Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “God has great plans for you.”

Why should Christians be positive, enthusiastic, and hopeful? Because God has a purpose and a good plan for you, that’s why. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my personal life verses. It helps me to remember that God has a plan and a purpose for my life and that the Holy Spirit is always at work guiding and directing me to fulfill the purposes of God.

Granted, I have to cooperate with Him. I have to be sensitive and obedient to His guiding and directing but when I am, it will be the plans and purposes of God which unfold in my life. That’s something to be excited about it. It’s a cause for hope and eager expectation. It’s the primary reason we should approach life with enthusiasm. God’s plan is always best. It might not always be easy, but it is best. The safest place for any of us to ever be is right in the middle of God’s will. That will always lead us to the best life it is possible for us to have.

I’m in full agreement with the great singer and actress Ethel Waters who once said, “Honey, God don’t sponsor no flops!” In other words, if you are faithfully living the life God has chosen for you then you are a raging success story. That being the case, you can approach everyday enthusiastically, knowing that you will be walking the path God has chosen for you.

Do your best to prayerfully seek the will of God for your life. Then enthusiastically and faithfully walk it out everyday. You might not have full understanding and a crystal clear path forward. Just do your best and trust Him to guide you. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us:

“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.” (NIV)

God has a great plan for you, and you should be excited about it!

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth! When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful. Look! Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again. But I’m in the very presence of God – oh, how refreshing it is! I’ve made Lord God my home. God, I’m telling the world what you do!” Psalm 73:25-28 (The Message)

Our thought for today: “The more we rely on God, the more we realize that He is all we really need.”

Those of you who were at Oak Hill Baptist on Sunday October 4^th for the mission trip report from our Haiti mission team, or if you viewed it online on our church website (www.oakhillbaptist.net), you know that during my message I used Psalm 73 in it’s entirety as my text.

I did that because it so vividly portrays what is true about the Christian community in Haiti. Even though those believers live in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and even though most of them live in plywood shacks or even tent homes, in a nation where the average annual family income is only $1600, they have a joy in the Lord and enthusiasm for His work that is truly exceptional.

How is it possible for Christians in such desperate circumstances to be so happy, so focused on God, and so enthusiastic about being involved in His kingdom-building work? Psalm 73 explains it well. In verses 1-2 the Psalmist declares definitively that God is good –always, all the time and in all circumstances. Then he recounts a time when he had shifted his focus to the things of the world instead of the things of God and when he did, he lost his joy – he found himself being envious of the rich and bitter about his own circumstances. But then he entered the sanctuary of the Lord and returned his thoughts completely to God and God’s kingdom and when he did that, His whole attitude changed. His joy returned.

Please note, his circumstances had not changed at all. But his heart did. He shifted his focus from his circumstances to his Lord and when he did that, his joy and his enthusiasm returned and he was able to proclaim, “I’m in the presence of God – oh how refreshing it is!”

Enthusiasm for the Lord and for His agenda in the world is a matter of heart and mind. It’s a question of priorities and what we choose to focus on. When we come to the point where we can honestly declare with the Psalmist, “You’re re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth”, we’ll discover that our circumstances, whatever they are, matter a lot less.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Acts 11:23-24 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Enthusiasm is encouraging.”

I love Barnabas. He was known in the early church as “The son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). The people admired him for his generosity, his integrity, his willingness to be a friend to those who were shunned by others, and because he was a great encourager in the church. So much so that in Acts chapter 11 we find the leaders in the mother church in Jerusalem sending Barnabas to visit a new church in Antioch, which evidently needed a shot-in-the-arm of encouragement and enthusiasm.

I love the way “The Message” translates these verses. “The Message” isn’t an actual translation of the Bible, it’s a paraphrase. The author’s intent was to use colorful and poetic language to capture the essence of what transpires in the Biblical scene. Here’s how he described this scene with Barnabas in the Antioch church in Acts 11:23-24:

“When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives. He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit’s ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.”

