Oak Hill Baptist Church

Train your habits

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Train your habits”

This morning I want to return to our discussion from yesterday regarding the habit of excellence and the important role it plays in preparing ourselves to effectively be the church out in the world. If we are going to be good ambassadors for Christ, we will first have to train ourselves in godliness as Paul refers to in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 above.

I wrote in yesterday’s devotional that excellence is a learned habit. That’s true, but it’s true of all habits. Habits, be they good or bad, are learned behaviors. But that also means that bad habits can be unlearned and replaced with new and better habits.

In his book “Resilience” former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, writing about the importance of habits in a letter to a friend, shared a helpful insight about the nature of habits and the impact they have on a life. He wrote: “Your life has a natural point of aim. It flies in the direction of your habits. To change the direction of your life, you have to reset your habits … You have enormous potential to create yourself … When a habit has become so ingrained that actions begin to flow from you without conscious thought or effort, then you have changed your character … If we are intentional about what we repeatedly do, we can practice who we want to become. And through practice, we can become who we want to be.”

I don’t think Greitens was intending to be Biblical when he shared that advice with his friend, but he was none-the-less. That was the exact point Paul was making to his young protégé Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 – we can train our habits in order to become the person we want to be. Our life will fly in the direction of our habits. Train yourself for godliness by practicing godly habits and over time you will transform into a godly person.

Training yourself to be optimistic instead of pessimistic is one of the habits that will lead to a godly life. Training yourself to control your emotions and to speak to others in a reasoned and respectful way is a godly trait that can be learned. Practicing excellence in the small things so that you will also be excellent in the big things is also a godly trait we can learn and develop. Although it is the Holy Spirit who transforms us, it is our habits that serve as the vehicle for that transformation.

If we are going to be the best for Jesus that we can be; if we are going to make a meaningful and effective difference in the world for the cause of Christ; we will have to train our habits so we can become that person.

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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Be excellent

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Be excellent”

When it comes to being the church out in the world our goal should be excellence. What I mean is that we should strive to do our best at whatever we are doing, and we should do so because as the Bible teaches, we are ultimately doing it all for Jesus. Our life is a gift from the Lord, and our ultimate and highest purpose is to be on-mission with Him in the world. Everything we do can be a way in which we bring glory to God, and it can then capture the attention of people, serving as a bridge or platform to then witness for Christ. Striving for excellence in all that we do is a way of being the church in the world. But excellence is a learned trait.

When I went to Navy bootcamp in 1971 I was a kid of seventeen with little self-discipline. So, imagine my shock when I discovered that I had to make my bunk with precision (with perfectly squared corners and sheets pulled so tight that a quarter would bounce off them.) There was also an exact spot on the floor that I had to stand at attention on, and my toes couldn’t be off by even a fraction of an inch. The tee shirts and boxers in my locker had to be folded to exact specifications (the drill instructor would actually use a ruler to measure the dimensions of the folded boxers to verify that I had done it exactly right).

At the time it all seemed thoroughly ridiculous to me and I thought it was an absurd waste of time. Later I realized that they weren’t really teaching me how to properly fold underwear. Instead, they were teaching me how to pay attention to detail and to strive for excellence, even in the small things. Because in order to achieve excellence in the big things you must first have the habit of being excellent in the small things. Excellence is not an exception reserved only for big and important matters; it is a prevailing attitude that characterizes how a person approaches life. A person who strives for excellence in the small things will also achieve excellence in the big things. Excellence is a habit. It is a way of life. It can be learned and it should be learned.

Remember what we have been learning this month about the character and nature of a spiritually mature and thriving Christian. That person perseveres; they are resilient; they are learning and growing; they are optimistic; they approach their tasks with enthusiasm and eagerness; and they are not content with being mediocre or average.

I encourage you to strive for excellence in all that you do. That doesn’t mean you need to be a perfectionist. But it does mean that you shouldn’t be willing to settle for less than your best. That’s what Paul was teaching in Colossians 3:23. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart because you’re doing it for the Lord. He deserves your best, and so do others. Let the observing world see you as someone who always gives their best.

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

Keep your fork, the best is yet to come

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: ““I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.” Ephesians 1:18-19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Keep your fork, the best is yet to come”

Do you love being a Christian? Does your faith bring you hope and joy and does that hope and joy shine forth to others in the way you speak and act? An important part of “being the church” out in the world is showing the world a faith that is so compelling that it should cause them to want what you have.

I once read a story about a woman who was buried with a fork in her hand. It’s true. As her friends came to view her body laid out in the casket they were surprised and confused to see a fork in her hand.

Later, in the sermon, the preacher explained that the fork was there at her request. You see, this fine lady had been a good Southern Baptist her entire life and she was a member of the First Baptist Church of the Covered Dish. They were famous for their potlucks, and if you’ve ever been to a Southern Baptist potluck, then you know that the best part is the dessert table. So, once the dishes are cleared away after the main course you “keep your fork” because “the best is yet to come.” For this woman the symbol of the fork was a reminder that even in death, “the best is yet to come” because she had the promise of heaven waiting for her. She lived with that hope and she then died with that hope – and she had fun with it in the process!

Christians must learn to live with joy and hope – with the expectation that the best is yet to come. That should be our attitude about eternity in heaven, but it should also be our attitude about all of life – and that should be true regardless of difficult circumstances and difficult people. Resilient Christians have great faith in the sovereignty, love, and goodness of God. They know that God is watching over them, guiding them, and fulfilling His good and perfect plan for them. Therefore, they live with hope and with the eager expectation of good things to come. That’s what Paul was saying in Ephesians 1:18-19. His prayer for his readers was that they would learn to live with hope.
In his book “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat” pastor John Ortberg writes, “Hope is the fuel that the human heart runs on … Hope includes all the psychological advantages of optimism, but it is rooted in something deeper.” He was writing about spiritual living. People who have learned to live with hope focus on more than just the issues of the moment. They have learned that with God there is always a higher purpose and there is always something more and better waiting for them. So, they have hope (optimism, but at a deeper level).

I encourage you to train yourself in the habit of being joyful and hopeful – and then show that to the world around you. Learn to live beyond optimism. God is good, all the time, and your future is bright, so, keep your fork, because the best is yet 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

On a mission from God

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “For when David had served God’s purposes in his own generation, he fell asleep …” Acts 13:36 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “On a mission from God”

One of my favorite movies from the 1980s was the comedy “The Blues Brothers”. It starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd and was about two hapless brothers, Jake and Elwood Blues. After being released from prison, Jake reunites with his little brother Elwood. Soon afterwards they learn that the Catholic orphanage where they were raised was in danger of being shut down because it owed $5000 in back taxes. So, Jake and Elwood decide they’re going to get their old band back together, “The Blues Brothers”, and they were going to raise the money by playing gigs in bars. Their much-repeated reason for doing so was “We’re on a mission from God.”

It was a funny movie but one which highlighted an important characteristic that is almost always true of committed Christians – they’re on a mission from God. Committed Christians have direction and purpose in life. They know who they are, they know what they’re doing, and they know why they’re doing it. A committed Christian has a reason for living and they know they are needed by others.

Having a worthy cause to be involved in is essential in all seasons of life. In Acts 13:36 we read about King David and how his life was characterized by purpose and direction. He was on a mission from God and he knew it. That sense of purpose and direction filled his days until his dying day, and it kept him going. It wasn’t until that purpose was fully fulfilled that God called him home to heaven.

We all need a reason for living that gets us out of bed in the morning and keeps us moving through life with eagerness and enthusiasm. It could be a call to vocational ministry; or it could be a career that you love and which is fulfilling and rewarding; or your purpose can be raising your children or being active in the lives of your grandchildren. It can be your ministry at church, or your involvement in civic organizations. The nature of the purpose will vary widely from individual to individual but the truth is still the same – we need to be needed. We need challenges in life and worthy causes to be involved in. It’s good for us.

A key to being a committed Christian who is on-mission with Jesus in this world is to have a sense of direction and purpose. If you don’t already have your own “mission from God”, I encourage you to get one. Regardless of the season of life you’re in, there are always many ways to be active and involved, making a difference for the cause of Christ and for the good of others.

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

Expect good things

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Expect good things”

There’s an old leadership principle used in both the military and in the corporate world which states, “Optimism is a force multiplier”. On the one hand, as we approach any situation, we must do our best to plan and prepare, and we should bring all the resources we have to bear on the situation. But it’s also vital to approach the situation optimistically, expecting a good outcome. A healthy dose of optimism multiplies your efforts and increases the impact of every other resource you bring to bear on the situation. Optimism is a force multiplier – in the military, in business, in the church, in the world, and in life.

A university once conducted a study regarding the long-term academic performance of incoming freshmen over the course of their four years in college. They discovered that an optimistic attitude about their studies was a much better indicator of academic performance than was SAT scores. Likewise, the American Heart Association conducted a study of men who had suffered similar kinds of heart attacks. They sought to determine which kinds of men were most likely to have long-term recovery and survival. They measured factors like improved diet and exercise, but they also evaluated attitudes. They discovered that those who were optimistic about their recovery prospects were 300 percent more likely to have good recovery and long-term survival.

