Oak Hill Baptist Church

Do you know God in an experiential way?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent – Jesus Christ.” John 17:3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Do you know God in an experiential way?”

This morning we will continue our thinking from yesterday about the fact that the most important learning we can engage in is getting to know God better. That is without question the most important and helpful lifelong learning process there is and it is the thing the Christian should desire above all else.

In their excellent book “Recalibrate Your Life: Navigating Transitions with Purpose and Hope,” Kenneth Boa and Jenny Abel explain that periodically each of us needs to assess where we are in our relationship with God and “recalibrate” as needed in order to better nurture and grow in that relationship. The object is to really know God, but not just in the sense of knowing about Him. Instead, we are to “know” God in an experiential way – learning to know Him and interact with Him as a person. This is so much more than just accumulating information and knowing things about Him. It is getting to know Him as the most real person in your life.

Referring to the actual meaning of the Greek word used for “know” in John 17:3, the authors note, “From this verse we see that knowing God is not merely propositional and theological but personal and devotional. The greatest treasure a person can own is increasing intimacy with the living Lord of all creation.” That’s what it means to “know” God, and that has always been God’s desire. He has always wanted this kind of a relationship with His people. More than 600 years before Jesus spoke the words in John 17:3 God said this through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah:

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me …” Jeremiah 9:23

In terms of lifelong learning, nothing is more important than learning to know God in an experiential way – as the most real person in your 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)

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Nothing matters more

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instructions! Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart.” Psalm 119:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Nothing matters more”

Lifelong learning can take many forms and involve many things. As was noted in a previous devotional in this series, it can be driven by a general sense of curiosity about things and a desire to know more about them. It can come from a sense of adventure and wanderlust that leads you to travel and explore the world. It can come from an interest in people and a desire to learn about them, their culture, their interests, and their lives. Lifelong learning can involve studying a new subject, learning another language, developing new skills, or starting a new hobby – and we will consider some of those things in the weeks to come. There is also value in learning just for the sake of learning.

But as we discussed yesterday, the most important kind of lifelong learning for the Christian is the learning that develops Biblical wisdom and which results in spiritual maturity. Nothing matters more than this. No learning is more important than growing in our understanding of God and in our relationship with Him.

That brings us back to our devotional series from last month about learning to hear from God. Developing that deep, intimate, conversational relationship with God is the most important, most valuable, and most helpful learning you will ever engage in. The more committed you are to developing that relationship and the more time and effort you devote to it, the more wisdom you will acquire. This is what Solomon meant in Proverbs 4:7 when he said that wisdom is supreme and therefore above all else, get wisdom. Developing that kind of relationship with God is more important than learning Spanish, traveling to Nepal, honing your golf game, or enrolling in Gardening 101 at your local community college.

But it requires commitment and intentionality. It requires time and effort. You have to want it and you have to go get it. Perhaps a good first step in a renewed commitment to being a lifelong learner would be to go back and review the entire set of devotionals from last month (I will gladly send them to you), and maybe even complete the Bible study “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God.” Doing that would go a long way towards helping you to learn to engage with God in the five ways He most commonly speaks to us.

Of all the lifelong learning we can commit ourselves too, nothing matters more than becoming wiser in the ways 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)

Commitment precedes knowledge

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Commitment precedes knowledge”

Before we move on to some of the methods and techniques that can be employed in our quest for lifelong learning, we need to spend a little more time thinking about the key factor of desire. As was noted yesterday, if you want it, you will have to go get it. We have to be intentional about being lifelong learners, especially as it pertains to our spiritual growth.

Lifelong learning for the Christian is first and foremost about becoming wise in the ways of God and applying that wisdom in our lives in a manner that honors God and which benefits ourselves and others. In all the world there is no person more inspiring, encouraging, or helpful than the mature Christian who has grown wise in the ways of the Lord.

Recently, authors Kenneth Boa and Jenny Abel published an interesting and helpful book with the title “Recalibrate Your Life: Navigating Transitions with Purpose and Hope.” One section of the book is designed to help us rethink our God-given purpose for each season of life. Life unfolds in seasons and that often involves a shift in purpose and a change in activities. It requires a commitment to go where God leads and to do what God wants for us in this new season. 2 Chronicles 16:9 reminds us that it pleases God when our desire is for our lives to be wholeheartedly focused on him and committed to His will, and He is actively looking for such people. He is looking for those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.

