Oak Hill Baptist Church

Back to the heart of God

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God because they will return to me with all their heart.” Jeremiah 27:7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Back to the heart of God”

Over the course of these two months that we have been devotionally thinking about deep discipleship, we have considered not only what deep discipleship is, but we have thought about many ways to engage in it. We have considered such activities as prayer, Bible study, Scripture memorization, worship, fellowship, and service. We have talked to God and we have listened to Him; we have sung songs and listened to songs; we have done for others and we have allowed others to do for us; we have sought God, and He has sought us.

So, what is the right way to engage in deep discipleship? What is the best way? Is it being active or is it being still? Is it talking to God or listening to God? Should we pray, or read the Bible, or read a Christian book, or listen to music? Is it best to be in a group or to be alone?

The answer is “yes” to all of them. Use all of those methods, along with any others that effectively enhance your time with God. And which ones should you use the most? The ones that work the best for you. The way I once heard it expressed is, “Do whatever brings you back to the heart of God.” Go for a hike alone in the woods; sit quietly on your porch; pray; read the Bible; read a Christian book; listen to music; dance. Do whatever it is that brings you back to the heart of God – and do it a lot.

There is no cookie-cutter answer. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to deep discipleship. There are basic elements that need to be included in everyone’s tool box of spiritual disciplines, such as prayer and Bible study and worship and fellowship – but where, when, which, how often, and with who, is a matter of what works best for you. It’s not a matter of how you engage in deep discipleship, but that you engage in deep discipleship.

So, experiment. Try different things. Find the ones that work best for you, and then do whatever it is that brings you back to the heart of 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

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Quiet confidence

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.” James 3:17-18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Quiet confidence”

In yesterday’s devotional I commented that sinners flocked to Jesus. There was something about His manner and demeanor, something about the love and grace that flowed from Him, that made people want to be near Him. And I challenged all of us to consider if that is also true of us. As disciples of Jesus are we like Jesus? Are struggling and hurting people attracted to us? Do they see us as a source of love, understanding, grace, compassion, and help?

There’s an article being circulated in some Christian circles recently that claims that Christians today are too nice. It comes from one of those internet sources that most people have never heard of, and it attempts to make the case that Christians should be angrier, louder, and more assertive. The implication is that if we’re not being loud and “not nice” then we are being weak and timid.

But I don’t think “being too nice” is the problem. I’m especially sure that is not the image most non-Christians have of the Christian community overall. It’s certainly not the caricature the media promotes. We do have to be active and vocal in the world; and we are to be on-mission with Jesus, engaged in the issues of the day. But how we do it is as important as that we do it.

Being calm, reasoned, patient, and kind does not equate to being weak, timid, and fearful. Jesus was calm, reasoned, patient, and kind but He most certainly was not weak, timid, or fearful. I have often compared the model Jesus set for us as being one of steel and velvet. He had an inner core of steel wrapped in an outer covering of velvet. He had firm uncompromising convictions, along with the capacity to treat lost, hurting, and struggling people with love, grace, compassion, and kindness.

I have come to think of such character as the quiet confidence that grows out of deep discipleship. When you are quietly confident, you don’t have to be loud and angry. When you are sure of yourself, you can then wade into the fray in control of your emotions and prepared to deal with people (even opponents) in a calm and reasoned manner.

When a person is becoming more and more like Christ it will be evident in their calm, confident manner. It is the quiet confidence that grows out of deep discipleship.

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

Do they feel that way about us?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him – she’s a sinner!” Luke 7:39 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Do they feel that way about us?”

In the scene in Luke 7:39, Jesus accepted an invitation to dine in the home of a Pharisee, one of the religious leaders. As they sat at the table eating, a local woman with a bad reputation enters the room and comes to Jesus, crying. She kneels in front of Him, kisses his feet, and anoints them with ointment.

It was a tender scene of humility, love, and repentance. The heart of Jesus melted for the woman, but the hardhearted Pharisee was repulsed. Jesus saw a broken woman in need of compassion; the Pharisee saw a sinner who deserved condemnation.

There was something about Jesus that caused sinners to flock to Him. Matthew and Zacchaeus, the tax collectors; Mary Magdalene, the demon-possessed woman; the Roman Centurion with the sick servant; this woman; and so many others. They seemed to sense that from Jesus they would receive grace, compassion, and forgiveness.

Over-and-over again, in scene after scene, we read of sinners flocking to Jesus – and He shows them grace and compassion as their lives are transformed. And over-and-over again, in scene after scene, we read of judgmental religious people like the Pharisees finding fault with them, and we get the feeling that the people were afraid of them and kept their distance.

How about us? Which picture best fits us? Are we kind, gracious, compassionate, and forgiving like Jesus? Are sinners comfortable being with us and do they sense that we are people who love them and want to help? Or, do we come across more like the Pharisee in this passage – hard, critical, and judgmental? Struggling, hurting, wayward people wanted to be with Jesus. Do they want to be with us? If we are His disciples and if we are learning to be more like Him, shouldn’t they feel about us like they felt about Him?

There is a story told about the famous Indian religious leader Mahatma Gandhi. This was during the days when the British Empire occupied and ruled over India. Most of the British soldiers and officers professed to be Christians, but they were brutal and cruel to the Indian people. When a reporter asked Gandhi why he and other Indians weren’t more open to becoming Christians he responded, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Sinners were eager to be with Jesus because they knew He loved them and would help them. Do they feel that way about 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

Even Jesus needed others

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month” Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am thirsty” John 19:28

Our thought for today: “Even Jesus needed others”

Many years ago, when I was beginning my career in ministry and I was just learning how to be a pastor, I was serving as a part-time associate pastor on the staff of a small church. I had a lot to learn. One of the things I struggled with was allowing others to do nice things for me. The people of the church were very kind and encouraging towards me as I learned the ropes of professional ministry, and they frequently spoke words of encouragement and gave me small gifts. But I struggled with receiving them.

Finally, one day my pastor’s wife took me aside, put her arm around my shoulder and said, “Jim, there is the grace of giving and then there is the grace of receiving. You are a great giver, Jim, but you are a lousy receiver. You need to learn to let people do things for you.” And she was right.

Even the human Jesus needed others to do things for Him. In Luke 8:1-3 we read that there was a group of well-to-do women who traveled with his group, preparing meals and doing other chores. They also paid the group’s ministry expenses out of their own funds. In Luke 10:38-42 we read of the woman Martha cooking supper for Jesus and waiting on Him. In Luke 7:38 we read of a woman washing the Lord’s dirty feet. And in John 19:28, as He hung on the cross dying, Jesus was thirsty and needed someone to get Him something to drink.

If even the human Jesus needed others to help Him and to do things for Him how much more must we? And if Jesus was humble enough to accept such help, we should be too. But often we’re not. Instead, we are prideful about it and we would rather do without rather than admit that we need help. But as we grow in Christ through deep discipleship, we come to realize how much we do need others, and we learn to accept their help graciously and thankfully.

One of the things I love about our church family at Oak Hill Baptist is the excellent caregiving that takes place. Everyone is alert for and sensitive to those in need, and there is a great deal of kindness and compassion evident all around. Also, we have all learned how to graciously allow others to bless us. Afterall, in order for there to be joyful givers there also have to be willing receivers.

Jesus modeled this for us in His own life. He needed others and He allowed them to do things for Him. We should 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

Reject the joy-stealer

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song.” Isaiah 12:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Reject the joy-stealer”

Going through life with a negative mindset is a killer. It’s a basic truth of human nature that we tend to attract to ourselves the things we allow our mind to dwell on. People who dwell on negative thoughts go through life downcast, dispirited, and depressed and as a result, they bring on themselves the negative experiences they believe are likely to happen. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Bible teaches us to be positive. As Isaiah expressed in Isaiah 12:2, God is our salvation; we are to trust in him and not be afraid; He is our strength; He is the song in our hearts. Therefore, we are to keep our thoughts focused on Him. A few chapters later, in Isaiah 26:3 we read, “You will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (NIV).

In Philippians 4:4 Paul urges us to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Then he goes on in 4:6-7 and writes, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Then in verse 8 he tells us how to achieve this, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.”

If you are a negative person, your default mode will be to view all of life from a negative perspective and consequently, your life will probably be filled with negative things. The good news is that you can change how you think. We are not helpless in this. We can train our minds to focus on the positive instead of the negative. We can trust that God is sovereign over all of life and that He loves us and has our best interests in mind.

Negativity is a joy-stealer and it degrades your quality of life. Reject it. Jesus wants a better life for you than that, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10.

Don’t let negativity steal your 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

On the other side of the crisis

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “On the other side of the crisis”

I know a man who survived the crash of a commercial jet. It was a horrifying experience as the plane fell out of the sky, crashed, and other people around him died. But he survived. He was injured and traumatized, but alive.

It took him years to work through the emotional trauma of that incident but as he did, he grew. He had a great appreciation for life and a determination to live it well. That young man went on to be the founder of a short-term mission agency and a leader in the world of short-term missions. He also founded a publishing company that specializes in printing and distributing mission-related literature. He was also the man who encouraged me to write my first book, “Bringing it Home: A Post-Trip Devotional Guide for International and Domestic Short-term Mission Teams.”

I have known other people who survived major health episodes, which then became life-altering events for them. The health crisis itself was a bad thing, but ultimately what came out of it was a good thing because the person gained a new appreciation for life, and they also ended up taking much better care of themselves.

One of my favorite leadership books is “Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success,” by John Maxwell. It’s all about taking hold of what seems to be a failure or misfortune in life, and turning it into something positive that results in making you better, stronger, and more successful as a result of having gone through the crisis.

The practice of deep discipleship teaches us how to use difficult and even tragic life experiences as a platform for growth. This is what James was teaching in James 1:2-4. Of such people Pastor Chuck Swindoll writes, “These are the most secure, genuinely humble, godly, gracious, and honest people one can imagine. But it took the desert (time in a crisis) to make them that way.”

If you are in a difficult season of life right now – a crisis of some sort or a particularly challenging time, I want you to know that there is life on the other side of the crisis. Use your time now to grow closer to the Lord. Lean on Him, rely on Him, learn from Him. He will bring you through it and you will be better and stronger once this is over.

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

Breathe in, breath out, move on

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Breathe in, breathe out, move on”

A couple of weeks ago in a daily devotional message I mentioned that my new book, “The End of Anxiety and Despair” was due to arrive from the printer that day. But it didn’t. There was about a ten-day delay in printing, but last Friday it was done and ready to be picked up. Unfortunately, when I saw the final product, I realized there was a problem. I had done a poor job of conceptualizing the format and design of the book and consequently, it was quite different from what I had envisioned.

But I didn’t say anything to the owner of the print shop. He’s such a nice man and this was not his fault. Additionally, the production of my book had created special problems for him (thus the ten-day delay) and he was very glad to be done with it. So, I simply smiled, accepted the book the way it was, and went home and pouted about it. Seriously, I was disappointed and depressed. I was moody with my wife, irritated with the dog, ticked off at the world in general, and I sat out on my front porch and sulked.

Then I decided to go for a walk. I streamed Sirus XM radio on my phone, put on my headphones, and purely by chance (?) one of my favorite Jimmy Buffet songs came on. The title is “Breathe in, breathe out, move on.” It’s all about taking life in stride, not making a big deal out of little deals, accepting minor disappointments with grace and good humor, and getting on with life. Breathe in, breathe out, move on.

As I listened, I started laughing at myself. What irony that I had just written a book about the end of anxiety and despair and here I was giving in to anxiety and despair because my book about anxiety and despair was causing me anxiety and despair.

Soon I was okay again. I realized that all I needed to do was call Steve on Monday morning, explain the problem, and he would fix it for me. And that is what happened. Steve was typically gracious and accommodating. We discussed some ways to improve the book and I brought it back to him. It really wasn’t that big of a deal after all. Or at least, it shouldn’t have been.

In Philippians 4:6-7 the Apostle Paul reminds us of the very truth I should have remembered when I had my little episode with the book – take life in stride, pray about things, trust them to God, and relax.

Breathe in, breathe out, move on.

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

Live out of your true abundance

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Live out of your true abundance”

I’m a blessed man. I get to do something I love for a living. I love being a pastor and I find my work spiritually rich and rewarding. True, it is also busy and demanding, sometimes stressful, but overall, it is a rich and rewarding experience. More than once over the years, when our treasurer handed me my paycheck I smiled and said, “All this fun and they pay me too? How lucky can a guy get?” I’m grateful that the church is able to pay me well, but I also realize that the paycheck is not the real payoff. It’s the spiritual blessing of the work that makes it such a rich and rewarding experience.

Sadly, not everyone can say that. Many people willingly accept decades in a stress-filled, demanding, all-consuming career that they don’t really like simply because it pays well. In their case they have succumbed to the allure of materialism and the mistaken belief that happiness is found in possessing material things – and the more you have the happier you will be.

But it just isn’t so. Jesus Himself told us so in Luke 12:15. Greed and materialism is a deceptive trap that consumes your life and slowly kills your soul. A good life is not measured by what fills your wallet, your bank account, your closet, or your garage. A good life is measured by what fills your heart. This is what the Apostle Paul meant in Galatians 5:22-23 when he told us about the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” If your heart, and therefore your life, is filled with those things, yours will be a truly blessed life and that will be true regardless of the size of our paycheck.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with earning a nice salary and having nice things. We just need to remember that spiritual riches are the true riches. That is our true abundance. We still need to work because we need an income. And we should work hard and well, but we must do so with the understanding that as a child of God and a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, our true wealth is spiritual not material. The abundance we need will be found in our heart not in our bank account.

I encourage you to focus your life first and foremost on your relationship with Christ. Then, live out of your true abundance – the spiritual riches that are yours 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

Protect yourself

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “You live in a world of deception. In their deception they refuse to know me.” Jeremiah 9:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Protect yourself”

In Jeremiah chapter nine God was using the prophet Jeremiah to warn His people that they lived in a world filled with deception and if they allowed themselves to be misled it would result in disaster for them.

Our world is at least as bad as theirs was, perhaps worse. We live in a culture today that resembles something out of bad science fiction. Not only have Biblical values and traditional time-honored standards of morality been dispensed with, but even our basic understanding of biology has been stood on its head. Boys will be girls and girls will be boys and cultural elites insist that you’re a narrow-minded bigot if you say otherwise. Even in some parts of the Christian community Biblical truth is being twisted, especially with respect to sexual ethics.

So, what do conscientious Christians do? How to we protect ourselves, our churches, and especially our children from being engulfed in, overwhelmed by, and eventually carried away with, the cultural deceptions?

Deep discipleship. That’s the answer.

Deep discipleship refers to committed Christians who are passionate about following the Lord Jesus Christ. These are Christians who are committed to learning sound doctrine and living by it. That’s accomplished by faithful consistent practice of the basic disciplines of the Christian faith like prayer, Bible study, worship, full participation in the life of a good church, fellowship with other Christians, and participation in acts of ministry that serve others.

In his book, “Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God” pastor John Piper wrote about the importance of raising children in a strong Christian home and community: “It is a great philosophical gift to grow up in a Bible-saturated home where the atmosphere of Scripture gets into your bones. In a hundred places one can sniff something foul before the irrational flow is obvious.”

That’s true for children raised in a Christian home, but the same truth applies to all Christians who are committed to deep discipleship. When you are immersed in Scripture, and Christian community, and sound doctrine, it gets into our bones – it is woven into the fiber of our being. Then, when you are exposed to the lies of the culture that are deceptive and misleading, you can sense it. Even if you can’t put your finger on what exactly is wrong with it, you just know deep inside that something isn’t right and therefore alarm bells are going off and you are on your guard.

This is why deep discipleship is so vital – it protects you from being deceived and misled.

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

More like Mary; less like Martha

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Luke 10:41-42 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “More like Mary; less like Martha”

For thousands of years Jesus’ story of Mary and Martha has been used in sermons, Bible lessons, and devotional messages to illustrate the difference between reflective contemplative people, and busy worker-type people. In this scene Jesus was visiting the sisters. Martha was in the kitchen fixing a meal and feeling stressed. Mary was sitting quietly just enjoying being with Jesus. Martha got frustrated with Mary for not helping in the kitchen and so she ends us snapping at both Martha and Jesus. The lesson is that sometimes we need to stop the busyness and just sit at the feet of Jesus.

We see in this story how distracted and off track we can become if we allow ourselves to get caught-up in busyness. It can result in our priorities becoming skewed and in losing sight of the things that matter most in life. A mindset of hurry, busyness, and frantic fussing distances us from the people around us and it steals our joy. We end up frustrated and anxious, banging pots and pans in the kitchen while missing the beauty and richness of the moment. It reminds me of something written by Pastor John Mark Comer in his book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” “All of my worst moments happen when I’m in a hurry.”

Another lesson for us here is found in the kindness of Jesus’ response to Martha. He wasn’t reprimanding her, not really. Instead, I think He was counseling and consoling her. This was His pastor’s heart speaking, urging her to take a deep breath and relax. Martha is the type who worries too much, and as a result, she spends a lot of time anxious and upset. To that Jesus says, “Relax, Martha. It’s okay.”

Martha needed to hear that. So do I. Maybe you do too.

The practice of deep discipleship teaches us to take a deep breath and relax. It causes us to slow down and sit at the feet of Jesus rather than bustling around in the kitchen, upset with our sister (or spouse, or kids), and banging pots and pans to express our irritation. Not only will the practice of taking a breath and taking a break calm us in the moment, but over the long-term, if that becomes our regular practice, that calmer and less anxious demeanor will become part of our character. Over time we will become a little more like Mary and a little less like Martha by nature.

Most of us worry and fuss too much. We would all benefit from becoming a little more like Mary, and a little less like Martha.

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