Oak Hill Baptist Church

Two ears, one mouth

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very intense.” Job 2:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Two ears, one mouth”

This morning I want to take us back to the prayer I quoted yesterday from the old nun. In it she asked the Lord to give her the patience to simply listen to others without feeling as if she needed to say something about everything, and without believing it was up to her to straighten everyone else out.

It has rightly been said that the good Lord gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must intend for us to listen twice as much as we talk. I believe that’s true, but I also believe it’s a challenge for many of us. Some of us are inclined to talk much more than we listen. And even when we do listen, we’re often only half-listening because as the other person is talking, half of our brain is listening to them and the other half is thinking about what we want to say next. Then, as soon as the other person pauses for a breath, we jump in with our thoughts and comments. Worse, if the conversation had up to this point been about them, our temptation is often to hijack it and make it about us now. We’re all sometimes guilty of this.

The Biblical story of Job and his three friends is a legendary example of a suffering man having to endure the presence of three people who talked too much, about things they actually knew little about, and attempting to do so with a sense of authority that was misplaced. Consequently, they said a lot of dumb things that weren’t helpful.

But it didn’t start that way. In fact, they started out very well. In Job 2:13 (above), we find that when they first arrived, they simply sat in silence and supported their friend with their presence. This is what we call “the ministry of presence”. It’s not always necessary to say something. You can bless and support the person simply by being with them and empathically entering into their suffering with them. Job’s friends were doing well – until they started talking.

Sometimes one of the most helpful and considerate things we can do for someone is to simply listen to them – really, deeply, sincerely, listen. When you do so, you’re giving them the gift of your time and attention. A suffering or struggling person often just needed someone to listen. Talking can be therapeutic.

God did give us two ears and only one mouth. Most of us would be better off if we listened more and talked less.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The wisdom of old age

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice and integrity …” Proverbs 1:2-3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The wisdom of old age”

One of the marks of a life lived well is that in old age a person has developed a lifetime of wisdom. Also, as the years have passed, a wise person has learned to settle down, relax a little, and hopefully more fully enjoy the gift of time God gives to us each day of our lives.

The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes were written by Solomon, probably in his old age, and they reflect a lifetime of hard-earned wisdom. When it comes to our theme of how to inhabit time and to do it well, there’s a lot we can learn from older folks.

The other day I came across a very old prayer written by a Mother Superior (the senior nun in a convent). This appeared in her journal. It’s a reflection on the aging process and on the kind of old woman she hoped she was in the process of becoming. I love her insight into human nature and the aging process, and I especially enjoy the sly sense of self-deprecating humor she expresses:

“Lord, thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing old, and will some day be old. Keep me from getting talkative, and particularly from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from craving to try to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details – give me wings to get to the point.

I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of others’ pains. Help me to endure them with patience. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains – they are increasing and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a saint – some of them are so hard to live with – but a sour old woman is one of the crowning works of the devil.

Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom (said with tongue firmly in cheek), it seems a pity not to use it all – but thou knowest, Lord, that I want to have a few friends left at the end.”

And all God’s people said … “Amen!”

God bless,
Pastor Jim

A show about nothing

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.” Colossians 3:23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A show about nothing”

Paul’s word of encouragement found in Colossians 3:23 is a good one, and it is encouraging. It’s often applied to the work environment (we should give our best, and we should do so as a means of honoring and pleasing the Lord). But we should also bring that attitude to all the rest of life as well. We should be striving to excel in all areas of life and we should live that way as a means of honoring God.

Recently I’ve been reading, “Overcoming Apathy: Gospel Hope for Those Who Struggle to Care” by Uche Anizor. I’m reading it because apathy is a widespread problem in our nation, and also in our churches – and that apathetic approach to church life is killing the Church in the USA. The problem is simply that people are overwhelmed with life, overstimulated by all the noise and distractions, and overcommitted in many ways. Consequently, we become numb and we withdraw.

In one chapter, Anizor compares the lives of many Americans to the old television show Seinfeld. There was no plot to Seinfeld, and the characters had no real purpose in their lives. Much of the show took place in a bar and it largely consisted of the characters drinking, talking, and trading snarky barbs and cynical observations. It was, essentially, a show about nothing. Sadly, that illustration describes the lives of many Americans, and even some American Christians.

But none of us wants our lives to be “a show about nothing”. Our lives should have meaning and purpose. We want to do more than just survive – we want to thrive. And that’s why it’s so important that we learn how to properly inhabit the time God has given to us, and to do so according to Biblical principles.

