Oak Hill Baptist Church

Glimpses of heaven

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Heaven”

Our Bible verse for today: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Glimpses of heaven”

In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul was writing about the fact that right now, in our flesh, we can only get shadowy glimpses of spiritual realities, but not a clear view. Evidence of the spiritual realm is all around us, visible in the physical world, but only dimly and in traces. We are physical beings and our five senses have limited capacity for detecting spiritual realities.

But still, evidence of the spiritual realm is there and it is detectable. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote that rather than seeing things directly and clearly, we see only reflections, as if we were looking in a mirror. The King James Version uses the phrase “looking through a glass darkly.” The image is there but it is obscured.

The same is true of heaven. God gives us glimpses of heaven here on earth. It’s almost like “Coming Attractions” when you go to the movies. They show you a trailer, or a teaser, of an upcoming film to capture your interest and make you want to see the movie. The trailer isn’t the movie itself. It actually tells you very little about the movie, it just gives you a feel for what it will be like and it makes you want to experience the entire thing. That’s what God is doing when He gives us glimpses of heaven here on earth.

I have shared with you before this passage from the famous poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit around and pluck blackberries …

Earth is crammed with glimpses of heaven. God did that on purpose to provide us with a little preview of what we have waiting for us. To begin to understand what we have waiting for us then, we need to open our eyes and see what He is already showing us now. We will do that with these devotionals in the days to come.

One little glimpse of heaven we get now is when the people of God are gathered for worship on Sunday morning. Will you be there to see it? Will your eyes be open and will you appreciate what God is showing you? Church, done right, should be a little glimpse 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.
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Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Life is good

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Heaven”

Our Bible verse for today: “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 be gracious to you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Life is good”

I think Numbers 6:24-26 is one of the sweetest and most encouraging passages in the Bible. The words were originally given to Moses from God to speak over the people of Israel as a prayer of blessing. They are words of comfort and assurance and were intended to remind the people of how much God loves them and desires to bless their lives.

In 2020 the Christian singers Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes released a song based on this passage. It was called “The Blessing” and it quickly became a hit. My favorite version of the song is called “The New York Blessing.” It was released during the COVID 19 pandemic as a way of encouraging people and reminding them of God’s blessings – even in the middle of a pandemic. I encourage you to take a moment now to Google either version and listen to the song as a way of worshiping the Lord this morning.

The words of Numbers 6:24-26, and of the song “The Blessing,” remind us of an important truth – that God wants us to feel blessed and He wants us to enjoy life. Jesus also spoke to this truth in John 10:10 when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it in abundance.”

This helps us to better understand the dilemma we considered in yesterday’s devotional that we all want to go to heaven but most of us don’t want to go yet. It’s because life is good. We enjoy living and we want to continue doing so. And here’s the thing – that’s how God designed it. It was God’s idea for us to enjoy life. So much so, that he pours out His blessings upon us so we can enjoy life.

So, with that understanding, do you really think you should feel guilty about wanting to go to heaven eventually, but not quite yet? God Himself will decide when it’s time for you to go to heaven. Until then, He wants you to be blessed and He wants you to enjoy the life He has given you. Life is good and God wants you to enjoy 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

But do you want to go now?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Heaven”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ – which is far better – but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” Philippians 1:23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “But do you want to go now?”

Do you want to go to heaven? I’m sure you probably answered “yes”. But the next question is, “Do you want to go now?” I’m thinking you probably weren’t as quick to answer that one. The pious-sounding answer would be “Yes, of course. I want to go now.” But do you really? We all want to go to heaven – someday, but the truth is that most of us are not in a big hurry to get there. Most of us enjoy living and we would like to continue doing so for a while longer.

The country singer Kenny Chesney once sang an amusing little song about this. The title was “Everybody wants to go to heaven.” Here are some of the words:

“Everybody wants to go to heaven, have a mansion high above the clouds,
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.

Everybody wants to go to heaven; it beats the other place there ain’t no doubt;
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, Hallelujah, let me hear you shout;
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.
I think I speak for the crowd.”

I think he does too. I think he speaks for the crowd.

The song is funny, but there’s also a lot of truth to it. As we noted in yesterday’s devotional, God created us with a longing in our hearts to be with Him in heaven. But He has also created a beautiful earth for us to live in now, and He has filled life with lots of enjoyable experiences. Therefore, we all find ourselves wanting to go to heaven, but not yet.

However, don’t feel too guilty about that. There are some good reasons for this tension between wanting to go to heaven but not wanting to go now. Tomorrow we will give some thought to why that is and whether it’s okay to feel that way.

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

You were created for this

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Heaven”

Our Bible verse for today: “He has also put eternity in their hearts.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You were created for this”

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon revealed a crucial fact about being human – we were made for heaven. We were not primarily created for life on earth. We were created for eternity in heaven.

The Amplified Bible is an English language translation that includes all the English words necessary to capture the full meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek. This can make for disjointed sentence structure and awkward reading, but it does provide all the words necessary to capture the full meaning of the original language. In the Amplified Bible Ecclesiastes 3:11 reads: “… He has also planted eternity (a sense of divine purpose) in the human heart (a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God) …”

The divine purpose Solomon refers to in that verse is God’s desire for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. That’s what He created us for and that is why He designed an awareness of eternity into the human heart. There is a place in the human heart that’s reserved just for God. Nothing in all creation can occupy or fill that space except the Holy Spirit of God. That creates a longing in the human heart for God, and it explains why every civilization that has ever existed has always had a belief in the supernatural and they have all had a belief in God or in gods.

The early church father, Saint Augustine, once described it this way (in modern English): “You have created us for yourself, oh God, and our hearts are restless, searching, until we find our rest in you.” The 16^th century French philosopher Blaise Pascal expressed the same thought when he wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of man that can only be filled by God.” Life leads to death and then into eternity. And if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, that eternity will be in heaven with God.

But what is heaven, and what is it like? If that’s where we’re headed then we ought to know something about it. Therefore, we will make that the subject of our daily devotionals for this month. Although there is much about heaven that cannot be known now in this lifetime, the Bible does reveal much more about it than you might realize. We’ll spend our time this month discovering some of what God has revealed to us about it. You were created for heaven. So, let’s find out 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

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

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