Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “May your hidden self be strong”   Basil Pennington was a Trappist monk who looked like Santa Claus. He was a bit hefty; he had a full head of snow-white hair and a big flowing beard to go with it; he had puffy cheeks that were rosy and red; and a big friendly smile that put you at ease. I would have liked to have met him. Someday in heaven I will.   Pennington is best known for his writing and teaching about the contemplative way of life. He was especially an advocate of what he called “centering prayer”. He maintained that most of our prayers are way too chatty and too superficial. To a large degree, we’re just saying stuff because we think we’re supposed to, we think that’s what prayer is.   While it’s true that God is interested in all aspects of our lives, and He does want us to talk to Him about all of it, there’s also a time and a place to simply “Be still and know that I am God.” There needs to be time when we just sit quietly and enjoy God in adoring silence. Often, that turns out to be the best time of prayer. It’s certainly the most relaxing and renewing.   If you’re like me, then often your prayer time is not relaxing and renewing. Instead, it’s more like work. It’s spiritual warfare. Sometimes prayer feels like I’m wrestling with both God and the devil, sometimes both at the same time! But that’s okay. Sometimes prayer is like that. Prayer is work and it is warfare. But it shouldn’t be like that all the time. Sometimes prayer should be a deep dive into the mystery and majesty of God. It should be like jumping off a rock on a hot summer day into the cool refreshing waters of a mountain lake.   Pennington wrote a series of books on the subject of “being still before God”. His most popular was “Centering Prayer”. In it he teaches us how to quiet our noisy minds so we can simply be with God in adoring silence. His prayer for his readers is, “Out of his infinite glory, may God give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong.”   I like that phrase, “for your hidden self to grow strong”. Your spirit is your hidden self. It’s your real self but it’s hidden deep within your physical self. And when your hidden self is strong, your physical self will reveal it. Your spiritual strength will be evident, and it will show itself by how you live and how you interact with the world around you. Learning to be still before God settles your spirit and thereby settles your body. Your spirit is calm, so your body is calm.   I encourage you to spend some time this morning just being still before God. Don’t feel like you need to talk and talk and talk as you work your way down a long list of issues and items. Instead, truly savor and enjoy your time with Him. My prayer for you is that your hidden self will be settled and strong.   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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “… I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Learn to be content”   I remember once visiting with some friends who lived in a travel trailer in a mobile home park near a lake. It’s a very nice trailer, complete with slide-outs to expand the living space, and with all the modern conveniences. It had just enough room for two people to live comfortably but modestly, and with no excess. My friends were not living like that for financial reasons. They had the assets to live in any manner they would like. But they loved the simplicity of their lifestyle, and they were happy and content with it. They didn’t need or want more.   The great Christian writer G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to acquire more-and-more. The other is to desire less.” I think Chesterton was only half right. Learning to desire less and to simply be content with what we have is certainly a key to happiness. But an endless quest to accumulate more-and-more never leads to true contentment. The fact that the person is still striving for more is evidence that the person is not content with what they have. With that mindset, there’s never any such thing as “enough”.   In Philippians 4:11-13 the Apostle Paul revealed an important lesson he had learned in his own life. He learned to be content. And please don’t miss the fact that he “learned” to be content. In other words, it didn’t come naturally and it required a learning experience for him to get there. It means that he was intentional and disciplined about learning the lesson. He trained himself for contentment.  In verse 13 he reveals that it was his continuous focus on Christ that was the key to achieving the contentment he had just been writing about.   It’s difficult to truly savor the special moments in life if we have an unsettled spirit that is always striving and yearning for something more, rather than simply being content with and enjoying life as it is in the present moment.   I think it would be helpful for all of us to ask ourselves, “How much is enough?” And “Will more ever truly become enough?” The truth is, if we are going to enjoy and savor life, we need to learn to be content.   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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “Fulfill your purpose”   I love the way the New Living Translation uses the word “masterpiece” to describe those who have new life in Christ. When you placed your faith in Christ, God created you anew, you became a new creation – a master creation of His.   But there are two important things to note about that verse. First, the “masterpiece” reference is to your spiritual self not your physical self. Good thing too. As I can attest, the older we get the less-and-less our physical selves resemble anything looking like a masterpiece (unless you’re into antiques). No, as amazing a creation as the human body is, the true masterpiece of God’s creation is that wonderful eternal spirit of yours, and that’s what Paul was referring to in this verse. Your spirit is contained within your body, but it’s the spirit that’s the new creation.   The second thing to note is why God created you anew in Christ. Although the verse doesn’t specifically mention it, we know that the first and most important reason is because He wants us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. But also, as the verse does say, it was “… so that we can do good things he planned for us long ago.” And that brings us to our theme for this month of savoring and fully enjoying the time on earth that the Lord has given us. We’re using our time well when we’re doing the good things He has planned for us to do.   The great Christian writer C.S. Lewis once observed, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.”   In my observation the happiest, most joyful, and most content Christians tend to be the ones who are fulfilling their God-given purpose as His masterpieces, doing the good works in this world that He has planned for them to do from the very beginning. It’s when you are serving others (especially those who are less fortunate than you or those who are hurting and in need), that you are fulfilling your purpose. That’s when you will feel most fully alive and most satisfied. Often, the best thing you can do to make yourself feel better is to take your eyes off yourself and do something for someone else. It’s what God created you for. It’s what He planned for you to do.   You are God’s masterpiece, created by Him to do good works that He has planned for you from the very beginning. I encourage you to fulfill your purpose 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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Pray, relax, and enjoy life”   Some of my longtime readers will recognize the name of Dick DeGrow. I’ve mentioned him in other devotional messages and in sermons. Dick was an early mentor of mine shortly after I retired from the Navy and became a pastor. He was a retired pastor who was a member of my first church, Bancroft Baptist in Spring Valley, CA. He served as a deacon, adult Sunday school teacher, and he was the church custodian.   Dick was a quiet, calm, and relaxed man who had learned to take life as it comes and to just roll with things. He also had a lot of wisdom to share that was born of many years of faithful service as a pastor. Therefore, he was my closest advisor in the church. We would meet for lunch once a week to talk and pray.   That was thirty years ago but to this day, the image of Dick that continues to stand out in my mind is that calm, quiet, relaxed, and easy-going manner. The reason he was like that is captured beautifully by the Apostle Paul in yesterday’s Bible verse, Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” And by today’s verse, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Dick prayed a lot and he simply trusted all things to the Lord. Then he just went through life enjoying and savoring it.   I want to be more like that.   Dick was also responsible for one of my bad habits. He loved ice cream and he had a bowl every night. Every. Single. Night. It was a ritual he never missed, a treat he never denied himself. Up to that point I enjoyed ice cream, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t addicted to it. But Dick was a man I admired very much. I learned from him, copying his fine qualities and reproducing them in my own life. Soooo …”Hi, my name is Jim and I’m addicted to ice cream.” I mean, if my mentor could do it and be so happy, serene, and content, there must be something to it, right?    But the primary example Dick modeled so effectively was of a man who had learned to pray a lot, trust God, and enjoy life. That’s a pretty good way to be. It’s a pretty good example to follow.   Pray, relax, and enjoy life.   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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Pray more and worry less”   There was an article published by the American Psychological Association which reported the findings of a study designed to assess the psychological health of the American public. The findings were not good. 84% in the study declared themselves to be very concerned about all the social unrest in our country. 81% said they’re worried about the future of our nation. 74% reported significant concern about the deep political divide that just seems to keep getting worse. And over 70% have significant concerns about inflation and the economy.   All of that translates into mental health problems for large segments of the population. 67% of those surveyed in that study reported feeling somewhat or very overwhelmed by the totality of everything mentioned in the previous paragraph. 47% reported high levels of frequent anxiety. 44% reported experiencing a prolonged sense of sadness. 39% were angry.   Although there is evidence of all of that in the Christian community as well, I believe Christians are doing much better than the overall public in terms of good mental health, and I believe a big part of the reason is prayer. It’s what the Apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:6-7, the more we pray the better we handle things.   This is important. How can we savor our time, how can we enjoy and appreciate the gift of life and the moments of our lives, if we’re stressed-out and anxious all the time?  We need to pray more so we can worry less. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith …” And in Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) we find the promise, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”   The world is a mess, but Jesus isn’t. Jesus will give us peace that transcends all the issues we are faced with, a peace that will guard our heart and mind.   Let’s pray more so we can worry less.   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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “Praise the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2 (NIV)   Our thought for today: Count your blessings”   I wonder how many blessings we miss simply because we’re not paying attention. It’s not that the blessings aren’t there, they are. It’s just that we fail to recognize them for the blessings that they are. We’re so used to them that we no longer pay attention to them. It’s kind of like living in beautiful eastern Tennessee (which I do), and getting so used to seeing the mountains and lakes and lush green fields every day that they’re no longer special. Or like living on the pristine Gulf of Mexico (which I used to), with its sugar-white beaches and clear blue waters and being so used to it that it becomes commonplace.   Or maybe it’s like living in the United States of America with the highest standard of living in the world, with the best healthcare system in the world, with more food and better housing and more creature-comforts than anyone else in the world, while billions of others around the world live in deep poverty and millions more are starving, but I’m sitting here being whiny and grumpy because the internet is slow this morning. (First world problems!)   I wonder how many blessings we miss simply because we’re not paying attention, or because we’ve become dull and insensitive. I wonder how many blessings we miss simply because we don’t take the time to savor them and to thank God for them.   There’s a wonderful little exercise described for us in the old Christian hymn “Count Your Blessings”. You can Google it for the full lyrics, and I hope you will, but here’s the chorus: “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”   I encourage you to take some time this morning to count your blessings. Consider the many ways (big and small) in which God has blessed you. Think about your blessings. Savor them. Thank God for 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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath, his days are like a fleeting shadow.” Psalm 144:3-4 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Consider the brevity of life”   There are many things about Facebook that I dislike. It’s often misused by people in wrong or unhelpful ways, but there is some good to it as well. For one thing, it helps people who otherwise would not be in touch with each other to have an ongoing relationship that is often real-time and even visual (with the pictures and videos that are posted).   For instance, Facebook allows me to be in contact with people in my hometown with whom I grew up but haven’t seen in fifty years. I’m also now in touch with old military buddies, and people from churches I served in decades ago, and old mission team members from around the country who have been on international mission teams with me, and relatives who live in other parts of the country, and so many more.   One thing this contact with people from my past has reminded me of is the brevity of life. I’m amazed at how many of my old friends from my childhood and teenage years have already died – some in their forties, fifties, and early sixties. Likewise, old Navy buddies from decades ago – so many have died young.   The brevity of life is a subject the Bible refers to frequently. Just a quick search of “The Topical Bible” reveals forty-eight scriptural references from both the Old and New Testaments pertaining to the brevity of life. If God returns to a subject that often in His written Word, He must be trying to tell us something.   Our theme this month is about savoring the moments of our lives. It implies an unhurried, deep, and thoughtful focus on the things that truly matter, and the realization that we only have so much time and that it will pass quickly.   I encourage you to consider the brevity of your life and then make sure you are making the most of the time you do have.   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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night – a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:7-8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Go deep with God”   Psalm 42 is a study in contrast. On the one hand, the writer describes his deep unsatisfied desire for God as being like a thirsty deer longing for a soothing drink from a cool stream (1-2). He also writes about having a dejected and depressed soul immersed in turmoil (5-6). But then, with boldness and confidence, he declares that the Lord will send His faithful love by day and the song of the Lord will be with him in the night (8). He concludes the Psalm with a great statement of faith and encouragement when he writes in verse 11, “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.”   Verse 7 is the linchpin upon which the entire Psalm turns. “Deep calls to deep …” God is deep and He calls us to go deep with Him. Even as the breakers and billows of turmoil, dejection, and depression are washing over us, our deep God calls us to meet Him in deep places.   