Oak Hill Baptist Church

What kind of person are you becoming?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “What kind of person are you becoming?”

Here’s a question to consider: “What kind of a person are you in the process of becoming?” The fact is that we are all in the process of becoming someone different from who we have been. Living things do not remain static. Even if you do nothing, time will change you. The days will pass, your body will get older, your patterns of thinking will become more established, and the effects of your habits will accumulate and compound. Let me say it again, even if you do nothing, time will change you – either for good or bad.

Therefore, it’s imperative that we be proactive and incorporate into our lives practices and patterns of living that will have a net positive effect on us and which will help us to continue changing for the better. Sabbath rest helps to do that because it draws us closer to God. You can be as close to God as you want to be, but it will depend on how much time you choose to spend with Him.

As we’ve learned, Sabbath rest is rest with a redemptive purpose. It is rest that is specifically intended to be spiritually nurturing. The first and most important kind of Sabbath rest is periods of extended quiet time with God. But Sabbath rest can take other forms as well. It can include reading good Christian books (spiritual reading); it can include time spent listening to Christian music; it can include times of good fellowship with family and Christian friends; it can include playing and celebrating. As we’ve learned this month, there are many ways to rest, relax, and renew while keeping God as the central focus.

This morning I want to leave you with a question posed by Mark Buchanan in his great book “The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath”. Mark challenges us to ask ourselves, “Does the path I’m walking lead to a place I want to go? If I keep heading this way, will I like where I arrive?”

Another way to think of that is, “What kind of person are you in the process of becoming? If you continue doing what you’re doing, will you like the person you end up being?”

Sabbath rest is God’s gift to you. All of it – the permission to stop working, the liberty to play and to celebrate, the practices that bring about spiritual nurture, it’s all a gift from God. I encourage you to make the mindset of Sabbath rest a regular part of your life. It will change you for the better.

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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Feed your soul

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Feed your soul”

Have you heard the old saying, “If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.”? It means that if you don’t have a goal or objective, something to keep you focused and on track, then you will end up wherever you end up, good or bad.

As we have already learned, true Sabbath rest is rest with a spiritual purpose. It’s more than just resting your body it is renewing your soul. It involves physical, mental, emotional, and especially spiritual renewal. But that won’t happen automatically. If we aren’t intentional about it, we will end up frittering away the time we have set aside for renewal. Therefore, we should thoughtfully plan our Sabbath rest to ensure it will feed our soul. We need this. And if we aren’t intentional about planning it, the soul can be flooded with influences that are not positive, helpful, or renewing.

In Proverbs 4:23 Solomon issued an important word of caution regarding the critical role the heart plays in the quality and character of our lives. He says that the heart is the wellspring of life, meaning that the rest of life flows from the heart. Therefore, we have to guard the heart by controlling what is allowed into it. And if the heart has been polluted, then steps need to be taken to cleanse it.

Jesus spoke to this important truth on multiple occasions. In Luke 6:45 He told us, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” In other words, sooner or later whatever is in your heart will rise to the surface and show itself in words and deeds. So, you had better pay attention to what is allowed into your heart. Guard it.

As Brent Curtis and John Eldredge explain in their book “The Sacred Romance”, “Our heart is the key to the Christian life … Sadly, most of us watch the oil level in our car more carefully than we watch over the life of our heart.” It’s true – most of us pay much more attention to the external things of life than we do to the internal things of the heart. But God is more concerned about our inner life than our outer life because it’s the inner life that drives the outer life. That’s exactly what Solomon and Jesus were trying to get us to understand.

Sabbath rest, in all of its various manifestations, helps us to focus less on the externals of life and more on the internals of the heart. It is possible to reclaim a healthy heart-life by feeding your soul on the good things 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)

Don’t miss the romance

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t miss the romance”

How happy are you with your life? How content are you with the state of your relationship with God? Down deep do you sense that you were made for more than this?

You were, and you know it.

In 1997 John Eldredge and Brent Curtis published a book that changed the spiritual landscape for untold numbers of Christians. Like Henry Blackaby’s Bible study, “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”, and Richard Foster’s classic work “The Celebration of Discipline”, this book by Eldredge and Curtis provided insight and understanding about a deep relationship with God that became a game-changer for many of us.

The title of the book was “The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God.” In the book Eldredge and Curtis describe God as “The Great Romancer.” God is a lover at heart and His relationship with His people is one of an eternal romance – with God taking the lead. He calls to us and He woos us. He is always working to draw us to Himself and then, once we come to Him, He overwhelms us with His great love for us.

