Oak Hill Baptist Church

Are you strong enough to stand your ground?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Are you strong enough to stand your ground?”

Are you strong enough to stand your ground? Don’t be too quick to answer that. Standing your ground in the face of intense pressure from the culture is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes it’s even costly. You might be “cancelled;” might be ridiculed; you might be ostracized; you might be trolled, shouted down, beat up, fired, or maybe even arrested. So, are you strong enough to stand your ground when it comes to maintaining and advocating for a Biblical worldview when the culture all around us is becoming increasingly antibiblical. Not just unbiblical, but antibiblical.

Sexual ethics is the most obvious case-in-point. God’s model of human sexuality and His standards for acceptable sexual conduct are clearly articulated in the Bible. Those standards have been understood, accepted, and practiced by cultures around the world for thousands of years. The meaning of those standards, as written in the original Biblical languages, have been agreed upon by the best Hebrew and Greek scholars across cultures and generations for thousands of years.

But despite that, not only has the non-Christian culture become increasingly antibiblical in terms of sexual ethics and practices, but many Christians have as well. There are many Christians today who, despite what the Bible clearly teaches on this subject, have become sadly progressive in their views on homosexuality, same-sex marriage, gender fluidity, gay clergy, and more. How can that be? How can those Christians read what God clearly has to say on the issue of sexuality and still somehow justify their unbiblical positions? The answer is that they are giving in to the cultural pressure. They are not standing their ground Biblically and so they simply go along in order to get along.

A few years ago, I wrote and published a book on this subject. The title is “Getting Along without Going Along: Biblical Sexual Ethics in An Age of Controversy and Conflict.” The object was to equip Christians to live effectively in our very confused, mixed-up, and hostile culture while standing our ground regarding Biblical sexual ethics. It is my contribution to the lifelong learning process that helps to enable Christians to be strong and to take a Biblical stand on the issue of sexual ethics. If you don’t have a copy of that book but would like one, let me know and I will be happy to send you one.

Are you strong enough to stand your ground? Often it isn’t easy to do so, but lifelong learning of Biblical truth helps to make us strong.

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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Develop and maintain a Biblical worldview

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Develop and maintain a Biblical worldview”

This morning we will continue thinking about our subject from yesterday about being lifelong learners by being diligent students of the Bible. As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, the truths in the Bible are timeless and they apply to all people, in all places, at all times. The Bible is the eternal, timeless, Word of God and it doesn’t change according to the whims of the culture. The Bible provides us with God’s standards, and they are the standards by which everything else is compared, and by which every competing truth claim is evaluated.

A “worldview” is the sum total of our attitudes, perceptions, beliefs, and values. It determines how we see, understand, and evaluate the world around us. It is then expressed in terms of ethics, politics, religion, and personal decision-making. When you encounter a situation and conclude “That is just wrong” it is your worldview that led you to that conclusion. Worldviews are commonly based upon religious beliefs, cultural norms, or a combination of both.

As Christians our worldview should be based on the Bible. Everything we see and hear in the world around us should be compared to, evaluated, and understood based upon how it compares to God’s standards as expressed in the Bible. Every truth claim the culture promotes should be laid alongside the Bible and then agreed with or opposed by us based upon whether or not it conforms to the standard of truth given to us by God.

I think you can see the problem for us. The culture is out of synch with the Bible – dramatically so. And so, the question for us is whether we will take our stand on the eternal truths of God’s Word, or if we will give in to the cultural pressures and just go along so we can get along. The Apostle Paul gives us the answer to that dilemma in Romans 12:2: Do not conform. Do not go along. Look to the Bible, discern God’s will, and stand for the truth. It is the lifelong learning acquired as diligent students of the Bible that helps us to develop and maintain that Biblical worldview.

I don’t mean to suggest that just because a Biblical worldview is right that it is also easy. It’s not easy. You know that. It has never been easy. In the 2000 years of Christian history the people of God have always found themselves out of synch with the worldview of the cultures around them.