Personally, I’ve learned much by researching and writing this series about how to better inhabit time, and evidently you as readers have found it helpful as well because you have provided me with a lot of positive feedback. (Thank you. Feedback is always appreciated and helpful).

There’s much more we can learn from the Bible about this topic, and it is a vitally important subject, so I’ve decided to continue the theme into February. What a shame it would be if any of our lives ended up having been “a show about nothing”. Let’s make sure it isn’t.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Can they see it in your face?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “After he came out, he (Moses) would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, and the Israelites would see that Moses’s face was radiant.” Exodus 34:34-35 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Can they see it in your face?”

Our premise this month has been that if we learn how to inhabit time, that is, if we learn how to properly use our time and how to think rightly about the time God has gifted us with, our lives will be deeper, richer, fuller, and much more satisfying. An important part of that discussion has revolved around sabbath-keeping. As we have learned, God commanded that His people observe a sabbath day for the dual purposes of resting and worshipping. And we have learned that when we do so, it helps to restore healthy balance to our lives.

I love the scene found in Exodus chapter thirty-four where we read of Moses going into the tent of meeting to spend time with the Lord. When he comes out from the presence of the Lord his face is radiant and glowing. The people could see that Moses had been with God. The experience of it literally radiated out of him. Moses then told the people what God said to him.

Today is Monday, yesterday was Sunday. Did you gather with your church family for worship and fellowship? Was it good? Did you encounter God and did you walk away from the worship, the fellowship, and the time with God, refreshed, renewed, and spiritually rejuvenated? And does it show?

If your church is healthy and if your own heart is right, then your time in “the tent of meeting” (your church), should leave you glowing and radiant, and it should carry over into the rest of the week.

It was obvious to everyone that Moses had been with God, and he was eager to tell them about it. Hopefully the same is true of us. When you go to the tent of meeting you will experience God. Soak in every minute of it, enjoy it, let it impact you deeply, then, like Moses, go share your experience with others. They should be able to see it in your face and hear it in your words, and you should be different because you were with God.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Happier than a camel on Wednesday

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Happier than a camel on Wednesday”

Some of you may remember the commercial from the GEICO insurance company a few years ago. It featured a happy talking camel walking through an office building on a Wednesday. At one point the camel encounters a stressed and unhappy office worker and he says to him, “Hey Carl, do you know what day it is? Do ya? Do ya? Huh? Huh? Come on, say it, “It’s hump day!”

Wednesday is often referred to as “hump day” because it’s the midpoint of the traditional Monday-Friday workweek. Once you get over the hump of Wednesday, it’s all downhill to the weekend. The reason the camel loves hump day is because, well, the camel has a hump. So technically hump day is his day. And therefore, presumably, camels are especially happy on Wednesdays.

Monday-Friday workers tend to love hump day because it leads them to their favorite time of the week, the weekend. As a Pastor I’m not a Monday through Friday worker, because by necessity my schedule has to be more fluid than that. But I am a big fan of hump day – and for the same reason – I love the weekend. Saturday is frequently a day of recreation for me and Sunday is the Lord’s Day. It’s the day of the week when I get to be with my church family as we gather for worship and fellowship.

King David saw it that way too. That’s what he was describing in Psalm 122:1. He loved going to the house of God with the people of God, and he looked forward to it. Was he happier than a camel on Wednesday? Maybe. They had lots of camels in those days, and in Psalm 122:1 David sure does seem to be pretty happy, and for the right reason – he was headed to church! Is that how you think about going to church? Is Sunday the best day of the week for you? I hope it is.

We have practical jokers in our church, so I won’t be too surprised if there are camel-related pranks or jokes this Sunday. But I’ll settle for happy hearts and big smiles – just a bunch of joyful, smiling Christians, happier on Sunday than a camel on Wednesday.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Have we lost our balance?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise but as wise.” Ephesians 5:15 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Have we lost our balance? ”

Back in the mid-1980s the Japanese realized they had a social problem that had morphed into a major health crisis. Their culture placed such high value on hard work and high achievement that the Japanese people were literally working themselves to death. They were actually dropping dead at work. Lots of them. Tens of thousands a year. Others were dying early from health issues that were related to overworking, including hypertension and heart disease, along with suicide. They even coined a phrase to describe the crisis, “Karoshi” – death by overworking. Karoshi is still at crisis levels in Japan today. It’s a problem in our nation too. Many of us literally work ourselves to death.

