Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on purpose.” Philippians 2:1-2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “A little more about those crazy people”   This morning, I want to continue thinking about those crazy people the group “Casting Crowns” sang about and which we considered in yesterday’s devotional. I’m talking of course, about you and me and the people of our churches and our Christian friends. Actually, I referred to us as an odd cast of characters, it was Casting Crowns who called us “crazy people.” Did you listen to the song? I hope you did. If so, I’m sure it brought a smile to your face.   At Oak Hill Baptist Church I have sometimes teased our people that we’re like the patrons in what has come to be called “The Star Wars Bar”. We were introduced to it in the first Star Wars movie. It was an intergalactic bar whose patrons were odd characters from across the galaxy. There was a green one-eyed man and a purple one with two heads and multiple tentacles. There were creatures large and small and of every conceivable type. But although they were so different and odd-looking, somehow, they all seemed to get along. I remind our folks that we’re like that. Funny-looking and odd people with very different personalities and interests and yet somehow, we all get along.   A good church is like that. It’s a fun place to be – not to mention encouraging, uplifting, and spiritually nurturing. This is what Paul was describing in Philippians 2:1-2. He was reminding us that although we are different in many ways, we share the common bond of having the Holy Spirit living in our hearts and therefore, we are all united in Christ and united in His mission of building the kingdom of God on earth.   What’s also implicit in the meaning of that passage is Christian community. The church is a community of brothers and sisters, members of the family of God. God has brought us together in these little groups known as local churches so that we have a strong community of fellow believers to support us, help us, and protect us. We are better and safer together than alone.   If you are not experiencing Christ in a good Christian community, you are missing a major part of the activity of God in your life. You are also missing an important element of your spiritual growth. So much of our progressive sanctification takes place in and because of our involvement in the community of believers. If you are not involved in such a community, you are missing out on much of what God has for you.   Yes, in many respects we are like that Star Wars bar, or like a bunch of crazy people, or an odd cast of characters – but in a good way, a fun way! You don’t have to be perfect to be one of us. In fact, if you were perfect, you wouldn’t fit in. Check us out and see. Chances are you’re one of those crazy people too and you’ll feel right at home.   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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).” Mark 3:16-19 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “What an odd cast of characters”   What odd choices Jesus made when He selected the men who would be His closest companions and ultimately, the Twelve Apostles. Peter was a loud, brash, overbearing, and impulsive fisherman. James and John were fishermen too, and evidently with explosive tempers. Andrew was quiet and reserved, living in the shadow of his outspoken brother Peter. Matthew was a hated tax collector. Simon was a zealot, a political assassin. And Judas Iscariot was a thief, a fraud, and a betrayer.   Why did Jesus choose them to help Him establish this new faith and then to do the almost impossible work of spreading that faith in an extremely difficult and dangerous cultural setting? Why didn’t he instead select religious leaders and scholars, successful businessmen, powerful politicians, and noted celebrities? People like that would seem to have been much better qualified to help with the huge thing Jesus was attempting. Why this motley crew instead?   It’s because Jesus sees people for who they can become, not for who they are. He sees the potential in us and He knows what we can become and what we can accomplish as His committed disciples. He also knows that it will be His power working in us and through us that accomplishes great things for the kingdom, not our own.   This is what progressive sanctification is all about. This is how and why Jesus saves us and then goes to work changing us. Over the course of a lifetime, He uses our good discipleship practices to mold us and shape us into the men and women He wants us to be.   To this day, He still does it with a motley crew and an odd cast of characters. Look in the mirror. Then look around your church. My goodness! It’s almost laughable what we give Jesus to work with, and it’s nothing short of miraculous what He does with it!   There’s a great song by the contemporary Christian music group “Casting Crowns”. The title is “Crazy People.” The chorus goes,   “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, here’s to all God’s crazy people! (and) I’m one of those crazy people!”   It’s a fun song that reminds us of what an odd cast of characters we are. You can’t help but laugh. I encourage you to Google it this morning. It would be a fun and lighthearted way to start your day. What an odd cast of characters we are! But Jesus uses us anyway because He sees us how we can be, not how we are.   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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.) Acts 11:25-26 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “Praise God for encouraging companions!”   Barnabas is one of my heroes. I love Barnabas. Acts 4:36 tells us that Barnabas (real name Joseph) was such an upbeat, kind and friendly man – such an encourager of others, that the Apostles nicknamed him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.”   Encouragement is such an important element of Christian community! Linda and I once owned a Christian book-selling business that we named “The Barnabas Book Company.” Our theme was “Encouraging books that will change your life.” In the churches I have been the pastor of we have always made sure that there are “encouragement notes” in the pew-backs. They are blank notecards that people can write a note of encouragement to someone on and then place it in the offering plate. We then deliver that encouraging note to the person for them.   Barnabas was a great encourager of others, and the reason God put his story in the Bible is to serve as an example for the rest of us. Encouragement is one of the best tools the Holy Spirit has to work with as He uses us to be a blessing to each other. Everyone needs to be encouraged and lifted-up.   Encouragement is one of the marks of a mature disciple of Christ and it is one of the character traits the Holy Spirit wants to develop in us as we grow spiritually – and let’s be sure to note that this is much more than just being a cheerleader. Although words of encouragement are needed and are helpful, actions matter more. When we first meet Barnabas in Scripture, he was giving a generous financial gift to help those in need (Acts 4:36-37.) We see him in action again in Acts 11:25-26 when he makes a long trip to find Paul, bring him back to Antioch, and then spent a full year helping him. Those are just two examples. Barnabas was an encourager and he was a man of action. His nickname was a good one and it fit him well.     One of the great advantages of being a fully involved member of a healthy church family is that you get to be around lots of sons and daughters of encouragement. Our churches are filled with male and female Barnabas-people. God will use them to bless you and minister to you. But it will only happen if you are there. This is yet another reason that God wants all of us to be active members of a good church.   Praise God for encouraging companions!   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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “Praise be to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort …” 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “This is how God does it”   Recently the Lord has retaught and reinforced for me an important insight about Himself, and I have decided to share it with you this morning. It’s a bit personal and painful, but it’s an important truth about God that I believe we all need to remember. So, I will share with you out of my personal experience.   I have always been a family man. Being a husband and father have been two of the greatest joys of my life and I have always put a lot of myself into those roles. Family has been a huge part of my life. But three years ago, my daughter Tracy died very suddenly. Then just ten weeks ago, my wife Linda died. Then three weeks after that, my son Rick died unexpectedly. Those loses hit me hard and deep, and honestly, I’m still grieving all of them – especially the loss of Linda, my life partner for 47 years. The pain and the grief are especially tough late in the evenings in this empty house, and in the middle of the night when I wake up and realize she isn’t there.   During those times I often find myself wondering about 2 Corinthians 1:3. God is the God of all comfort? Really? The Christian thing to say at this point, of course, is that in those moments I have this overwhelming awareness of God’s presence and it’s a tangible presence that I can feel. But … no. Not most of the time. There have been those special moments … but honestly, they are rare. Most of the time the presence of God is a Biblical truth I am convinced is true and which I have chosen to believe, but His presence is not a tangible presence. Linda was physical. There was no doubt about her presence. But God is spiritual. He is not physical. His presence isn’t the same as Linda’s presence, and therefore it doesn’t replace Linda’s presence.   But wait. Maybe it does, but in a different way. The full passage of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reads like this: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”   What that passage teaches is that God comforts us through each other. This is what Jesus was teaching in John 15:5 in His parable of the vine and the branches. Jesus is the branch. He lives His life and performs His ministry here on earth through His people – He produces His fruit through His people. What that means for this discussion is that most of the time, most of the comfort God wants to bring to us comes through other Christians.   