Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.” Philippians 3:15-16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The joy of right living”   In the previous passage in Philippians chapter three, Paul addressed the subject of the joy that comes from spiritual maturity. In these verses he writes about the joy of right living. Mature believers are to be consistent in the way they live, holding always to the standard set for us by the Word of God. The Bible is our manual for living. In it, God has given us the clearly established boundaries within which we are to live this set-apart life, honoring Him and growing everyday a little more like His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ.   He says in verse 15 that “all who are mature should think this way.” Paul was saying that “If you are one of us, if you are part of this maturing group of Christ-followers, then you will think this way too.” Think “what” way too? Think the way that Paul has just described in the previous passage. If you are part of the group of maturing Christians then you will acknowledge that God has given us Biblical boundaries within which we are to live and you will do the things necessary to continue growing.   That’s how mature Christians think and live. They don’t engage in unbiblical practices and then make excuses and rationalize why they believe it’s okay to live like that. They don’t keep skipping prayer and Bible study in the mornings because they slept late. They don’t keep missing worship attendance. Instead, they realize how important all of this is, they commit to do it, and then they actually do it. Paul says here that if you are one of us, if you’re part of this group of maturing Christians, then this will be your mindset too.   Then in verse 16 he writes that we each need to live up to whatever truth we have attained. What he means is that the more you know about the Bible and about God’s standards for living, the more responsibility you incur for living a holy life that truly honors the Lord.   Right living produces joy. When you are in a healthy relationship with God and with others because you are living Biblically, your joy will abound. There’s more that needs to be said about this, so we will come back to it 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: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ … 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 3:12; 13 (CSB)   Our Bible verse for today: “Keep going, you’re not there yet”   I love this passage from Paul found in Philippians 3:12-14 and I find it encouraging. Even after having had a personal encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, followed by thirty years of intense ministry as the most effective evangelist in the history of Christianity, and even after being selected by God to write two thirds of the New Testament, Paul was still learning and growing as a Christian. Even after all that, he still was not fully mature as a Christian and he still had to make “every effort” to take hold of that maturity.   The passage also tells us that the reason he did it was because Christ had taken hold of him. Jesus had captured Paul’s heart and had a firm hold on him. So, in turn Paul was determined to take a firm hold on Jesus and to continue becoming more and more like Him.   Paul’s ambition was to constantly grow and improve – to be a little better, a little more mature today than he was yesterday. But that would take effort on his part. It’s not magic and it wasn’t going to happen automatically. He had to want it and he had to be willing to work for it. He had to be intentional about it. He had to strive for it. And the way he did that is the same way you and I do it. We pray regularly, we study our Bibles every day, we faithfully gather with other Christians for learning and fellowship and worship, and we regularly engage in acts of service in the name of Jesus. All of that keeps us growing and developing in our faith.   Then in verse 13 he gives us two important coaching tips that he applied to his own life and which would be extremely helpful for anyone who wanted to experience the continuous growth that Paul experienced. The first tip is to acknowledge that you have not yet arrived. Be honest about it. The truth is that none of us are spiritual giants. None of us are super-saints. Compared to Jesus we are all spiritual midgets and there is a lot of room left for growth.   Then the second tip is one that most of us need to pay particular attention to. Paul wasted no time dwelling on his past mistakes and failures. They were dead and gone. There was nothing he could do to change any of it. Instead, he kept his eyes focused forward, constantly stretching, reaching, and striving for what lies ahead.   Now of course, you cannot erase the memory of what happened in the past, nor should you. There are probably important lessons that you should have learned and you should be carrying those lessons forward with you so that you don’t make the same mistakes again. You don’t pretend as if the past never happened, but you also don’t let the past control you or hinder your forward progress. Far too many people are so preoccupied with the past that it steals their joy in the present and it hinders their progress towards the future. Learn from the past but don’t live in the past. Your hope is in Christ, your joy is in Christ, and your future is in Christ. So, strive to grow in Christ.   Paul focused on the things he needed to do so he would keep moving forward in the development of his spiritual growth. We should too. You’re not there yet, so keep going!   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: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Spiritual maturity produces joy”   The most joyful and joy-filled people I have ever known have also been the most spiritually mature. A coincidence? I think not. Spiritual maturity produces joy. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul writes about the fruit of the Spirit (the character traits of Jesus that the Holy Spirit progressively develops in the lives of His faithful followers). They are “love, joy …” and seven more. Joy is the second character trait of Jesus that the Holy Spirit wants to develop in your life, and spiritual maturity produces that joy.   As we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians we need to always keep before us the main theme of this letter, which is “joy in Christ.” Every lesson Paul teaches in this letter is designed to increase the joy we experience as a result of our relationship with Jesus.   In this section of his letter Paul writes about how a maturing follower of Christ should live. What he’s referring to here, without actually using the term, is what theologians refer to as “The Doctrine of Sanctification”. “Sanctification” is a fifty-cent theological word that has a double meaning. It means “to set apart” and “to make holy.” So, in its fullest sense when you sanctify something you first set it apart and then you proceed to make it holy.   That’s us as followers of Jesus. In the moment we place our faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins we are “set apart” for God – we are separated out from the rest of the human race and adopted into God’s heavenly family. We have been “sanctified” – set apart for God the Father. And then from that moment on the rest of our lives are intended to be a process of becoming increasingly holy in thought, word, and deed. The actual process of sanctification is a lifelong transformation designed to make us more and more like Jesus.   And please don’t forget that it is a process and it is lifelong. It occurs little-by-little over a very long period. Until your dying day God will still be working on you. There’s an old saying in the Christian world that goes, “I’m not yet who I should be, but thank God I’m no longer who I used to be.” That should be true of all of us.   In Philippians 3:12 we find that Paul is using himself as an example of the point he is making. Even at this point in his life with Christ – as the famous Apostle Paul, he still had not arrived. He was still a work in progress.   Me too. You too. We all are. But the good news was that God was not done with Paul and He isn’t done with you or me either. There is more spiritual maturity to come and that means there is more joy to come because, spiritual maturity produces joy.   God bless, Pastor Jim   If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more.” Philippians 3:4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Pride comes before a fall”   Pridefulness is a joy-stealer. It is selfish and self-centered and results in a person being preoccupied with themselves. In Philippians 3:4-11 Paul has left his discussion about the dangers of legalism and what a joy-stealer that is, and he shifts his focus to the dangers of pride, and what a joy-stealer it can be. We humans tend to take pride in who we are and in what we have done, and that often leads us to the false assumption that those things – who we are and what we have accomplished, make us better than others and more acceptable to God. It’s a lie.   In Paul’s case he had about the most impressive pedigree a Jew of his day could have. He had been raised in a good Jewish home, he could trace his heritage back to Jacob’s youngest son Benjamin, he was educated and served as a Pharisee, and he was zealous in keeping the Law – to the point of obsession. But none of that made him righteous – instead it just made him mean. Paul, as the Pharisee Saul, was a fire-breathing fundamentalist who stormed around pronouncing judgment on others, breaking up Christian meetings, arresting the followers of Jesus, and even presiding over their executions. His religious fervor just made him a mean and angry man.   But Paul’s point here was that none of the things he just cited about himself made him acceptable in the eyes of God. His religious fervor didn’t, his great education didn’t, his professional achievements didn’t – there was nothing he was or had achieved that made him acceptable in God’s eyes. It was his faith in Christ that did it. Therefore, Paul considered everything else to be rubbish and unimportant by comparison to his faith in Christ.   At one time in Paul’s life all those things did matter to him – a lot. He was excessively proud of his Jewish heritage, and of his education, and of his professional achievements, and of his position as a Pharisee. And he did believe those things made him more acceptable in God’s eyes and better than everyone else. But they didn’t. It was a lie.   Your situation is probably different from Paul’s. Your credentials aren’t the same as his. You aren’t from the tribe of Benjamin. But you are from the USA, a “Christian” nation, right? How proud of you of that. Are you a better person and more acceptable to God because you were born in the USA instead of in Zimbabwe?   You probably weren’t raised in a strict Jewish home, but how about in a strict Christian home? Are you more pleasing and acceptable to God because your childhood home had a Bible and your family went to church?   Maybe you didn’t sit at the feet of the great Rabbi Gamaliel and receive the best education available to a Jewish boy in Paul’s day, but have you gone to college and do you have some degrees? Does your education make you better than anyone else and more acceptable to God? And maybe you haven’t been a Pharisee, but have you had some professional success of which you are proud of? You get the point.   Solomon taught in Proverbs 16:18 that pride comes before a fall. In other words, excessive pride sets us up for a fall. It did for Paul when he was Saul the Pharisee and it can have the same effect in your life and mine. Pride is dangerous and it is a joy-stealer.   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: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the (true) circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh …” Philippians 3:2-3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Watch out for those dogs”   Legalism is such a danger and such a joy-stealer that the Apostle Paul gave us an extensive teaching about it in the middle of his “letter of joy.” Clearly, legalism is something God wants us to avoid getting trapped in. So, let’s continue following Paul’s teaching about the issue:   Here in Philippians, and also in Galatians, Paul labels those who preach and teach legalistic doctrine as “dogs” and “evil workers” and “false teachers”. When he says that they “mutilate the flesh” he was referring to the fact that the Judaizers of his day insisted that Christian men had to be circumcised according to the Old Testament law. The foreskin of the penis had to be cut away in a bloody religious ritual that would symbolize that they really did belong to God. In Galatians Paul said he wished that those who taught such perverted lies would cut away all their own manhood entirely rather than just the foreskin.   When he says that “we” are the “true” circumcision what he is referring to is that the kind of circumcision that matters to God is spiritual circumcision, not physical circumcision. The physical cutting away of the male foreskin was intended to be a symbol for those Old Testament Jews that represented the cutting out of their lives any thought or activity that was in any way offensive to God. True circumcision is cutting sin out of our lives, not cutting skin away from our body. It is a spiritual act not a physical one.   The religious ritual of circumcision that the Judaizers were insisting upon for those Christians was not really any different in spirit from the horsehair shirts the Christians of the middle-ages used to wear; or crawling across the square on all fours like the woman in Mexico City was doing (discussed in earlier devotionals in this series); or the long lists of rules and regulations that some of our fundamentalist churches insist on today. It’s the same legalistic principle and as Paul was pointing out here, such practices are death to true joy and freedom in Christ.   For Paul, grace was primary. Grace was so important to him that he wrote about it more than once, defended it, even fought for it, and willingly suffered to promote it. Paul loved grace and he wanted it for others too.   False teachers who lead people away from grace and into legalism is such a problem that not only has Paul addressed it in other letters, but three times in this single verse he repeats the warning “watch out!” He is warning his readers to not be fooled by the false teachers. Don’t let others impose legalistic practices on you that go beyond what God Himself has clearly required of us in the Bible. Don’t let them steal your freedom and joy that comes to you through grace and as a gift from God.   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: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh …” Philippians 3:2-3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Embrace grace and live free in Christ”   At this point in his “letter of joy,” Paul continues his discussion about the dangers of legalism and what a joy-stealer it can be in our lives. Since Paul considered this to be such an important issue regarding our ability to fully embrace grace and live free in Christ, it should be that important to us too. So, let’s continue following along as he leads us in our thinking about it.   The reason legalism and all of its rules and regulations can sometimes seem appealing to people is because it takes all the thinking out of the practice of your faith. Legalism essentially provides you with a checklist of dos and don’ts. Then you can just go down the list checking them off and the thinking is that if you do enough of those things, then you will be pleasing and acceptable to God.   Living in grace on the other hand, is much harder. It requires spiritual maturity to be free from long lists of rules and regulations spelled out for you by other people, living instead by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to do it in a way that truly does honor Christ.     Some Christians engage in what we call “cheap grace.” Cheap grace is when a person abuses their freedom in Christ and uses it to live in a way that is contrary to Biblical principles. But they conclude it is safe and okay to do that because they’re saved anyway. And so, they profess faith in Christ but then engage in behaviors that are unbiblical, like a homosexual relationship. Or they profess faith in Christ but then have sex outside of marriage even though the Bible expressly forbids that. Or they cheat on their taxes, or any number of other behaviors that are clearly wrong. Those are examples of people abusing grace and treating it cheaply.   Spiritually mature Christians live according to Biblical principles and they do it simply out of love for Jesus.  Grace gives us the freedom to live free in Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Legalism, on the other hand, works to control behavior in a heavy-handed and authoritarian manner. That is the exact opposite of what Jesus intended.   Paul has a good deal more to say on this subject – too much for us to consider in a single daily devotional. So, we will pick this back up tomorrow. In the meantime, I urge you to embrace grace and live free in Christ!   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: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you.” Philippians 3:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Live free and joyfully”   Today is “Veteran’s Day” in the USA. It’s the day each year when we honor those who have ever served in the U.S. military and we thank them for their service to our great country. It’s because of their sacrifices that we enjoy the freedoms we do. So, if you have served in the armed forces, thank you for your service!   However, there is a freedom that is far greater than living in a democracy as we do. It’s the freedom that is found in Christ, and so this morning, I want to return us to our thinking from yesterday regarding the dangers of legalism as a potential joy-stealer.   Paul begins this passage by urging his readers to rejoice in the Lord. If we keep that statement in the context of what he writes here about the dangers of legalism, we realize that he is urging us to find our joy in Jesus alone and not in extreme acts of religious rituals like he is about to describe in the upcoming verses. He even goes on in this verse to remind them that he has written to them about this previously and he says that doing so (writing about it again), is for their protection. Obviously, Paul considered legalism to be a supreme danger and a guaranteed joy-stealer and therefore he wanted to circle back and address the issue again.   In all his letters when Paul warned about the dangers of legalism, he was almost always referring to the group known as “The Judaizers.” They were Jews who were professing Christians but who were hanging onto the laws of the Pharisees as well. They taught that to be a Christian you had to observe many of the old laws of the Pharisees too. The Judaizers are always portrayed as stern, demanding, critical, uptight, and very judgmental. They do not come across as relaxed and joyful.   That tends to be true of legalism in general. The primary difference between grace and legalism is that legalism teaches there are lots of rules and regulations and acts of self-denial we must engage in to be more acceptable to God. That’s a dark and heavy way to practice your faith. There’s not a lot of joy in that.   Grace leads us to freedom in Christ and a life of joy. Grace helps us understand that because of what Jesus did for us, we are already fully pleasing and acceptable to God. We then obey Him simply because we want to. We do it out of love. And with that kind of outlook, there is a great sense of freedom and joy.   I encourage you to choose grace over legalism and then learn to live free and joyfully in Christ.   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: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.” Philippians 3:2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Legalism is a joy-stealer”   Bible commentator Max Anders tells the story of how once when he was in Mexico City he went to the central square in the city to visit the great cathedrals which border the square. While he was there, he noticed a peasant woman on all fours, crawling across the square on hands and knees. The square was paved with cobblestones which were irregular in shape and with pointy sharp corners. So, the woman’s hands and knees were getting bruised and cut as she crawled along.   As she slowly made her way across the square to the entrance to one of the great cathedrals, she would periodically stop, rise-up on her knees, fold her hands, bow her head, and pray for a few moments. Then she would get back down on all fours and continue her long slow crawl across the square to the cathedral. It was an act of humiliation and penance on her part as she tried to prove to God how sorry she was for her sins.   You are probably sitting there thinking that it’s not necessary for people to do things like that in order to please God, and you would be right. 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins. It’s a matter of God’s grace and not some extreme measures we subject ourselves to. But legalism teaches Christians we have to engage in extreme acts of penance, sacrifice, and self-deprivation in order to please God.   That’s the subject Paul addresses here in the beginning of chapter three of his letter to the Philippians – this letter that is all about living free and joyfully in Christ. In the opening verses of this chapter, he refers to a group of religious legalists known as “The Judaizers.” They taught that in addition to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, Christian men also had to be circumcised according to the Jewish tradition or they were not really a Christian. Paul was cautioning his readers to reject such thinking. Salvation is found in Christ alone, by grace alone, and not by any additional actions, sacrifices, or rituals.   Sadly, we see modern-day versions of this legalism in parts of the Christian community today. When leaders promote and insist upon practices that go beyond what God Himself requires of us in the Bible – beware! It’s a form of legalism, it is unnecessary, and it is a guaranteed joy-stealer.   Righteousness in God’s eyes is a gift of grace that comes through faith in Christ alone. Beyond that, how to live a life that is pleasing to God is spelled out for us by Him, in the Bible. There is nothing more to it, and nothing less. Beware of legalism – it is a joy-stealer!   