Doing something is better than doing nothing

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Doing something is better than doing nothing”
 
Yesterday we thought about our responsibility to choose joy. We learned that the Bible directs us to make a decision and to initiate actions that will bring joy into our lives. I also referred to the seven decisions described by Andy Andrews in his book “The Traveler’s Gift.” They are seven decisions we can make and actions we can take that will greatly improve the quality of our lives. The fifth of those seven decisions, which we considered yesterday, is “Today I will choose to be happy.”
 
Now let’s think about the third of the seven decisions. It is “I am a person of action.” The underlying premise to all seven decisions is that we have personal responsibility for our own lives and there are things we need to be doing to solve our own problems and to make our life better. In the case of the third decision, we must resolve to do something rather than nothing. Be a person of action.
 
Doing something is almost always better than doing nothing. That’s also the lesson of Luke 11:9-10. We often apply that passage to the subject of asking God for things in prayer. While it does apply to prayer, the larger truth is much broader. Jesus is teaching us a general life principle designed to move us to action. Ask, but also seek and knock. In other words, do something.  
 
When it comes to gaining a sense of renewed hope, there are actions we need to take to gain that renewed hope. It really is true that “All my problems become smaller when I confront them and do something about them.”
 
Here’s my personal summary of that third decision. These are Andy Andrew’s thoughts condensed and rephrased in my own words: “I am a man of action. I will not dwell in a pit of despair. I will not waste time regretting lost opportunities. I will take the action necessary to make my life better. When faced with a choice of doing something or doing nothing, I will choose to act. All my problems become smaller when I confront them and do something about them.”
 
Whatever trial or difficulty you are facing in your life today, I encourage you to do something about it. Your problems will become smaller when you confront them and do something about them.
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Choose joy

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” Psalm 32:11
 
Our thought for today: “Choose joy”
 
It’s rather striking how many verses in both the Old and New Testaments urge us to choose joy. Many of those verses and passages are directive, even commanding. Psalm 32:11 is one example, “Be glad … rejoice… shout for joy …” Philippians 4:4 is another, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
 
Psalm 118:24 is a little less directive but the intent is the same, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Likewise, Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
 
The message is clear: choose joy. However, this implies a decision must be made and action must be taken for this to occur. We must want it and we must take action to achieve it. This is an important understanding because sometimes we act as if being joyful and finding renewed hope is something magical that God just makes happen for us – as if it requires no effort or action on our part.
 
But it does require effort and action on our part. If you want to feel better then you will have to do something about it. Pray about it; read the Bible; turn off the news and turn on uplifting Christian music; spend some time with positive and encouraging brothers and sisters. Feeling better will also require us to look for the good in each day and to celebrate it.
 
I have told you before about one of my favorite uplifting books, “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews. In that book we are taught seven simple decisions we can make and renew every day to improve the quality of our lives. The fifth of the seven decisions is “I choose to be happy.” Here’s my personal version of that decision: “Happiness is a choice. I can choose to think thoughts and engage in activities that bring me joy. Life itself is a gift and I choose to live it with joy and to the fullest. I do not deny the reality of my situation, but I do deny the finality of it. This too shall pass. I choose to be happy.”
 
Adopt that mindset and a sense of renewed hope won’t be far behind. I encourage you to choose joy.
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

This is the best thing you can do

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “This is the best thing you can do”
 
In Isaiah 26:3 the prophet was essentially channeling Solomon. What I mean is that Isaiah had momentarily departed from his usual pattern of prophecy and narrative to give us a short proverb. A proverb is a general life-principle that applies broadly, and which is not meant to be 100% specific in 100% of the cases 100% of the time.
 
That’s the case with Isaiah 26:3. It does not mean that God will keep you in a state of perfect, flawless peace as if you were floating on a cloud in heaven without a care for the rest of eternity. “Perfect peace” is a Hebrew phrase that means the same as “shalom.” In English “shalom” is translated simply as “peace” but in Hebrew the meaning is much deeper. In Hebrew “shalom” is a wish for the person to experience a rich, full, prosperous, and satisfying life. It is a wish for good health, strong relationships, and the blessings of God to be upon them. The greeting “shalom” is often repeated for emphasis as in, “Shalom, shalom!” In other words, “I wish you a double blessing!”
 
That’s the kind of peace Isaiah was referring to, and his meaning was that the best frame of mind you can achieve will come to you when your thoughts are focused on God. So, the more we keep our thoughts on Him, the more “shalom” we will experience, and the better life will be.
 
This isn’t new to us. We know this. Paul told us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” And in Philippians 4:8, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
 
Nothing you do will bring you more peace of mind and help you to achieve a renewed sense of hope more than keeping your mind fixed on 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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


You can cry, scream, shout, or wet your pants

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “I cannot relax or be calm; I have no rest, for turmoil has come.” Job 3:26 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “You can cry, scream, shout, or wet your pants”
 
Grief is a normal and appropriate human emotion – especially in response to a great loss, and when a person has lost hope. Expressions of grief are appropriate and even needed. An expression of grief is an expression of your love for what you have lost – be that a loved one, a job, a dream, or whatever. It would be unnatural and unhealthy to not express grief over a great loss. That’s what Job was doing in Job chapter three.
 
This morning, I want us to continue our thinking from yesterday regarding the fact that it is okay to vent when something bad has happened and we have lost hope. You may remember that Job’s friend Eliphaz was not very helpful once Job starting venting. Instead, he started to lecture Job and tell him that his crying was an indication of weak faith. Eliphaz could not have been more wrong. Also, that was the wrong approach to take with someone in Job’s situation.
 
Pastor and grief counselor Bob Deits, in his book “Life After Loss: A practical guide to renewing your life after experiencing major loss,” tells the story of the time he was called by a family to help with a mother whose seven-year-old son had been killed in a tragic accident. The mother was beside herself with grief and there didn’t seem to be anything the family could do to comfort her. They had repeatedly reminded her that her son was in heaven and she would see him again one day. But such assurances didn’t seem to be helping.
 
When Bob arrived and assessed the situation, he asked everyone to leave the room and then he told the mother, “Your grief for your son is entirely appropriate and it is okay for you to express it in any way that is most helpful. You can cry, scream, shout, or wet your pants, I don’t care. Just go ahead and let it out.” At that point the woman laid her head on Bob’s shoulder and cried and cried and cried – until she couldn’t cry any more. Finally, she was emotionally spent, but she felt better. That was also the beginning of her recovery. She still grieved for her son, very much so, but she was also now on the long road to recovery from her loss.
 
Often, we will not begin to find renewed hope until we have thoroughly grieved whatever it was that caused us to lose hope to begin with. We shouldn’t be overly dramatic by making a big deal out of little losses, but if a loss of any kind is big enough to cause us to be despondent and to lose hope, then it is important enough to be grieved. And the best thing the rest of us can do to help someone recover a renewed sense of hope, is to simply let them grieve and vent. Be patient with them. Encourage them to get it all out so they can then begin the long road to recovery. 
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Sometimes you just need to vent

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence? Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?” Job 4:6 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “Sometimes you just need to vent”
 
So, doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence? Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope? Well, yes. Yes, it does. But wait. Why were those questions asked to begin with? What was the context?
 
In the case of Job 4:6 those questions were posed by Job’s “friend” Eliphaz and they were not meant as a compliment, nor where they meant to encourage or help Job. Instead, he said them as an indictment. If you are familiar with Job’s story then you know that as chapter four opens, Job had suffered incredible losses. His ten children had all been killed, almost all his wealth had been stolen, and he was suffering terrible illnesses. Through it all he never lost his faith or trust in God and he never cursed God despite his great suffering.  
 
But in chapter three he did give voice to his sorrow, to his frustrations, and to his tremendous grief. That is what Eliphaz was responding to with those questions. It was essentially the Old Testament version of “Job, don’t you love Jesus?” It was unkind and insensitive of Eliphaz to suggest that because Job was giving voice to his suffering, he must be spiritually weak. It was also ignorant. It showed that Eliphaz didn’t understand the true nature of suffering.
 
When bad things have happened, when we have lost hope and are struggling to find renewed hope, it is helpful to be able to talk about how we feel. Even if that amounts to crying and complaining and asking “why?” We also need to be around safe people who will listen without judging. If you read the early chapters of Job, you will find that when Eliphaz and his two friends heard about the tragedy that had struck Job, they immediately went to sit with him and mourn with him. They did so in silence, and that was exactly the right thing to do. Job just needed to vent and he needed a sympathetic friend to listen and not judge.
 
As we will read in tomorrow’s devotional, venting like Job did can be the beginning of finding renewed hope. Sometimes we just need a safe place to vent and safe people to listen.
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

He is the God of all comfort

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.” Psalm 91:1-2 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “He is the God of all comfort”
 
Sometimes the beginning of renewed hope comes with a sense of being comforted in our time of distress. That’s what’s being described by the unknown writer of Psalm 91. During a time of what was apparently a season of great distress in his life, he sought the Lord and found a sense of comfort, relief, and safety. God does that for us. The Apostle Paul wrote about this great truth in 2 Corinthians 1:3 where he referred to God as “the God of all comfort.”
 
The truth is that God is always with us, but especially when we’re in the emotional valleys of life. Not only will He comfort us with a great awareness of His presence, but He will also shelter us. In other words, He gives us the sense of being cared for and protected. In Psalm 91 the Psalmist referred to Him as a place of shelter, refuge, and safety.
 
Jesus also spoke to this when He said in Matthew 11:28-30, “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.”
 
The result of living in the shadow of the Almighty, of walking through life side-by-side with Jesus yoked to Him and living life with Him, is that we receive a sense of comfort and peace. It could very well be that our situation has not changed much and our problems may still exist, also the way forward may still be unclear. But our awareness of the Lord’s presence with us and the comfort and assurance that brings renews our courage and confidence. It gives us renewed hope that we are going to be okay.
 
Whatever it is you are facing today, I encourage you to face it with the Lord. Bring it to Him. Pray the verses of Psalm 91:1-2 back to Him. Claim the promise as your own and ask Him for that sense of comfort and renewed hope.
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Set a memorial marker

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them …” Joshua 4:5-7 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “Set a memorial marker”
 
It has been almost six months since my wife Linda died. Over those months I have written about her multiple times in devotional messages – if doing so had something to do with the topic of the devotional for that day. It has been helpful for me to do that. Talking and writing is therapeutic. Grief counselors tell us that grieving spouses want and need other people to say their spouses name, to talk about him or her, and to listen as they talk about them. So, thank you for being patient with me as I share a personal insight with you that is important to me at this time in my life, but which might be helpful to you as well.
 
Recently the Lord brought me to an important understanding as I move along this road of grief and recovery. Linda and I had forty-seven good years together as life partners. Together we built a good life. She played a key role in everything I accomplished over those years. My life going forward from here will be built upon the foundation of the life we built together over those years. Therefore, Linda’s influence in my life will continue. She will always be a part of me. Going forward, I will remember and treasure those memories, but I will also live fully in the present and I will move forward into the future. I’m pretty certain I will never marry again. I plan to remain a single man the rest of my life. But I also believe the Lord still has a lot for me to do for Him and therefore I need to focus my attention on that.
 
To memorialize and solidify in my mind and heart that moment of insight from God, I did what the Israelites did in Joshua 4:5-7. The Israelites set stones at the banks of the Jordan River to establish a memorial marker as a symbol of God’s past faithfulness; and of His presence with them in that moment; and for His promise for the future. In my case, I laid a stone at the foot of the cross that we keep on the stage in our church for that purpose. That stone is a memorial marker to thank God for those forty-seven years with Linda, and for the truth that He is with me now in this difficult time, and that He will continue to be with me as I move forward into the future.
 
Establishing memorials and setting markers like that are indications of renewed hope. Perhaps you have something that you need to give to God as you work to establish a sense of renewed hope in your own life. Continue working on that, and when God gives you some clarity about it, set a marker as a memorial of the moment. The memorial could be anything – perhaps a stone at the foot of the cross – or just something visual to remind you of the moment.
 
It’s important and helpful for us to remember the past. But then we must resolve to live in the present and move forward into the future. I still miss Linda terribly every day, and I still have periods of sadness every day – sometimes deep sadness. But I also know I have more life to live and that God has more for me to do. A memorial marker can help us honor the past and move forward into the future with renewed hope.  
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

May God put a new song in your heart

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:1-3 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “May God put a new song in your heart”
 
Yesterday we thought about dancing. This morning let’s think about singing. Do you love music? I love music. All kinds of music. I suppose my tastes would be described as eclectic. I listen to lots of contemporary Christian music but I also like old-time gospel, jazz, blues, bluegrass, reggae, pop, some country, and even classical. I also like Jimmy Buffet beach music. I love the beach and I love the music of the beach. Songs about sun, sand, sea, swimming, and seafood – and being on vacation. Jimmy’s music reminds me of all that.
 
One wall of my office at home is covered with flying things. Mostly it is covered with butterfly displays that I brought home from my mission trips to the Amazon Jungle. It also has a framed crocheted University of Kansas Jayhawk (my alma mater) that Linda made for me more than forty years ago. It also has a picture of me skydiving. But in the center of the wall there’s a large round plaque with a big parrot with a guitar in its claws. The inscription reads “Live life like a song” (a Jimmy Buffet saying).
 
I like the idea of living life like a song. Or, more precisely, living life with a song in my heart. Music can lift our spirits. That’s what King David was writing about in Psalm 40:1-3. He had been despondent but he sought the Lord and when he did, the Lord lifted him up out of the pit of despondency and put a new song in his heart – in this case, a hymn of praise.
 