What a great picture of an encouraging and enthusiastic person having a profound impact on a church. He saw that God was at work among them and so “he threw himself in with them,” “got behind them”, “urging them to stay with it …” And the result was that “The community grew large and strong in the Master.”

What impact are you having on your church? Are you an encouraging and enthusiastic force for good? Is your church alive and dynamic and growing as a result of the way God uses you and works through you in that congregation?

Barnabas is a great example of the truth that enthusiasm is contagious and encouraging. When you gather with your church family this Sunday make it a point to follow the example of Barnabas by being an enthusiastic encourager.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “We become enthusiastic by being around enthusiastic people.”

I have recently returned from leading a mission team to Haiti. Again on this mission trip I witnessed two truths that prove themselves on every mission trip. The first is that the mission often ends up being more about what God wanted to do in you rather than through you. As a team member on a short-term mission God will certainly use you to be a blessing to those He sent you to minister to. But often the greater works ends up being in your own heart as a result of what you experience on the mission trip.

The second truth, which is directly connected to the first, involves a promise that we at CERT International frequently make to pastors of churches here in the USA. “If you send your church members on a short-term mission trip with us, we will bring them back to you as better church members.”

Haiti is by far the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere, but spiritually it is rich. The Holy Spirit of God is doing a mighty work in Haiti. There is revival in the churches and spiritual awakening across the country. The churches are filled to overflowing and the Christians of Haiti are on-fire. There is a passion and enthusiasm for the things of God that is startling and exciting. And that brings me back to the two truths I referred to above, and it also brings us to the subject of our devotional theme, “enthusiasm”.

I for one was greatly impacted by the enthusiasm for God and for His kingdom-building work that I experienced in the worship services in Haiti. My heart was stirred and I was quickly caught-up in it. I myself became more enthusiastic as a result of being around all those enthusiastic people. God worked in my heart and I came home changed.

The fact is that enthusiasm is contagious. We become more enthusiastic by being around others who are enthusiastic. If you want to become more enthusiastic in your relationship with God and for His kingdom-building work, just hang-out with people who are already enthusiastic like that.

This is what the writer to the letter to the Hebrews meant when he wrote in 10:24-25 about Christians encouraging one another and spurring each other on to love and good deeds.

This Sunday morning at 10:00 at Oak Hill Baptist Church our mission team to Haiti will give their mission trip report. We’ll show pictures and tell stories of what God did, and of how we were impacted by being a part of it. If you want to be inspired and encouraged, if you want your own level of enthusiasm for God and for His kingdom-building work around the world to receive a boost, I invite you to join us.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.” Matthew 22:37-38 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Be enthusiastic for the things of God”

The dictionary tells us that to have enthusiasm means to have “Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause.” Synonyms for enthusiasm include “eagerness, earnestness, intensity, passion, and devotion.” To be enthusiastic about something means you are “wholehearted, spirited, animated, demonstrative, fervent, and all fired up.”

Reminds you of your favorite sports team, right? You put on the jersey of the best player, paint your face blue and gold, go to the stadium and spend three hours on your feet pumping your fist and shouting like a wild man. Or maybe you showed that kind of enthusiasm when you saw your favorite music star in concert. Again you were on your feet, clapping and cheering, singing along, and hoping for an autograph after the show.

Sometimes our enthusiasm for something results in a dedication and commitment that borders on compulsive. I know people who are like that about their career. Parents sometimes become that fixated on the social and recreational activities of their children. Many times it’s a hobby that captures our heart and mind like that.

But how’s your enthusiasm level when it comes to the things of God? Is your commitment and dedication to His kingdom-building work here on earth anywhere near what you give to your career? Do you worship God with the same passion and energy you have for your favorite football team? Do you give the same kind of close attention to the sermon on Sunday as you do to that television show you watch every Monday?

My friends, as Christians we should be wildly enthusiastic for the things of God. Our hearts and minds should be so captivated by Jesus, and our love for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should be so all-consuming, that nothing else in life comes close to receiving the energy and passion we put into our relationship with Him.