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: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor, because he came close to death for the work of Christ …” Philippians 2:29-30 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Living on the edge”   I once read a quote I like very much and which I have held onto. It was an editorial note in the “Every Man’s Bible” and it was about the man Paul was referring to in Philippians 2:29-30 – Epaphroditus. The editors said that one of the lessons we can learn from his example is to be willing to venture out of our comfort zones and even take some risks for the cause of Christ. For example, Epaphroditus was on the mission field with Paul (a courageous act in itself). Then he got seriously sick and almost died. But despite that, as soon as he was well again, he was ready for his next big adventure. In this case it was to travel to Philippi as Paul’s representative.   The quote was: “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” The editor’s point was that most of us are obsessed with our comfort and safety – to the point that we go to great lengths to avoid anything that takes us out of our comfort zones or which could be the least bit risky. Well, if you’re not living on the edge for Christ; if you’re not venturing out of your comfort zone and taking a few risks to be a blessing and encouragement to others; then in the opinion of the editors of the “Every Man Bible,” you’re taking up too much space. Get out there on the edge a little bit.   In these verses Paul said that people like Epaphroditus are deserving of honor and recognition. The world is quick to honor people who are beautiful, rich, powerful, and talented, but what kind of people should the church be quick to honor? It should be the people who go over and above for the cause of Christ. They’re the ones who are deserving of our recognition and honor.    Such people are also the ones who are making a difference with their lives. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to far-away places and doing dangerous things. But it does mean they are actively and intentionally on-mission with Jesus in the world. Paraphrasing the great church leader John Wesley, it means that the person is committed to doing all the good they can, for all the people they can, in all the ways they can, for as long as they can. This is a person who lives life large. This is a person who is committed to being a force for good for the cause of Christ. This is a person whose life makes a difference.   We get a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and joy when we know we are making a difference for the cause of Christ. So, don’t be timid. Be willing to live on the edge for Jesus.   God bless, Pastor Jim   If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”   Our Bible verse for today: “But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus – my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need – since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick.” Philippians 2:25-26 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Thank God for the encouragers”   I thank God for those with the gift of encouragement. Encouraging someone is one of the most impactful ways to bless a person and it is a major Biblical theme. The Bible is filled with encouraging verses, encouraging examples, and encouraging people. Barnabas has always been one of my favorite New Testament personalities. He was such a source of encouragement for others that the apostles gave him the nickname “The son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36).   Barnabas was such a good example of an encourager that Linda and I once owned a book company that we named after him, “The Barnabas Book Company.” Our motto was, “Encouraging books that will change your life.” I think encouragement is so important that in our church we keep blank encouragement notes in the pew-backs. The idea is for a person to write a note of encouragement to someone and place it in the offering plate. We then forward that encouraging note to the person for them.   In Philippians chapter two we read that Paul wanted to send his protégé and associate Timothy to the Philippians to check on them and to bring news to them – as well as to be a source of encouragement and blessing to them. But for some reason, Timothy wasn’t going to be able to make the trip right away. But that was okay because Paul had another man to send who would be an even bigger source of joy and encouragement for the Philippians – Epaphroditus.   In Philippians 2:25-28 we learn that Epaphroditus had been ill, almost to the point of death, and that the Philippians heard about it and were distressed by the news. But now he was better – well enough to even travel, and so Paul was going to send the news of his recovery to the Philippians by Epaphroditus himself. Evidently, they were only going to learn about his recovery when he walked through the door and delivered the news to them in person.   What a surprise that was going to be. You can picture the startled expressions and the people jumping up to happily greet him. They had been praying for him and for his recovery, and now the answer to their prayers walks through the door! What a time of joy and encouragement. Paul was probably chuckling with delight as he planned it.   Is there someone you can be a source of encouragement for today, someone you know who needs a shot of joy and encouragement?  Everyone needs to be encouraged. Everyone could use a little more joy. Be the source of that encouragement and joy for someone today.   I thank God for the encouragers in life!   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