Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this moth: “Sanctification”   Our Bible verse for today: “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “It will evolve over time”   Yesterday we considered the story of John Newton and how God took him out of the isolated realm of a ship at sea, transformed him into a new man with gifts and abilities intended to benefit others, and then placed him in a church setting – in Christian community, for the rest of his days.   We also learned that in varying ways, John Newton’s story is all our stories. God has plans for you. Maybe not in the same way or to the same degree that He did for John Newton but still, plans. As you grow spiritually God brings out in you and develops spiritual gifts, skills, and abilities, some of which you didn’t even know you had. And then He puts you in a community of other believers so you can utilize those gifts, skills, and abilities to benefit the Kingdom of God.   This is what Peter was describing in 1 Peter 4:10. Each of us has been equipped by God to serve in certain ways and it is up to us to discover those spiritual gifts, skills, and abilities, and then put them to use for the benefit of others. The Apostle Paul taught this too. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 he wrote, “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.” Likewise, in Galatians 6:9-10 Paul wrote, “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”   But one thing we need to keep in mind is that the skills, gifts, and abilities that God gives us, and which we are then to use for the benefit of others and for the church, don’t necessarily show themselves immediately or all at once. John Newton didn’t write “Amazing Grace!” the day after he got saved. He didn’t begin preaching, teaching, writing books, and composing hymns in his first week, month, or year of being a Christian. Those skills and abilities developed over time as he prayed, worshiped, studied, served, and grew.   The same will be true for you and me. The plans God has for you will evolve over time and will depend in large degree on how much you cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this business of progressive sanctification. John Newton diligently applied himself to the basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life and as he did, God developed his abilities.   What plans does God have for you? We will see. Your skills, abilities, and ministry activities will evolve over time as you grow.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. 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 we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “For your benefit, and for the benefit of others”   As a boy, John Newton ran away from home and went to sea as a simple seaman. But when the ship got to Africa John was sold to a wealthy African woman to be her houseboy. Soon he ran away from that too and for a while, lived with a native tribe in the wilds of Africa. Finally, he ended up back on a ship at sea as a seaman. He was good at the life of a sailor and quickly rose in rank until he finally became the captain of his own ship.   John Newton was an angry, violent, and cruel man who had great success buying and selling slaves. Eventually Newton sunk so low in life and was so miserable that he finally came to faith in Christ. The difference in him was startling and profound. John left the seafaring life, went to Bible college, and became a pastor, preacher, teacher, writer, and the composer of many hymns. His most famous hymn, the one that is still sung frequently by God’s people today is “Amazing Grace.” “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”   The thing is, once John Newton was saved God could have left him on a ship at sea, largely isolated from people. But God had plans for John Newton that could only come to fruition within the context of church life. John had spiritual gifts and abilities that he didn’t even know existed, but which would surface in time and which would be of great benefit not just to Newton himself, but to the people of his church and to the larger Christian community as well. John Newton needed to be in a church setting – and so do we.   I’m thinking you probably are not a mean, angry, slave-trading sea captain. And perhaps you aren’t destined to write a great hymn that will be sung by God’s people for hundreds of years. But God does have much He wants to do in and through you, and much of that will happen within the context of church life.   We will think about this more in the coming days but for now I want to call your attention to our verse for today, Ephesians 2:10. You are God’s masterpiece. Other translations say you are God’s workmanship. Either way, He created you and saved you so you can then do the things He has planned for you. As we will see tomorrow, much of what God wants to do in and through each of us is supposed to happen in community, not in isolation.   God’s plans for you are for your benefit, but they are also for the benefit of others.   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: “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “We are better together”   Salvation is a personal experience but it is then lived out in community. The forgiveness of your sins is a personal transaction between you and Jesus. But once you have been saved you are to go forward in life, as a saved individual, living, worshiping, serving, and growing in a community of other saved individuals.   The Christian life is not to be lived in isolation from other believers. It certainly cannot be lived well without the help of other Christians. In his great little book, “The Doctrine of Salvation” Dr. Darrell Robinson includes an entire chapter on the role the church plays in the life of the saved individual. He writes, “The life of one who is saved cannot be lived in isolation … the new creation is both individual and corporate … Secret discipleship is no discipleship at all. It is unthinkable that one should experience the saving, resurrection love and power of Christ without making this faith known through public profession and church membership.”   In Proverbs 27:17 King Solomon reminds us that just as iron sharpens iron, so does one person sharpen another. In other words, we help each other to be our best for Jesus. We help each other to learn and grow. We support one another, encourage each other, and help to carry each other’s burdens. That’s life in a good church.   We also serve together. Robinson goes on, “The most exciting adventure on earth is to be part of a dynamic local church, fulfilling the mission of Christ.” And, “As a part of a local church the individual Christian is more fruitful in fulfilling the mission of Christ. The principle of synergism is a reality in the church. Much that could never be accomplished by an individual Christian’s effort can be done by the body as it moves on mission together.”   We are better together than we are alone. You need your church and your church needs you.   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: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” John 15:5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “It’s a matter of submission”   In his great little book, “The Doctrine of Salvation,” Dr. Darrell Robinson included a chapter with the title “Salvation and Daily Living.” He writes, “The new life is a process of growing and maturing into the likeness of Christ. At conversion His life is within us, but His likeness is not within us. Sin still has power over the believer, but sin’s power is potentially broken through Christ’s death and resurrection. Victory belongs to the Christian as she appropriates by faith all that is hers in Christ.”   His life is in us, but His likeness is not. All that there is of Jesus is ours at the moment of conversion by means of His Holy Spirit living in our heart. But His likeness in us becomes more prominent over time, a little at a time, as we learn to be more like Him and less like us. It’s a matter of submission. I learn to surrender my will for His in all things. I learn to think like Him, talk like Him, and act like Him. As that happens, I become more like Him and less like me.   The way Jesus explained this important truth was by using the illustration of a grapevine and the branches that grow off it (John 15:5). The grapevine lives its life through the branches and it produces its fruit through those branches. The life of the vine flows through the branches and the fruit of the vine is produced through the branches. As long as the branch stays attached to the vine, it will produce the fruit of the vine. Independent of the vine, the branch can do nothing.   In the same manner, Jesus is the vine and we are His branches. His life flows through us and He produces His fruit through our lives. As long as we stay attached and fully submitted to Him, His life will flow in us and through us, and His fruit will be produced through us. But this only works if we stay attached and fully submitted to Him. If we do, over time, more and more of His fruit is produced through our lives and we, the branch, are seen as being one with the vine.   But it is His fruit, not ours. The fruit (works) is what Jesus would produce if He were here on the earth in the flesh and bones body that you are walking around in. It is His Spirit in you, and working through you, that is producing His fruit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.   God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. 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: “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You will discover that it did matter”   So, what could Jesus have meant when He urged us to store up treasure in heaven? He certainly seems to be implying that how we live now matters later. Our behaviors on earth have implications for our eternity in heaven.   There are many passages that teach about varying degrees of rewards in heaven. Matthew 6:19-21 is one of them. In Matthew 5:12 Jesus urged His listeners to faithful living now and as a result, “great is your reward in heaven.” In Matthew 16:27 Jesus said that He will reward each one for what they have done. Matthew 25:31-46 is the iconic passage where Jesus describes the day when those followers of His who had been kind, compassionate, and merciful in this lifetime will be commended and rewarded for having done so, and those who were indifferent to the suffering of others will be called out for it. And in 2 Corinthians 5:10 the Apostle Paul reminds us that one day we will all stand before God and be held accountable for the things we did in this lifetime, both good and bad.   My point is that there is are many passages in the Bible which teach about varying degrees of reward in heaven based upon how we conducted ourselves on earth. I have mentioned only a few of them. Every act of worship, prayer, Bible study, good stewardship, and service to others contribute to our spiritual growth now, and they have implications for eternity in heaven. In the book “The Doctrine of Salvation,” Dr. Darrell Robinson uses this illustration to make that point (I’m paraphrasing):   “When we get to heaven, each believer in Christ will enjoy heaven to their maximum capacity for spiritual appreciation and enjoyment. But we will not all have the same capacity. One believer, having lived a faithful life of spiritual growth and service, may get to heaven with the capacity of a fifty-gallon drum. Another, having been much less faithful, may get to heaven with the capacity of a one-gallon container. Each will be filled to overflowing and enjoying heaven to their maximum capacity, but they will have very different capacities.”   When we get to heaven, we will discover that what the Bible teaches about the importance of faithful living and spiritual growth in this lifetime was true after all. We will discover that it really did matter.   God bless, Pastor Jim      (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. 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: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Flowing and growing”   In 1992 Dr. Darrell Robinson published a little book that has become a classic in the Southern Baptist world. The title is “The Doctrine of Salvation. “For more than thirty years it has been required reading in many Southern Baptist college and seminary classes. It is also used in various study programs for lay people, and by preachers and teachers as source material for Bible studies.   In clear and easy to understand terms Dr. Robinson explains the doctrine of salvation from A-Z – from Holy Spirit conviction, to new birth, to a lifetime of spiritual growth, and finally to eternal rewards in heaven. It’s all there.   I love the illustration he used to explain the small beginnings of our spirituality, followed by the long winding path God takes us along in life as we grow and increase in spiritual stature, finally arriving in heaven to a dramatic conclusion:   “God continues to work in the believer so we grow to be more like Christ until He finally glorifies us in heaven. His work in us is much like the flow of the mighty Mississippi River. Its source is a small trickling stream near the Great Lakes. It becomes a mighty river, emptying its waters in the Gulf of Mexico. It does not move in a straight line from its source to its mouth. Instead, it winds and curves around mountains and barriers until it makes its way to its destination. God moves in our lives, working in all things for good to accomplish His purpose. He works through the good and the bad; He works through the triumphs and the trials in our lives to make us like Christ.”   If you are doing this right – if you are living the Christian life well and if you are doing your part in this process of progressive sanctification by cooperating with the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, you will ultimately arrive in heaven like a mighty flowing river of spiritual maturity. That’s the word picture Dr. Robinson was creating for us and it is the truth Paul was teaching in Philippians 1:6 (above). God began a good work in you at the time of your salvation. You were just a spiritual baby then but you were ready to grow. Throughout your life you learn, you grow stronger, you grow in spiritual stature, until the day you arrive in heaven as the person you will be for eternity (more about this tomorrow).   Placing your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins is the most important event in your life. That’s the beginning, and nothing is more important than that. The second most important event in your life is growing in spiritual maturity. Nothing else in life is more important than salvation and spiritual growth because those two spiritual realities determine eternity for you.   Since this is so important, there is much more that needs to be said about this business of progressive sanctification and therefore we will continue the discussion into the new month.   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: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty … for the battle is the Lord’s …” 1 Samuel 17:45; 47 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Victory over the giants”   This morning I want to borrow from the closing illustration in my sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church last Sunday. The sermon was from Romans chapter eight and pertained to living victoriously in Christ despite the many trials and challenges we face in life. But the closing illustration was based upon the scene in 1 Samuel chapter 17 where David faced and defeated the giant, Goliath. If you missed that sermon and would like to watch it, you can do so on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville.   We all must face and deal with our own giants in life. Your giant probably isn’t named Goliath. It might be called unemployment, or sickness, or wayward child, or death of a loved one, or any number of other common but painful life issues. Life is full of giants that must be faced.   The key to dealing effectively with our giants is to do what David did. First, commit the battle to the Lord. Recognize that God is sovereign over all the situations of your life and despite how big your giant might seem, God is bigger. Second, trust in the promises of God. He is the all-powerful God of the universe. He is the One who created everything from nothing; the One who parted the Red Sea; the One who raised Jesus from the dead. (Again, last Sunday’s sermon from Romans chapter eight addressed this truth in depth.) Claim the promises of God. Stand on them. Allow those promises and your faith in Him to be the firm foundation upon which you stand as you face your giants.   Then go forward into the battle, engaging the giant with boldness and confidence. Not because you trust in yourself, but because you trust in God. Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord, and your desire is to simply honor Him and bring glory to Him in the way that you deal with your giants (whoever and whatever they may be).   Our ability to face our giants in this manner increases as we grow in spiritual maturity. This is one of the results of progressive sanctification – we become increasingly aware of the truth that the battle truly is the Lord’s and our giants cannot stand against Him. We learn this from experience and that experience produces spiritual growth in us. We are better, stronger, bolder, and more confident because we have faced our giants with the help of the Lord.   You can have victory over the giants you are facing today. Just remember that the battle is the Lord’s not yours.   God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested to be included in the Daily Devotional email reader group. 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: “There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Just get started”   In yesterday’s devotional I encouraged us to not settle for “good-enough,” and I referred to the classic leadership book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. Well, here’s another encouraging thought for us, and this one comes from the great Christian writer G.K. Chesterton from the late 1800s. Chesterton was a large man with a big bushy mustache and a fun, engaging personality. He was known for his sharp wit and his good humor. He was funny, blunt, convicting, and challenging, all at the same time.   He once said something about procrastination that at first blush seems a bit confusing. We can find ourselves scratching our heads and wondering what in the world Chesterton means. But upon further reflection, we realize there is great wisdom in it. Chesterton said, “If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.”   Say what? If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly? Does that mean it’s okay to do things badly? And how does that square with what we learned from Jim Collins about not being content with mediocrity or simply being “good-enough?”   