Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Heaven”   Our Bible verse for today: “Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” Revelation 21:5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Words have meaning”   I want to emphasize again that words have meaning, and God chooses His words carefully, intentionally. The descriptive words and phrases He used in the Bible were chosen for a reason. They are intended by God to help us grasp a divine reality by relating it to something similar that we are already familiar with.     That’s true with respect to helping us gain some understanding of what our eternal existence will be like. When God describes the new heaven and the new earth, He does so by comparing them to the old heaven and the old earth. The understanding is that the new heaven and the new earth will be similar to the old heaven and the old earth but different, similar but better.   We see this all throughout the final chapters of the book of Revelation. In chapters twenty-one and twenty-two God used descriptive terms like walls, gates, cities, buildings, streets, dwellings, jewels, light, water, rivers, trees. In other places in both the Old and New Testaments we are given scenes of animals, such as lions and lambs existing peacefully. There are also descriptions of great feasts (a heavenly Hometown Buffet?), along with singing, dancing, and so much more. Those are all things we are already familiar with. Evidently the new heaven and the new earth will be similar but better.   Why would God consistently paint pictures of eternity for us that look amazingly like this life that we already know and enjoy, unless it was like this life that we already know and enjoy? In a previous devotional I joked about the line in the song that “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.” The reason that is true of us is because there is so much about this life that we enjoy, and we want to stay here as long as we can and continue enjoying it.   But what if life in eternity is like life on earth, only perfect? Maybe it will be a return to Eden, but Eden as it would have been if sin had never entered the world to begin with. What if sin had never entered the world, and Adam and Eve had been able to procreate and develop the world in a perfect state of fellowship with God? What would that have looked like after thousands of years of perfect development?   When sin is no more, and the effects of sin have all been washed away, and there is a new heaven and a new earth, will God’s highest form of creation (people) finally be back in Eden, or in an Eden-like eternity? I’m speculating here, of course, but words have meaning, and God chose His words carefully and intentionally. What might He be trying to tell us? We will think more about this 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 © 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: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” Revelation 21:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Similar but different”   It’s important to remember that when we speak of heaven there are two different heavens being referred to. There is heaven as it exists now, and then there is heaven as it will exist for eternity. Likewise, in the Bible there are two earths referred to. There is earth as we know it now, and then there will be a new earth that will exist for eternity and which will be closely tied to the new heaven. The current earth and the new earth, and the current heaven and the new heaven, are similar but different   In Revelation 21:1 the Apostle John reveals that when everything is said and done – in other words, when the rapture occurred, the seven-year tribulation unfolded, the second coming of Christ happened, the battle of Armageddon was fought and won, Satan was cast into the abyss for a thousand years, the saints reigned with Christ in the millennial kingdom on earth, and the Great White Throne Judgment was held – when all of that has happened, the age of human history will have finally drawn to a close. It is at that point that Jesus creates a new heaven and a new earth that will exist for all eternity, and that is where we will spend eternity – in a new heaven and a new earth.   There is a lot about the new heaven and the new earth that we cannot and will not understand until that day. In fact, I think we will spend the rest of eternity exploring and enjoying those new realities. But there are some things we can know now about what it will be like then, and we will spend the rest of this month considering what those things are.   For starters, we need to note that God chose to describe those two new realities as the new heaven and the new earth. Remember, words have meaning and God chooses His words carefully and intentionally. He could have told us that our eternal existence will be so new and so different that there simply are no human words to describe it. But He didn’t do that. Instead, He chose to use two words that already have meaning to us and which will help us to gain at least a limited understanding of what it will be like for us then. We do have some concept in our mind of what the intermediate heaven will is like (a paradise; in the presence of the Lord; each of us identifiable as the people we were in this life; etc.) And, we know what earth is like.   