The truth is that most of us need an attitude adjustment in this area. All too often we are much more enthusiastic and passionate about things that are much less important, and we are lukewarm at best when it comes to the practice of our faith. We need to turn that around. Our enthusiasm for the things of God should be the driving force in our lives. All this month we will consider changes we can make to ensure that it is.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Life is always better with Jesus than without Him.”

As I write this I have just returned from leading a mission team to Haiti. I had been to Haiti before and so I knew what to expect but still the sheer magnitude of the poverty is hard to take in. Over the last forty-four years, first during a career in the U.S. Navy and then from a second career as a Pastor and mission team leader, I have completely circled the globe and I have visited something like thirty-five countries – but I still find the desperate situation in Haiti somewhat startling and a bit overwhelming.

And yet, the Haitian Christians are not a defeated or despairing people. Exactly the opposite is true. Rarely have I been with a group of Christians who display more joy in the Lord, who worship Him with greater passion, or who are more enthusiastic about being involved in His kingdom-building work, than the Christians I met in Haiti.

This past Sunday I preached in a church that met in a huge tent because their permanent church building had been rendered unusable in the earthquake five years ago. It was packed to the point of standing room only and was then spilling out into the street, and then on into an adjacent building across the ally. There were probably a couple of thousand people. They were well dressed, smiling and laughing, singing their hearts out, hugging and dancing, and tears of joy flowed freely.

In the neighborhood surrounding the church (where these people live) there were tin shacks, tent homes, piles of trash everywhere, and the stench of rotting garbage. But inside the church there was joy in the Lord like I’ve seldom experienced anywhere. How can that be?

I’ve frequently used Matthew 11:28-30 to make the point that regardless of your situation in life, whether you live in a shack in remote Africa or in a mansion in Beverly Hills, life is always better with Jesus than without Him. But seldom have I experienced the truth of that lesson as I have in Haiti.

What the Haitian Christians model for us in the midst of their difficult life situations is an excellent example of the truth Jesus taught in this passage. Despite the worst of circumstances, He can and will help us to walk through life with peace and joy and with strength and hope. Your tough times can actually become the instrument God uses to help you experience His presence and power in your life far beyond what you would have experienced otherwise.

The truth is that you can get through your tough times and you can do so with peace and strength. Jesus will help you.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Take the punch and bounce back.”

In his book, “You’ll get through this”, Max Lucado shares a memory from his childhood about “Bounce Back Bozo”. ‘Bounce Back Bozo” was an inflatable clown figure which stood about five feet high. It had a heavy three pound metal weight at the base which sat on the floor and prevented it from being knocked over. Because it was made of thick but soft plastic, you could punch it with all your might and it wouldn’t hurt your fist; and because of the weight in the bottom, it wouldn’t fall over no matter how hard you punched or kicked it. It would rock and sway wildly, but it would always bounce right back up.

I enjoyed reading about this childhood memory of Max’s because as a child I also had a Bounce Back Bozo and I loved it. I would punch and kick and wail on that thing to my heart’s content and I’ll tell you what – Bozo could take a punch and bounce right back up!

This should describe us too. We need to be able to take a punch and bounce back up. We need to be able to absorb what life throws at us, maybe be staggered and rocked by it, but then bounce back up and get on with life. Unfortunately many people don’t do this. Far too many people take one on the jaw, they go down, and they stay there, bitter and broken.

It’s not necessary. Life might knock us down, for a moment, but we don’t have to stay there. This is what Paul was describing in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. What Paul got from life is a lot like what my poor buddy Bozo got from me – sometimes life just seemed to punch and kick and wail on poor Paul. But it didn’t defeat him. He got back up. He bandaged the wounds, worked out the soreness, brushed off the dust, and got right back at it.

Paul’s secret is that he had a firm foundation that served as his anchor. It wasn’t a three pound metal plate but a strong faith in God and total reliance on the Holy Spirit. This was the stabilizing influence in Paul’s life – and it can and should be the stabilizing influence in your life and mine as well.

