Chuck Swindoll includes a section he titled “Paul’s Passionate Pursuit”. Pastor Chuck quotes Paul’s own description of the attitude of his heart as described in Philippians 3:10. In the Amplified Version of the Bible it reads:

“(For my determined purpose is) that I may know him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding (the wonders of His Person) more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in that same way come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection (the power it exerts over believers); and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed (in spirit into His likeness) to His death.”

This was Paul’s Passionate Pursuit – to know God deeply and to follow Him and serve Him with commitment and enthusiasm. May it be yours and mine as well.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” 2 Kings 6:17 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Spiritual insight dispels fear and fuels enthusiasm.”

The man was afraid, and disheartened. The king of Aram was a formidable foe, and he was mad. He was so mad that he dispatched a large military force to surround the city of Dotham where the prophet Elisha and his servant were residing. That was what the servant was so disturbed about.

The background story to all of this is that Elisha had been receiving visions from God regarding the nefarious plans of the king of Aram. Elisha shared those insights with the king of Israel, who was then able to outmaneuver the king of Aram and defeat him time and time again. The king of Aram quickly came to the conclusion that the only logical solution was to capture Elisha so he could no longer provide divine guidance to the king of Israel – thus the army which now surrounded the city of Dothan.

And so the servant of Elisha was fearful, and few things will kill-off enthusiasm like fear. But interestingly, Elisha, faced with the exact same circumstances, wasn’t fearful or disheartened at all. Instead he was bold and confident. What was the difference? Elisha saw the spiritual reality which his servant was missing.

In verses 16-17 we read: “Elisha said (to his servant), ‘Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.’ So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

So how do you think the servant of Elisha felt then? The Bible doesn’t say, but I’m sure that once he saw that army of mighty angels who had assembled to assist them, his fear was gone, his heart was lifted, and his enthusiasm returned.

There’s a lesson in this for us. It’s expressed in another great passage of Scripture, which we find in Isaiah 41:10. There we read, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold onto you with My righteous right hand.”

Whenever you sense fear and despair beginning to set-in, ask God to open your eyes to the spiritual realities of the situation. You’re not alone and you are not defeated. Instead, you can boldly and enthusiastically face whatever the situation is because the One who is with you, and who has committed to care for you and protect you, is greater than those who have come against you.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to each other: We played the flute for you, but you did not dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t mourn!” Matthew 11:16-17 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Superficiality kills enthusiasm”

In his book “The Spirit of Simplicity” Richard Foster writes, “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

In the passage quoted above from Matthew chapter eleven this is the very thing Jesus was speaking of. The people were superficial, content with silly and meaningless things, and all the while they were missing what really mattered. He went on in verses 18-19:

“For John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were so busy with their rules and regulations and traditions, and they were so content with them, that they completely missed what really mattered.

C.S. Lewis once compared superficial Christians to children who had been offered a vacation at the seashore but were content instead to stay at home and play in mud puddles because they had no concept of, or appreciation for, the joys and wonders of the ocean.

As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, when we take the time and make the effort to go deeper with God, we quickly discover that the more of God we experience, the more of Him we want, and then the deeper we go.

Going deeper fuels enthusiasm for God – superficiality kills it. Far too many Christians are content to play in spiritual mud puddles rather than diving into the deep waters of God’s being. And, their lives show it. They’re fascinated and preoccupied with the trinkets and gadgets of the world, all the while missing the spiritual riches that could be theirs if they would only take the time to go beyond the superficial.

Don’t be content with a superficial relationship with God. Invest the time and effort to go deep with Him. When you do you will discover that your enthusiasm for God, and for your involvement in His work, will grow by leaps and bounds.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim