Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You don’t have to do this alone”   It has been almost five months now since my wife Linda went to heaven. Three weeks after that, our son Rick died too. Those were devastating losses for me but I was comforted by the overwhelming outpouring of love, encouragement, and support I received from the church. As bad as I was hurting and as uncertain as the future looked, I knew I could count on my church family to walk through that with me. Allen and Rebecca Foster were two of my biggest comforters during that time. They were concerned and so kind, and they made sure I knew I could count on them. As a result, thanks to people like Allen and Rebecca, I did have a glimmer of hope for the future. I knew I didn’t have to do this alone.   Little did I realize that less than five months later I would be sitting in Allen’s living room attempting to comfort him because of his loss of Rebecca. I found myself trying to return some of the love, concern, and comfort he and Rebecca had given to me during my time of grief.   But it wasn’t just Allen and Rebecca comforting me then, and it isn’t just me comforting Allen now. In situations like these God mobilizes the saints and He orchestrates an outpouring of love, comfort, and support. Immediately upon hearing of Rebecca’s passing, family, friends, and church members began calling, texting, gathering for prayer, offering assistance, and searching for ways to be helpful.   Why do Christians respond like that in situations like this? Because the Holy Spirit moves us to do this for each other. We are the hands and feet of Jesus for each other. As Paul noted in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, God is the God of all comfort, but most of the time He delivers that comfort through other Christians.   Five months ago I was the one in desperate need, and my church family was there to meet that need. Today it is Allen and his family. In the future it could be you and your family. If so, we will be there for you too. God will make sure of it. God is the God of all comfort, and He delivers that comfort to us through our brothers and sisters in Christ.   One of the greatest benefits to being part of a good church is that you know that in your time of need your church family will be there for you, and that gives you a glimmer of hope for the future. You are not alone, and you don’t have to do this alone.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.” “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:1-6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Still thinking about Rebecca”   In Biblical terms, hope is more than just wishful thinking. Instead, it is the eager anticipation and the certain expectation of good things to come. Biblically, hope is based in faith, and faith, as Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, “… is the reality of what is hoped for; the proof of what is not seen.” Biblical hope is based in reality because God has given us all the proof we need in order to fully trust His promises. That is the faith and hope (the eager anticipation and certain expectation of good things to come), that Rebecca Foster had. It is the faith and hope that carried her through life and it is what sustained her through the most difficult of times.   I love the picture Jesus painted for us in John 14:1-3. Forty days after His resurrection He left the earth, returned to heaven, and began preparing special places in heaven for all those who belong to Him. It reminds me of how an expectant mother anticipates the birth of her baby. She prepares a nursery, purchases baby clothes and supplies, prepares in numerous other ways, and then she waits patiently and in eager anticipation for the day her child arrives in this world.   That’s what’s going on in heaven as Jesus awaits, anticipates, and prepares for the arrival of each of His children. That’s why Psalm 116:15 tells us that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Here on earth the death of our loved one seems like the end of life and it is therefore a time of sadness and grieving, but in heaven it is cause for joyful celebration because a much-loved child of God has finally arrived. That explains the hope with which Rebecca lived and it is why she was able to tell her husband Allen, just a couple of weeks ago, that she had no fear of dying.   But please don’t miss the essential truth contained in verse 6. Jesus said there that He is the only way to eternity in heaven. When He said those words, He eliminated every other possibility. If those words of Jesus are true (and they are), then eternity in heaven is not attained through faith in any of the other gods of the world; or by being a good enough person; or by performing enough religious rituals; or by any other means. Eternity in heaven comes through faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and by no other means.   Many decades ago, Rebecca embraced that truth. She chose to put her faith in Jesus Christ and then she lived the rest of her life with the certain assurance that when her time to leave this life came, she would immediately pass into the arms of Jesus.   The reason Rebecca Foster lived her life with such joy, enthusiasm, and gusto, and the reason she was able to approach death with such dignity, grace, and confidence, is precisely because she knew for certain what was waiting for her right on the other side of death. You too can have that hope – that confidence and certainty. Jesus is there for you too just like He was for Rebecca. Trust Him. Have faith in 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 © 2024 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: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3-4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Thinking about Rebecca”   Yesterday a great lady left this world and went home to heaven. Rebecca Foster was many things to many people but to me she was first and foremost a great friend and a dear sister in Christ. Over the course of her fifty-five years of life she was also a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, nurse, Chief Nursing Officer at Cumberland Medical Center, Reginal Director for the office of Congressman John Rose, recording artist, Music Director at Oak Hill Baptist Church for almost fifteen years, and a great friend to many. But most important of all, Rebecca was a Christian. A strong Christian. A woman of great faith.   Last year Rebecca was diagnosed with colon cancer. She underwent a surgical procedure and months of chemotherapy to deal with it, and was ultimately declared to be cancer-free. During those long months of therapy and recovery Rebecca never missed a beat. She continued her work for Congressman Rose and she continued leading our music every Sunday. She did so with a smile and an upbeat attitude. You would never have known she was fighting cancer. She didn’t talk about it and she didn’t give in to it.     Several months ago, the cancer reappeared. Only this time it was widespread, aggressive, and spreading quickly. Treating it was going to require radical surgery and extensive chemotherapy. Rebecca handled this new development exactly the same way – she committed it to the Lord, she resolved to do her part by submitting to the treatments, and then she simply got on with living life fully. She went places; she did things; she continued her work for Congressman Rose; with her daughter Brooke she continued to lead music at our church every Sunday; and she lived – she really and fully lived, and she did it with a smile and with great faith.   The cancer spread quickly and Rebecca got sicker and weaker. Yet, she continued to live life large. This past Sunday (three days before she died) she was in church, on the stage, leading music with Brooke. With hands raised to heaven and with gusto she sang her heart out. She sometimes had to hold onto the pulpit to steady herself, but in typical Rebecca fashion, she would not give in and she would not give up. On Tuesday (the day before she died) she was so weak she had trouble getting out of bed. So, she stayed in bed, with her laptop, still doing work for Congressman Rose. Then on Wednesday morning she went home to heaven and received her eternal reward.   This month’s theme for our daily devotional messages has been “renewed hope.” It has been about all the ways in which God renews us and gives us a new sense of hope as we carry on in life despite trials, challenges, and difficult circumstances. Sometimes that renewed hope comes to us through Bible verses like 1 Peter 1:3-4, cited above, which speak of the hope we have of heaven. Other times the source of hope and inspiration comes to us in the form of the example set for us by people of great faith – like Rebecca Foster.   There’s much more to this story about how Rebecca handled all of this with dignity, grace, and great faith – more than can be told in a single daily devotional. So, we will continue this tomorrow.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…: Colossians 3:12 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You will feel better and so will they”   This morning let me begin by thanking all of you for your patience and understanding as I took a week off for personal renewal. It was a wonderful week of rest, reflection, and family fun in Texas. I love my son and daughter-in-law very much and I enjoy being with them, but time with my three-year-old grandson Oliver is especially good therapy for me. (Tom and Liz make great babies. They need to keep at it. Lol)   With respect to our theme for this month of renewed hope, as we learned in our last devotional eight days ago sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap (or give yourself some other kind of break.) We often lose hope simply because we are burned out and running on empty physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I took the break I needed and I am renewed. Thank you. (By the way, did you take a break? I did encourage you in that last devotional to consider doing so. If so, I would love to hear about it. And if you didn’t, I hope you have one planned soon.)   Now I would like for us to consider another reason people sometimes lose hope, and I will introduce you to a way in which that hope can be renewed. People sometimes lose hope because they become overwhelmed not just with their own problems, but with other people’s problems as well.   There are two primary reasons that happens. Sometimes we get co-dependent. We allow ourselves to get sucked into other people’s drama in unhealthy ways to the point that we feed on it – even feeling like we need it. The co-dependent person becomes so involved in the other person’s stuff that it gets to the point where they are living all their own life and half of the other persons too.  Another common way in which we become involved in other people’s issues to an unhealthy degree is when we confuse sympathy, empathy, and rational compassion. There is a place for each, and a degree to which each are healthy and unhealthy.   We will continue our thinking about this tomorrow. Until then, I want to invite you to spend a few moments meditating on the attributes Paul encourages us to exhibit in Colossians 3:12 (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience). We will come back to this verse tomorrow and we will think about how we can exhibit such virtues in ways that are healthy and balanced but for today, make it a point to bless others in that way. You will make them feel better and you will feel better too.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Optimism is better … but not best”   I consider myself to be an optimistic person. The glass isn’t half empty it’s still half full. An optimistic outlook is better for us than a pessimistic outlook. It has rightly been said that one of the worst emotional maladies that we can experience is pessimism. Pessimists expect the worst to happen and often attract it to themselves. The worst of pessimists even invent threats and problems in their minds then convince themselves that they are real and likely to happen.   Optimism is better … but it is not best. There’s something better than optimism and that is hope. Optimism is a general belief that things will turn out well. Hope is more than that. Hope, properly understood and rightly applied, adds an element of action to optimism that helps to move the situation in the direction of the desired good outcome.   The Apostle Paul was an optimistic person. He knew that the will and ways of God were always right and best and that in the end, God and His people win. But Paul didn’t rest on the general belief that there would eventually be a good outcome. As we read in 1 Timothy 4:10 (above), Paul added action to his optimism and that led him to hope. “For this reason we labor and stive, because we have put our hope in the living God …” He was more than just optimistic about good outcomes he was hopeful, and he acted on that hope. His hope was also more than just wishful thinking. He knew from experience that the outcome he hoped for was a realistic expectation if he actually did something about it.     In his book “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier” Arthur Brookes urges us to move beyond optimism to hope by adding action steps that lead to the desired outcome. In Paul’s case, he knew that as a Christian He was in an active partnership with Jesus and that in every situation each of them had a role to play. Jesus would do His part but Paul had a responsibility to do his part as well. Paul couldn’t just sit on his rearend and wait for Jesus to magically accomplish everything for him. With Jesus doing His part and Paul doing his, he had good reason to be hopeful of a good outcome.   Optimism and hope are similar but not the same. Optimism is good but hope is better. In life you will discover that when you put action to your optimism your hope will be renewed.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse of today: “Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe … I entrust my spirit into your hand … Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away … But I am trusting in you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands … Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.” Psalm 31:2;5;9;14-15;16   Our thought for today: “God is your refuge”   What do you do when it seems like the bottom has dropped out in your life; or when circumstances are difficult and overwhelming and it feels like the walls are closing in on you? Maybe you lost your job, or sickness has come upon you or a loved one, or you have been betrayed by a friend, or a loved one has died, or … a thousand other things. Life can be hard sometimes.   Psalm 31 provides us with an illustration of how one man handled it when his life was in chaos. When David wrote Psalm thirty-one, he was in great despair. Enemies were after him, life seemed to be closing in on him, and he was calling out to God to rescue him, protect him, and restore him. In the verses quoted above I drew out several of David’s appeals to God and his affirmations about God. The point is, David knew Who to turn to in such a time and he knew what to expect once he had.     I believe the key to the entire Psalm is found in verse 2 when David refers to God as a fortress where he will be safe. In other words, David saw God as His refuge. In the middle of turmoil, he found a sense of safety and security in God’s embrace. There was peace and even hope waiting for David when he turned to God. That’s because God is our place of refuge and our source for renewed hope.   God is there for us when we come to Him in private like that, and He is there for us in a similar manner through the community of believers. God accomplishes much of His work in our lives through our brothers and sisters in Christ. Many of the blessings of God, and His answers to our prayers, come to us through other Christians. And that’s why a good church is a place of refuge from the storms of life. It’s a place where you can go to find grace, peace, love, support, encouragement, and help. That’s what we do for each other, and when we do, it is God working through us to minister to that person in their time of deep need. We all need a place of refuge and a good church family will be exactly that.   God is our refuge in both a private personal way, and through the ministry of the church. I encourage you to seek Him in both of those ways.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “You have turned my mourning into joyful 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: “He turns our mourning into dancing”   Let’s continue our thinking from yesterday about achieving renewed hope by remembering God’s past faithfulness. In the examples of Job and Joseph we saw that it was only in retrospect that they were able to see what God had been up to as they were going through their trials. But by remembering God’s past faithfulness they were able to endure and persevere through their struggles.   The rest of the story, in both of their cases, was that God turned their mourning into dancing, their sorrow into joy. The events themselves were still tragic and painful but in the end, when it was all over and the dust had settled, God came through again. We read that: “Joseph and his brothers and their families continued to live in Egypt. Joseph lived to the age of 110. He lived to see three generations of descendants …” Genesis 50:22-23. And for Job “So, the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning …” Job 42:12.   Life can be hard; sometimes it’s painful and even tragic. But as we have learned in previous devotionals in this series, Jesus walks through those times with us providing us strength and courage that we would not have otherwise. Also, nothing happens to us that our sovereign God does not allow – for a reason and for a season. He is there, aware, and in full control. And, He reaches into those difficult situations to bring good things out of it for us. Finally, one way or another, there is a happy ending. That happy ending will very often be in this lifetime but if not, then it will certainly be waiting for us in heaven. Either way, God is faithful and we win.   Whatever it is you are going through right now remember who God is, what He is like, and how faithful He has always been in your life. And rest assured that in His way and in His time, your mourning will be turned into dancing, your sorrow will change into joy, and your hope will be renewed.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “Remember God’s past faithfulness”   The story of Joseph is certainly one of the best-loved accounts in the Bible. We are inspired by his faith, his integrity, his wisdom, and his perseverance through desperate and dangerous circumstances that sometimes lasted for years. When we read his story, we realize that Joseph never doubted God’s presence with him – even during the worst of times, and he seemed to be convinced that somehow, someway, God would vindicate and deliver him. And he was right.   But we should also realize that like the situation with Job, most of what God was up to didn’t become clear to Joseph until well after it was all over. Both Job and Joseph had faith, and they caught glimpses of God and of His activity in their lives as they were dealing with their trials and challenges, but it was only later, in retrospect, that they gained a better understanding of what God had been up to all along.   The same is true in our lives. Whatever it is you are dealing with, remember that God is there and He is actively involved even if it doesn’t seem like it. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that He has a good plan that He is in the process of working it out in your life: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”   What exactly He is up to in the middle of whatever you’re dealing with at the moment may be uncertain and unclear, but God is there; God is good; and God is working in your circumstances. Romans 8:28 assures us, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” That does not mean that all things are good. Some are not. Your current circumstances may not be good. But it does mean that God reaches into the middle of bad situations and brings good things out of them for those who belong to Him.   Job and Joseph didn’t understand the reason for their trials, but based upon what they knew to be true of God from their past experiences with Him they were able to have faith and to trust Him in the middle of their struggles. Like the Psalmist said, “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.” Psalm 77:11   Remembering God’s past faithfulness can be a source of renewed hope as we deal with our current struggles.     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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Your attitude is your choice”   I have often found it helpful to personalize Scripture to make it a little more direct and to the point for me personally. Psalm 118:24 is one of those verses. The writer teaches that this day we have before us is a gift from the Lord therefore, let “us” rejoice and be glad in it. I change the wording just a bit so it reads, “This is the day the Lord has made, “I will” rejoice and be glad in it.” In other words, it doesn’t matter if “us” does so or not, “I’m” going to do it. I’m going to rejoice and be glad whether anyone else does or not.   In his book, “The Spartan Way: Eat better. Train Better. Think Better. Be Better,” author Jo De Sena tells a story from the days when he owned a pool maintenance company in the New York area back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. That was during the time when communism was falling across eastern Europe and thousands of people were fleeing those countries and immigrating to the USA. Joe says that he hired many of those immigrants to work for him because they had such a great work ethic. They were overjoyed to be in America – the land of opportunity – and they worked longer and harder than anyone else on the workforce.   For them it was a matter of perspective. They felt so blessed to be here instead of there, and they were so grateful for it, that they made a choice to be happy. They had the exact same working conditions as the others in the work force, and they received the same wages, but their attitude about it was different. They chose to be grateful and joyful – and that made all the difference.   Senneca The Younger was a Stoic philosopher who lived in Rome around the same time as the Apostle Paul. He was known as a very wise man with deep insight. One of his teachings that has survived and been handed down even to our day is, “A man is as miserable as he thinks he is.” Abraham Lincoln, who lived 1800 years after Senneca, took that saying and put a positive spin on it: “Most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”   Either way, the lesson is the same: You can choose to be positive or negative; you can choose joy or misery. You will be as miserable as you think you are and as happy as you make your mind up to be. You choose your attitude and the choice you make will depend a lot on your perspective.   This is the day the Lord has made and it is a gift – the gift of life – so choose to rejoice and be glad in it.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”   Our Bible verse for today: “I’m not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances … I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11;13 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “You can’t change the weather”   I’m currently reading a wonderful little book with the title, “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier,” by Arthur Brookes and Oprah Winfrey. It’s not specifically a Christian book, but Biblical themes and Christian values are woven all throughout it.   In one chapter, Brookes refers to the work of the Austrian psychiatrist Victor Frankl. Frankl spent four years as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. He survived, but the rest of his family died in that camp. While he was there, Frankl observed how the other prisoners handled their brutal circumstances. Some cowered in fear, they withered, and they died quickly. But others found ways to handle those circumstances as best they could. They somehow managed to find purpose and hope in the middle of the misery, and many of those (including Frankl) survived.   After he was liberated Frankl wrote a best-selling book about his lessons learned from that experience and why some people are crushed by adverse circumstances while others adapt, survive, and even thrive.  The title was “Man’s Search for Meaning.” One thing Frankl discovered was that life can be lived with beauty and purpose even in the worst of circumstances. The ability to do that is a matter of attitude and perspective. That’s what Paul was teaching in Philippians 4:11-13. Through years of dealing with adversity and trying circumstances, Paul had learned that he could be content and even hopeful when he kept his focus on Jesus.   In the worst of circumstances, Paul found beauty and purpose. We can too. We can’t always choose our circumstances – life happens to all of us. And we also can’t always choose our feelings about those circumstances – many circumstances bring natural feelings that automatically come with them. In my case, my wife died. That’s the circumstance. That circumstance brings with it feelings of sadness and grief. That’s normal and natural (it would be odd and unhealthy if I did not have those feelings). The question now is what to do with those circumstances and feelings.   Arthur Brookes has a suggestion, which he offers by means of an illustration: “Feelings, in the enterprise of life, are like weather to a construction company. If it rains or snows or is unseasonably hot, it affects the ability to get work done. But the right response is not trying to change the weather (which would be impossible) or wishing the weather were different (which doesn’t help). It is having contingency plans in place for bad weather, being ready, and managing projects in a way that is appropriate to the conditions on a given day.”   In other words: roll with the circumstances, accept the feelings that come with the circumstances, then be proactive and positive as you do something constructive about the circumstances. The situation is what it is – now deal with it. You can’t change the weather, but you can deal with the weather.   Paul learned to be content, proactive, and productive in whatever circumstances he found himself, and that gave him hope. Always, he had hope. We can have hope too.   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