Actually, it’s all part of the same mindset. Yes, we want to be our best and to never settle for mediocrity. But we also don’t want to set the bar so high right out of the gate that it is intimidating to the point that we’re afraid to even attempt the thing. The point Chesterton was making was that if a thing is worth being done, then do it. Just do it to the best of your ability. Even if your initial efforts are not very good, so what? If it’s a worthwhile thing, then doing it badly is better than not doing it at all. If you’re making an effort, you can reasonably expect to get progressively better at it as you continue doing it. That’s better than not doing the thing at all.   With respect to progressive sanctification and the process of transformation the Holy Spirit wants to take you through – just get started. You’re not going to instantly be some kind of super-saint. So what? If you are a little better today than you were yesterday, then you have made progress. So, pray – even if you pray badly, just pray. Read your Bible – even if you don’t understand a lot of it, read it anyway. Go to church – even if the preacher does have more hair in his nose than on his head and he’s a little odd in his mannerisms, go anyway.   You get the point. Just get started. It’s better to do it poorly than to not do it at all. Your praying, understanding, acts of service to others, and all the rest, will all get better with time. (The preacher I’m not so sure about, but the rest of the stuff will get better.) So, don’t procrastinate. Just get started.   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 this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t settle for good-enough”   In 2 Peter 1:5-8 the Apostle Peter was essentially describing the ongoing process of progressive sanctification. He was calling his readers to develop daily habits of spiritual discipline that would result in the Holy Spirit slowly transforming them into a better reflection of Jesus. Peter reiterated that call a couple of chapters later when he wrote in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” There it is again, “grow,” “change,” “transform,” and become better than you have been.   In 1989, while I was still serving as a Naval Officer, I went to graduate school at night in my off-duty hours to earn a Master of Science degree in curriculum development for business. The idea was for the curriculum developer to go into an industrial or business setting that was not producing acceptable results. The developer would then meet with the leadership team to determine what the best-case scenario would be. In other words, “In a perfect world, what would be the ideal outcome that you would like to have?” Once that ideal was identified we then knew what the goal was. The next step was to work with the subject matter experts to develop training for the organization that would take them from where they were, and get them progressively closer to where they needed to be.   Could we say it was progressive sanctification for business? Perhaps. But that is exactly what the Holy Spirit does with us. He identifies where we’re at, compares it to where we need to be, and then starts walking us through a process that is designed to take us from where we are and move us closer and closer to where we should be.   The business leadership guru Jim Collins once wrote a book about this that was an international best-seller. It was called “Good to Great” and it was based on the premise that too many businesses and individuals settle for just being good when they could be great. We decide that what we are and where we are is good-enough. But that then keeps us from ever moving forward to becoming what we could be.   Too many Christians are simply good when they could be great. The Holy Spirit wants you to be great in your spiritual maturity. He doesn’t want us to settle for “good-enough.” You are capable of much more. In terms of your spiritual development, you may be good, but you could be great. I encourage you not to settle for good-enough.   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: “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Live until you die”   So, I have some “old man issues” going on. Nothing serious. They’re all minor. But I had two doctor’s appointments in the same day the other day, and I’m currently wearing a knee brace for the first time in my life. There’s other stuff too. Overall, I think I’m pretty healthy, but I’m about to turn seventy and the old body is showing some signs of wear and tear.   I often hear people complain about getting older, but I usually try to avoid doing that myself. I’m grateful to have lived long enough to get old. Many never get the chance. But if you do live long enough, you will get old and your body will wear out. As a matter of good stewardship, we should do our best to take good care of the body God has given us so that we can continue to use it for His kingdom-building purposes for as long as possible. But still, if you live long enough you will get old and your body will wear out.     However, on the flip side, as Paul described in 2 Corinthians 4:16, if you are doing this Christian life right then the older you get the stronger and healthier you will be spiritually. As your physical body withers and declines, your spirit gets bigger, better, stronger, healthier. As your outer person is wasting away, your inward person is being renewed day by day, getting ever-stronger.   Far too often Christians use physical decline as an excuse for withdrawing from ministry, and sometimes from church altogether. But that shouldn’t be. Physical changes in your mortal body may necessitate a change in the kinds of ministry activities you can participate in, but the progressive sanctification taking place in your spiritual person enables you to be even more effective for the cause of Christ in other ways.   Personally, I have great respect for older people who, while declining physically, still have a great attitude and they are still full of life. They are upbeat and positive, they are great encouragers of others, they are sources of wisdom and good counsel, and they are often fun to be with. Such people have decided to live until they die. They live fully, with passion and vigor. I want to be like that too.   As Jimmy Buffet once sang, “I’d rather die while I’m living than live while I’m dead.” I agree. I encourage all of us to live until we die. Really live.   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