One of the best things we can do when we are feeling down is to listen to inspiring music. It will lift you up. In his book, “You Gotta Keep Dancin” author Tim Hansel shares a poem by an unknown author that speaks of the value of both singing and dancing when it comes to lifting our spirits:
 
“Giver of life, creator all that is lovely, teach me to sing the words of your song;
I want to feel the music of living, and not fear the sad songs,
but from them make new songs, composed of both laughter and tears.
Teach me to dance to the sounds of your world and your people,
I want to move in rhythm with your plan.
Help me to try to follow your leading, to risk even falling,
to rise and keep trying, because you are leading the dance.”
 
May God put a new song in your heart today.
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

You will just have to keep dancing

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “You have turned my mourning into dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” Psalm 30:11-12 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “You will just have to keep dancing”
 
One of my favorite books about persevering through tough times and finding renewed hope through tragic circumstances is, “You Gotta Keep Dancin” by Tim Hansel. It’s an old book, written in 1985, but the message is as relevant today as it was the day Tim wrote it.
 
Tim Hansel was a strong, healthy, and adventurous young man who loved rock climbing. Serious rock climbing. The kind that requires ropes and ice picks and scaling sheer rock walls in remote places at insane heights. Until the day of the accident. In a moment of inattention on an icy snow-packed ledge he slipped, fell a long way, and suffered injuries that would plague him the rest of his life. Never again would Tim have a pain-free day.
 
A rescue team saved Tim. He had surgeries and rehab and counseling, but he would never really be well again – not for the remaining thirty-five years of his life. So, Tim had to decide how he was going to approach life dealing with that kind of pain every day. The insight he needed came from his doctor. When Tim asked the doctor how he was supposed to live in a meaningful way with that kind of daily pain the doctor told him, “I suggest that you bite the bullet and live to be a hundred … My recommendation is that you live your life as fully and richly as possible.”
 
That was the renewed hope Tim needed. He decided to trust God, receive every day as a gift, and then live life to the fullest extent possible under the circumstances as they were. Not only did Tim learn that lesson and live by it in his own life, but he formed an organization to motivate people to be overcomers of their circumstances. He wrote books; he conducted workshops; and spoke at seminars. He bit the bullet and he lived his life.
 
We all have pain in life. Sometimes it’s physical pain, sometimes emotional, but we all have pain. We all have challenges to overcome and limitations to push past. The question isn’t whether you will have challenges, pain, and limitations, but rather, how you will deal with those challenges, pain, and limitations. Quoting Tim Hansel, “Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.” It all depends how you approach it and what you do with it.
 
To find renewed hope you will first have to decide that you are just going to keep dancing.
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Just do the next right thing

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “What reward or recognition did we give Mordecai for this?” the king asked.” Esther 6:3 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “Just do the next right thing”
 
This morning, I want to continue our thinking from yesterday regarding the story of Esther and Mordecai. They were in a terrible predicament and the future seemed uncertain at best. The possibility of a deadly outcome for themselves and for their people, the Jews, was very real.
 
In addition to the larger story of Esther becoming queen in an improbable series of events that had to have been by the hand of God at work behind the scenes, there was also an interesting subplot that played an important part in this as well. In chapter 2:21-23 we learn that Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate the king. He promptly notified the king’s guards and the king’s life was saved.
 
Then in chapter six we read that one night the king was unable to sleep (God preventing him from sleeping for a divine purpose?) and so he called for court records to be read to him until he became sleepy. It turned out that the records selected by the reader were the ones that recorded the time that Mordecai acted to save the king’s life. So, as we just read in 6:3 (above), the king wanted to know how Mordecai had been rewarded. He was informed that there had been no reward. The king then commanded that to be immediately rectified and in a highly ironic way, it was. You should read that part of the story for yourself.  
 
Then in chapter seven, the king learns the full story and background of Queen Esther (she is a Jew and Mordecai is her cousin and guardian). He also learns that his right-hand man, Haman, has hatched a plot to kill all the Jews, which would mean the death of the Queen and Mordecai as well. At this point in the story, it’s helpful for us to realize that by their consistent demonstration of character and integrity established in many ways over an extended period of time, Esther and Mordecai were held in high esteem by the king. That was crucial to the way the rest of the story unfolded. The king believed and trusted Esther and Mordecai; he had Haman arrested and executed; and the Jews were ultimately saved.
 
The lesson for us here today, with respect to our theme of finding a renewed sense of hope in the middle of difficult circumstances, is that we have to continue to simply do the next right thing moment by moment, day by day, even if we don’t know how it will all turn out. That’s what Esther and Mordecai did. Just be faithful to God, do the next right thing, and trust that God is guiding your story according to His perfect plan.
 
When times are hard; when the future is uncertain; and when it’s difficult to be hopeful; just keep doing the next right thing and trust God for everything else.
 
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 © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571