Tomorrow we will continue this discussion by applying the Biblical worldview to some of the most contentious hot-button issues of our day. We will see how a commitment to lifelong learning of Biblical truths provides us with the courage and boldness we need to take our stand in the face of intense cultural pressures.

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)

Is the Bible your business too?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The Bible is my business”

I once heard an old preacher say, “The Bible is my business.” What he meant was that since preaching and teaching the Word of God was his profession, everything he said and did, everything he preached and taught, had to be based in and grow out of the Bible. That being the case, he had to know the Bible extremely well and he never stopped studying it. The Bible was his business.

That should be true for all of us. The Bible should be our business. You don’t have to be a professional minister to be a lifelong student of the Word of God. And the amazing thing about the Bible is that none of us will ever learn all it has to teach us. No matter how much you have learned, there is always something more, something new waiting to be discovered.

This is why we must be lifelong learners. We will never know it all. God always has more for us. As Hebrews 4:12 says, the word of God is alive and active. Every time we read it the Holy Spirit brings the word alive in new and fresh ways – it speaks to us in personal ways, penetrating to the soul. This is what author Jim Peterson meant when he wrote, “One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the infinite opportunity for spiritual growth. But however much we have matured, there is always more beyond. It is in this that we find the adventure in living. There will always be new, unexplored dimensions of His person beckoning to us. The possibilities go off the chart.”

You may not be in professional ministry; you may not have the privilege of spending entire days exploring the Bible, writing about it, teaching it, and preaching it; but that doesn’t matter. The Bible should be your business too. It is the primary way in which God speaks to us and therefore we should all have the habit of exploring its depths every day. God will always have something new to show you, something more to say to you.

Also, because the word of God is alive, and because it applies to all people, in all places, at all times, that means the Bible has something to say about the issues of the day (regardless of the age of history you live in). The Bible is our guide for living; therefore, we need to be looking to the Bible for contemporary guidance every day. This is what it means to have a Biblical worldview and we will think more about that 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)

We have to come to our senses

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!’ I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.” Luke 15:17-18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We have to come to our senses”

Yesterday we thought about how it is that experience is such a great teacher. We also learned that sometimes learning hurts and our education comes in painful doses. I don’t want to be too quick to leave this subject because the fact is that we learn more from our difficult experiences in life than in almost any other way.

On Sunday nights at Oak Hill Baptist Church, we are conducting and in-depth study of the parable of the Prodigal Son, which is found in chapter fifteen of the Gospel of Luke. If you aren’t familiar with the parable, it’s the story of a young man who was raised in a wealthy family by a good and kind father. But as a rebellious teenager he demanded his share of the family inheritance from his father, and then he went off to a foreign land and wasted his wealth on wine, women, and song. Soon, his money was gone and he found himself living in great poverty – in a pigsty, starving and longing to eat even the fodder the pigs were feeding on.

Long story short, the boy had hit rock bottom. And it was then that he came to his senses. He realized what a fool he had been and that he had brought all his suffering on himself through a series of phenomenally bad choices. He also realized that the only thing that made any sense at this point was to return home and to beg his father’s forgiveness. He did, and … well, it’s a happy ending. You can read the entire story in Luke 15:11-32.

But why? Why did it turn into a happy ending for the prodigal? It was because he finally came to his senses. He acknowledged what a fool he had been, he repented, he asked forgiveness, he found forgiveness, and the rest, as they say, is history. The implication in Jesus’ story is that this was a major turning point in the young man’s life, and his time in the pigpen was one of the most profound and helpful lessons of his life.

Hitting rock bottom can be like that. Sometimes the best and most transformational life lessons come after spending some time in the pigpens of life (or, in some correspondingly bad set of circumstances.) But the key to getting out of the pigpen and to being restored is coming to our senses. We have to admit that God’s ways are right, our ways are wrong, and we then make the needed course correction in life.

