Oak Hill Baptist Church

Action and Attitude

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “But those who trust in the Lord, will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Action and Attitude”

As we end this month of devotionally thinking about effectively being the church in this messy world of ours, if I had to sum up what we have learned in just a single phrase I think it would be “Action and Attitude.” Effectively being the church is a matter of how we act and the attitude with which we do it. It is what we do, but also how we do it; it is what we say, as well as how we say it.

Also, as has been noted in previous devotionals, I think our example of living well and living joyfully in the middle of all the trials and challenges of life should be inspirational to the observing world and can cause them to want the faith that we have.

I love inspirational stories. They make me want to be better than I am. I especially love being around inspirational people. Reading an inspirational story is good, but watching it being lived out in real life is better. That’s one of the reasons I’m grateful God allowed me to have twelve years of friendship with my friend Tom, whose funeral I told you about last week. Tom lived large and lived well despite great challenges and serious disabilities.

It’s also why I’m grateful for the example I see lived out in my own home day-after-day by my wife Linda. It has been more than sixteen years since she had the stroke that rendered her seriously disabled. But they have been sixteen years of resilience, achievement, and victory for her. Hard years, yes, but good years. Tom and Linda are the kind of Christians who inspire believers and unbelievers alike to want to be stronger, better, and more resilient. We all need to be more like that.

In his book “You Gotta Keep Dancin’” Tim Hansel (who lived with daily debilitating pain) writes about others who have inspired him. He calls such people the “verbs” and “exclamation points” of life. In other words, they’re all action and attitude – despite the challenges they face. They’re people who, rather than sitting around complaining, rather than being victims of their circumstances, instead find ways to live life to the fullest, with vigor and gusto. And they have chosen to live that way. They have chosen to be a victor rather than a victim. They embrace their situation as it is, and they do what they have to do in order to live the fullest life they can under the circumstances as they are. As Tim wrote, “What a test adversity is. It can either destroy or build up, depending on our chosen response.”

I thank the Lord for the inspirational examples He has put into our lives like Tom and Tim and Linda, Christians who show the rest of us how to do this right. They truly are the verbs and exclamation points of life – all action and attitude as they live life to the fullest. That’s what the observing world needs to see from all of us as we go out there on-mission with Jesus, just being the Church in a hurting and confused world.

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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Act but don’t overreact

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains.” Matthew 24:6-7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Act but don’t overreact”

We live in unsettled times. We have just come through a worldwide pandemic; there is widespread political instability and social unrest in our nation; the economy is in the tank; and there is a rapid ideological drift to the left that’s taking us further and further away from Biblical principles. Our national dialogue is characterized by anger and bitterness, and the national mood is filled with fear, uncertainty, and pessimism. Into this setting the church must rise-up and be the church. We need strong and resilient Christians who can be involved in the problem without being part of the problem.

Matthew chapters twenty-four and twenty-five together constitute one long discourse in which Jesus tells the future. New Testament scholars have long debated the precise meanings and timings of many of the specific details contained in the discourse, but it is clear that Jesus was alerting His followers about trials and hardships they would face in future times. Some of it pertained to the coming destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (which did happen in A.D. 70). Some of it clearly refers to the times immediately before Jesus’ second coming. But much of it also seems to pertain to trials and tribulations the followers of Christ will have to be prepared to face over the hundreds and thousands of intervening years from the time Jesus said these things until His return.

The point for us today is found in verse six when He said, “See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet.” What He was saying there is the same thing we read in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus was telling us that we should not be surprised by or excessively alarmed about the unpleasant and difficult things that unfold in the world around us. As His followers we should remain calm and cool, reasoned and reasonable. That doesn’t mean that we can or should dismiss the importance of wars and famines, plagues and politics (or the plague of politics?). But we shouldn’t become overwrought about them either. We must recognize the situations for what they are, keep our heads about it, and then do what we can to be a positive force for good in the middle of it all.

Mature Christians who have confidence in Christ can be on-mission with Him in this messy world of ours without giving in to despair, fear, or anger. We act, but we don’t overreact.

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

We can handle this

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We can handle this”

Yesterday I told you about a joint research project involving the American Bible Society and the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program which proved that Christians who read their Bibles regularly and who are active in church are happier, healthier, and they handle tough times better than those who don’t do those things. Today I want to explain why that is going to be increasingly important in the months and years to come.

When it comes to being effectively on-mission with Jesus in a post-Christian culture there is a very helpful book I recommend to you. It is “Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World.” It was written by Dr. David VanDruenen, Professor of Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary in California. The premise of the book is that Christianity and Christian influence in the USA is suffering a similar fate as it did in Europe over the last three hundred years. At one time Christianity was the dominant social, cultural, and political influence in Europe, but not anymore. Today Christians in Europe live in largely secular societies that are either indifferent to Christian thought and values, or even in strong opposition to them. The same thing has been happening in the USA over the last fifty years.

In his book Dr. VanDruenen has both good and bad news for us. The bad news is that the favorable political and societal conditions that once existed in Europe and the USA for Christians were unique and not the norm, as depicted in the New Testament. Therefore, we should not expect such conditions to continue indefinitely for us. Dr. VanDruenen writes, “Therefore it is no surprise that the New Testament steers Christians away from staking very much upon government institutions. Christians may avail themselves of civil justice, pray for their civil authorities, and even exercise political office, but they should always keep the affairs of state in proper perspective. No affection Christians may feel toward their political communities can compare to their allegiance toward Christ’s heavenly kingdom.”

The bad news is that our society, like many before us, is slowly drifting further and further from God. But there’s good news too: “Christians do not need a new and special kind of political theology for life after Christendom. Rather, Scripture itself provides a political-theological vision perfectly suited for a post-Christendom world. The New Testament envisions Christians living in a world such as this and prepares them for it. Scripture equips Christians to understand and function within societies that will remain foreign and often hostile to them.”

The lesson? Just be the church. Don’t despair, don’t get frantic, all is not lost. Jesus is still on the throne, you are still saved, and Jesus will still be building His kingdom here on earth whether your political party wins the next election or not.

VanDruenen goes on to say that living well within such a world requires us to be actively engaged in the life of healthy church communities, and to remain aware of and resistant to the false, misleading, and deceitful influences of the society in which we find ourselves. But always with the goal of effectively witnessing for Christ, serving others in His name, and adding to the family of faith.

This is why it’s increasingly important for Christians to be faithfully involved in a strong church. I’m not suggesting that we should give-up on our country. Not at all. But I am saying we mustn’t be naïve about it either. We live in a fallen world, and it’s going to keep getting worse until Jesus returns. That being the case, as Christians, we need to stick together in order to be strong and resilient. As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, Christians who read their Bibles regularly and who are active in a good church tend to thrive regardless of the difficulties they face.

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

Jesus is the answer

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Jesus is the answer”

Jesus is the answer. That is all. Have a nice day.

Okay, wait, there’s more. When it comes to us being the church out in the world, we need to remember that Jesus is the answer. What the world needs is Jesus. He is the answer to all the world’s problems and therefore our job as the church, is to simply give them Jesus. If we lead people to faith in Christ and teach them to be His disciples, that right there will go a long way towards dealing with every other problem including broken families, addiction, sexual immorality, and all the other social ills in our society. Winning elections will not solve our problems – Jesus will. Getting the right legislation passed will not solve our problems – Jesus will. Winning arguments on Facebook will not solve our problems – Jesus will.

I addressed this issue in the sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church this past Sunday. If you missed it, I encourage you to go to our YouTube page and watch the worship service (the link is at the end of this devotional.) What the world really needs is Jesus, and it’s our job to tell them about Him.

I read a fascinating article a few years ago in Christianity Today magazine. The title was, “When COVID 19 Hurts, the Bible Brings Hope.” The subtitle was, “A new study shows scripture reading correlates with Harvard measures of human flourishing.”

The article was about how researchers from the American Bible Society teamed up with researchers from the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program to study what impact regular Bible reading and attending church had on Christians during a time of crisis and extended trials. What they discovered was something that some of the Harvard people may have found surprising, but which committed disciples of Christ have known for two thousand years – Bible reading and church-going make a person stronger, happier, healthier, and more resilient. The authors of the study wrote, “The evidence shows that Americans who actively engage with the Bible and in corporate worship score higher on every measure of human flourishing, including better mental and physical health and a deeper sense of character and virtue. They even have a greater sense of financial and material stability compared to those who don’t attend church or engage with the Bible.”

Additionally, Tyler VanderWeele, the Director of the Harvard program wrote, “The churches have an important and profound role in contributing to people’s well-being in general – and especially so during this time … People who attend church and read their Bibles tend to be happier, are less likely to commit suicide, and have a greater sense of purpose in their lives.”

In Matthew 4:4 we read of the time that Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the desert fasting and preparing Himself spiritually to begin his ministry on earth. At the end of that time, He was exhausted and famished. That’s when Satan showed up – at the very time He was weakest and most vulnerable. And that’s when Satan launched his attack. Jesus’ response is revealing and instructive. He informed Satan that although He was struggling physically, spiritually He was strong because He had fed His spirit on the words of God. Jesus then recited scripture from memory, He worshiped, and He drew His strength from God.

What the world needs is Jesus. He is the answer to society’s ills. When a person has a relationship with Jesus, they will also have the Holy Spirit in their life who will help them to be spiritually strong, and then they will be better able to face every other issue in life. It is our job as the church to get out there tell the world about Jesus.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Live a noble life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Live a noble life”

Yesterday I quoted the words of Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” I noted that the Psalmist had faith that he could turn to the Lord for help with whatever he was facing. And even if the Lord didn’t actually take away the difficult circumstances the writer was facing, He would enable the man to face his trials with strength and courage and to handle them in a noble and dignified manner.

I once had a friend and church member named Tom. As a relatively young man he had a major stroke which left him bedridden in a nursing home. They told him he would probably never be able to get out of that bed again. But he refused to accept that conclusion and immediately began working on his strength and mobility. Soon he was getting out of bed. They told him he would never be able to walk again. But he asked for a walker and some help, and soon he was slowly walking. They told him he would never be able to drive a car again. So, he taught himself how to drive. They told him he would never be able to work again. So, he went out and got a job.

Tom never gave-in to his disabilities nor did he give-up. He moved slowly, and he did use a walker, but that never stopped him. If the doors of the church were open, Tom drove himself to church (and he refused to park in the handicapped spots, “Leave those for someone who needs them” he would say). Instead, he parked on the other side of the parking lot and with his walker he slowly made his way across the parking lot and into the church. When I asked him why he did that he said, “Because the walk is good for me.” And whatever activity was going on at church, Tom found a way to be involved in it – from workdays, to mission projects, to mission trips. I’ve watched Tom slowly push his walker up and down the rows of pews, straightening the books and visitor’s cards in the pew backs. He has helped weed flower beds, pushing his walker with one hand and dragging a rake through a flower bed with the other. He has gone on mission trips.

Despite tremendous challenges and trials, Tom lived his life with strength and courage, with dignity and grace. His was a noble life. No whining and complaining. No excuses. And no victimhood. Tom was not a victim. Instead, he was an overcomer through Christ who enabled him to do all things. He just kept pushing forward, doing the best he could under the circumstances as they were. And why did he live that way? Because that’s what resilient Christians do. That’s how spiritually mature, determined Christians live.

I encourage you to resolve to live your life with courage and dignity and grace. Despite the challenges and trials you might be facing, you are not a victim. You are more than a conqueror through Christ who enables you to live victoriously in all circumstances. Resolve to live a noble 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

Reject the easy path of victimhood

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Reject the easy path of victimhood”

Too many Christians today have adopted an attitude of victimhood. Worse, many are angry in their victimhood. They are convinced that Christians are being treated unfairly, they’re mad about it, and they’re eager to proclaim it.

It is true that there is a good deal of opposition to Biblical values in our society today. And Christians are sometimes treated unfairly. But did Jesus teach us to act like victims – either as individuals or as the church? Instead, didn’t He warn us that if they persecuted Him, they will persecute us too (John 15:20)? And didn’t He also tell us to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33)? And didn’t He assure us that He will build His church and the gates of hell will not stop Him from doing so (Matthew 16:18)? And haven’t we been commanded by God to be bold and courageous, not weak or fearful (Joshua 1:9)?

But the easy path of victimhood can be appealing. We can use it to elicit sympathy, and we can also use it as an excuse to cover over our own failures. As Christians we are supposed to be on-mission in the world with the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of His Holy Spirit is alive and well within us. The Lord has empowered us to do what He has called us to do. But many Christians are not on-mission with Jesus. Many are too busy lamenting their victim status instead of just shrugging off the difficulties and opposition, and pushing forward with the kingdom-building work of our Lord. As the Church, we need to stop doing that. The easy path of victimhood is often used as a useful cover for not being about our Father’s business.

It’s much easier to sit around complaining about how unfair our world is than it is to get out there and feed the hungry, house the homeless, care for widows and orphans, and actually proclaim the Good News of the Gospel. Talk is easy and cheap. Actual ministry requires effort and sacrifice. (There will be more about this in the sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church this Sunday. See the YouTube link below to join us online).

As we learned in previous devotionals in this series, the proper attitude for us is one of calm, reasoned, assured confidence, as we boldly go forward into this messy world of ours furthering the cause of Christ by serving people and sharing the Gospel.

Whenever you begin to feel like a victim who is being treated unfairly, and you are tempted to give in to despair and anger, or disdain for your opponents, pause, and do what the Psalmist did in Psalm 121:1 – lift up your eyes to the Lord and remember where your help comes from. Then shrug off the difficulties and get on with your Father’s business in this world.

I urge you to reject the easy path of victimhood. We are not victims. We are children of the King conducting His business in this world.

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

We need emotionally intelligent Christians

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We need emotionally intelligent Christians”

“Emotional intelligence” is a concept developed by psychologist Daniel Goleman and published in his ground-breaking 1995 book by the same title.

It’s been common knowledge for much of human history that people with high IQs often do not do well in life. They’re very smart in terms of knowledge; they are quick-thinking and they have the ability to grasp complex concepts and to solve difficult problems. But often those same people seem to have little common sense, they sometimes have poor communication and relational skills, and therefore they struggle in life – sometimes tragically so. In his research Goleman discovered why that is – it’s the difference between intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence.

Goleman discovered that humans effectively have two minds – the rational mind and the emotional mind. The rational mind gathers and processes information and solves problems. The emotional mind governs feelings, moods, instincts, judgment, and decision-making. Emotional intelligence includes many of the factors that combine to create the spiritually mature individual we have been thinking about this month – the person with self-awareness, self-discipline, empathy, optimism, hope, compassion, trust, and faith. It’s the kind of knowledge and wisdom Solomon was writing about in Proverbs 2:6.

Emotional intelligence is a different way of being smart and it’s actually the more important of the two. People with high intellectual intelligence often flounder in life and consequently end up unhappy. People with high emotional intelligence may have modest IQs by comparison, but they do surprisingly well in life.

Would it surprise you to learn that God is more interested in your emotional intelligence than He is in your intellectual intelligence? Can you see the correlation between emotional intelligence and Biblical virtues?

Mature Christians have a high level of emotional intelligence and as a result, they tend to thrive in life. They are also a blessing to others and they are effective at helping to build the kingdom of God. We need more emotionally intelligent Christians, and here’s the good news: emotional intelligence can be learned and developed. This is what discipleship and spiritual growth achieves in us.

If we are going to effectively be the church out there is this very lost, very confused, very angry and contentious world, we will have to be mature, emotionally intelligent Christians who can do more than just recite Bible verses and complain about the things we don’t like. We will have to be bigger and better than that. For the Christian, emotional intelligence and spiritual maturity are essentially the same thing. I encourage us all to be emotionally intelligent Christians.

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

Hope gives us confidence

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be the church”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “Let’s go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!” Numbers 13:30 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Hope gives us confidence”

This morning I want to return to the topic we have explored in previous devotionals in this series regarding hope and optimism and the fact that hope is more than just optimism because it is rooted in something deeper. Optimism involves having a positive outlook and living with the expectation of good things to come. “Hope,” as used in the Bible, is one step beyond optimism because it is rooted in faith and trust in God.

Caleb and Joshua had that kind of hope. That’s what we read about in Numbers chapter thirteen. Twelve spies had been sent out by Moses to survey the Promised Land and to bring back a report. What they discovered was exactly what God had promised – it was a beautiful land filled with promise and great potential. It was everything God said it would be, and more. But there was a problem. The people living in the land were big and strong and well-armed. Ten of the spies returned afraid and unwilling to go forward. They said, “We seemed like grasshoppers compared to them!”

Caleb and Joshua saw the same thing, but from a different perspective. While the ten saw the challenge and they panicked, Caleb and Joshua saw the promise and they rejoiced. The ten were focused on the size of their enemies, Caleb and Joshua were focused on the size of their God. The ten had fear, Caleb and Joshua had hope – hope in the Biblical sense of strong faith and full trust in God. Theirs was the eager expectation of good things to come. It was optimism plus God.

Hope gives us confidence as we look to the future. Strong faith and full trust in God help us to see the promise rather than the problems. Strong, bold, faithful, resilient Christians live with hope and therefore with confidence.

Our world needs to see Christians approaching life optimistically and with hope because we have such deep faith and trust in God. As dark and ominous as circumstances can sometimes seem, if we truly do have strong faith and unquestioned trust in God then we will not give in to pessimism, doom, gloom, and despair. There is also no reason to be frantic, loud, and shrill. If God is sovereign over the affairs of men; and if we truly are on-mission with Jesus in the world blessing people and sharing the Good News; and if we really do believe that Jesus’ words are true and that He will build His church and the very gates of hell will not prevent Him from doing so; then we can and should engage our world with a positive sense of hope.

We live in tough times and there are big challenges in front of us, but God is bigger than our challenges. So, we can face the future with confidence and with the eager expectation of good things to come. Jesus is still on the throne, we are still saved, the victory is assured, and we are on the winning side. I encourage us all to act like 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

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

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