So, since God chose to use those two descriptive terms (heaven and earth) to help us gain some limited understanding of what eternity will be like, we need to consider the new heaven and the new earth in light of what we already know about the old heaven and the old earth. We will do that in the days to come.   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: “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I, myself!” Luke 24:39 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Will you be you in heaven?”   Will you be you in heaven? Buddhism teaches that the ultimate goal in the afterlife is for our lifeforce to be absorbed into the energy field of the universe and we cease to exist as an individual at all. That is supposedly Nirvana, ceasing to exist at all. Hinduism teaches that you will be reincarnated into a new life, based upon how you lived in this one. That could be good or bad, depending on how you lived. You could end up as a famous billionaire in the next life, or as a tadpole in a mud puddle … it all depends.   But intuitively I think we all know that there is life after death and that there is a heaven and it is good. And not only that, but we will continue to exist in a form in which we are identifiable as the person we were in this life. The Bible confirms this for us. As we read in Luke 24:39, the resurrected Jesus was visibly identifiable as the person He had been in this life.  Also, in Luke 16:19-31, Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar. They both died and went to their eternal destinies – the rich man to Hades and Lazarus to the intermediate heaven. Both were identifiable for who they had been in life, and Jesus even called Lazarus by name.   In Matthew 17:3, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the long-dead Moses and Elijah came back from the afterlife to make an appearance on earth to the human Jesus, and they were both clearly identifiable for who they had been in life. In 1 Samual 28:14, when the Old Testament King Saul consulted the witch of Endor and had her conjure up the spirit of Samuel so Saul could consult with him, Samuel too was identifiable for who he had been in life. And in 2 Samuel 12:23, when David was mourning the death of his infant son, he noted that although he would not see the baby again in this lifetime, he would see him one day in heaven (the implication was that he would know the baby for who he had been in this life.)   So, will you be you? Yes, you will be. You will be you and I will be me, and we will know each other. The other part of this good news is the fact which has already been considered in previous devotionals in this series, that by then we will all be perfected individuals, conformed to the image of Christ and transformed into the people God has always wanted us to be.   So, yes, you will be you and I will be me, and we will all know each other for who we were in this 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 © 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: “Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” John 12:24 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Give up who you are to become who you can be”   So, to continue our thinking from yesterday, how do we go from what we are to what we will one day be? How do these old corrupted aging physical bodies of ours morph from this, into that glorious resurrection body the Bible promises? It’s a process, similar to that of a caterpillar in a cocoon going through the process of metamorphosis and emerging as a beautiful butterfly.   In John 12:24 Jesus was describing, first and foremost, His own life and what was about to happen to Him. His physical body was going to die, go into the grave, and come out infused with new life (resurrection life). Then as the resurrected Christ, He would gather to Himself billions upon billions of followers who would spread out across the world and across the ages building the kingdom of God.   Jesus likened Himself to a kernel of wheat. If the kernel remains in the head of the stalk, it remains only that, a single kernel of wheat. But if it goes into the ground and dies, it becomes the source of new life for innumerable new stalks of grain which then go on to reproduce in like manner. Jesus then ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, but all those who have life through Him continue to reproduce spiritually, and the kingdom of God grows and grows. But it all happened because of a death and a rebirth. Jesus gave up what He was in order to become what He could be – what He was meant to be, the resurrected Christ.   The analogy doesn’t fit perfectly for us, but the general principle does apply – we have to give up what we are so we can become what we can be. It’s a process and it begins with dying to ourselves and surrendering fully to Christ. That results in a new spiritual birth that then leads to many things – including a life of service now; some period of time spent in the intermediate heaven; and it culminates in eternity with a new resurrection body. But it all begins with the dying to self and surrendering to Jesus. The old self has to die so there can be a new birth.   Have you done that? Your old self is dead in sin anyway. Let it go. Give your heart to Jesus and there will be a new birth; there will be new life – a resurrection in your heart. If you haven’t taken that step already, I encourage you to do so now because you have to give up who you are in order to become who you can be.   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: “… and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The intermediate heaven”   In yesterday’s devotional I had some fun with the cartoonish notion some people have of existence after death as a disembodied spirit with angel-like wings, sitting on a cloud, playing a harp. I noted that the Bible actually portrays our eternal body as being something like Jesus’ resurrection body, having both physical and spiritual qualities to it.   What I didn’t tell you is that the resurrection body is a future promise, not an immediate reality right after we die. The Bible describes two different heavens – heaven as it exists now, and heaven as it will exist after the end of time (the new heaven described in Revelation twenty-one.) The new heaven is created along with the new earth after the second coming of Christ and after Satan is defeated and banished to the pit of hell. We will get to that in future devotionals.   In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul was describing the time of Christ’s second coming, the rapture, and the rising of those who are already dead in Christ to meet Him in the air. As of that time the dead in Christ still have not received a resurrection body. That hasn’t happened yet. At that point they’re close to the time when the children of God receive resurrection bodies, but in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 they’re not quite there yet. So, what state have they been in up to that point? Was it a matter of wings and clouds and harps after all? Well, no. Not exactly.   If we take the time to piece together the evidence from Scripture chronologically, we discover that there are two states of existence for the believer after we leave this life. The first is what theologians call “the intermediate heaven” or “the intermediate state.” Paul spoke of this in 2 Corinthians 5:8 when he wrote that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The moment this body ceases to function your spirit is released from it and you are in the presence of Jesus. But it is as a disembodied spirit (although there is some indication in Scripture that even at this stage, although we won’t have a resurrection body yet, we may have some physical, or physical-like qualities. At the very least, we will be recognizable as the person we were in this lifetime.)   But the point is that in the intermediate heaven there are no resurrection bodies. That’s a promise for the future, as described in the final chapters of the book of Revelation. If you die before then, you will be in heaven, and it will be paradise, and it will be wonderful beyond your wildest dreams, but at that point you will be a disembodied spirit.   But don’t despair. It will be still be glorious; and that new body (minus the cellulite, thunder thighs, and highway hips,) is still going to be yours. You will just have to wait a little longer for it.    The intermediate heaven will be great. The new heaven and the new earth will be even better. But before we explore what the Bible reveals about eternity in the new heaven and the new earth, let’s think a little more about how this old physical body of ours will one day be changed into that new resurrection body in which we will spend eternity. We will do that 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 © 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 Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “That new body is sounding pretty good”   Did you enjoy reading that quote from Joni Eareckson Tada in yesterday’s devotional? Did you think it was kind of fun and even a little cute? I did too. So, let me share it again: “One day no more bulging middles or balding tops. No varicose veins or crow’s-feet. No more cellulite or support hose. Forget the thunder thighs and highway hips. Just a quick leapfrog over the tombstone and it’s the body you’ve always dreamed of. Fit and trim, smooth and sleek.”   Do you think maybe that’s just the wishful thinking of a woman who has spent decades as a quadriplegic and confined to a motorized wheelchair? It’s not. It is solidly Biblical. That quote came from Joni’s book “Heaven: Your Real Home,” and like Randy Alcorn’s book “Heaven,” it is based on truth from Scripture.   In Philippians 3:20-21 (above), Paul writes that Jesus will transform this lowly physical body of ours into a replica of His glorious resurrection body. And what was that resurrection body of Jesus’ like? The gospels reveal that it had both physical and spiritual qualities. His disciples could see Him, hear Him, and touch Him, and He even ate a piece of fish in their presence (Luke 24:36-43). But He could also appear and disappear in an instant, entering rooms through locked doors and solid walls (John 20:19); and he floated in the air as He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9). The resurrection body of Jesus was both physical and spiritual and Paul reveals that ours will be like that.   Does that sound far-fetched? Does it sound like maybe we’re reading too much meaning into the Scripture? Some Christians think of our eternal existence in a very cartoonish-fashion. They imagine themselves as an angel-like creature with wings, sitting on a cloud strumming a harp. Now that is far-fetched! And it does not come from Scripture.   Philippians 3:20-21 is just one passage that gives us some clues about what our eternal bodies will be like. There are others, and we will look at some of them in the days to come.   