With respect to the issue of gaining Biblical wisdom (knowledge rightly applied) the authors offer this helpful reminder: “Commitment precedes knowledge.” In other words, when your heart is right, the Lord will show you what you need to know.

If you want wisdom, first seek the Lord with all your heart. He is looking for the heart that is yearning for Him. This is the starting place for being a lifelong learner who is in the process of becoming Biblically wise.

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)

If you want it, you will have to go get it

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “If you want it, you’ll have to go get it”

Lifelong learning in the Biblical sense is about acquiring wisdom not just knowledge. Knowledge is essentially the accumulation of facts; wisdom is the ability to apply what you know in a way that honors God and which makes a positive difference for you and for others. As the Proverb says, wisdom is supreme therefore get wisdom.

I’ve mentioned many times that my favorite inspirational life lessons book (after the Bible), is “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews. It’s the fictional story of a man named David Ponder whose life is a train wreck and he doesn’t know what to do about it. In a dream God takes David on a trip through time, meeting historical figures along the way, and learning an important life lesson from each of them. This eventually results in seven key commitments that will alter the course of his life, giving him purpose and direction.

At one stop through time David has an encounter with King Solomon – the wisest man of his time and the writer of the book of Proverbs. From Solomon, David learned that a key to success in life is to seek wisdom. “Seeking” wisdom means a determined and diligent effort, day-by-day, to do the things necessary to become wise. The life lesson to be learned about wisdom is, “Wisdom waits to be gathered. I will seek her out. My reading, listening, and choice of association will serve to make me wise. Wisdom is a gift to the diligent.”

Throughout this month we will think about how it is that study, reading, listening, and choice of association can all serve to help develop wisdom in us. But this morning I want us to focus on the intentionality of it. In Proverbs 4:7 Solomon told us to “get wisdom.” In other words, you have to want it and then you have to go get it. You have to do the things every day that will serve to develop wisdom in you.

Let me say it again: You have to want it, then you have to go get it. Wisdom waits to be gathered but wisdom is a gift to the diligent, to those who will seek her out. We will think more about this tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

This is why we should desire lifelong learning

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “This is why we should desire lifelong learning”

Before we delve into the mechanics of lifelong learning, it will be helpful to consider why we should want it to begin with and what it is leading us to. Although there are many good reasons to be a lifelong learner, including career enhancement, developing new skills, keeping your brain strong and healthy, and more, I believe there are two reasons that are more important than the others.

One of those reasons was expressed nicely and musically by Jimmy Buffet when he sang “I’d rather die while I’m living than live while I’m dead.” In other words, life is better when we live it fully. Too many people shuffle through life bored and without direction. It’s as if they’re just trudging along to the grave, one step after another – just enduring life and getting through it. But an attitude of lifelong learning helps to keep us interested in life, focused and fresh. On the day I die I want to still be living fully.

But for the Christian there’s a more important reason to be a lifelong learner and it is expressed for us by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 (above). There he describes what he called “the fruit of the Spirit.” These are attributes of Jesus that the Holy Spirit works to develop and bring out in us. The more we learn and grow in terms of knowledge and life experience (Biblical knowledge and godly living), the more we are transformed into the image of Jesus. In other words, those attributes of Jesus progressively come to be true of us. This is what lifelong learning and continuous growth results in for the Christian. You become more like Jesus. That’s the ultimate goal.

There are many good reasons to be a lifelong learner, and we will discuss some of them this month. But for the Christian the two most important are to become more like Jesus, and to be fully and enthusiastically engaged in life, living every day as the gift from God that it is. An attitude of lifelong learning will help to ensure that is true of you.

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)

Let’s encourage and build each other up

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Let’s encourage and build each other up”

This morning I want to take us back to the first devotional in this series where I described my own journey to becoming a lifelong learner. I went from being a troubled child who struggled with learning to someone with college degrees, a career as a naval officer, and then another as a pastor.

But let me be clear, there’s no boasting in that story. Left to myself, I would have spent a lifetime struggling and believing myself to be dumb and inadequate. My life turned out differently entirely as a result of the influential people God kept putting in my path. The Lord was guiding me and directing me even when I didn’t know it and even when I wasn’t honoring Him with my life. He kept bringing people into my life who cared about me, encouraged me, and inspired me. They were people who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.

Whether we’re talking about the division officer on my first ship who encouraged me to earn my high school diploma, or my wife who talked me into taking my first college courses, or the professor who counseled me not to quit just because the courses were hard, or those who led me to Christ, or my mentors in ministry, or the co-worker who encouraged me to write my first book, or a dozen other key influential people along the way, any success I’ve had can be attributed to them and their positive influences. I thank God for the influential people He has blessed me with all throughout my life. Without them, my life would have turned out very differently.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1 Paul tells us to be intentional about encouraging one another and to build each other up. He writes that because this is something we all need. All of us need to be encouraged and built up by others. We need people in our lives who believe in us and who will spur us on to bigger and better things. I encourage you to ask God to bring such people into your life.

No matter who you are or what stage of life you are in, we all need people to encourage us, build us up, and to help us to keep moving forward. Do you have such people in your life? And, are you such a person in someone else’s life? Let’s encourage and build each other up.

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)

Life is a grand adventure

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “He awakens me each morning; he awakens my ear to listen like those being instructed.” Isaiah 50:4b (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Life is a grand adventure”

I know a man who is a morning person on steroids. He admits that as he wakes up his eyes open, he says “Good Morning” to the Lord, and then he pops out of bed like a piece of toast popping out of a toaster – eager to embrace the new day and to get going.

He immediately goes to his time with the Lord in prayer, Bible reading, and devotionals as he listens to what the Lord has to say to him as he begins his day. Then, he prayerfully writes out his schedule or “to-do list” for the day, asking the Holy Spirit to establish his priorities for him.

My friend is one of those people who approaches life with a sense of curiosity and wonder. To him the world is fascinating and people are interesting. He loves to explore, discuss, read, and learn. With that mindset, each day becomes a new adventure with untold possibilities, and that helps us to understand why he pops out of bed like a piece of toast. He’s eager to get at it and see what the Lord has waiting for him today.

Now, you may not be a morning person. And if you live with someone like my friend, you might sometimes think it’s grounds for justifiable homicide. Maybe you need a little more time to get your motor warmed up and running but still, there’s much to be admired about my friend’s approach to life. Each new day is an opportunity to explore new things, meet new people, and learn things you didn’t know the day before. The Christian life truly is an adventure and there is much about the world, about life, and about other people that God wants to show you.

Popping out of bed like a piece of toast might not be your thing, but approaching life with a sense of curiosity, wonder, and awe should be – along with a strong desire to learn and to grow. And if that is not the way you approach life, I encourage you to make it a matter of prayer and ask God to help you see life as the grand adventure it is. Each new day is a gift of life. I encourage you to embrace it, enjoy it, and get the most out of 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)

Never stop learning

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “I pursue the way of your commands, for you broaden my understanding.” Psalm 119:32 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Never stop learning”

As a child I was a terrible student in school and from an early age I came to believe I was stupid. Second grade was the hardest two years of my life. That’s right, “two” years. I failed the first time and had to repeat second grade. That meant that for the rest of my years in grade-school I was always a year older than the other kids and everyone always knew why. Worse still, from second-grade on, my brother (who was a year younger than me), was always in the same grade as I was and he was a good student while I continued to struggle.

Finally, I gave up. I quit high school partway through the 10^th grade and joined the Navy. Then, when I got to bootcamp around all those other guys from all those other places, I discovered that virtually everyone else was smarter than me – and I hated that. Fortunately, early in my time in the Navy, I had a division officer who took an interest in me and he encouraged me to enroll in the G.E.D. high school diploma classes that were being held onboard our ship. I did that and much to my surprise, I discovered that maybe I wasn’t as dumb as I had always believed. Maybe I could learn after all.

Long story short, I earned my high school diploma and once I discovered that I could learn, I developed a love for learning that has lasted the rest of my life. I went on to earn four college degrees, became an officer in the U.S. Navy, and then a Pastor. Lifelong learning has become a passion for me and it has become the central focus of my life as a preacher and teacher of the Word of God – because to be a teacher, you must first be a learner.

Looking back, I’m grateful that God used those painful early years in my life and brought something good out of it (Romans 8:28). My passion for learning in general became a passion for learning God’s Word and God’s ways in-particular and that ended up determining the path for the rest of my life.

God may not be preparing you for a life as a preacher, teacher, or writer, but He does want us all to be lifelong learners. Not necessarily in terms of earning college degrees, but lifelong learners when it comes to the Bible, and to the ways of God, and to life lessons that can be shared with others. Many passages in the Bible urge us to learn, and to never stop learning. No matter who we are and no matter how much we know, we should never stop learning.

All this month we will explore the many ways in which we can be lifelong learners. I look forward to learning along with you.

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)

Free-range Christians

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Hearing from God”

Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Free-range Christians”

Are you familiar with the concept of “free-range chickens”? Free-range chickens are chickens that are not raised in a cage. Instead, they are allowed to roam free. The idea is that it is inhumane to keep a chicken in a cage its entire life and in fact, a free chicken is a better and tastier chicken.

How about “free-range kids,” have you heard about them? The actual name of this concept is “free-range parenting” and it results in “free-range kids.” The idea is essentially the same as with chickens, but with a little less freedom and a lot more care. In this case, the parents avoid the syndrome that is so common in our day of being a helicopter parent. Helicopter parents are constantly hovering over their children watching, guiding, directing, and intervening. Free-range parents encourage their kids to explore and to try new things – and while there are boundaries and safety precautions, for the most part the free-range parent just lets the free-range kid be a kid, without a lot of interference.

That is essentially what Proverbs 3:5-6 teaches. God is a free-range parent and He is raising us to be free-range Christians. He has given us boundaries to stay within, and although He does pay attention and He does intervene as needed, for the most part He just lets us be kids. He encourages us to explore, to try new things, and to not be afraid of failure.

Now, as we go through our days there will be plenty of times when we need to check-in with Him and consult Him. There are times in life when we do need guidance and we do need to hear from God. For those situations He has given us the five basic ways in which He communicates with us (the Bible, prayer, circumstances, counsel, and the church.) But most of life consists of regular old humdrum life-stuff. It is just choosing between the sandbox or the swing set (see yesterday’s devotional). So, most of the time we just need to know the rules, stay within the boundaries, and enjoy life as you trust God to guide you just enough to keep you in His will.

I don’t know about you, but I love being a free-range Christian. It’s so much better and so much more fun than marching in formation to the barked-out cadence of a God who is a lot like a Marine Corps drill sergeant.

As we conclude this month of devotionals about hearing from God, I urge you to remember that God wants to be heard and He wants to be understood by His children. Therefore, He does speak to us as necessary and we are able to hear Him – it just takes practice and you will get better at it over time. Learning to hear God is a learned skill and it is a lifelong learning process – and that is where we will pick this up tomorrow. Our theme for the new month with be “Lifelong Learning.”

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)

Just live your life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Hearing from God”

Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Just live your life.”

This morning, I want us to continue our thinking from yesterday regarding the fact that we do not need God to be constantly directing us. I also want us to revisit the important truth contained in Proverbs 3:5-6, because it is such a rich passage and it is so important.

When it comes to God providing sufficient guidance so we know what we can and cannot do in any given situation, I’m going to use an illustration I’ve used many times before but which I keep referring to because it is so helpful to our understanding of how God directs and guides us. It comes from Dallas Willard in his important book “Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God.”

Dallas tells the story of how, when his children were young, he would often send them to play in the backyard. The yard was fenced and the children had many options to choose from in terms of play and recreation. They could play in the sandbox, swing on the swing set, sit in the shade and read, kick a ball, play with the dog, or a wide variety of other options. As their father, all Dallas required was that they stay within the boundaries of that fenced-in backyard and that they didn’t misbehave. Beyond that, they were free to choose for themselves what activities they wanted to engage in. Dallas felt no need to direct them to any one activity in-particular. He wanted them to choose for themselves, but according to the rules and within the boundaries he had established for them.

God works in a similar fashion with us. In the Bible, He has given us the boundaries within which we are to live life. The boundaries are broad and there is a lot of freedom of choice available to us within those boundaries. As long as we remain within the Biblical boundaries and we don’t misbehave (sin), then we are free to choose for ourselves among the many choices God has made available to us.

Is it safe to live like that? Well, yes, it is if you know the Bible and if your heart is right. You have already been living like that for most of your Christian life whether you realized it or not and God hasn’t let you walk off the edge of a cliff yet. Proverbs 3:5-6 is true. Know the rules; live by them; and trust God to give you just enough guidance to keep you in the center of His will.

God doesn’t want to be a Marine Corps drill sergeant in your life. He doesn’t want to have to direct your every step. Instead, He wants you to be a mature Christian with good judgment who makes smart choices. We don’t necessarily need to be hearing from God all the time. He has already provided us with all the guidance we need in order to live according to His standards and within the appropriate boundaries. So, stay within those boundaries and then just go live your life.

But now you may be wondering how this squares with what we’ve been thinking about all month regarding the five ways God typically speaks to us (Bible, prayer, circumstances, council, and the church.) Do we need God to speak to us or not? We will think about that tomorrow in the final devotional in this series.

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)