And so, as I think back over these painful times of loss in my life, I remember all the ways the people of God poured out the love and comfort from God upon me and my family. And suddenly I realize that God is indeed the God of all comfort. But the way He delivers that much-needed comfort to us is through His faithful servants.   So, in the middle of the night, when I’m awake and missing my wife and needing to sense some comfort from God, He reminds me of all the ways He has delivered it, time and time again, through His faithful servants. And then those warm fuzzy feelings of comfort and peace begin to wash over me. That mystical, spiritual experience of God’s subtle presence that I was seeking before? There it is. It just came to me through the sweet memories of how His people have delivered it for Him over and over and over again.   If you need comfort from God, look for it from His people. They will be the conduits through which He ministers to your hurting soul. But also, that means that each of us must be that for other people. If other people in your orbit need to experience God’s comfort, there’s a good chance He wants to deliver it to them through you. That’s how God does 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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “A happy joyful soul”   As a young Christian I misread Philippians 4:4 as some sort of rah-rah happy-talk where Paul was essentially saying, “Come on, Jim, lighten up. Don’t worry, be happy.” You know, sort of like an empty cliché that we say to someone when we don’t know what else to say. But Philippians 4:4 is more than happy-talk and it is not an empty cliché. It’s also not a suggestion. Paul wrote it as a command. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”   We tend to think that joy is situational and therefore can’t be commanded. But there it is – through Paul, God has commanded us to be joyful. So, that must mean that joy is a choice. We mistakenly think that joy depends on congenial circumstances. If the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all is right with my world, then I’m a happy boy. But if times are hard and things are not going my way, then it’s unrealistic to expect me to be joyful, right? Well … evidently, no, not right. The Bible says something different.   We need to remember where our joy comes from. Paul is not saying that we should ignore our tough situations or pretend that they aren’t painful and difficult. Instead, Paul commands us to rejoice in the Lord, not in our circumstances. We are to find our joy in Him. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit who lives in our heart. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). In John 15:11 Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”   In other words, joy doesn’t come from the outside and work its way in, it comes from within us and works its way out. It’s a result of spiritual maturity. The more spiritually mature we are, the more the joy of the Lord will become part of who we are. Our joy will be in the Lord and from the Lord.    I love being around people who have joy in their hearts that bubbles up from deep within and radiates out from them. Their lives are never perfect or trouble-free – they have problems, trials, and tribulations just like the rest of us. And yet, they choose to approach life with an upbeat attitude and a positive demeanor because they focus on the joy of the Lord that is in their heart.   Are you a happy, joyful soul? If not, perhaps you are seeking joy in the wrong places or from the wrong sources. If we rejoice in the Lord, His joy will be evident in us.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart that carried the Ark of God.” 2 Samuel 6:3-4 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “When in doubt, read the instructions”   In yesterday’s devotional we were reminded that God is the One who is writing the story of our lives, but sometimes we get impatient and we try to steal the pen out of His hands and write the story ourselves. When we do that, we get ourselves in trouble.   King David found that out. In 2 Samuel 6:3-4 we read about the time that David instructed his people to take possession of the Ark of the Lord (it had been in a location it wasn’t supposed to be in). The goal was to move it to Jerusalem where it was supposed to be. Doing that would have been a good thing, except that David was in a hurry and so he did it his way instead of God’s way. God had given explicit instructions on how the Ark was to be handled and transported, and this wasn’t it. Moses had even written the instructions down for them in the books of Exodus and Numbers.   But David was in a hurry and he didn’t bother to read the instructions. As a result, God was mad, people died, and the Ark did not end up getting to the place it was supposed to be. We are often like David. We get in a hurry and we don’t bother to check the instructions (the Bible). Instead, we wing it. We do it our way instead of God’s way and as a result, we mess things up.   