The true story of your life is the journey of your heart into a deep love relationship with God. The deeper and stronger that relationship is the more satisfied and content you will be. The weaker, more distant, and more superficial your relationship with God is, the less content you will be. There will be something missing in you at a very deep level and as a result nothing in this life will truly satisfy you.

This is where most of us are missing the boat in life. We’re looking for love in all the wrong places. We’re seeking fulfillment and satisfaction from the things of this world when in truth the only thing that will meet our deepest need is a rich love relationship with our Father in heaven.

Sabbath-rest helps us with this. Sabbath-rest (rest with a spiritual objective) places us in a position whereby God can have access to our full mind and heart. As we have learned this month, Sabbath-rest can and should include things like playing and recreation and celebration, but the primary and most important element is quiet time with God. This is the stuff of Psalm 46:10.

The Great Romancer, the One who loves you more than you can know, is calling to you. He is saying “Come and spend time with Me.” I encourage you to respond to the call.

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)

Experience the peace of God

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “My soul finds rest in God alone …” Psalm 62:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Experience the peace of God”

As I mentioned in the first devotional in this series, I’m on vacation for much of this month but I also wanted to continue sending daily devotionals as well. So, I decided to revisit some devotionals written in past years that pertain to resting, relaxing, and renewing, and simply retool them a bit rather than starting from scratch each day.

This morning I return to a devotional that was originally written more than five years ago, during another time of vacation. It’s a bitter/sweet memory for me because it’s about one of my many father/daughter trips with my daughter Tracy. At the time I originally wrote this, we didn’t know that Tracy had cancer and that in two years she would die from it. We miss her terribly but I am so deeply grateful for the special times like this that we had together. (I encourage you to savor and cherish the times you have with your loved ones. We never know when they will no longer be here.) Here’s that devotional:

“I had an interesting and enjoyable experience yesterday morning. It was an experience I’ve had many times before, but not so much recently. I’m on vacation right now and I began it with a trip to California to spend a few days with my daughter. Tracy is an adult but she is developmentally disabled, both physically and mentally, and therefore she requires a lot of assistance and attention. I always enjoy my time with her very much, but after several days of providing 24/7 care as we did some vacation activities together, I found myself a bit worn out. Beyond that, my flight home to Tennessee was delayed and I didn’t get home until 3:30 AM.

After about four hours of sleep I got up, grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat out back on the porch. There was a gentle breeze blowing, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I had nothing to do and nowhere to go. After four days of airports, rental cars, and caring for Tracy, now it was just me and God, along with the cool breeze, the singing birds, and coffee. There was a deep sense of relaxation and peace. I just sat there soaking-in the stillness and enjoying a great sense of God’s presence. It was deep and rich and very soothing.

Although I begin every day in quiet time with the Lord, almost always it’s with the awareness that I have a full day of responsibilities and activities waiting for me right on the other side of that quiet time. Therefore, there’s often a subtle sense of urgency underlying it all, and my time with the Lord isn’t entirely the thing of peace and spiritual nurture it should be.

However, when I allow myself time for true Sabbath-rest, when my schedule is free and I can therefore just sit with the Lord as long as I please, I can relax and just enjoy being with God. There are no pressing concerns, there are no distractions, it’s simply me and God, the soft breeze, the singing birds, the shining sun, and coffee.

My trip to be with Tracy was a gift and it was special, but it was also busy and stressful. My time with God was restful, relaxing, and renewing. Psalm 62:1 was very real for me that morning. My soul found peace and rest in God. I hope that’s sometimes true for you too. I encourage you to be intentional about carving out those relaxed, unhurried, peaceful times with 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)

Stop working so hard at playing

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, renew, relax”

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Stop working so hard at playing”

Gordan Dahl was a professor of economics at the University of San Diego. He once published an article in the magazine “The Christian Century” which reported his findings about the work and vacation habits of the average American worker. He wrote:

“In truth, for millions of Americans … leisure has come to mean little more than an ever more furious orgy of consumption. Whatever energies are left after working, are spent in pursuing pleasure with the help of an endless array of goods and service. This is “virtuous materialism” par excellence. It offers men the choice of either working themselves to death or consuming themselves to death – or both.”

What Dahl was referring to is the habit many of us have developed of being as busy in our leisure as we are in our work. Rather than really resting and renewing, we instead fill our leisure time with endless activities that leave us exhausted. We essentially work at our play. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone complain that they needed a rest after their vacation.

The great Christian writer A.W. Tozer once observed that we modern Christians have lost the ability to simply “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). We’re entirely too busy to be still.