Why does it sometimes take us so long to come to our senses? Probably because we are stubborn, thickheaded, and rebellious. But when we finally smarten-up and come to our senses, we often find that those prodigal son type experiences can end up being some of the most helpful and transformational moments in our lives. Why wait and longer? Forgiveness and restoration are available. You simply have to come to your senses.

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)

Sometimes learning hurts

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Sometimes learning hurts”

I’ve heard it said that “Sometimes stupid hurts,” and I’m sure that is true. It means that when we do stupid things, we experience unpleasant results. I remember also once being told that sometimes learning hurts, and education often comes through pain.

That was said to me by a college professor at the University of Kansas. I was taking a class in debate and was required to participate in a debate tournament. I hate debating. I always have. I don’t like to argue – not even for fun and certainly not for a grade. But for this class I was required to participate in a debate tournament against debating teams from other universities. It was torture for me and it showed. Thus, as he was chuckling at my discomfort, the professor said, “Sometimes learning hurts, and education often comes through pain.”

That statement is true and it is the lesson Job learned through his long period of suffering recorded for us in the book of Job. Job suffered a lot, but he also learned a lot and he came out of it a better and stronger man. (I suppose I also came out of my debating experience a bit better and smarter as well, but I still didn’t like it.)

There are many ways we engage in lifelong learning, but experience is certainly one of the most important. Sometimes we just have to experience things (sometimes painful things), in order to learn the lessons God wants us to learn. It’s usually not fun or pleasant, but it is important. Experience is an excellent teacher.

The question for us is if we will learn from our experiences, and if we will use those experiences to become better. Job did. He was a better man on the other side of those struggles. I suppose I was too. Through my unpleasant debate experience I learned a lesson about the value of good preparation, and about how to cross verbal swords with other people to make a point, and about sticking with something and seeing it through even if I’m not liking it.

Learning sometimes does hurt, and education does sometimes come through pain. But experience is a good teacher and the smart person will learn from his or her experiences.

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)

Will you worship Him in the middle of it all?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lifelong learning”

Our Bible verse for today: “He said to mankind, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding.” Job 28:28 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Will you worship Him in the middle of it all?”

The other morning, in my personal Bible study time, as I was reading through the book of Job, I came across something interesting that I hadn’t noticed before in all the other times I have read this story. The book of Job is forty-two chapters that record an extended period of terrible suffering for the man Job – all with little understanding on Job’s part regarding why these bad things were happening to him.

But in the middle of that mess, in chapter twenty-eight, Job pauses to recite what has come to be known by Bible scholars as “Job’s hymn to wisdom.” It’s a hymn (presumably sung), about Biblical wisdom. Most of the lines in it declare that only God is all-wise and that God’s wisdom is perfect.

A hymn. About the perfect wisdom of God. Sung in the middle of suffering.

A hymn is a form of worship and so that means that in the middle of all his suffering, Job pauses to worship God and to sing about the wonder and the rightness of God and His ways. Could you do that? Could I? In Job chapter one, as his story begins, we discover that Job was a man of complete integrity who feared God and who turned away from evil. In verse 8 of that chapter God Himself bragged about Job’s faith and integrity to Satan. We’re reading evidence of this now in chapter twenty-eight.

Job had spent a lifetime learning about God and coming to truly know Him. Therefore, he had strong faith in place to carry him through the worst of times imaginable. So much so, that in the middle of his great suffering he was still able to pause and sing a hymn declaring God to be all-wise and His ways to be right.

Today is Saturday. Tomorrow is Sunday when the people of God will gather for worship. All of us will bring with us things going on in our lives that we wish were not there. We will all be struggling in some way – some of us in major ways. Do you know God well enough to sing praises to Him in the middle of your struggles? Can you still declare that He is all-wise and that His ways are right and perfect? Have you learned from past experiences that God is good and His ways are right even if your current circumstances are hard and you’re confused about what’s happening and why?

Do you know Him well enough to worship Him in the middle of it all?

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)

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)

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)