Devotional for Tuesday October 21st

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Jesus wants us to be passionate about our faith.”

 

The idea of being truly passionate and on-fire for Jesus scares a lot of Christians. It seems like it would be so hard, so time consuming. The condition of many Christians is actually more like what Oswald Chambers described as a sort of subdued stoicism. They do profess faith in Jesus, and they do go through some of the motions of acting out the Christian faith, but in a very limited and half-hearted way.

 

People like that probably attend church on a semi-regular basis and they may even read their Bibles. But if you observe their lives closely you see that there is little evidence of genuine passion for Christ. When it comes to Christianity they seem subdued and maybe even a little stoic. They seldom mention Jesus in their conversations and there is little involvement in Christian activities beyond perhaps, Sunday morning church attendance. Such folks are distracted by the cares of life and are resistant to the whole notion of plunging into the deep end of the Christian experience.

 

Chambers writes, “Christianity overcomes the world by passion, not by passionlessness. Passion is usually taken to mean something from which human nature suffers; in reality it stands for endurance and high enthusiasm, a radiant intensity of life, life at the highest pitch.”

 

High enthusiasm, radiant intensity of life, life at the highest pitch – that’s what it’s like to live the Christian life with real passion. And that’s when life is at its best. Living with a genuine and observable passion for Christ isn’t limiting, it’s freeing. When we truly plunge into the deep end and live fully for Jesus, it’s then that we come fully alive in Christ. That’s when we begin to experience life at its fullest and very best.

 

Jesus wants us to be passionate about our faith – not just in profession, but in practice. However, living with passion also does not mean that we are constantly busy. How is that so? More about that tomorrow. For now, I encourage you to live like you mean it. Live in such a way that your passion for Christ is the most noticeable thing about you.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday October 20th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? Isaiah 58:6-7 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God calls us to an active faith.”

 

Perhaps you’ve noticed in this month of devotional messages that most of them have revolved around “doing”. We’ve talked about maintaining healthy relationships; we’ve considered the responsibility we have to speak up for Christ; and we’ve thought about how we should act at work. We spent some time thinking about our responsibility to obey the laws of the land, and when we should disobey those laws as we boldly take a stand for righteousness. We’ve also addressed the problem of greed, the attribute of generosity, and our responsibility to care for those in need.

 

Why so much emphasis on actions? Because it’s a theme that God Himself repeatedly brings up in the Bible. The fact is that God isn’t looking for a passive faith from us. Instead, He calls for a real faith that makes a real difference in real lives out in the real world.

 

Unfortunately much of what passes for Christian faith today is not active but is extremely passive. People go to church, sing some songs, put a few dollars in the plate, listen to the sermon, and then go on their merry way, having put a check mark in the box so their religious thing is accomplished until next Sunday. Paul Sparks refers to it as a “McDonald’s” church experience. It doesn’t really matter which franchise you go to because they’re all pretty much the same. The menu is predictable and what’s served up isn’t all that nutritious. People quickly consume what’s offered and then they’re back out the door.

 

In Isaiah 58:6-7 God made it clear that He’s not interested in, or impressed by, empty religious ritual. What matters to Him is a faith that makes an observable difference in the real world. The problem of course, is that religious ritual is relatively easy and undemanding. Living-out the faith in real life is harder. But it is also meaningful in a way that empty ritual can never be.

 

God calls His people to actually go out and “be” the church in the world, in everyday life.  He calls us to an active faith that makes a real difference. Obeying God in this way isn’t always easy but it is always right.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday October 18-19

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him.” John 6:66 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We must remain obedient and faithful even when we don’t appear successful by the world’s standards.”

 

In his book “The Insanity of Obedience” author and missionary Nik Ripkin writes of how he has spent more than 15 years researching and studying church life in some of the most difficult and highly persecuted regions of the world. He then compared what he found there, to the average experience of Christians in our culture. Almost without exception the practice of the faith in the hard places was vibrant, alive, and dynamic, and by comparison in the USA it seems pretty anemic. One of the starkest differences he found was the American preoccupation with big numbers and highly choreographed professional worship services.

 

In the USA glamour, glitter, technology, and an extensive menu of programs is the golden grail which everyone strives for. With this in mind Richard Foster once wrote about Christian life in the USA, “Superficiality is the curse of our age.” Much of it is a mile wide and an inch deep. But in much of the rest of the world, where the practice of the faith is so much more vibrant and dynamic, the emphasis is on depth not width. The focus is on small groups of passionate disciples who are clearly and obviously alive in Christ.