But our society is also noted for going to the other extreme. We’re fanatical about leisure and recreation, to the point that many of us put as much effort into our play as we do into our work. How many times have you come home from a vacation feeling like you needed a vacation to rest from your vacation? For others their leisure involves little activity at all and therefore they’ve become sedentary, lazy, and dangerously out of shape.

Houston, we have a problem. We’ve lost our balance. We’re addicted to work, or to leisure, or to both. As Christians when we get caught-up in that it often results in neglecting God for the sake of work or play or both. This is why God has given us a Sabbath day. And this is why He has commanded us (fourth of the Ten Commandments) to observe it. We are to have a day each week to stop all the work and all the busyness, and to instead rest and worship. It’s not optional. God has commanded it.

But … we make excuses. We go here, we go there, we go everywhere instead of going to church. We work the extra hours, we do the other things, we make endless excuses, and we are busy, busy, busy – with everything except God and His people. As was noted in a previous devotional in this series, church attendance in America is at an all-time low, even among professing Christians.

In Ephesians 5:15 Paul cautioned us to be wise rather than unwise in how we live. Many of us are living unwisely because we’ve lost a healthy balance in life. The Sabbath was intended by God to help us restore the balance. Please stop sacrificing your Sabbath on the altar of other things. Today is Friday, Sunday is coming. You really do need that Sabbath day.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Get started, keep at it, don’t give up

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Get started, keep at it, don’t give up”

We often talk about the importance of perseverance in life and of not giving up. You’ll never accomplish anything if you’re a serial quitter. When England was faced with attack from an overwhelming Nazi military force in World War II Winston Churchill motivated the people when he declared, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in …”

Great advice. It was similar to the words spoken by Captain Richard Phillips when he was asked how he managed to his survive captivity by Somali pirates. He said, “Nothing is over until you give up.” He simply resolved that he was going to survive his ordeal and then he refused to give up.

But as important as perseverance is to accomplishing anything of significance, even more important is getting started at all. You can’t stick with it and finish it if you never even started it. And this is the problem so many of us face. We’re wishful thinkers. We have great aspirations regarding the things we intend to do, but then we come up with a dozen excuses to put it off another day, or week, or month, or year. “I’ll start going to the gym tomorrow, but this morning I’m going to sleep late and have donuts for breakfast.” “My life is a little busy right now, so I’ll start work on that college degree next semester.” “I really need to spend time with my friend, but I’ll do it another day.”

And on and on it goes. We kick the can down the road, put the thing off a little longer, and before we know it, time has passed, nothing was accomplished, and instead of being twenty pounds lighter, we’re now twenty pounds heavier; instead of spending quality time with the spouse today, we haven’t had a date night in months; instead of the car being clean and the oil changed, it’s a rolling dumpster on the verge of breaking down.

I think you see the problem. When it comes to using our time well it’s crucial that we get started, keep at it, and don’t give up. Be where you’re supposed to be, do what you’re supposed to do, and see it through to the end.

It’s true that nothing is over until you give up, but it’s even truer that it’s over before it has even started if you never get going to begin with.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

This is how you do it

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “This is how you do it.”

I wonder if that noise I’m hearing is a loud collective groan from all of you who have been reading my devotionals or listening to my sermons for any length of time. If you have, then you know that the passage from Matthew 11:28-30, and the explanation of it that I am about to give, is one that I return to frequently. Some of you have heard this from me a couple of dozen times (or more) over the years, to the point that you can now recite it backwards in your sleep.

You’re welcome.

The reason I bring us back to this lesson from Jesus so often is because it’s so critical to living the Christian life well. In yesterday’s devotional we thought about how God can and will renew and restore us, even if we’ve made terrible mistakes and are suffering the consequences. The fact is that there is nothing we cannot overcome with the help of the Lord, and Matthew 11:28-30 explains how that’s accomplished.

In that parable Jesus pictured a team of oxen yoked together plowing a field. In every team of oxen there’s a lead ox and a follower ox. The lead ox is bigger, stronger, and more experienced, and he carries most of the load and provides all of the direction. The follower ox just has to stay yoked to the lead ox, walking closely with him, sharing in the load, and following directions. In this parable Jesus was essentially saying, “Let me be your lead ox. Yoke yourself to me; stay close to me; I will carry most of the load and I will provide all of the direction; you just stay close to me and we will walk through life together.”

This is how you do it. This is how you rely on Jesus to help you through whatever it is you are facing. This is the key to living the Christian life well. Day-by-day, moment-by-moment, stay close to Jesus.

With respect to our theme of “How to inhabit time”, this is how we move beyond our past, live in the present, and move forward into the future. We stay close to Jesus. He will hold you up when you are weary, and He will keep you moving forward into the glorious future He has planned for you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God can restore and renew what was lost

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten.” Joel 2:25 (NKJV)

Our thought for today: “God can restore and renew what was lost”

This morning I want to take us back to our illustration from yesterday about learning to view things from God’s perspective. Remember the example of the car traveling on the highway. From the elevated perspective in an airplane at thirty-thousand feet, we can see where the car has been, where it is at now, and where it is going, much better than the driver in the car can see it. That’s the view from thirty-thousand feet and it is how God sees our lives.

Our problem is that we see and understand life based mostly on our past and on the present, but we’re not so good at seeing where we’re heading. This is especially problematic if we’ve lived poorly and made some bad mistakes, and now we’re struggling to get back on our feet and to get a fresh start. We’re well aware of the past, and we’re experiencing the present, but the future can look confusing, and getting back our feet can seem like a high hill to climb. I encounter this a lot in my ministry to men in jail, prison, and rehab.

The good news is that God sees what’s ahead and He knows the way for us to go. He has also filled the Bible with lots of great promises that if we will walk closely with Him, He will go with us, guide us, and restore us. Joel 2:25 (above) is just one of many such promises.

In that passage Joel reminds us that the Lord of creation, the One who is sovereign over all the affairs of the entire universe, the One who is all-powerful, the One who loves us deeply and who is grieved by our suffering, is also the One who is aware of every detail of our lives – including everything that brought us to the point we’re at in life now. Since God knows your history, He also knows what you have lost, and He knows what is missing in your life at this moment as a result of all that has been lost, or wasted, or never acquired because of that history.

But Joel 2:25 teaches that God is able and ready to restore now what was lost then. If we return to Him and live for Him, He will begin to rebuild the life that was, or build anew the life that could have been but never was. The key is living a life that is faithful to Biblical principles and which therefore honors Him. “Return to me and I will return to you”, says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 1:3

That’s how God sees the past, present, and future of our lives. Things may not have turned out exactly as you planned or desired, but your life isn’t over yet, there’s still more to come. God can restore the years the locusts have eaten.

We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The view from thirty-thousand feet

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.” John 15:19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The view from thirty-thousand feet”

In Matthew 5:13, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us that as His followers we are “the salt of the earth”. Salt is both a preservative and a seasoning. First, it permeates a substance and helps to retard decay and corruption. Second, it makes food taste better. In His illustration Jesus meant that as His followers we are to be like salt. We are to work our way into society, bless people, and spread the gospel. By doing that we stand against the spread of evil. Also, our presence in any situation should make things more pleasant and better for everyone. In that way we are to be “in” the world. Deeply penetrating it and influencing things for the cause of Christ.

But at the same time, many New Testament verses teach that we are not to be “of” the world. In other words, as Jesus said in John 15:19, He has lifted us out of it and placed us above it in a spiritual sense. He wants us to learn how to be immersed in the activities of life while at the same time viewing it all from a Biblical and eternal perspective.

This is what it means to be “in” the world without being “of” the world. Physically we live in the world, but spiritually we live above it. We experience the circumstances of life, but at the same time live above the circumstances of life. We can think of this as viewing life from thirty-thousand feet. Imagine yourself on an airplane looking down on the earth below. Because of your elevated perspective you can see the grand sweep of the terrain from a much different perspective than if you were standing on the ground. Picture a car driving on a highway below. From your perspective you can see where it has been, where it is now, and where it is heading, much better than the driver can. This is how God views all of life, and this is the perspective He wants to share with us.

Unfortunately, most of us claim to have a spiritual and eternal perspective about things but in actual practice we live with a very worldly perspective. We view things from ground level rather than from God-level. We are both “in” the world and “of” the world.

But what if we were better at viewing it all from thirty-thousand feet? What if we trained ourselves to step back, rise above the circumstances, and view it all from more of a Biblical and eternal perspective? That is what spiritual growth and maturity achieves for us and that’s why it’s so important for Christians to develop and maintain a Biblical worldview.

Things look different from God’s perspective, and He is willing to help us to see things His way rather than our way. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn to see things more from thirty-thousand feet. It will make a difference in how you live.

God bless,
Pastor Jim