Life can sometimes seem like a rock’em sock’em work-out with you as the punching bag. Every once in a while you’re probably going to take one on the jaw and you might even get knocked down. But you don’t have to stay down. With God as your foundation, with the Holy Spirit as the stabilizing influence in your life, you have what it takes to bounce back up.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Pray for our mission team in Haiti.”

As I write this I am less than twenty-four hours from leaving the USA to lead a mission team to Haiti. At 2:30 tomorrow morning eighteen of us (9 from Tennessee and 9 from Indiana) will leave our homes and begin the trip. We will be there September 19-27.

Our ministry site will be in the Carrefour region northwest of the city of Port-au-Prince. We will be working in partnership with a Haitian Christian ministry called Grace International. Our team will be working on construction projects to help complete a new building on the Grace International campus for young adult women who grew up in one of the orphanages, but who cannot stay there any longer because they are now too old. This transition home we will be working on will serve as a safe haven for the young women to live in until they are married. Our team will also be conducting daily Vacation Bible Schools for children in the orphanages and in the surrounding communities, and we will be helping to provide a hot lunch for over 2000 children every day.

There is currently a great spiritual awakening and revival taking place in Haiti. The Holy Spirit is doing a tremendous work there. The churches are full, Christian schools are being established all across the island, and even the secular television and radio stations broadcast Christian programming. We’re excited about being a part of it.

But at the same time the situation in Haiti is desperate. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (the poverty is overwhelming). There is also still a lot of rubble and destruction from the great earthquake which occurred more than five years ago. And there is a lot of crime. Armed gangs of thugs continue to be a problem. (Our team will be staying in a walled missionary compound and we will have armed guards 24/7).

Haiti also has a long history of political instability, especially around election time. While our team is there, the country will be preparing for the next Presidential election which is scheduled for early October. Although the last two election cycles have been fairly peaceful, the potential does exist for demonstrations and unrest.

However our team members are not fearful in the least, nor should we be. Our Haitian partners at Grace International are very experienced at hosting mission teams from the USA, and they have the logistics well developed in order to ensure the safety of the team. But more importantly, we are going in the power and the protection of the Holy Spirit. This is a humanitarian mission in the name of Jesus Christ and we have faith that He will protect us.

I tell you all of this so you can pray for us. This will be the last devotional message in this series until Monday September 28^th. Therefore I want to ask you to hold onto this one and use it in your daily quiet time to pray for us every day while we’re in Haiti.

I’ll be sending reports and pictures all throughout the course of the mission and will post them on the Oak Hill Baptist Church Facebook page, the CERT International Facebook page, and on my personal page as well.  I look forward to telling you all about the wonderful things God is surely going to accomplish through the work of our team.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “God brings good things out of bad things.”

Returning to the story of Joseph as recorded in the book of Genesis, one of the things that stands out to us is that Joseph endured so much that could only be described as “bad”. His brothers threw him into a pit and then sold him into captivity. He was a slave first of Ishmaelite traders and then in Potiphar’s house. He spent years in prison. For thirteen long years his life was characterized by unfair and brutal treatment, a complete loss of freedom, and an uncertain future.

I don’t believe that God actually caused those circumstances. I simply cannot fathom God inciting the brothers and the traders and Potiphar’s wife to engage in those evil and sinful activities that resulted in Joseph’s pain and hardships. But God was there, and He was at work, and He did use those bad things to bring about good things.

In his book, “You’ll get through this” Max Lucado wrote, “The devil had Joseph right where he wanted him. So did God.”

Yes, I think Satan was the cause of those bad things that happened in Joseph’s life, but it was God who used them for His purposes and for His glory, and for Joseph’s ultimate good.

This is the great truth the Apostle Paul was teaching in Romans 8:28. Not all things are good. Some are bad – very bad. But God is there and He is at work in the middle of those bad situations and in His own way, and in His own timing, He will bring good things out of bad things for the benefit of those who belong to Him.

Joseph couldn’t see the future, but God could. Joseph didn’t know what was ahead of him and therefore he didn’t what to prepare himself for or how to do it. But God knew. And so God used those thirteen years to prepare Joseph for the work he was to do for the rest of his life. And that turned out to be very, very good.