 

For all the hoopla and circus-like atmosphere that surrounded much of Jesus’ ministry, there were surprisingly few who were true disciples. Therefore Jesus was fairly unimpressed with the crowds and the shouts of acclimation. He knew what was really in the hearts of the people and He knew that their faith was fickle and short-lived. And so He was not surprised when in John 6:66, after a little hard teaching, the crowds shuffled away, muttering and grumbling. Likewise, in Matthew 26:56, as He hung on the cross dying, virtually everyone deserted Him.

 

We have to be careful not to be taken-in by the hoopla and circus-like atmosphere which often comes with big numbers and slick professional productions. So much of it is superficial! Seek instead a deep and genuine church life. That’s what mattered to Jesus and so it’s what should matter to us too.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

 

Devotional for Friday October 17th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: ‘Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We learn how to obey God through the good examples of others.”

 

I am deeply grateful to the Lord for some of the fine Christian men and women He has brought into my life over the years. I have learned so much from them! Oren Teel was my pastor. He was the man who baptized me, discipled me, and then patiently raised me up in the ministry. It was Oren who led the church to license me to preach, and it was Oren who presided over my Ordination Council. To this day when I’m faced with a difficult problem in church life I find myself wondering “How would Oren have handled this?” 

 

There have been many others over the years. Phyllis Forte and Mary Rose Kemmer modeled for me how a Christian can age with grace and dignity. They also exemplified how to deal with serious medical problems and deteriorating health, and yet still be faithful to the church family while being a great blessing to all those around you.

 

This is what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 11:1. He wasn’t bragging. He was simply acknowledging the fact that over the years the Lord had brought him through a lot. Therefore he had learned how to faithfully follow Him – especially in difficult circumstances and in tough times. As a result, he was in a good position to teach those hard-learned lessons to others.

 

This is why in both the Old and New Testaments, God places such a heavy emphasis on the importance of His people living within a community of faith. We are to be fully engaged in the life of the church because we need to be around other Christians. When we skip the regular gatherings of our church family, we’re missing out on some of the most important lessons the Lord wants to teach us. There are people there that we need to be around – people we can learn from, people whose examples will inspire us and move us forward in our own growth. But that doesn’t happen if we’re sitting at home on Sunday morning reading the newspaper rather than sitting in Sunday School.

 

As the weekend approaches and the time for the Sunday gathering of the church family draws near, I encourage you to make plans to be there. There are people there that you need to be around. There are things the Lord intends to show you through the examples of others. We learn a lot from the examples of others – especially about how to live well and how to obey God in the tough times of life.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday October 16th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Our thought for today: “Obedience showcases transformation.”

 

Richard was one of the least likely converts to Christ I have ever known. He was a crusty old sailor who had all the mannerisms of a crusty old sailor. He was short and squat with heavy jowls and a bulldog face. He walked bent forward at the waist a little, his head held high, his jaw thrust forward, and he looked mean. When you saw him coming towards you, you just sort of figured you were about to get in a fight.

 

But Richard had given his life to Christ and he truly was a new creation. Despite his tough exterior, he was actually a pussycat who loved the Lord and who could always be counted on to lend a helping hand. People were always amazed to discover what a nice man he was. And that discovery was a great testimony to the mighty transforming power of Christ. Jesus can transform the toughest most profane sailor into a gentle pussycat who is eager to hold the door for you, or to mow your lawn, or to visit you in the hospital.

 

Now, it wasn’t always easy for Richard to act like that. It’s true that he was a new creation in Christ, but it’s also true that old habits die hard and transformation takes time. There were many days when Richard would probably just as soon have smacked me up the side of the head as smile at me, and therefore being nice required extra effort on his part. But he knew it was important to make the extra effort and to show people that he was a new man.

 

You see, people were watching – especially people who knew the old Richard. Oswald Chambers once wrote, “Today men are asking not so much if Christianity is true, but is it real? Does it amount to anything in actual life? If I have a personal relationship to Jesus on the basis of His redemption, it will show in the way I live, in the way I act toward men.”

 

When we are obedient to God in the way in which we behave, especially when such obedience isn’t easy, it highlights the power of transformation – it showcases the difference God is making in our lives. Today I encourage you to make sure people can see the new creation that you are.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday October 15th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Focus on what really matters.”

