Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: ““For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (Amplified Bible)   Our thought for today: “Be bold”   The Amplified Bible is a unique translation of the Bible which is especially helpful in assisting us English speakers in grasping the full meaning of the original Biblical languages. Hebrew and Greek are rich languages filled with words that have deep, nuanced, and multi-layered meanings. The challenge for Bible translators attempting to translate the original language into English is to find comparable English words which accurately communicate the meaning intended in the original language.   Towards that end, the translators of the Amplified Bible include all the English words and phrases needed to convey the full meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek. Sometimes that makes for elongated and cumbersome sentences in English, but it does provide us with all the words and phrases needed to grasp the full meaning intended by the original writer. That’s why 2 Timothy 1:7 reads a bit differently in the Amplified Bible than it probably does in whatever translation you normally use.   So, reading that verse in the Amplified translation we understand very clearly that God wants His people to be bold. We are not to approach any situation in life with a spirit of timidity or cowardice or cringing or with fawning fear, but instead He gives us a spirit of power and love, a calm and well-balanced mind, discipline and self-control. That’s what the Holy Spirit offers us. The other mindset comes from Satan.   This is not a new Biblical principle first introduced by Paul in 2 Timothy. Instead, it’s a lesson God has been speaking to His people from the earliest days. Almost fifteen hundred years before the time of Paul God spoke these words to Joshua:   “Have I not commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (AMP)   Although I haven’t counted them myself, I have heard it said that there are 365 instances in the Bible where God has commanded us to “fear not”, or some variation of that statement. That would be one “fear not” for every day of the year.   As we begin the New Year and consider the attitude we will bring with us into it (as we thought about in yesterday’s devotional), I want to encourage you to reject the spirits of fear and doubt. That’s of Satan. Instead, make it a point to embrace the spirit of boldness and confidence that is rightfully yours as a child of God.   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 © 2026 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: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “A New Year, A New Attitude”   Perhaps the most important thing we can bring with us into the New Year is a new attitude. Pessimism is poison. Optimism is like magic juice that fuels you to go out and be successful in life. Optimism is an energy drink for your attitude.   I entered the full-time workforce at the age of only seventeen. In 2026 I will turn seventy-two and so that means I’ve been in the full-time workforce for more almost fifty-five years now. More than fifty of those years have been in positions of leadership.   In those capacities of leadership, I’ve had many hundreds of people work for me over the years and if there is one lesson that stands out in my mind above all others it’s that “attitude is everything.” It’s true. Almost always a good attitude is more important than intelligence or training. I would rather have one worker with an average IQ but a good attitude and a great work ethic, than ten workers with above average IQs but bad attitudes and lazy work habits.   In the long run the person with a good attitude and a great work ethic will not only be more productive and more pleasant to have around, but they will be more successful too. The world is filled with very smart and highly educated failures who despite their high IQs and college degrees, haven’t gotten far in life because they have bad attitudes and nobody likes them. And conversely, there are many success stories of average people who are very nice, who work very hard, and who then go on to own the company.   Attitude is everything, and not just in the workforce but in all of life. Studies of human behavior have proven over-and-over again that optimists do better, live longer, and are happier than pessimists.   In Philippians 2:5 the Apostle Paul told us that as Christians we are to strive to emulate the attitude of Christ. Did Jesus have a good attitude? (It’s a rhetorical question. Of course He did). What was the attitude of Christ like? A study of the Gospels reveals that He was humble and faithful; He was also full of love and kindness and compassion and mercy; but also, He was bold, confident, and passionate about His life and His mission. Jesus had a good attitude and that should describe us too.   In life attitude is everything. As we begin the New Year this would be a good time to check your attitude and maybe make a few adjustments in how you think about things and how you approach them. A good attitude will go a long, long way towards helping you to achieve the kind of life you really want to have.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2026 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: “You made it. Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “You made it!”   Congratulations! You made it to 2026. As I write this it is New Years Day 2026. 2025 is in the history books. Was it a good year for you? A tough year? A mixed bag? For most of us, it was probably a little bit of all of that. There were good times and bad, successes and failures, smiles and tears.  But we made it! Here we are, it’s the first day of a New Year filled with possibility and promise. That’s something to celebrate. Being the optimist that I am, I choose to approach it with the expectation that 2026 is going to be even better than 2025. Last year was good. I believe this new year will be even better. I’m looking forward to it and I hope you are too.   Isaiah 46:4 is one of my personal life verses and it’s one that brings me great comfort. It speaks of how God guides us and carries us through the days of our lives, leading us to all the tomorrows He has for us. And when we get to tomorrow, He will already be there waiting for us, and He will guide, protect, and provide then just as He has in the past. I’ve rewritten that verse to make it more personal for me. In the Bible “according to Jim” that verse reads: “Even to your old age and gray hairs, Jim, I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I will sustain you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.   There’s another verse I love which is also very appropriate as we approach the New Year, and it goes hand-in-hand with the truth expressed in Isaiah 46:4. It comes from the pen of the Apostle Paul and is found in Philippians 3:13-14, “… one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”   The reason we can leave the past in the past and stride forward into the future with confidence and boldness (as Philippians 3:13-14 describes), is precisely because Isaiah 46:4 is true. God watches over us, He cares for us, He protects us, and He provides for us. That has been true in the past and it will continue to be true in the future.   2025 is over and you made it! I encourage you to celebrate that fact and then get ready for a great 2026! To help with that, in the days to come I will offer you some thoughts about how you can do your part to help make 2026 a great year for you.   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 © 2026 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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “For we are God’s coworkers …” 1 Corinthians 3:9 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You must do your part too”   Yesterday we thought about the sovereignty of God. We acknowledged and celebrated the truth that as we move forward into and then through the New Year, God will already be there waiting for us. He will be there with full knowledge of what awaits us, and He will be there with complete power and total control over all things.   Today we will think about the fact that when we get there and we discover what awaits us, we will have a role in dealing with it. It’s true that God is sovereign, but it’s also true that He doesn’t work in this world or in our lives in isolation. He doesn’t work in our lives independent of us but with us and through us. He involves us in the things He allows us to be faced with. But He doesn’t have to. He could do it all by Himself and we could just be puppets on a string dancing to His tune. However, that’s not the way it is.   Jeremiah 29:11-13 assures us that God has a plan for each of us that He is in the process of working out in our lives, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord …” But those plans don’t unfold without our involvement and cooperation. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Psalm 90:17 reads, Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands – establish the work of our hands.” In 2026 God intends to do stuff – big stuff – great stuff – and He intends to do it not only in us, but through us and with us. However, it requires us to get involved and to cooperate with Him.   I encourage you to give careful thought to how you plan to approach the New Year. Will you just wander through your days without purpose or vision and without really participating and cooperating with God in any meaningful way? Or will you approach it with a determination to make the most of the days, weeks, and months God will grant to you? Benjamin Franklin once posed the challenging question, “Do you value your life? Then value your time, because time is the stuff that life is made of.”   Don’t waste your time in 2026 on things that don’t really matter. God wants you to be involved in meaningful things. Your life will be fuller, richer, and much more enjoyable as a result.   We’ll think more about this tomorrow. For today, I encourage you to celebrate the fact that God chooses to involve you in what He’s doing in your life and in the world all around you. Celebrate your involvement and be sure to do your part.   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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God is already there waiting for you”   In the book of Deuteronomy, the nation of Israel was facing a challenging but exciting time. They were completing forty-years of wandering in the wilderness. They were about to cross over into the Promised Land, which they had longed for and anticipated most of their lives. It was an exciting time, but it was also a moment of anxiety and doubt. Moving forward wasn’t going to be a walk-in-the-park or a tiptoe through the tulips. They knew there were big challenges awaiting them. Their future was promising but they were going to have to work for it; they were going to have to fight for it.   However, in Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses assured them that God would go before them into the Promised Land. When they got there, He would already be there waiting for them. Then, He would be there with them as they faced those challenges, and He would not leave them or abandon them. Therefore, there was no need for them to be afraid or discouraged at the prospect of what was ahead of them as they moved forward into the future.   What Moses was assuring them of is what theologians refer to as “the sovereignty of God”. This means that God is the king and supreme ruler of the universe. He is all-powerful (omnipotent); all-knowing (omniscient); and all-present (omnipresent). He has power over everything, He knows everything, and He is everywhere all the time, always.   What was true for the Israelites and their relationship with God is also true for us in our relationship with God. He is the same God and He is still sovereign. As we move forward into the New Year there are many unknowns, and there will be many challenges. But the good news is that when we get there, God will already be there waiting for us. He will have full knowledge of the situations we will face, and He will be in complete control over them. So, we can and should take comfort in and celebrate the sovereignty of God.   However, there is more to this equation. God is indeed sovereign, and that is something to celebrate. But, just as there were things the Israelites had to do so they could be in the center of God’s will and to be in-sync with Him as they moved forward into their future, that’s true for us as well. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow. But for now, I encourage you to celebrate and take comfort in the sovereignty of God. He is already in 2026, and He will be there waiting for you when you get there.   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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Getting ready for the New Year”   2025 is almost over and soon we will begin a new year. I hope it was a good year for you and I hope 2026 will be even better, and that you are eager to move forward into it.   Yesterday at Oak Hill Baptist Church I preached a New Years sermon designed to reorient our thinking and get us ready to make the best use we can of the time God will grant to us in the upcoming year. We should be ready to eagerly embrace all the opportunities He will present to us. If you weren’t there for that sermon, I encourage you to watch it on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville but here’s a summary of it:   There were three main points: God has a plan for you in this coming year; He also has a call upon your life; and you must take personal responsibility for your life. If you live through 2026 then at this time next year you will be somewhere in life and your situation will be something. What that situation will be will depend largely on the decisions you make and the actions you take. It will depend on how you choose to use your time.   While it is true that God has a plan for you in 2026 that He will attempt to implement, you have a part to play too. Your job is to seek His will, discover His plan, and then cooperate with Him by doing your part. God seldom sits on His throne in heaven, waves a magic wand, and instantly and miraculously brings about great changes in our lives. Instead, the way such things almost always happen is with a combination of God’s power and our personal responsibility. God combines His power with our participation and together we move forward accomplishing wonderful things according to His will.   So yes, we can ask and expect great things from our great God, but then we must also roll up our sleeves and put some effort into doing our part to bring such things about. But that requires intentionality. It involves planning and effort. It means we must seek God’s will, develop plans and goals based upon the vision He gives us, and then walk it forward every day.   2026 holds great promise for us, but it will take great works of God’s mighty power along with prayer, vision, and effort on our parts. Let’s approach the New Year by getting our minds and hearts ready for it. We will spend the next few days doing exactly that.   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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Jesus is for everyone”   Billy Graham told the story about a conversation he once had with the famed movie director Cecil B. DeMille. Billy asked him about the blockbuster film “The King of Kings” which DeMille had made about Jesus, but which was produced during the silent-movie era. It was estimated that the film was eventually seen by over 800 million people around the world.   Their conversation was taking place many years after the movie’s release and Billy commented that he was surprised that DeMille never updated the movie and re-released it with color and sound. But DeMille replied, “I will never be able to do it, because if I gave Jesus a southern accent, the northerners would not think of Him as their Christ. If I gave Him a foreign accent, the Americans and the British would not think of Him as their Christ. As it is, people of all nations, from every race, creed, and clan, can accept Him as their Christ.”   I love that story. And I think DeMille had it exactly right. Jesus is for everybody. He’s not a white Jesus or a black Jesus. He isn’t an American Jesus or an African Jesus. He didn’t come only for the Jews or just for the people in Biblical Palestine of that day. Jesus is for everybody. He came for the whole world. The message of salvation is applicable and relevant in every culture and that must mean that the Christmas story is applicable and relevant in every culture as well.   It’s interesting that the secular aspects of Christmas vary considerably from culture to culture. In some parts of the world, we have Santa Claus in other places, he is Father Christmas. In some places kids sing about Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but in other places they have no idea who those characters are.  However, the Biblical truths of the incarnation remain the same no matter where the story is told. No matter where you go around the world, the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus is the same. That’s because there is only one Jesus and only one Bible and it tells the same story in every language.   The great truth of Christmas is that Jesus came as the Savior of the whole world. He is for everyone – and that’s something to celebrate!   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; “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: ““I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” John 11:25-26 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Because He lives, we have hope”   Martha was distraught with grief. Her beloved brother Lazarus was dead. When he first became sick, she and her sister Mary sent a desperate message to Jesus to come and heal their brother, but He arrived too late. By the time He got there Lazarus had been dead for four days; but even in her grief Martha declared her faith in Jesus. In response, Jesus made the great declaration we read in John 11:25-26 that He is the resurrection and the life and that anyone who places their faith in Him will live, even if they die.   One of my favorite hymns speaks of the hope we have in Jesus – not only hope for eternity but hope for today and for tomorrow. The hymn is “Because He Lives”. The first verse and chorus go like this:   “God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus; he came to love, heal, and forgive; He lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.   Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives. “   That’s really an Easter hymn and yet, it’s appropriate for Christmas too. At Christmastime we celebrate the birth of the Savior; but Jesus didn’t come just to live – He came to live, and to die, and then to live again. That baby in the manger grew up to one day die upon a cross for the sins of the world. But then He would defeat death by being resurrected to new life and then, by means of placing our faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins, we too will live. In John 14:19 Jesus declared, “Because I live, you will live too.”   Jesus is the hope of the world. He enables us to live with hope – for today, and for tomorrow, and for all eternity. That’s the truth about the baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas!   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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “The nations will put their hope in his name.” Matthew 12:21 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “What if Jesus had never come?”   One of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life”, starring Jimmy Stewart. The story is about a middle-aged man named George Bailey who believes his life has been wasted – spent in the little town of Bedford Falls running the family business.   One year at Christmastime a series of unfortunate events transpired, and George decided the world would be a better place without him, so he decides to commit suicide. But God sent a friendly and bumbling angel by the name of Clarence to earth to intercept George and then, through a series of dreams or visions, Clarence showed George what the world would have been like if he had never lived. George then saw that his life had made a dramatic and positive difference in the lives of the people he loved and in the town of Bedford Falls.   That story causes me to think about what the world would have been like if Jesus had never lived. In the movie, George was shown all the good things he had done in life and the tremendous impact for good that his life had on others. If we think back over the history of the world for the last two thousand years, we stand amazed at the tremendous impact the life of Jesus has had on the world and how much the world has been blessed by Christianity.   Even setting aside for a moment the fact that billions of people will spend eternity in heaven instead of hell thanks to Jesus, we should also think about all the good works that have been done in His name by His followers, and how richly the world has been blessed by that work. Just think of the hospitals that have been started by Christians; the schools that have been founded and operated; the homeless shelters; the food banks; the disaster relief teams; and so much more. All of that began with and followed the birth of the child we celebrate at Christmas.   What if Jesus had never come? What a cold, dark, dismal place this world would be – much, much worse than it is. And this morning we’ve only considered the physical ways in which the world has been blessed by Jesus and His followers. As important as that is, more important is the salvation and hope that Jesus brings into the world. As you celebrate the birth of Jesus, consider what a better place this world is because He lived.   My family and I wish you and yours a merry and blessed Christmas celebration.   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: “A season of celebration”   Our Bible verse for today: “See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel.” Matthew 1:23 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Celebrate the coming of Jesus”   One of the old hymns we often sing at Christmastime is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. It speaks of the Old Testament Jews crying out in their captivity for the Messiah to come and rescue them:   “O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel …”   The song then goes on to sing of the deliverance that will be theirs’ and what a glorious time that will be when the long-awaited Messiah comes to rescue them from their suffering.   Our nation today is troubled in many ways and the people of God are crying out for Jesus to be among us in a new, fresh, and powerful way. Our land needs Jesus. We are a people in distress, and we need Immanuel – God with us.   Last Sunday at Oak Hill Baptist Church we celebrated Christmas. I preached a sermon about what Christmas means for us not just historically and theologically, but in a real and practical way as the lessons of Christmas are applied to the world we live in and to the issues we are faced with. If you weren’t with us, I encourage you to go to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville. There you will find that sermon as well as many others.   Tonight, Christmas Eve 2025, at 5:00 we will have a Christmas Eve candlelight service. It will be a sweet and special time in a beautifully decorated sanctuary with soft lighting and candles burning. We will sing Christmas songs that celebrate the coming of the Christ child; I will share a short message about the significance of His birth; we will enjoy each other’s company; and then we will go off to our homes to celebrate Christmas Eve with our loved ones.  If you are close to Cumberland County, TN, we invite you to join us.   The name “Immanuel” means “God is with us”, and that is true in a very real way. Join us for the service tonight and let’s explore that important truth together.   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