As Christians, we must train ourselves to be optimistic. We must believe that Jesus is indeed building His church in this world, He is doing it through us, His mission will succeed regardless of the obstacles, and therefore we should display confidence and optimism because we know we are on the winning team.

To do this, optimistic Christians resolve to do their best in all situations, thereby ensuring that they have done their part to be successful. Then they also pray hard and seek guidance from the Bible and from other Christians. But once they have done those things, they then trust the Lord and they expect good outcomes. Pastor and author Gordon MacDonald once termed it “vital optimism.” He meant “vital” as in “urgent,” but also “vital” as in “alive, energetic, and thriving.” Optimistic Christians are alive, energetic, and thriving – briming with optimism and the expectation of good things to come.

Remember, how we think about things matters. We tend to attract to ourselves the outcomes we expect. I encourage you to train yourself to be optimistic. Expect good things because optimism is a force multiplier.

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

Feed your soul

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Feed your soul”

There can be no denying that we live in challenging times. That’s true for everyone, not just for Christians. We are a nation divided by deep political and social divisions; we have an economy that is struggling; crime is surging; the moral decline in our nation is significant and accelerating; and many people have lost faith in what should be our most trusted institutions.

While that’s all true for the population in general, for Christians the problem is magnified because we also have a God-given mandate to contend for and promote Biblical values in a society that is increasingly anti-Biblical and therefore anti-Christian. It’s a tough environment to live in and it can be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting.

As Christians we need spiritual healing and spiritual nurture, and then we need to help our unbelieving neighbors realize that spiritual healing is also what they need, and what our nation needs. Psalm 100:4-5 is one of many passages that describe what spiritual health looks and feels like – people who are able to give thanks, rejoice, praise, bless the Lord and others, take comfort in the truth that God is faithful and that His love endures forever, and doing so even when life is hard.

That is what we as Christians need to be experiencing in our own relationship with God, and it is what we need to show to the unbelieving world. That’s what will win people over – when they see us living with a sense of joy and celebration, with faithfulness and hope and trust in God – even in the midst of difficult circumstances all around us.

That sense of joy, thanksgiving, and faith is what we as Christians need to be known for, and cultivating that kind of spiritual health should be a major focus in our lives. For that reason, that will be the theme for our daily devotionals in September. We will spend the entire month thinking about how to feed our souls and cultivate a deep, rich, healthy relationship with God.

There’s an old song by the Christian music group “The News Boys” with a line that goes, “Show them what you got; make them wish that they were not; on the outside looking in.” Yes, that’s it precisely. Show them a faith that is so strong, so vital and dynamic, so fulfilling and attractive, that they want it too. You accomplish that by feeding your soul and keeping it healthy.

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

Feed your mind

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, what 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.” Philippians 4:8 (CSB)
Our thought for today: “Feed your mind”

When it comes to effectively being the church on-mission with Jesus out in this crazy, mixed-up world that we live in, it’s essential that we be thinking clearly and well. How we think will ultimately determine how we speak and act, so our thinking has to be right. We cannot allow our thinking to be controlled by fear or doubt, or by anger, bitterness, or extreme thoughts.

In his great little book, “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat” Pastor John Ortberg made the statement, “People are often astoundingly cavalier about the way they treat their minds.” He was writing about the truth that how we act is determined by how we think, and how we think is determined by what we feed our minds. But people are often very careless about taking care of the mind. We allow a lot of junk into it.

This is important because how you think creates your attitudes, shapes your emotions, and determines your behavior. Everything about you flows from your mind, and the condition of your mind is determined by what you put into it. Bad influences produce bad thoughts which produce bad behaviors. Positive influences produce positive thoughts which produce positive behaviors.

This brings us back to what we were discussing the other day regarding memorizing key verses of scripture that teach some aspect of being a spiritually mature Christian. Bring those scriptures to mind frequently so you can dwell on them, visualize them, and embed them deeply into your subconscious mind. Feed your mind on Biblical truth. Godly people are intentional about training and conditioning their minds to think in a way that will result in behaviors and outcomes that produce the kind of life God wants us to have. It all starts with how you think, and how you think is determined by what you put into your mind.

I encourage you to be careful and intentional about what you feed your mind. Choose influences that will help you to develop the perspectives and attitudes that will produce Biblical conduct.

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

Visualize it

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

Our thought for today: “Visualize it”

In order to effectively be the church out in the world, we need to visualize the kind of people God calls us to be in the Bible, and then see ourselves as those people. It’s a basic truth of human nature that over time we progressively become more and more like the image we hold of ourselves in our mind.

In his book, “Toughness Training for Life” Dr. James Loehr explains that this is a strategy commonly utilized by world class athletes to help them train for peak performance. It’s the training technique called “visualization”. It involves forming a picture in your mind of what it would look and feel like for you to be performing at your very best. Then you rehearse that scene over-and-over again, deeply embedding it into your subconscious mind. Then you train for that. You train yourself to perform at the level you have visualized. Visualization works just as well for average people like you and me. Here’s how to do it:

Select for yourself several Bible verses that are especially meaningful to you and which you would like to be true of you. For instance: Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Joshua 14:10-11 “Here I am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.” Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear (or timidity), but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” Joshua 1:9 “Haven’t I commanded you; be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Select several of the verses that you find most helpful and inspiring; write them down and then memorize them, repeating them to yourself over-and-over again; visualize yourself living and acting in the way described in those verses; then, when you’re faced with a difficult situation, pause, remember your memory verses and ask yourself, “How would I act in this situation if I was at my best?” Then act that way.

Visualization is a helpful and effective strategy to achieve behavior modification and to progressively become the best, most godly person you can be. Visualize yourself acting the way you would if you were at your best, and then act 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

Purpose and direction

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Purpose and direction”

In his book “Resilience: Hard-won wisdom for living a better life” former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens writes, “Resilience is distinct from mere survival, and more than mere endurance. Resilience is often endurance with direction. Where are you headed? Why are you going there?” What he means is that resilient people live with purpose. They live life large. They see it big and they approach it with eagerness and a strong sense of direction.

Joshua knew what his life was about. He knew where he was going and why he was going there. In Joshua 1:9 he was preparing to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. It was a big deal and there were lots of uncertainties associated with it. But God assured him that he could go forward into the future with courage and boldness because wherever he went, God would already be there waiting for him. God would go before him and prepare the way. He would be waiting for Joshua when he got there, and God would walk through the challenges with him, protecting him and providing for him. So, Joshua had no fear. He moved forward, did his part, and trusted God for the rest. He lived life large, with eagerness and gusto.

The same is true for us in these uncertain times that we live in. If we know who we are and what we are about, if we trust that God truly is sovereign and that He truly is good, then we can go forward into the future with confidence and courage. We do not need to fear what’s out there; we should not be defeatist about the future; and we should not have a bunker mentality that we need to shelter in place and shut out the world.

In your life you probably won’t have to lead an entire nation of wayward Jews to conquer a new land. I suspect your challenges will be something less than that. But the assurance of Joshua 1:9 applies to your life just as much as it did to Joshua’s. Whether your challenges are found on the job, or in the home, or in a ministry activity, God has gone before you into the future. He will be waiting for you when you arrive, and He will walk with you through whatever it is you have to deal with when you get there. And like Joshua, your goal is not just to get through it, not just to endure and survive, but to thrive.

Resilient people approach life with clear purpose and direction. They know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, where they are going, and why they are going there. They live life large with optimism, hope, purpose, and direction. Let’s be those people.

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

It’s more than what you do, it’s who you are

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s more than what you do, it’s who you are”

When we resolve to simply be the church in the world, individually and collectively, it’s more than just a matter of doing certain things, it’s a matter of who we are. “Being the church” is just us being who we are and living how we live because of who we are.

We find a Biblical example of that in the person of Joshua. Joshua lived as a slave in Egypt. He experienced the escape and the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. He was one of the spies sent to reconnoiter the Promised Land and he and Caleb were the only two who brought a good report and who encouraged the Israelites to trust the Lord and to go forward to occupy the land. Joshua then endured the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, and during that time he served as Moses’ right-hand man.

At the death of Moses, Joshua was selected by God to be the new leader of the nation of Israel. He then spent the rest of his life leading them as they occupied and settled the Promised Land. He was a good, strong, confident man who faithfully served God and the people through long years of hardship and challenge, and he consistently grew stronger and better as a result of it.

Now in Joshua 24:15, as he is nearing the end of his life, we find Joshua challenging the nation of Israel to continue following the Lord after he is gone. If you read the rest of the passage, you will find that the people were inspired by Joshua’s example and they responded positively to his challenge.

Joshua is an example of a man of steel and velvet (as discussed in a previous devotional in this series.) He was a man of courage and conviction, but also kind, compassionate, and humble. Also, he didn’t just persevere through hard times – he didn’t just stick with it and keep going, instead, he lived and learned and grew and thrived. He faced his challenges with strong faith in the Lord and with a determination to live well and victoriously no matter what he encountered.

For Joshua, living like that was simply a way of being. It was just who he was as a man of God. The people saw that in him and were inspired by it, and we today continue to be inspired by his story when we read it in the Bible.

That kind of resilience is a virtue we develop when we resolve to face our challenges with faith and determination and to use them as an opportunity to grow stronger and better. Over time it simply becomes a way of being. The way you live then, will be more because of who you are rather than just what you do.

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