Hello everyone,   New Year’s greetings to everyone in the daily devotional reader groups.   As we close 2023 and begin a new year, I want to take a moment to thank you for being a faithful reader of the daily devotional messages. Writing them is a joy and a blessing for me, but it would be a pointless exercise were it not for you, the faithful readers.   I also want to thank you for your patience over this last month as I have had to suspend writing the messages in order to grieve and process the death of my wife Linda, on November 30th, and the death of my oldest son Rick, on December 19th. This has been a tragic and difficult time for me and my family, but during this time the presence of God has sustained us. That has been true spiritually, in our minds and hearts, but also physically as the Spirit of God has worked through the people of God in real and tangible ways to minister to us. You have been the hands and feet of Christ to us during this painful time and we love you even more for it.     The daily devotional messages will resume tomorrow, January 1st. In the meantime, my family and I wish you and yours a happy and blessed New Year. From myself, son Tom, daughter-in-law Liz, grandson Oliver, son Adam, Tori the dog and Kevin the cat, our prayer for you echoes the words of Moses found in Numbers 6:24-26:   “May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2023 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Hello everyone,   This is a short Christmas greeting to all of you my friends and faithful readers of the daily devotional messages. I would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord. May you and yours be richly blessed.   I would also like to thank you for your prayers and heartfelt expressions of concern for me and my family as we grieve the unexpected loss of my wife Linda, on November 30th, and our oldest son Rick, on December 19th. These weeks have been an especially difficult time for us, but God’s people have rallied around us with love, support, prayers, and assistance. Your ministry to us has made this easier to bear. Thank you.   I will begin writing the daily devotional messages again on Monday January 1st. We will spend the month of January exploring the important Biblical principle of sanctification. I look forward to learning and growing along with you as we do.   Again, Merry Christmas!   God bless, Pastor Jim

Good Morning everyone, Some of the readers of our daily devotional messages have asked for details regarding the funeral services for my wife Linda. Here is the schedule: The memorial service will be Tuesday December 5th at Oak Hill Baptist Church. 12:00-1:00 visitation 1:00 – Memorial service, with burial immediately following in the Oak Hill Cemetery. There will be refreshments in the Fellowship Hall following the burial. For those who would like to attend but cannot, the service can be viewed live on the Oak Hill Baptist Church YouTube channel beginning at 1:00 Central time. A link for that channel is provided below. God bless, Pastor Jim www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2023 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: “Heaven”   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 your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The First National Bank of Heaven”   I once heard a story about a father who wanted to teach his children a lesson about properly determining the real value of things. They lived in a nice house that they all loved; it was filled with lots of nice furniture, clothes, and toys; and they had a couple of dependable family vehicles. They had a nice life filled with nice things, and they all enjoyed it very much.   One day the father and the children piled into the car and he drove to an old neighborhood filled with abandoned homes. They parked in front of one such home and the father had the children discuss the families that may have lived in the home over the years. They imagined how nice the home had probably been at one time and how happy the family was to have had it. Then they drove to an automobile junk yard and gazed at all the junked cars and trucks. Again, they speculated on how nice those vehicles had once been and how much the owners might have enjoyed them. Then they went to the county landfill and gazed out upon the mountains of trash and garbage and junk. They saw old couches, and washing machines, and broken toys, and countless other items that had at one time been nice and new but which were now broken junk.   Then the father taught his children Jesus’ lesson from Matthew 6:19-21. Overtime, all the things of this world will get old, they will deteriorate, and ultimately, they will be nothing but junk. Physical things don’t last. But God is eternal, and heaven is eternal, and people – as spirit-beings, are also eternal.   When Jesus told us to store up treasure for ourselves in heaven, He was talking about rewards in heaven that we will receive based on how we conducted ourselves in this lifetime. He was teaching that there are things we can do now that will reap eternal rewards for us then. Every time we take an action that blesses God or other people, and which therefore has eternal value, it is noted by God. And according to Jesus in this parable, there will be some eternal benefit for us then because of what we did now. What exactly will those eternal benefits look like? He didn’t say. He simply said that there would be some.   Essentially, Jesus was teaching that you have an eternal bank account in the First National Bank of Heaven. Every time you do something of eternal value in this lifetime, a deposit is made in your account in heaven. Interest will accrue and the day will come when you get to draw on those eternal rewards. Again, what form those treasures in heaven will take we don’t know. Jesus didn’t say. But we do know that He would not have taught this parable and He would not have used this illustration of treasure in heaven that is accruing on our behalf now, if it were not so.   All of your discipleship activities; all of your service to others; all of your generosity for the sake of the kingdom of God; it all matters. All of it is noted, all of it makes a difference, and all of it will be rewarded. You have an account in your name in the First National Bank of Heaven.   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 © 2023 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Hello everyone, Unfortunately, I am going to have to take a short break from writing these daily devotional messages. But it will be short, probably just a couple of weeks.  On Monday, November 27th my wife Linda was diagnosed with COVID, pneumonia, and pleurisy. On Tuesday she was admitted to the hospital. By Wednesday I was told the disease was so severe and had spread so quickly that the doctors doubted she would survive. Less than 12 hours later, at 12:58 a.m. on Thursday, November 30th, Linda left this world and went to heaven. I was at her side when she did.  Her death was sudden and unexpected but my family and I are okay, Linda had been in declining health for many years and we had all (Linda included) prepared ourselves spiritually and emotionally for this day. We already miss her terribly, but the Lord is providing strength and comfort for us, especially through His wonderful people, who have surrounded us with love and care.  Linda was my life partner for 47 years (since I was 22 years old.) Therefore, the days, weeks, and months ahead will be a time of big adjustments for me. I intend to take a little time off but I will quickly return to my ministry as the Pastor of Oak Hill Baptist, and to writing these daily devotional messages.  Before Linda got so sick on Monday, I had already written the final devotional in our series on heaven. I will send that to you this morning. (Of course, as I have been writing about this theme all month, I had no idea that the month would end with Linda being in heaven.)  Please be looking for the next series of devotional messages in just a few weeks. In the meantime, my family and I would appreciate your prayers.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2023 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: “Heaven”   Our Bible verse for today: “For we (believers will be called to account and) must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad (that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives – the use or misuse of his time, opportunities, and abilities). 2 Corinthians 5:10 (Amplified Bible)   Our thought for today: “There will be rewards in heaven”   Yes, there will be rewards in heaven. Jesus Himself taught that truth in in the Sermon on the Mount when he promised “great is your reward in heaven (MT 5:10). In Matthew 6: 19-20 He encouraged us to lay up treasure for ourselves in heaven.   In 2 Corinthians 5:10, the Apostle Paul taught that one day we believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ so that our deeds and discipleship habits can be evaluated and rewarded accordingly. (The translators of the Amplified Bible did a good job of drawing out this truth by including all the English words necessary to capture the full meaning of the original Greek.)   In his classic work, “The Doctrine of Salvation,” Dr. Darrell Robinson offers a great illustration of how this might work. He writes: “Believers will enter heaven as the same persons but as transformed persons to realize God’s true purpose for His children. The persons we are at death or at the second coming of Christ we will continue to be in heaven. This life is the time for developing Christlikeness in character. All of God’s children will be true children of God and will share the same eternal life, but we will not be of the same spiritual stature.”   Robinson goes on, “Capacity for God and for spiritual experience is an important factor for life in heaven. Maturing in Christlikeness is central in our developing a capacity for enjoyment in heaven. A Bible professor illustrated this point by comparing the Christian life to containers. One person, having developed in Christian maturity, has become like a gallon container. Another has developed a life like a pint container. In heaven each will be filled to overflowing. Each fully enjoys heaven to his capacity for spiritual appreciation.”   “Each fully enjoys heaven to his capacity for spiritual appreciation” – they just have vastly different capacities. We can certainly see the truth of that illustration now, in this lifetime. We all know Christians who are very spiritually mature and who seem to have great spiritual capacity; and we know others of whom that is less true. Christians span the spectrum of spiritual maturity, and their capacity to appreciate and enjoy spiritual things varies greatly, so why would that not be true in heaven as well? I agree with Dr. Robinson, I believe one of the rewards we experience in heaven is that we get to fully enjoy the spiritual capacity we developed in this lifetime.   Tomorrow we will explore this idea of rewards in heaven a little further by considering something very revealing that Jesus said about this.   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 © 2023 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: “Heaven”   Our Bible verse for today: “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.” Matthew 22:30 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Will we be married in heaven?”   There’s a humorous song from the 1970s that tells the story of a young man and his girlfriend involved in an increasingly passionate moment. The young man’s passions are getting the better of him and he’s eager to take the relationship to the next level. But suddenly the girlfriend declares, “Stop right there! Before we go any further, I need to know, “Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Will you make me your wife, for the rest of your life? Will you love me till the end of time?” The young man struggles with his answers but the girl holds her ground until finally, the young man insists he will indeed love her till the end of time.   The song then picks up many years later with the now older man singing about decades of misery married to a woman he can’t stand. But he was a man of his word and he kept his vow to stay married “till the end of time.” So now in this part of the song he’s singing, “I promised to love you till the end time …, so now I’m praying for the end of time, so I can end my time with you!!!”   That man would have probably appreciated Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:30 that in heaven there is no marriage. However, this is a greatly misunderstood passage. In it, Jesus does not teach that our relationship with our spouse ceases to exist in heaven. Only that marriage, as we understand it here on earth, no longer exists. The intent of the marriage relationship in this lifetime was first and foremost for the purposes of procreation. Second, it served to establish guardrails for appropriate sexual relations. Third, it created a family structure divinely designed to promote strong families. In heaven, none of that is needed any longer.   But that does not mean that we won’t be with our spouses. As we have already seen in previous devotionals in this series, in eternity we will still be our unique individual selves; we will still know each other; and we will all be there together. In heaven God doesn’t replace the best things of earth, He makes them better – He makes them perfect. So, it only makes sense that He would bless us with a continuation of our most important relationships here on earth – only now perfected. All of those family and friends who mattered to us most on earth and who were are Christians, will be there with us in heaven. That includes our Christian husband or wife.   I pray for the end of time too, because it’s going to be great. But unlike the man singing that song, I’m looking forward to spending eternity with the one I spent this life with.   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 © 2023 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: “Heaven”   Our Bible verse for today: “On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well.” John 2:1-2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “A good old Jewish wedding”   Have you ever been to a Jewish wedding? I have not, but I’ve seen many of them depicted in movies, and I’ve read descriptions of them in books. Evidently, they’re a riot of fun and laughter. In addition to all the food and drink, family and friends, teasing and joking, there’s also lots of music, singing, and dancing. That’s true of most wedding receptions in all cultures, but Jewish weddings are especially known for being rowdy and rambunctious. The people party with enthusiasm and gusto.   Jesus went to weddings. He was a Jewish man and so I’m sure He fit right in and conducted Himself in appropriate fashion. In John 2:1-11 He even contributed to the festivities of a wedding by performing His first miracle and turning water into wine so the party could continue.   In my office at church, I have hanging on the wall my favorite picture of Jesus. It’s a pencil sketch entitled “Jesus Laughing”. It pictures Jesus with His head back with a big grin on His face, and He’s letting loose with a big belly laugh – clearly having Himself a good time. I think that’s an accurate depiction of the real Jesus. I think He was very Jewish and I think He enjoyed life and a good celebration right along with the best of them.   I also think that’s a picture of heaven. I believe the feasts and celebrating in heaven are going to be like a big Jewish wedding. I love the thought of that and I’m looking forward to it very much. I also think that the gatherings of God’s people now, here on earth, should be pictures of that. That’s one of the things I love about our fellowship events at church. There is food and fun, teasing and joking, and lots of laughing.   If the parties in heaven are like Jewish weddings on earth, we’re in for a lot of fun. In fact, if they’re like Southern Baptist potlucks we’ll be doing pretty good too!   God bless, Pastor Jim     (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2023 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: “Heaven”   Our Bible verse for today: “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.” Isaiah 25:6 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Feasting gives us a taste of heaven”   The Bible gives us hundreds of examples of God’s people gathering for feasting and celebrating, both now in this lifetime and in eternity. In the reference above, from Isaiah 25:6, the prophet was picturing a time in the future, when the kingdom of God has been fully established. Almighty God Himself prepares a great feast for “all people,” evidently gathered from across the world and across the ages. This is eternity and it is similar to the scene we find depicted in Matthew 22 and Revelation 19.   In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus painted a picture of God sending out messengers far and wide to bring people from all places and all walks of life into the great banquet hall to participate in the feasting and celebrating. Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:29 tell us that the people at the feast in that day are from the north and south, the east and the west. In others words, they come from everywhere. And to model that for us, in Luke 15:27-31 we find Jesus participating in such a feast and doing so with people the religious leaders considered to be “tax collectors and sinners”.   My point here is that feasting and celebrating by the people of God, in this lifetime and in eternity, is a well-established Biblical tradition, and it is done for many reasons. For one thing, God loves to see His children happy and joyful, celebrating, and enjoying all the good gifts and bountiful provisions He has so generously provided. But also, such joyful times of celebrating and feasting are a glimpse of heaven. When we gather like that now, we are acting out what will be true for us then.   This Sunday the people of Oak Hill Baptist Church will gather after the morning service for a time of feasting and celebrating. It will be a post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas potluck lunch complete with ham, turkey, chicken and dumplings, and all the sides, fixings, and desserts that are always present at such church feasts. It will be a fun time of feasting and fellowship. If you are close to Cumberland County Tennessee, please join us! Sunday school is at 9:00, the worship service will begin at 10:00, and the feast will be at 11:00. It will be a little taste of heaven.   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 © 2023 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: “Heaven”   Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:1-6 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Forever thankful”   I love Psalm 23. Of all the Psalms, this is my favorite. It paints a beautiful picture – told from the perspective of an individual sheep, of his or her personal experience of being well cared for by a kind, loving, and attentive shepherd. It speaks of provision, protection, guidance, peace, and renewal.   I also love the fact that the picture ends by extending the scene into eternity. Not only is the Lord my Shepherd now in this lifetime, but He continues to love me and care for me as we dwell together forever in heaven. The Psalm provides great comfort now and a bright promise for the future. We should be forever thankful.   On this Thanksgiving Day my family and I wish you and your family a happy and blessed Thanksgiving celebration. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34)   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 © 2023 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571