As we’ve learned, there’s a lot to be said for playing and having fun and engaging in activities we enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s even good. But true Sabbath-rest also needs to include quiet times of inactivity. It needs to include what the Psalmist was writing about in Psalm 23:1-3, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

In order for Sabbath-rest to renew and restore – in order for it to be spiritually nurturing, it needs to include times of quiet inactivity. There needs to be time for reflection and just being still before the Lord.

I encourage you to stop working so hard at your play. Take some time to really rest.

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)

Rest and leisure are good for you

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Rest and leisure are good for you”

The Pharisees were confused about the true purpose of Sabbath-keeping. They thought God had commanded them to observe Sabbath for His sake, but in truth God established it for our sake. All of God’s commands are for our own good, and that includes the observance of Sabbath-worship and Sabbath-rest. God didn’t institute the practice of Sabbath-keeping because He needs it, but because we do.

As I was preparing to begin writing this series about resting, relaxing, and renewing, I was browsing through my library looking for source material and I came across a little book I read years ago called “Leisure: The Basis of Culture” by the German philosopher Josef Pieper.

Although Pieper himself was a Christian, and although his book is laced with Biblical themes and principles, it’s not exclusively a Christian book. Instead, it’s a study about leisure and culture and the positive impact a good philosophy of leisure has on any society.

In his research Pieper went all the way back to ancient times – even as far back as the times of Plato and Aristotle, comparing a society’s practice of leisure to the overall health of that society. What he discovered was that those societies that maintained a healthy balance between work and rest consistently fared better than those that overvalued the sphere of work.

In our culture today we tend to overvalue the world of work and we undervalue the need for real rest. As was noted in a previous devotional in this series, even when we do finally stop working and take time to “rest,” we don’t really rest. Instead, we end of working at our play and we come back from our vacation exhausted and in need of rest. (We will discuss this further tomorrow.)

The lesson Jesus was teaching in Mark 2:27 is that God instituted the practices of Sabbath-worship and Sabbath-rest for our benefit. Sabbath is a gift to us from God. In other words, you have God’s permission to rest. Actually, that’s not quite right either. God has commanded you to rest – and He did so because rest and leisure are good for you.

While it is true that a good work ethic is an important element for individual success in life, and collectively for a prosperous society as well, rest and leisure are needed as also, and we need a healthy balance of both.

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)

Take time to celebrate

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: ““Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” “Nehemiah 8:10 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Take time to celebrate”

Celebration is a spiritual discipline. It’s true. In Richard’s Foster’s classic work “The Celebration of Discipline” Foster lists “celebration” as one of the basic disciplines of the Christian faith. Along with things like prayer, Bible study, fellowship, worship, acts of service, etc., frequent times of celebration are an important part of practicing the Christian faith. Celebration is good for you and it should be part of your Sabbath-rest.

God’s people have a long history of engaging in fun times of celebration. For the Old Testament Jews their entire calendar revolved around a series of pre-planned annual festivals and celebrations. King David danced in the streets of Jerusalem as he led a parade. Jesus attended a wedding in the village of Cana and He even turned water into wine to assist with the celebration. The Christians in the early church in the book of Acts spent a lot of time in each other’s homes sharing meals and enjoying each other’s company.

As was noted in a previous devotional message in this series, the Bible refers to feasting, celebrating, and dancing more than 150 times. That’s because celebration is an important part of life as a child of God. After all, who has more to celebrate than those who are blessed by God and who have the promise of eternity in heaven?

As Richard Foster teaches in his book, celebration is actually a discipline that we are to practice for the sake of our spiritual growth. That being the case we have to be intentional about it. We need to plan for it and fully embrace it. I hesitate to use the phrase “party hearty,” simply because it carries a negative connotation from secular culture. But the phrase does seem to capture the essence of David dancing with reckless abandon in the streets of Jerusalem, or of Jesus letting loose a belly laugh as He enjoyed the festivities of the wedding celebration.

Sabbath-rest can and should include times of wholesome celebrations with family and friends. It should be fun and joyous. I encourage you to celebrate. Go ahead and party hearty!

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 okay to play

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.” Zechariah 8:5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: It’s okay to play”

As part of my vacation reading, I’m currently rereading a novel I originally read a few years ago called “The Circle” by Ted Dekker. It’s actually a series of fiction novels similar to “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis. However, it’s also similar to the “This Present Darkness” series by Frank Peretti because the story unfolds in two dimensions simultaneously. One dimension is the world as we know it and the other is similar to that of Lewis’s Narnia – and events in each world are directly tied to and influence events in the other world.

In Dekker’s Narnia-type world God is known as “Elyon”, and one of the things Elyon loves to do is to come out and play with His people (similar to how God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve). In the story, when Elyon calls His people to come out and play all sorts of wonderful and amazing things happen. For instance, for the length of their playtime the people discover that they can fly like birds. Elyon also makes waterfalls flow upside down, He turns the grass purple, He makes the water taste like cherry cool-aid, and much more. So of course, the people eagerly look forward to the times when Elyon calls them out to play.

Now, is the notion of God playing like that nothing more than a creative part of a silly fantasy story? I don’t think so. I think there’s some truth to it. I think God has a great sense of humor and I think He loves to play. It was God’s idea for a puppy to chase its tail. God was the one who created a baby’s smile and the cute little giggle that goes with it. Ice cream is a gift straight from heaven. God is playful and fun-loving and I also think He loves for us to play. The Bible refers to feasts and feasting, to dancing and celebrating, more than 150 times.

In his book, “The Christian at Play” author Robert Johnston makes the case that “The person at play is expressing his or her God-given nature.” In other words, God created us with a playful nature like His own and He intends for us to express it as a means of enjoyment and leisure.

Sometimes we adult Christians get too serious for our own good. We equate holiness with seriousness and we become a bunch of dull old fuddy-duddies. We need to lighten-up. It would do most of good to spend an hour sitting in a mud puddle splashing and playing with a three-year -old.

God created you with the ability to enjoy life and to have fun. It’s okay to play, so let’s have some fun.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

It’s more than just physical

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:8-11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s not just physical”

In Hebrews 4:8-11 the writer used the term “Sabbath rest.” Although the practice of Sabbath is taught directly or referred to more than 170 times in the Bible, and although resting as part of Sabbath is clearly taught, this is the only place in the Bible where the term “Sabbath rest” is used.

In this passage the writer reminds his readers of how it was that Joshua had led the nation of Israel into the Promised Land as they conquered their enemies, and they then had rest from their travels and from their battles. But it wasn’t enough. There was another deeper kind of rest which they needed. Being settled in permanent homes was nice; having time off from their labors was needed; and it was certainly a relief to finally be free from the constant conflict with their enemies; but God had something more in mind for their time of resting. There needed to be a spiritual dimension to it. In addition to being a time for physical rest, Sabbath-rest is a time of spiritual nurture and renewal.

There is a deep and direct connection inside of you between the physical and the spiritual. The physical and the spiritual impact each other. As we learned from our friend, the Old Testament prophet Elijah in a previous devotional message, if you are physically exhausted and emotionally drained you will also be spiritually weak and vulnerable. Likewise, if you are spiritually dry, that will have a direct impact on every other part of your life. Therefore, you need to take care of yourself physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and especially spiritually as well. “Sabbath rest,” as opposed to just “rest,” is rest with a spiritual objective.

In the days to come we will consider some ways that we can achieve both physical rest and spiritual nurture at the same time – and I’m not talking about weeks of seclusion in a monastery chanting ancient hymns with cloistered monks. You may be surprised to learn how much fun Sabbath-rest can be. There are many ways to relax, have fun, and to get spiritually recharged all at the same time. Resting, relaxing, and renewing is more than just physical. What actions will you take today to be renewed spiritually?

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)

Come apart and rest, or you might just come apart

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers. Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.” 1 Kings 19:4-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Come apart and rest, or you might just come apart”

Elijah was a mighty man of God who was often used by God in great ways. In 1 Kings 18:20-46 he confronted and defeated 450 prophets of Baal in a single spectacular contest on Mount Carmel. But then in 1 Kings 19:1 we find him running away in fear from the evil Queen Jezebel, and in verses 4-5 he just gives-up entirely and tells God that he wants to die.

What happened to Elijah? How did he go so quickly from being a bold, confident, mighty man of God confronting and defeating an army of pagan priests, to this whimpering and somewhat pathetic man who was ready to quit? Simple, he was spent. He was wiped-out. His emotional gas tank was empty. He was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. He needed time to rest and renew.

You may remember in a previous devotional in this series I made the statement that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap. Such was the case with Elijah in this scene. The saying, “You need to come apart and rest, or you might just come apart,” is very true and it applies to all of us.

Many of us push too hard for too long. We make excuses for not taking a break. We talk about all the work to be done, all the chores that must be completed, the people who depend on us, and on and on … But the fact is that if you don’t take a break, sooner or later you will end up like Elijah, out of gas and giving-up. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of other people.

Also, sometimes we allow other people or certain situations to suck the life out of us. Sometimes we become co-dependent on those people or situations. In other words, they become so much a part of our life that even though they’re killing us, we can’t seem to break ourselves loose from them, not even for a short while.

If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to continue taking care of the people and situations that need your care and attention. You have got to come apart and rest – or eventually you will simply come apart.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap.

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)