 

As was noted in yesterday’s devotional message, possessiveness is a natural human tendency which leads people to become compulsively preoccupied with material things. It’s a condition which is especially prevalent in our society.

 

In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus told a parable about a rich fool who had many earthly possessions, but his preoccupation with those possessions distracted him to the point that he had little or no relationship with God. The story ends with the man dying suddenly, leaving his earthly possessions behind, and he then discovered that he had to face the very God he had not bothered to build a relationship with.

 

The problem of greed and possessiveness is such a problem that Jesus taught about it frequently. In Matthew 16:25 He taught that a person who clings to the things of this life will actually end up losing much more in eternity. In Matthew 6:25-33 He taught that our Father in Heaven is well aware of our needs and He is committed to meeting them for us, if we will just focus our thoughts and efforts on His kingdom and on His righteousness.

 

The famous missionary Jim Elliot once wrote, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

 

That statement is true – we know it is. Material things are temporary, but a healthy relationship with God is eternal. Yet we cling to our possessions anyway and greed consumes our souls. Why? Because our faith is weak and because we are focused on the things we can see rather than on those we cannot see. It’s like C.S. Lewis once wrote:

 

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”

 

Since we are material beings, it’s easy to become preoccupied with material things. But we do so at our own peril. In His teaching Jesus emphasized over and over again how truly temporary material things are, and therefore how lacking in real value. Only the things of God have eternal value, so that’s where our focus needs to be.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday October 14th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8 NIV

 

Our thought for today: “We must resist the temptation to cling to stuff.”

 

Many years ago my wife and I adopted a general philosophy regarding the acquiring and giving away of stuff. It goes like this: “If God has blessed us to the point that He has allowed us to get a new item (whatever the item is), if we can, we will attempt to bless someone else who is in need by giving them the old item.”

 

Over the years that philosophy has led us to give away (instead of selling), a dining room set, a bedroom set, two sofas, several recliners, two refrigerators, a washing machine, a dryer, and two cars, that I can remember.

 

Now, I would like to claim that we did that because we have such big generous hearts, but the exact opposite is true. We came to the conclusion that God wanted us to do that precisely because we were not really that generous. Over the years, like many people, we had become very possessive of our stuff. We had accumulated lots and lots of stuff, we were always longing for new stuff, and when we did get the new stuff, we would then try to sell the old stuff for as much money as we could get so we could then get even more new stuff!

 

Yes it was true, we had come to the point that we no longer owned our possessions, our possessions owned us.

 

So to remedy that, not only has God moved us to possess less, but He also requires us to give things away that we could otherwise sell. And it has not been easy. I like my stuff just as much as the next guy does. And when I don’t need my stuff anymore, I like to get money for it. So making do with less, and giving things away, has always been a struggle for me. But it has gotten easier over the years and I’ve actually come to enjoy it.

 

Maybe possessiveness isn’t a problem for you. Maybe you have learned to hold everything lightly. Maybe you recognize that everything you have is a gift from God and it’s easy for you to share with others. But if so, you’re the exception, because in our consumer-oriented society which is so fixated on conspicuous consumption, we’re conditioned to get all we can and to keep all we can.

 

The lesson Jesus wants us to learn is that God has blessed us, so now we need to bless others. It’s not an easy lesson to learn and it’s certainly not an easy practice to live by, but it is an essential part of obeying God. “Freely you have received, freely give.”

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday October 13th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “We must take advantage of our opportunities to speak-up for Jesus.”

 

In his book “The Insanity of Obedience” Nik Ripken writes about the stark differences between the boldness to speak-up for Christ which Christians in areas of intense persecution often demonstrate, and the unwillingness to speak-up which is demonstrated by Christians in places like the USA. Nik writes:

 

“It is humbling to know that the vast majority of movements toward Christ today are in countries among people groups where persecution abounds. There is less kingdom growth in the Western, democratic, and so-called “Christian” countries today. The horrible fact is, in almost every Western environment Christianity is in decline.”

 

What Nik writes is true and it has been confirmed in study after study. In the places where Christians suffer the most persecution for witnessing for Jesus, there is boldness and great growth of the church. In the places where there is the most freedom and the least persecution (and therefore the least risk), Christians are largely apathetic and silent.

 

It is true that there are many cases where Satan brings so much pain and suffering to bear upon Christians in areas of great persecution that he is able to silence them. But it’s equally true – perhaps even more so – that Satan works hard to create a sense of apathy and laziness in believers in un-persecuted settings which renders them silent as well. Nik goes on:

 

“It was a startling thought to realize that the persecutor’s use of violence to inhibit the faith and the believer’s refusal to speak openly of Jesus yield the same result. In both cases, people are denied access to Jesus. How tragic that the silence of believers could yield the same result as the violence of the persecutors!”

 

We here in the USA live in a time and place where we can openly and freely speak for Jesus with few or no repercussions. So why don’t we? Peter exhorted his readers to always be ready and to speak openly and passionately for Jesus. I encourage you to do that today.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday October 10th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God commands us to take care of those less fortunate then ourselves.”

 

In his book “The Insanity of Obedience” missionary and author Nik Ripkin explains that in the era of the early New Testament churches, and in much of the Christian world today, it is understood that an important part of reaching the world for Christ involves actually getting out into the world and providing physical care for those in need. The spreading of the Good News is centered on physical ministry that is designed to meet the needs of suffering people, and it is combined with telling the story of Jesus.

 

The one place that model is not practiced by very many churches is in the Western world – especially in the USA. In our church culture there is an inordinate, unhealthy, and excessively unbalanced over-emphasis on discipleship, rather than on service and evangelism. Almost all of our time, energy, and resources are focused inward on ourselves in the form of worship services, Bible study groups, and fellowship events. We label all of it “discipleship” and pronounce it “good” because after all, discipleship is a good thing, right?

 

Well yes, but only when it is balanced with evangelism and service.

 

Nik invites us to consider if perhaps the church in our country has become so inwardly focused and so preoccupied with ourselves, that we use our celebration of “discipleship” as camouflage to conceal the fact that we’re doing precious little evangelism and service outside the walls of our church buildings. Such a church life is unbiblical and it is not common in the rest of the Christian world.

 

There is great value in getting out of our church buildings and taking the practice of our faith out into the world, as a group, in the form of service to those in need. It’s what Jesus did. It’s what the early church did. And it’s what most Christians around the world do today as a regular practice of the Christian faith.

 

This Sunday night (October 12th) we at Oak Hill Baptist Church will move our regular Sunday night activities to the Bread of Life Rescue Mission on 4th avenue in Crossville. We do this every quarter as a regular part of our church life. Our children and teens will join the adults as we all go out to serve. We will hold an evangelistic service at 5:00. While that service is going on, some of our people will be in the kitchen preparing the evening meal. Then at 6:00 we will serve the meal. After that we will go into the dining room and enjoy the meal along with everyone else at the mission. The topic of conversation will be Jesus. We would love to have you join us.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday October 9th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Obeying God when obeying isn’t easy”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God wants us to demonstrate strong faith in tough times.”

 

Although it’s a little embarrassing to do so, I feel I have to admit that when I’m sick I tend to be a little bit of a baby. I’ve been blessed by God with pretty good health, and so I seldom get sick. Therefore I’m not used to being sick. And so I tend to get grumpy and whiny when I am sick. I’ve always admired those who can handle sickness – real sickness – with a sunny disposition and strong faith. I’m trying hard to learn how to do that, I really am.

 

In 2 Corinthians 4:16 – 5:5 Paul described this very thing for us. In verse 16 he urged us, don’t give up (don’t become discouraged or depressed) because your outer person (your body) is withering away. Because (if you’re a Christian), your inner person is being renewed. In verse 17 he reminds us that whatever affliction we’re suffering from, it’s light and temporary when compared to the eternal glory which awaits us. Then in verse 18 he urges us to therefore focus our attention on that great eternal spiritual truth and not on the temporary physical problem.

 

In 5:1-6 he notes that as time passes, the body ages and is always moving in the direction of deterioration and ultimately death. But God has something better waiting for us. While the physical body is always in a continual, long and slow process of moving towards the day of death, God has a glorious eternal body for us that will never experience sickness or pain. That’s what our focus needs to be on.

 

While it’s ok and even good to make others aware of our health issues so they can pray for us and help us, don’t be the person who drones on and on, moaning and groaning about aches and pains and doctors and pills and medical procedures.

 

We bring glory to God when we handle sickness well. People do notice and they are impressed. Unbelievers especially will be curious to know how you are able to handle such a tough situation so well. What a great opportunity to tell them the reason for the hope that we have! God wants us to demonstrate strong faith in tough times.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim