Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   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: “Share those good vibes”   The Apostle Paul was an encourager of the faithful. Although he was a great evangelist, most of his ministry was devoted to teaching, building-up, and encouraging believers. Paul wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. Every bit of that writing was directed to believers and was intended to instruct and encourage. Additionally, most of his preaching and teaching was directed to those who were already Christians.   Beyond that, Paul wrote with the expectation that his words would be passed on and shared with others. In several places he even included instructions to the recipients of his letters to be sure they passed them along to others: Colossians 4:16, “After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:27, “I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters.”   It’s important that we receive words of blessing and encouragement for ourselves, and it’s important for us to share words of blessing and encouragement with others. In two previous devotionals in this series I shared with you “The top ten best words” and the phrase “Life is good, pass it on.” I also asked you to share some of your favorite best words and phrases so I could then pass them along to other readers of these daily devotional messages.   You won’t be surprised to learn that many of the best words people offered came right out of Galatians 5:22-23 (The fruit of the Spirit), “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” The words bold, tolerance, and blessing also made the list. One person said she always ends her correspondence to people with the salutation “Blessings.”    Some phrases that were shared included, “Be bold but gracious,” “Live gratefully,” “Be courageous,” “Press on,” “In Christ,” and “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” One person said that they like to “share good vibes.”   What words of blessing and encouragement will you share with others today? Share those good vibes with someone who needs them.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (CSB) Our thought for today: “It’s the most important conversation you have”   What is the most important conversation you have? It’s the one you have with yourself about yourself. How you talk to yourself is even more important than how you talk to God. I say that because as important as prayer is, it’s our self-talk that is the most formative. It’s what we tell ourself about ourself that has the most powerful formative impact on us. Also, you talk to yourself more than you talk to God. A lot more.   So, what kinds of things do you talk to yourself about, and what kinds of things do you tell yourself about yourself? What words do you use about yourself deep inside the privacy of your own head? Truth be told, most of us are our own worst critics. We’re harder on ourselves than anyone else is on us. We imagine shortcomings in ourselves that aren’t there at all, or which we have magnified out of proportion to reality. We tell ourselves things about ourselves that are untrue or inaccurate. The words we say to ourselves about ourselves matter – a lot.   In Psalm 139:14 David proclaimed, “I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.” Is that how you think of yourself, as having been remarkably and wonderfully made by God? In Jeremiah 31:3 God spoke to His people (Israel back then and us today), and he declared, “I have loved you with an everlasting love …” Do you think of yourself as someone who has been wonderfully made by God and who is deeply loved by Him? And do you use words like that about yourself to yourself?   In Philippians 4:8 the Apostle Paul was encouraging us to develop a positive mindset that encompasses all of life. That would certainly include how we think about ourselves and how we talk to ourselves.   The things you think about yourself and the words you say to yourself about yourself have a formative power that is much deeper and much more impactful than most of us realize. That being the case, the most important conversation you have is the one you have with yourself about yourself.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN  38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.” Philippians 4:13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Life is good, pass it on”   In yesterday’s devotional I shared with you the story of an old friend who had a treasure trove of the best words and phrases, and which she frequently dipped into and wove into her conversations to bless and encourage others. I also asked you to share with me some of your top ten words and phrases so I can share them with other readers in an upcoming devotional message.   This morning, I will share one with you which comes from author Regina Brett in her wonderful devotional book, “God Never Blinks: 50 lessons for life’s little detours.” In many ways, Regina had a hard life. Pregnant out of wedlock, college dropout because of the pregnancy, single mom for many years, numerous broken romantic relationships, finally met a good man and got married only to develop breast cancer and she had to have surgery and chemo.   One day, after her first round of chemotherapy (with many more to come), and feeling lousy, she met a man wearing a hat that said “Life is good.” She asked him about it and he said that he chooses to focus on the good things in life instead of dwelling on the negative because doing so makes life better. The hat helped to remind him of that truth.   Regina was inspired by that and thanked him. Two days later that same man showed up again but this time he had a hat for her with the same logo. Regina wore that hat every day of her chemo treatments and until she was declared cancer free. Then she began passing the hat on to other cancer patients, who then passed it on to others – thus the saying, “Life is good, pass it on.”   That’s the example the Apostle Paul was setting in Philippians 4:10-13. He had lived a hard life, he was an old man, his health was broken, he was in prison, and he was probably facing death. And yet, he wrote to his friends to tell them how content he was because he had learned to find the goodness in any situation. He had learned to draw his strength and comfort from Jesus Christ and not from his circumstances. Paul had learned that. It didn’t come naturally – he had to learn it. It was a conditioned response that he worked at and developed. Then, he passed it on to others, and his words have served to inspire countless others for two thousand years.   “Life is good, pass it on” is a healthy mindset to have and it’s good advice to follow. So, I pass it on to you this morning. What words of encouragement and blessing do you have that you can share with others today?   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples in silver settings.” Proverbs 25:11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The top ten best words”   Many years ago, when I was the pastor of another church in another state, one of our members was an older lady who was probably one of the greatest saints of God that I have ever personally known. Her name was Jane. She was an elderly widow, a pastor’s wife. Jane was one of the wisest and most spiritually insightful people I have ever known, and she was also one of the nicest people I have ever known.   Jane was one of those special people who had a knack for saying the right thing at the right time. She seemed to have a deep storehouse, a treasure trove of special words and phrases, and she knew exactly when and how to bring them out and use them. She consciously and intentionally worked her favorite words and phrases into her conversations. I learned a lot from her about when to speak, how to speak, and what to say for maximum impact – a good word spoken at the right time.     All these years later, I don’t remember many of the specific words and phrases she used, but I do remember the impact she had on people because of it. Being with Jane was always a treat and a blessing because she spoke words of life into people’s lives.   Do you have a similar treasure trove of the best words and phrases which you routinely dip into and use at appropriate times? What are some of your top ten words and phrases? How about love, joy, peace, and blessing? Maybe grace, mercy, compassion, kindness? (Ice cream should be on the list too.)   I have one friend who always wishes you “peace” as he closes out his conversation with you. I have another friend who, when you ask her how she is doing she almost always replies, “I’m blessed, thank you. I hope you are too.” When she says that about herself it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have problems. Of course she does. But it does mean that she chooses to focus on the positive rather than on the negative. She is well-aware of the blessings of God in her life, and she hopes that is true for you too. I always walk away from my encounters with her feeling blessed and thankful because she reminded me that I should feel that way.     What’s on your top ten list of the best words and phrases? Please share them with me so I can then share them with the other readers in an upcoming message in this series.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Try writing it first”   In Psalm 141:3 King David asked God to establish a guard over his mouth. This is for me too. I envision an angel whose sole assignment is to regulate what’s allowed to come out of my mouth. (I’m pretty sure He finds it to be a full-time job!)   The Amplified version of the Bible is a translation that uses all the English words necessary to capture the full meaning of the original language. In that translation Psalm 141:3 reads, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips (to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly.)”   One of the best ways to give the Holy Spirit lots of opportunity to regulate the words that come out of your mouth is to write them down first. Rather than responding immediately and potentially thoughtlessly, hold your tongue, give it more thought, and then write down what you intend to say to the person. Then slowly read it and prayerfully consider if this is what you really want to say. It might be wise to hang onto it for a day or two and reread it several times, editing as you go. Spontaneous words spoken in the heat of the moment are often emotionally charged and poorly thought out. They are also frequently misunderstood by the listener. Delaying your response and taking the time to write it out helps to take some of the fire of emotions out of it.   I do this all the time. Especially if the subject is delicate or difficult. I don’t want to misspeak and I don’t want to be misunderstood. So, I take my time, write it out, read and reread it, edit it, put it aside for a while, come back to it, work with it so more, and then, when I believe it is ready, I will send it to the other person and ask them to do the same – read it, reread it, think about it, pray over it, then respond in writing.   If you will do that it greatly increases the chances that you will say what you really wanted to say, and with the tone and inflection that you really wanted to say it. Doing this decreases the chances of misspeaking or being misunderstood. Then, after both parties have communicated in this manner, you can meet face-to-face to discuss it further.    I encourage you to try this. If you will, you will find that your words will be even more effective and more powerful and I believe you will have a better outcome.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” Proverbs 15:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be the one who breaks the cycle”   “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” So goes the ancient children’s limerick. It is clever and it flows off the tongue easily and smoothly – it just isn’t true. Words can hurt you. They can hurt very much and they can cause deep wounds that don’t easily heal.   There are endless stories about people (especially children) who have been systematically, repeatedly, and cruelly beaten down with words to the point that they are emotionally traumatized. This is how children become convinced they’re stupid, when in fact they are not. It’s how the victim of long-term emotional abuse in the home becomes convinced it’s his or her own fault – that they have brought the abuse on themselves by being the way they are. I wrote just the other day of how it is that some people end up spending much of their lives trying to get over their abusive childhood.   The other thing about angry, cruel, and unkind words is that, as Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 15:1, anger begets anger. Recipients of angry words become the speakers of angry words. There’s an old truism about human nature that tells us, “Hurt people hurt people.” It’s our nature to want to do to others what they have done to us. That’s why children who were abused often grow up to be adults who are abusers. It’s why the one who is frequently exposed to the anger of someone else often displays anger of their own.   The way to stop it is to be the one who breaks the cycle. Just because someone else has expressed anger towards you does not mean that you should express anger back to them (and especially not to other innocent people who had nothing to do with it at all).   One of the biggest problems with saying angry, mean-spirited, and cruel things is that once it has been said, it cannot be unsaid. Once the words are out there you can’t take them back. The other person heard what you said and took it into their mind and heart. You cannot unsay it and they cannot unhear it.   Let’s be the ones who break the cycle. Let’s all resolve to be cautious with our words.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TM 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:36-37 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be a son or daughter of encouragement”   I love and admire Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. He’s one of my favorite people in the New Testament. He was nicknamed The Son of Encouragement by the apostles because he was evidently a kind and friendly man who was also a good and generous servant at heart. He had a supportive and uplifting nature, he made generous financial contributions for the benefit of others, he engaged in sacrificial service, and he was generally a blessing to everyone – the kind of person we all enjoy having around.   I have always found his example to be inspiring and I have always wanted to be more like him. I’ve written before of how, many years ago, my wife Linda and I owned a book company that we called “The Barnabas Book Company.” Our logo was “Encouraging books that will change your life.” We traveled around selling Christian books in churches, at book fairs, at flea markets, and at special events around the community. It was great fun but I was a terrible businessman. I was so eager for people to read our books that I probably gave away more than I sold.   In our church we have “encouragement notes” in the pew-backs. They are blank cards on which a person can write a short note of encouragement to someone, place it in the offering plate, and we will deliver that note to the person for them (I love the fact that I get to read them all before they are sent out).   Encouragement is one of the most important and helpful things we can do for each other. I think of it as the ministry of encouragement.  Hebrews 10:24 reminds us that one of the responsibilities we have to each other is to encourage and lift one another up: “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”   Let’s resolve to use our words to lift-up and encourage others. There’s a good reason Barnabas had his nickname, and there’s a good reason God chose to include his example in the Bible. It’s to remind us of how important the ministry of encouragement is. Words of encouragement are powerful. They make a positive difference for good. Be a son or daughter of encouragement today.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life …” Proverbs 10:11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Speak words of life”   Yesterday I told you the story of Eliza Doolittle from the movie, “My Fair Lady.” Her story was an illustration of the psychological phenomenon known as “The Pygmalion Effect” or, the self-fulfilling prophecy. What you believe to be true about yourself can have a powerful impact on what ends up being true about you. We also learned that we can help to shape someone else’s self-image and alter what they believe to be true about themselves by the words we speak to them.   There were two individuals in my early life who had that kind of impact on me. The first was my fifth-grade teacher Roberta Ryder. I was a troubled kid with a poor self-image. I had been told repeatedly in those early years that I was stupid, and I believed it. But Ms. Ryder saw something in me. She gave me special attention and lots of encouragement. She noticed that I liked to read and write, and she often told me that she believed I had what it took to be a writer, perhaps a newspaper reporter. Her belief in me and her words of encouragement were balm to a hurting child’s soul and I have remembered it to this day.   The other person who had a significant impact on me was an educational counselor named Mr. Peppard. He worked for the Navy Educational Office on the Navy Base in Philadelphia, PA. He was also the cousin of the actor George Peppard (The A Team). As a young man in my 20s, I was still trying to figure out what to do with my life and I went to see Mr. Peppard for some career counseling. He had me take an aptitude test to help me discover what career field I was most likely to enjoy and be successful in. Much to my surprise, number one on the list came back as “priest or minister.”  At that time, as a young sailor, I was very far from resembling a priest or minister and the thought seemed laughable to me. But Mr. Peppard gently and kindly urged me to just tuck the idea away for now and let it sit with me for a while.   Well, here I am today, sixty years after my time with Ms. Ryder and more than forty-five years after Mr. Peppard. I have never forgotten either one of them or their wise words of counsel and encouragement, and it turns out that I have had a long and successful career as both a pastor and as a writer.   You can have that kind of impact on people too. With the Holy Spirit of God living in your heart, you have within you the ability to have a profound and positive impact on the people God brings into your life. Please do not underestimate the power or your words to speak life into someone’s confused and hurting soul.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TM 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Believe the best about yourself”   Are you familiar with the psychological phenomenon known as “The Pygmalion Effect”? It comes out of Greek mythology. Pygmalion was a sculptor who crafted a beautiful statue of the perfect woman. He then fell so in love with his statue that he fantasized she was a real woman. His belief was so strong that the statue ended up coming alive and his belief in that reality became a self-fulfilling prophecy.   Although the story is fiction, it illustrates an actual truth about human nature. The stronger we believe something to be true, the more likely it is to become true for us. That’s especially so with respect to what we believe to be true about ourselves. And that being the case, if we can help to shape someone’s belief in themselves, we can potentially change the course of their life.   That’s exactly what the classic movie “My Fair Lady” was all about. In that story, Eliza Doolittle is a simple and uneducated young woman from the lower class of London. Henry Higgs is a professor who attempts to help her modify her self-image and come to believe that she can present herself as a confident, cultured, dignified lady. He then goes about showing her how to be that lady and in due course, that is what she becomes.   As Christians the Holy Spirit is in the process of transforming us into the person God wants us to be – the person God knows we can and should be. Our job is to believe that we can become that person. We are also to believe that others can become their best selves too and we are to help them achieve that. We do that by believing in each other, encouraging one another, lifting each other up, and helping each other along in this process of transformation.   The Greeks had it right and to a large degree, Pygmalion’s story is all our stories. What we believe to be true about ourselves can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy and with words of encouragement and inspiration, we can help one another to believe the best about ourselves. We can help each other to believe that God is in the process of transforming us into our best selves.   What we believe to be true about ourselves is often what comes to be true about us. I encourage you to believe the best about yourself, work towards becoming your best self, and then help others to be their best too.   God bless, Pastor Jim      (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The power of words”   Our Bible verse for today: “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Are you a builder or a wrecker?”   Have you seen the meme on social media of an enraged father towering over a trembling little boy as the father spews angry words of criticism and rebuke? We get the feeling that this father is something of an ogre and that this is a regular occurrence in the boy’s life. The scene is especially disturbing because unfortunately, many children do grow up in dysfunctional homes with abusive parents who habitually say cruel things. Over time children come to believe those things about themselves and it has a profound negative impact on the formation of their self-image. Many people end up spending much of their adult lives trying to get over their childhood precisely for this reason.   Perhaps you’re familiar with another story of two men standing side-by-side observing workers constructing a new house. One man turns to the other and asks why he is so interested in the construction process. The other answers that he makes his living demolishing old homes that must be torn down. He explained that he finds it ironic how he can tear down in a day what it took skilled laborers six months to build.   Both of those stories illustrate the same point. It’s easy to tear down and destroy. And once you have torn down or destroyed, it can be difficult or even impossible to put the thing back together again – whether the thing is a building or a child’s psyche.   Words are like that. Words can build up or they can destroy depending on how they are used. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 18:21 that the tongue has the power of life and death in it. He meant that we can use our words to speak life into people by encouraging them and lifting them up, or we can cut them down, hurt them, maybe destroy them.   Words are powerful and we need to be careful how we use them. Therefore, we will spend the rest of this month considering the power of the words we use and how we can use them for good rather than bad, for blessing rather than cursing.   For today, I want to ask you to give careful prayerful thought to how you most often use your words. Are you a builder who uses your words to lift people up, or are you a wrecker who tears people down? Be honest with yourself. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you about this.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571