I don’t know about you but I’m tired of aching joints, a weak bladder, a bald head, and all the assorted assisted living devices, such as glasses and hearing aids that a body needs as it continues to age. I’m ready to be done with cellulite and highway hips. That new body is sounding pretty good!   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: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”      1 Corinthians 15:55 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Getting old isn’t for sissies.”   So far in this series we have learned several important truths regarding heaven and our journey towards it. First, heaven is real. Second, life is short. Third, eternity is long and so we had better be sure about where we’re going to spend it. Fourth, we all want to go to heaven, but most of us don’t want to go just yet.   Our natural human tendency is to fight death and to hold it off as long as we can. If we are successful in doing so, it means that we will live a long time in human years. Our life on earth, even if it lasts 80 or 90 years, is really just a blip on the radar screen of eternity but from the human perspective, it will have been a good long life. The downside is that as we get older our bodies deteriorate and we experience all the aches, pains, and disabilities of an aging body that is rapidly exceeding its “best if used by” date.   But that’s by design. God created our bodies to progressively fail so that the older we get, the less we’re going to like it. Here’s how Randy Alcorn explained it in his helpful book “Heaven”: “God uses suffering and impending death to unfasten us from earth and to set our minds on what lies beyond.” That being the case, it really is true then that getting old isn’t for sissies. If you are going to live long enough to get old then you had better prepare yourself for aching joints, a weak bladder, less hair on your head and more in your ears, and a whole host of assisted living devices such as eye glasses, hearing aids, walkers, and more.   As our bodies age, God is preparing us to leave the old failing physical body behind and to get ready for something new, something better. And what would that something better be? For one thing it will include a new eternal body to replace this old failing one. The Christian writer, Joni Eareckson Tada (who has spent most of her life as a quadriplegic) once described it this way: “One day no more bulging middles or balding tops. No varicose veins or crow’s-feet. No more cellulite or support hose. Forget the thunder thighs and highway hips. Just a quick leapfrog over the tombstone and it’s the body you’ve always dreamed of. Fit and trim, smooth and sleek.”   The picture the Bible paints of eternity in heaven looks remarkably like life on earth, but in a perfect way. That includes the body we will spend eternity in. That body will be a lot like this one, only perfect (we will think more about this tomorrow.)   As we’ve already discussed, most of us like this life on earth and we’re not very eager to give it up. So, what if life in heaven was actually like life on earth, only perfect? Hold that thought, 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 © 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: “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Life is short; eternity is long: we have to get this right”   Depending on which English language translation of the Bible you read, the word “heaven” appears between 500-600 times. Then there are the numerous general references to the afterlife that don’t specifically use the word “heaven”, such as Psalm 39:4-5. Altogether, there are many hundreds of verses and passages in the Bible which make it clear that there is more than just this life.   The reason we should be aware of the huge number of times heaven and the afterlife are mentioned in the Bible is because if God mentions something that many times, it must be important. It must mean that He wants us to “get it.” Life is short and eternity is a long; we are going to spend eternity somewhere and so we had better get this right. That’s why Jesus was so direct in John 14:6 when He said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”   Around the world, approximately 3 people die every second, 180 every minute, 11,000 every hour, 250,000 every day – all leaving this life and going off to spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Heaven and hell are real, and eternity hangs in the balance. This is serious business and we need to help people understand the implications of it.   In my opinion, one of the most important and helpful books about heaven that was ever written is “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn. In that book Randy methodically explores the many hundreds of references to heaven, and what we can learn from them. When those passages are all culled from Scripture and organized by category, it’s amazing to see the picture that God has painted for us. Talk about a glorious future! Heaven is amazing, and it is real, and God wants you to know that. So, in the Bible He has painted a beautiful and detailed picture of it.   We will spend the rest of this month looking closely at that picture. Life is short; eternity is long; it’s important for us to know for sure where we’re going to spend it and what it’s going to be like.   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: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3 (NASB)   Our thought for today: “You have Jesus’ word on it”   In these devotionals we have already learned that the sense that we will live forever, somewhere, is ingrained in the human heart. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us, God has designed us with eternity in our hearts. That’s why every civilization that has ever existed has always had a belief in the supernatural, and they have always had gods that they worshipped.   The Roman philosopher Seneca (not a Christian) wrote, “The day thou fearest as the last is the birthday of eternity.” What he meant was that the day of your death is actually your birthday in eternity. When you pass through the moment of death you are essentially leaving the womb of this lifetime and arriving in eternity. It’s as if this lifetime was your time in the womb that formed you and prepared you for life in eternity, and your moment of death is actually your moment of birth.   Humans have always known this, but it took Jesus to clearly explain it. In John 14:1-6 He tells us first that heaven is real and that when we get there, we will find that a special place in heaven has been prepared for each of us. And second, in John 14:6, He made it clear that there is only one path that leads from this life into heaven – faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins: “I am the way the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”   When Jesus said those words, He eliminated every other possibility. If those words of Jesus are true then it cannot be faith in any of the other gods of this world, nor can it be a matter of being a good enough person, or performing enough religious rituals, or giving money to charity, or anything else. If those words of Jesus are true, then it is faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins or you don’t get there.   Heaven is real, and faith in Jesus is the only way to get there. If you have placed your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins then your day of death is actually your birthday into eternity. It may be a day of mourning for those who loved us here on earth, but it’s a day of celebration in heaven.   This life is not all there is. You have Jesus’ word on it.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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

(Note: Very early Monday morning I have to take my sister to Chattanooga for open-heart surgery. For that reason, I’m sending you Monday’s devotional on Sunday evening. I would appreciate your prayers for my sister, Helen. This will be here second open-heart surgery in less than two years)   Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Heaven”   Our Bible verse of today: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Welcome to paradise”   Decades ago (when I used to watch television shows) there was a weekly drama series called “Fantasy Island.” It ran from 1977-1984 and it starred Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke and Herve Villachaize as his dwarf assistant Tattoo.” Fantasy Island was a beautiful but mysterious island in the South Pacific where guests would come to experience special adventures that would change their lives. It was a paradise setting that was intriguing and alluring. “Fantasy Island” was an entertaining show and each episode always ended with a positive uplifting outcome.   But the setting – the island – it was beautiful. It was a tropical paradise – the kind I have been fortunate enough to visit numerous times in places around the world. I love palm trees and sugar-white beaches with clear aqua-blue water and cool sea breezes. That’s one version of paradise in my mind. But I have others. I also love the mountains of my home in Tennessee, and peaceful country roads showcasing Fall colors viewed from the seat of my Harley Davidson motorcycle. And then there are the soaring peaks of the Andes Mountains in South America, shrouded in mist and looking down upon lush green valleys, 13,000 feet below.   What images of paradise do you hold in your mind? The dictionary defines “paradise” as “An ideal or idyllic place, beautiful to behold and where everything is as you would like it to be; utopia.” It is a place where your cares melt away and you are relaxed and deeply at peace.   As Jesus was dying on the cross, one of the thieves next to Him professed faith and asked Jesus to remember him in the afterlife. To that Jesus replied with the words found in Luke 23:43, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Why do you suppose Jesus chose to use the word “paradise”? He could have just told the man that today you will be with me in heaven. But that wouldn’t have communicated the same sense of beauty and peace.   Words have meaning, and Jesus chose His words carefully, intentionally. He knows that we know what a paradise is like. We all have images in our own heads, based upon our own experiences, of what a paradise looks like and feels like. That image in our heads helps us to gain some small understanding of what heaven will be like.   Do you want to experience a little bit of heaven this morning? Settle back in your chair; get an image in your mind of your fondest “paradise” memory; and then savor it. Remember what it looked like. Remember how it felt to be there. Allow yourself to experience again the sense of awe, and pleasure, and the deep feeling of relief and relaxation as all your cares and concerns melted away.   Then multiply that by about a gazillion times.   Welcome to paradise. Welcome to 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