In the Bible God has given us all the information we need in order to know His will and His ways well enough for us to stay in the center of His will. There are dozens and dozens of very direct and explicit dos, don’ts, and detailed instructions. Beyond that, there are numerous principles that apply broadly across the spectrum of life issues. Combined, it’s all we need to know in order to live life God’s way instead of our way.   We just need to read the instructions. As Pastor Chuck Swindoll notes, “We often get into trouble when we press forward without checking God’s word for wisdom.” In essence, God says, “If you want to follow my will, check My Word.”   Spiritual maturity teaches us to be patient, to wait on the Lord, and always, always, always, check the Bible to be sure we are doing things His way instead of our own. When in doubt, read the instructions.   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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you” – this is the lord’s declaration – “plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Stop trying to steal the pen”   I was listening to a Christian radio station the other day (it was “The Message” on Sirius XM satellite radio.) In addition to great Christian music with no commercials, the DJs often share Scripture and inspiring thoughts and insights like this gem: “God is still writing your story, so stop trying to steal the pen.”   Yup, that’s me. I keep trying to steal the pen so I can write my own story. I have strong ideas about how things ought to be, and how I want them to be. So, with gusto and determination I set out to accomplish my lofty goals, convinced that God surely agrees with my plans and that He is cheering me on.   But wait, who is writing this story, me or God? According to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah God is the One with the pen in His hand. He is the Author of this story. Jeremiah is pretty clear that God is the One with the plan. My part in this is to call to Him, pray to Him, seek Him with all my heart, and obey Him.   Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my personal life verses. It speaks to me in deep ways and I remind myself of it frequently. God has a plan. I just need to stay in-synch with Him. That also reminds me of another of my life verses, Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”   This process of progressive sanctification that is playing out in our lives, and the spiritual growth that results from it, is part of God’s plan and it’s an important part of the story of our lives that He is writing. The key to living that life is for me (and you) to be a little less focused on what we want, and a little more focused on what God wants for us. His job is to write my story; my job is to seek, follow, and obey. – and it would help if I would stop trying to steal the pen.   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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “Think about your thoughts”   In his excellent devotional book, “A Year of Slowing Down: Daily Devotionals for Unhurried Living,” Alan Fadling makes an interesting point with respect to Paul’s teaching in Philippians 4:8. He wrote, “I have the freedom to think about my thoughts. This is important.”   I almost agree with him. Thinking about our thoughts is important. But more than just having the freedom to do so, we are instructed Biblically to do so. That’s more to Paul’s point. We are told to think about what we’re thinking. Other translations use the word “dwell” instead of “think.” That might be even better because often the thoughts that occupy our mind are more than just passing thoughts. Frequently we dwell on things. We ponder them, ruminate over them, obsess about them. And as we do, whatever those thoughts are, they work their way deep into our subconscious mind. Then, those things determine how we think even when we are not consciously thinking.   We do need to think about how we think. As Paul insists, we can attend to our thoughts and we can make decisions about what we will allow our mind to think about and dwell on. And as Fadling pointed out, this is important. What we think about God, ourselves, other people, and situations may be the most important thing about us. How you think will determine everything else about you including the decisions you make, the words you speak, and the actions you take.   Ultimately, your thoughts shape your life. Imagine how different your life might be, how lighter your heart would be, how much brighter your countenance would be, if your mind was consistently dwelling on things that were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. What if your mind was filled with positive, upbeat, encouraging thoughts that made you happy and which resulted in positive feelings about God, yourself, other people, and situations?   Think for a moment about your thoughts and consider what kind of a person you are as a result of what your mind is dwelling on. Then think about what kind of a person you could be if you changed your thinking. Perhaps a good spiritual exercise for all of us this morning would be to sit quietly before the Lord in prayer and humble submission, and think about our thoughts.   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: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Holy people make a holy land”   Dr. Denis Prager is an eminent Old Testament scholar – one of the best in our day. In his excellent commentary on the book of Exodus Dr. Prager points out that never once does the Bible refer to the land of Israel as “The Holy Land.” All references are to “The Promised Land.” It’s the people who are called to be holy, and it is the people who will make the land holy – or not.   By “land” the Bible is usually not referring to soil, rocks, and trees, but to the nation of people who inhabit the land. In most Biblical uses of the word, “land” means “nation.” The implication is that holy people will make for a holy land, and unholy people will constitute an unholy land.   So, that begs the question, “Is our land a holy land or an unholy land today?” And if it is not holy, we then need to ask, “Who is at fault?” Who is it that God has called to be holy? Is it the unsaved sinners God expects holy behavior from, or is it the people of God?   You know the answer – and so do I. It’s us. We are the ones who are to be holy, and we are the ones who are then responsible for making the land (the nation) a holy land. It starts with the people of God and it can then extend out into the neighborhoods, towns, cities, states, and the nation. How can the nation be holy if God’s people aren’t?   So, are we? Are we, God’s people, living the lives of holy people? Maybe. Maybe some of us and maybe sometimes. But maybe not often enough and maybe not holy enough. For instance, I sometimes hear Christians indignantly declare “We need to put prayer back into schools!” But do you know how many churches don’t even have regular weekly prayer meetings? And of those that do, do you know how poorly attended those prayers meetings are? We need to put prayer back in schools?? I think we need to put it back in churches first.   You get my point. Are we, God’s people, living holy lives of our own – in our personal lives, in our homes, and in our churches? If we are going to have a holy land, we (God’s people) will have to fist be holy people.   As individuals and as a body of believers we must recommit ourselves to holy living. Our communities and our nation will never become a holy land if we ourselves are not first a holy people.   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: “Sanctification”   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: “Wherever you go, there you are”   Our devotionals this week have largely focused on the state of our society. We have considered how difficult things are now, and how difficult they are likely to get in the future for Christians as we continue to serve, minister, and share the Good News of the gospel in a culture that is increasingly uninterested in and even hostile to our faith.   This morning, I want to call our attention to Paul’s encouraging attitude as expressed in his letter to the Philippians. In 3:13-14 he wrote about perseverance despite circumstances. In 4:10-14 he wrote about how he had learned to be content in all circumstances – even in intense hardship, and that he knew the Holy Spirit would strengthen him in Christ to face whatever had to be faced. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Because Philippians 4:13 was true of Paul, he had the endurance and determination to persevere no matter what he faced. His attitude was that he would lean into it, push forward, and just keep on keeping on, and he could do that because Jesus strengthened him to do so.   But please don’t miss the fact that Paul “learned” how to be that way. He said so in Philippians 4:11 where he wrote, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.” Over decades of faithful discipleship and the subsequent spiritual growth that came with it, Paul had learned and grown into a spiritually mature saint who was strong and confident in the Lord. So, as he sat there in his incarceration, an old and sick man near the end of his life, he brought that spiritual maturity with him into that situation. That explains why he was able to write the things he wrote in Philippians.   God is using your current circumstances and your current discipleship practices to prepare you for what you will face tomorrow. You are learning and growing. Your discipleship practices, your faithful service, your trust in the Lord now, is molding and shaping you into the man or woman God wants you to be, and all of that is preparing you for whatever the future may bring.   There’s an old saying that reminds us, “Wherever you go, there you are.” In other words, you bring yourself with you wherever you go. Whoever and whatever you are, that is what you have brought with you into this new situation.    This is why good discipleship practices are so important. Discipleship practices are the tools the Lord uses to mold and shape you. Therefore, the more serious you are as a disciple, the more spiritual growth you will experience and the more prepared you will be to face whatever it is the future holds for you.   Wherever you go, there you are. You bring yourself with you wherever you go. The person you are becoming today will be the person you bring with you into tomorrow. So, who are you becoming today, and is that the kind of person you want to be when you arrive in 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