In his book, “Intimacy with the Almighty” Pastor Chuck Swindoll writes, “Deep things are intriguing. Deep jungles. Deep water. Deep caves and canyons. Deep thoughts and conversations. There is nothing like depth to make us dissatisfied with superficial, shallow things. Once we have delved below the surface and had a taste of the marvels and mysteries of the deep, we realize the value of taking the time and going to the trouble of plumbing those depths. This is especially true in the spiritual realm. God invites us to go deeper rather than to be content with surface matters.”   Going deep with God requires time. It requires us to slow down, stop, sit, and spend time with Him. Going deep with God also happens when we participate in group worship services. Good music, good teaching, and good fellowship can be profoundly worshipful experiences as we encounter God in the middle of them.   I encourage all of us to set aside time for meeting God in a deep place. Go deep with God. 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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Slow down and simplify”   In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 the Apostle Paul offers us yet another example of the theme we were thinking about yesterday, appreciating and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. In this passage he gives us an image of an entire life that is simple and quiet, focused on simply living a good life that honors the Lord and making a positive impact on those around us. There was nothing flashy or overly ambitious pictured here. Just an honest simple life.   I’ve already told you a bit about the story of pastor and author John Mark Comer, as described in his book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”. John was the lead pastor of a multi-site mega church. On a typical Sunday he would preach and teach five to six times in a single day. The rest of the week was crammed full of meetings, obligations, and responsibilities. He said he felt more like a high-strung stressed-out corporate CEO than a shepherd of God’s people.   Finally, he decided he needed to do exactly what Paul was describing in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – he needed to simplify and slow down. So, he gave up his high-profile position, became the pastor of a much smaller church, and he simplified the rest of his life as well. He said he restructured his entire life around a few basic and simple goals that involved God, family, and serving other people – and the quality of his life went up exponentially!   John’s story reminds me of a similar book written many years ago by another high-profile pastor about his own life. The pastor was Chuck Swindoll, and the book was called “Intimacy with the Almighty”. Chuck’s story was similar to John’s, and so was his solution. In the book Chuck quoted Ecclesiastes 7:29 which in the TEV reads, “God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” That described Chuck’s life, and it also describes many of ours. Most of us are not a high-profile pastor of a multi-site mega church, but our lives are still too busy in their own ways. We have indeed made ourselves very complicated.   There’s a lot to be gained from slowing down and simplifying life. Seldom if ever does life improve as it gets busier and more complicated.   I encourage all of us to slow down and simplify. Let’s give ourselves space in life to truly savor it.   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 © 2026 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: “Savor the moment”   Our Bible verse for today: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Simple pleasures”   As I write this, it’s an early summer morning in June. Dawn is breaking, the birds are singing, and the world is quiet and peaceful. I’m on our back porch gazing at Brady Mountain just a couple of blocks from our home. The mountain is lush green, covered in trees. It’s a beautiful and peaceful scene and it’s a simple, quiet, and peaceful way to begin the new day.   The moment is too good to pass up so I’m just going to sit here and savor it for a while. My thoughts are also on the trip I will be leaving on later this morning. I will be going to Texas to spend a few days with my son, daughter-in-law, and my five-year-old grandson Oliver. He’s the cutest and best grandson in the history of the world (he really is) and he has a special bond with his grandpa. In the days to come we will play football and baseball, ride bikes, go for walks, jump on the trampoline, and go for pizza at Chuck-E-Cheese’s. And I know from past experience that I will be content. Deeply content.   In 1 Timothy 6:6-8 the Apostle Paul was teaching his young protégé Timothy (and by extension us) to learn to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Pause for them; sit with them; enjoy them; savor the moment. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying that “The best things in life are not things.” That’s what Paul meant. The best times in life usually consist of special moments with God and with special people.   Yesterday I shared a little wisdom with you from one of my favorite contemporary philosophers, Snoopy the dog from the Peanuts comic strip. This morning we’ll end with a little more wisdom from him. Snoopy says: “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.”   Yes, godliness with contentment is great gain. Savor the moment. Enjoy the simple pleasures.   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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571