This is true in your life too. You can’t see your future. But God can. You don’t know how to best use your current tough times to prepare yourself for a better future. But God does. So turn it all over to Him. Claim the promise of Romans 8:28. Cling to it. Ask God to use it to give you hope and strength, insight and wisdom, and ask Him to help you faithfully persevere.

God brings good things out of bad things. He did it for Joseph, and you can believe He is in the process of doing it for you too.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son – except the Father only.” Matthew 24:36 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Do not fear the end times.”

Of all the tough times individual people and the entire human race have endured throughout history, none will be tougher than the years, months, and days leading up to the end of time. As the human race gets closer and closer to the end, evil will become much more pronounced and the world will descend into chaos.

Many Christians today believe we are extremely close to the end of time. There are numerous modern-day prophets making all sorts of predictions and issuing warnings for Christians to prepare themselves for a coming apocalypse. Some are saying the stock market will crash and there will be economic chaos. Others predict there will be a nuclear exchange in the Middle East which will spark a world war. Still others are worried (of all things) about Federal Armed Forces invading Texas – and the list goes on.

So what’s a Christian to do? Should we stockpile food, water, and ammunition and head for a bunker in the hills? Some seem to think so. But a better approach would be to consider the teaching of Scripture, along with 2000 years of Christian history.

A study of Christian history reveals that every generation of Christians, since the time of the Apostles in the book of Acts, believed they were living in the end times. And, there always seemed to be world events which supported that belief. But as it turned out, they were all wrong. They weren’t living in the end times.

There have always self-proclaimed prophets who professed to have received divine enlightenment which gave them special revelation regarding end times issues. Some of them purported to have identified the Antichrist as being a prominent individual who lived in their day. Others pointed to significant events occurring in the world at that time as evidence that the end of time was upon them. Some even claimed to have been able to calculate the exact day and hour for the return of Christ. And of course, they were all wrong.

The lesson of history is that the prophets of doom and gloom who are making so much noise in our day are almost certainly wrong too. Now granted, someday they will be right. Eventually the end of times will be upon us and the prophets of that day will turn out to have been correct. It is even possible that we are living in that time right now – but historically speaking, statistically, probably not.

So how then should we live? Surely we can’t discount the possibility that these days could be the end times. But at the same time, we have no Biblical model for Christians to adopt a survivalist mentality, hording food, water, guns, and money, and building bunkers in their backyards.

With the Great Commission Jesus told us that we are to be on-mission with Him in the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The example of the early church is that we are to fearlessly wade into the mess that is the world and boldly proclaim Christ (Acts 5:29). And of course, the Apostle Paul modeled evangelism and church planting in the face of great opposition, persecution, and abject evil (Acts 26:19-20).

I believe there is an intentional tension and balance established for us in the New Testament which provides a reasonable approach to this issue for all Christians, regardless of the age of history we live in. We are to live as if Jesus could come back today, but we are to plan as if He won’t come back for another 100 years.

We are to live as if He could come back today. In other words, we are to live with an urgency that today is the day of salvation. We need to share the Good News of the Gospel and lead others to faith in Christ today, with an urgency that understands that today could be the last day.

But we are to plan as if He isn’t coming back for another 100 years. We are to start new churches, fund Bible colleges, send out missionaries, and do all the other things necessary to ensure that the work of the Kingdom continues. Because if we don’t – if we act as if the Lord is about to come back any day now and therefore the churches and colleges and mission projects no longer really matter, then if we’re wrong there will be churches that never got planted, young people who never got a Bible education, mission projects that never got started, etc.

The bottom line is that we are to simply “be” the church – whatever the conditions in the world happen to be. We are to boldly and fearlessly wade into the mess that is the world and simply be on-mission with Jesus, helping to build His kingdom.

Do not fear the end of time. This probably isn’t it anyway but even if it is, don’t fear it and don’t become preoccupied with it. Just be the church and trust the Lord.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim