Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB) Our thought for today: “The first and most important reason” This morning, I want us to consider today’s Bible verse in conjunction with the one we looked at yesterday from 3 John 2. That verse reads: “Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.” In that verse John was referring to a wholistic approach to life. He prayed for prosperity in “every” way – in the person’s whole life. The truth is that you are a whole person who consists of a physical body, a mind, and a spirit. To be truly healthy and doing well in all aspects of life, you must be healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. All those parts of you combine to make up the whole you, and they are interrelated. Each impacts the other and if you are unhealthy in one of those areas, it will have a direct and negative impact on the other two. We must take care of the whole person. So, when Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit he is saying that your physical body (which is home to your mind, emotions, and soul) is also home to the Holy Spirit of God. And therefore, we as individuals have a stewardship responsibility to keep all aspects of our person as healthy as possible for as long as possible, and to use our whole person for the honor and glory of God. Paul also tells us in verse 20 that we were bought for this purpose at the price of Jesus’ death on the cross. On the cross not only did Jesus purchase your eternal soul, but He purchased your physical body (and your whole person) to be a walking, talking, mobile temple of God’s Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Spirit of God resided in a temple made of stone. In the New Testament the Spirit of God resides inside the bodies of the followers of Jesus Christ. And just like the people of God had a stewardship responsibility to properly care for the Temple in the Old Testament, so too do the people of God in our day. We have the same responsibility to take proper care of the temple of God and in our day, and that temple is your body. This is the first and most important reason you must take good care of yourself – because God said so and He requires it of you. You are the temple of His Holy Spirit and therefore you must take good care of yourself. We will now spend the rest of this month discussing many ways to do exactly that. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.” 3 John 2 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Take better care of yourself” One of the great maladies of our age is that as a society we are too busy and too stressed-out. Korean-born philosopher and cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han once wrote a book about it called “The Burnout Society.” His research revealed that our competitive, multi-tasking, service-oriented society is taking a severe toll on our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. This has resulted in psychological disorders of epidemic proportions, including depression, attention deficit disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Another consequence that is becoming increasingly evident in our society is the Japanese phenomenon known as “Karoshi” or, “death from overworking.” “Karoshi” does refer to suicides that are directly related to workplace stressors, but it also refers to health issues such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and poor lifestyle choices such as alcoholism, bad diet, and lack of exercise (when those symptoms are attributed to working too many hours under too much stress). “Karoshi” began to show itself in Japanese society in the 1970s and exploded in the 1980s. In recent decades it has spread to developed nations around the world (including ours), until today it is recognized by the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health as a global health crisis. We are all trying too hard to do too much for too long and we are not taking proper care of ourselves. This is a spiritual issue. Yes, it is physical, and yes it does have impacts on us mentally and emotionally, but as we will see as this series unfolds, it is very much a spiritual issue as well – with spiritual implications and consequences. That being the case, and this being the beginning of summer and vacation season, it’s a good time for us to consider this issue. Selfcare is critical, and most of us don’t do a good enough job of taking care of ourselves. We can all do better. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now” Our Bible verse for today: “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Let’s all be more like Jesus” Charles Sheldon was a pastor and author in the late 1800s. He wrote what he called “sermon stories” for his Sunday night services. These were simple stories illustrating Biblical truth by asking the question “What would Jesus Do?” He then applied that question to the various fictitious characters in his stories. Ultimately, Sheldon used this theme and some of those stories to write the novel “In His Steps: What would Jesus Do?” That book was published in 1896 and it is still in print today. It has sold over 50 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. In the novel, a Pastor by the name of Henry Maxwell challenges his congregation to not take any action, for an entire year, without first asking the question “What would Jesus do in this situation?” And then, whatever the answer to that question is, that is the action the person was to take. The story then follows a variety of characters as they attempt to live an entire year guided by the question “What would Jesus do?” It’s a fascinating story and it is exactly the point the Apostle John was making in 1 John 4:10-11. Jesus set the example for us. Jesus had a winsome, compelling personality and He radiated love. That was so true that sinners flocked to be with Him. The outcasts, the downtrodden, the sick and the hurting, they all wanted to be with Jesus. Winsome, compelling, radiating love. That was Jesus and it should be true of us as well. As Christians we are to be like Christ – and I love to be around people who are. This is all about loving on purpose. Jesus loved on purpose and it is what made Him such a compelling and attractive personality. We should all want to be more like that. It is what the world needs from us. God bless, Pastor Jim  (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now” Our Bible verse for today: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Choose Jesus” I love the story of Mary and Martha. There’s so much for us to learn from it. For one thing, in Martha we see a clear example of how it is that good things can distract from and lead us away from the best things. Martha was a servant at heart and in this case, it was Jesus Himself who she was serving. That was a very, very good thing. But it was not the best thing. Not now; not at this time. It was Mary who had found the best thing. She was simply sitting at the feet of Jesus learning from Him, soaking in His presence, breathing-in His peace. Martha had good but Mary had best. The truth is that God wants to be wanted. He longs to be desired by us. That’s why He gave us the promise in Jeremiah 29:13 that “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God wants to be chosen by us. When Jesus looked at Martha, He saw someone serving Him. When Jesus looked at Mary, He saw someone choosing Him. I have recommended to you before the great book by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge “The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God.” It’s all about how it is that God woos us, and how He wants us to respond to His wooing by choosing Him. It’s a romance, with Him in the lead. He desires an intimate relationship with each of us and He is doing His part to draw us to Himself. But we do have to reciprocate. Too often we’re more like Martha than Mary. We do stuff for the Lord rather than simply being with Him. Serving Him is important, but just being with Him is better. I encourage you choose the best thing. Choose Jesus. As a demonstration of your great love for Him, choose to simply be with Him. God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now” Our Bible verse for today: “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Bold doesn’t mean brash” It was a Sunday afternoon, shortly after lunch, and I was out in our neighborhood walking our three little dogs along the side of the road. Suddenly a car slowly rolled up and stopped alongside of us. The young man driving the car was dressed in a suit. Evidently, he was just coming from church. He rolled the window down and in a somewhat loud and slightly aggressive voice he said, “Hey brother, you need Jesus!” I was taken back a bit by his demeanor and approach, and also by the fact that I was a complete stranger to him and therefore he knew nothing about me. I replied, “Well, I do know Jesus. He’s my Lord and Savior.” Undeterred he replied, “Are you sure? Because I’m telling you that if you don’t know Jesus then you’re going to hell.” And with that, he hit the gas and drove away. I suspect that young man has read passages like Acts 4:13 and concluded that he too was being bold for Jesus like Peter and John were. But I would argue to the contrary. Being bold does not mean being rude, obnoxious, arrogant, insensitive, or disrespectful. I contrast that with the example of Louise Teel, the wife of my pastor Oren Teel. Oren and Louise were my mentors in ministry. Oren baptized me and then raised me up in the ministry, eventually teaching me how to be a pastor. Louise was essentially my West Coast mother (my actual mother lived on the East Coast at the time.) Louise was a kind, gentle, grandmotherly figure who simply loved everyone. When she saw a person struggling in some manner, she would look for an opportunity to bless the person with some kind act and then she would gently and lovingly try to help the person see that they needed Jesus (if they didn’t already know Him). Louise never hesitated to tell people about Jesus. She actively looked for opportunities to do so. But she did it in a kind and gentle way that radiated love and compassion (followed by unvarnished gospel truth). Louise was bold for Jesus in a very effective way. That young man was just obnoxious. People like Louise draw people to Jesus. People like that young man push people away from Jesus. Bold doesn’t mean brash, it means confident. Bold doesn’t have to be pushy and insensitive, it can be kind, gentle, and considerate. I encourage you to make sure you are drawing people to Jesus and not pushing them away. What the world needs is more Christians who radiate and share the love of Jesus. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now” Our Bible verse for today: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) Our thought for today: “We have what they need” I recently read that sociologists (scientists who study society) have concluded that ours is a depressed culture which has what they termed “a dampened spirit.” Forty-one percent of Americans have struggled with some degree of mental illness at least once in life. Twelve percent are on a long-term (or even lifelong) treatment plan that includes antidepressants (including twenty-four percent of college-aged students). Beyond that, even among those who are not clinically depressed, record numbers of Americans report struggling with elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and despondency on a regular basis. This, even though we live in the most affluent society in the history of the world, with the highest standard of living and the most creature comforts any society has every had. And yet … and yet, we are unhappy. We have a dampened spirit. The 2025 World Happiness Report ranks the USA twenty-fourth on the scale of happiness among the nations of the world (our lowest ranking ever), behind such countries as Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, Austria, Canada, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, United Arab Emirates, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Evidently even with all our wealth, possessions, technology, and creature comforts, we still are not happy. Instead, the problem is getting worse. Our happiness ranking continues to decline. However, not everyone in our society fits that profile. There is a group that is doing much better than the average. That’s what Peter was writing about in 1 Peter 3:15. Committed Christians who actively practice their faith have substantially higher levels of satisfaction and fulfillment than the general population. Fifty-six percent of Christians who seriously practice their faith report being very or extremely happy and satisfied with life overall. We have hope and happiness that is found in Christ. The love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that the Apostle Paul wrote about in Galatians 5:22-23 is a reality in the lives of committed Christians. That’s the fruit of Jesus (the character of Jesus), becoming increasingly evident in their lives and that is what makes all the difference. People all around you need what you have. They need Jesus. I encourage you to share Jesus with someone today. We don’t need more stuff, we need more Jesus. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now” Our Bible verse for today: “All these were approved through their faith …” Hebrews 11:39 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Walking with God in a thousand difficult circumstances” I love Hebrews chapter eleven. It is commonly referred to as “The Faith Hall of Fame” because in it the writer gives us example after example of great men and women who held to their faith and who stood strong in the worst of circumstances. Fifteen of them are mentioned by name and then there are general references to unnamed prophets, unnamed women, and “others too numerous to mention.” All of them walked faithfully with God in love and faith through the worst of circumstances. The Bible is packed full of examples of people walking in love and by faith through a thousand difficult circumstances. Those examples are there for our benefit. God included them so we would have a picture of what it looks like to face life bravely despite the difficulties we encounter. This is why we not only read the Bible, but we study it. The fact is that over time, we become like those we associate with and that’s true of the people we associate with in life, but it’s also true of the people we associate with through their written stories. That’s one of the reasons the reading of biographies can be so helpful and inspiring. The good examples set for us by others inspires us to want to be better men and women too. That’s especially true of the examples set for us by the people recorded in the Bible. One of the most valuable and helpful tools God has given us for learning the lessons of the Bible and becoming saturated with the truth of Scripture, is to sit under the instruction of good Bible teachers and preachers. God has gifted men and women of faith to be teachers and preachers and then He created our local churches to be the places for His people to gather as we learn and grow together. By doing so, you will be inspired by the examples set for you by the people depicted in the Bible who are being taught about, but you will also be inspired and helped by the examples of the wise and mature saints of God present in your church family. We learn from all of them. What the world needs now is more Christians who truly do know how to walk with God in love and faith through the most difficult of circumstances. In the Bible and in life God has given us a thousand examples (and more) of people who have learned to do that. I pray that you too are learning to walk with Him in love and faith as you deal with the difficult circumstances in your life. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone, I apologize for the inconsistency of the daily devotionals over the last several weeks. I was on a family vacation for two weeks. Also, my sister died during that time and I had to go to New Jersey to perform her memorial service. Then in the middle of all that, my twelve-year old laptop died and I had to get a new one, have all my programs installed, and transfer all the old files. But with that said, I am back on track now and the daily devotionals will come to you every morning as usual. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now” Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25 (CSB) Our thought for today: “What Jesus is doing now” In the previous devotional in this series, we thought about how it is that God our Father loves to give good gifts to His much-loved children. I have this image in my mind of a loving and benevolent Father joyfully welcoming me as I come to Him, and then smiling as He pours blessings into my life. If that’s what the Father is doing in heaven at this moment – blessing His children, what is Jesus doing? We know what He did when He was here on earth – He lived, He died, He arose again. But then He ascended back into heaven and took His place at the right hand of the Father. So, what is He doing as He sits there now? Hebrews 7:25 says that He is interceding for us. I recently came across a great insight into this from author and Bible scholar Dane Ortland. With respect to Hebrews 7:25 he asks, “But why would Jesus need to intercede for us? After all, haven’t we been completely justified already? What is there for Christ to plead for on our behalf? Hasn’t he already done all that is needed to fully acquit us?” The answer is “yes.” As an incredible expression of God’s love for us, on the cross Jesus has already done all that needed to be done to fully acquit us of all our sins. So then, what is the current interceding work of Jesus and why would He be doing it? What could there be left for Him to intercede about? Ortland explains, “The atonement accomplished our salvation; intercession is the moment-by-moment application of that atoning work.” In other words, as we continue to sin, Jesus continues to apply His atoning work to our sin and therefore we continue to remain righteous in God’s sight. When you sin, Jesus turns to the Father and says, “I paid for that sin.” – and it is instantly erased. It’s like clicking the “refresh” button on your computer: You sin, Jesus clicks “refresh,” and the page is clean once again. Oftentimes we think the love of Jesus was expressed for us once and for all on the cross, but that’s an incomplete picture. The love of Jesus is an ongoing reality that is expressed continuously as He intercedes on your behalf. That’s what Jesus is doing for us now. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   I apologize that I was unable to send you the daily devotionals for the last couple of days. My twelve-year-old laptop finally gave up the ghost and died, and I was out of business for a couple of days until a new one was purchased, loaded with my programs, and my files were transferred to the new laptop. Thank you for your patience.   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “You feed them from the abundance of your own house.” Psalm 36:8 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “He is a good, good Father”   I love the picture King David painted for us in Psalm 36:8 of a loving Father (God) joyfully and generously providing for His much-loved children out of the abundance of His riches. This is such an important truth for us to grasp and claim. God our Father loves us deeply and He gets great joy from blessing us.   Author John Eldredge spoke powerfully to this truth in his great little book, “Year of Restoration.” I can’t describe it better than he did and therefore I’m going to share with you his entire thought about this:   “Yes, yes – you have heard that you are a child of God; you are his son or daughter. The curse of familiarity with the words has dulled you to the staggering truth it contains. You still act and pray like an orphan, or a slave.   Slaves feel reluctant to pray; they feel they have no right to ask, and so their prayers are modest and respectful. They spend more time asking forgiveness than they do praying for abundance. They view the relationship with reverence, maybe more like fear, but not with the tenderness of love. Of being loved. There is no intimacy in the language or their feelings. Sanctified unworthiness colors their view of prayer. These are often “good servants of the Lord.”   Orphans are not reluctant to pray; they feel desperate. But their prayers feel more like begging than anything else. Orphans feel a great chasm between themselves and the One to whom they speak. Abundance is a foreign concept; a poverty mentality permeates their prayer life. They ask for scraps; they expect scraps.   But friend, the Father loves you like he loves Jesus. Is this in your mind and heart as you come to prayer? You are not an orphan. You are not merely a “servant” of God. You are His son or daughter. And with that comes his delightful abundance.”   The love of God for you is very great, much more than you realize. And His desire to bless you and provide for you is far greater too. He is indeed a good, good Father. I encourage you to approach Him now with that in mind.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”   Our Bible verse for today: “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “If you love Him, you will seek Him”   In Jeremiah 29:13-14 God promises that if we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.”   That’s what the Apostle Paul was describing in Philippians 3:8. He had come to the point in his life (and more importantly in his walk with Christ), that nothing was more important to him than drawing closer and closer to Jesus. It wasn’t that Paul dismissed as worthless the things of this world. People still mattered to him – especially his close friendships. Clothes and food and shelter still mattered – of course they did. But nothing mattered to him more than drawing closer to Jesus, and he would allow nothing in life to take priority over that. Paul was simply practicing what Jesus called for in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:33 when He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these others things will be added to you.”   Over-and-over again in the Bible, in numerous passages using numerous illustrations, God makes it clear that He reserves the greatest awareness of Himself for those who will seek Him with all their heart. There are hidden things about God that we are allowed to discover and experience only when we make the effort and do the work to truly seek Him. Like gold and diamonds which can only be unearthed through deep digging and hard work, so too the deeper things of God are reserved for those who will pursue Him at that depth.   Why? Why does God withhold a deeper awareness of Himself only for those who will seek Him like that? It’s so we will appreciate the preciousness of our relationship with Him. When something is attained too easily it is undervalued (if it is even appreciated at all). But when we put time and effort into it – sustained time and effort pursuing what our heart longs for, then once it is ours, we value and cherish it. God wants us to cherish Him like that.   If you love Him, you will seek Him with all your heart. And if you will seek Him with all your heart, you will experience Him in ways you never have before.     God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571