Pastor's Pen Archives 2

Five Big Questions from COVID-19

1. What is God doing during this terrible pandemic? Genesis 18:25 – “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?”

· I believe that God has a message and a warning to our nation.

· For believers we should get as close to God as we possibly can and stay there.

Charles Spurgeon: “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages.

2. Should we comply to CDC guidelines? Genesis 4:9 – “Am I my brother’s keeper.”

· According to Romans 13 being a good Christian also means to be a good citizen.

· If we disregard these guidelines and someone gets sick because of our disobedience we should be ashamed and heartsick.

3. What have we done with all the extra time at home? Matthew 26:40 – “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”

· Just an hour a day applied to your spiritual growth would benefit you immensely!

· Use your phone and make a prayer list out of your contacts. 😊 Then text them and tell them that you have prayed for them! 😊

4. Will we survive as a nation? Romans 8:31 – “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

· America needs to return to God, especially God’s people! II Chron. 7:14

· During the Civil War someone asked President Lincoln, “Is God on our side?” Lincoln replied: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

5. How can we be saved from this awful Pandemic? Acts 16:30 – “What must I do to be saved?”

· No one wants to die from this virus. Even if you are spared from death, are you prepared to face eternity?

· If you will trust Christ as your Savior today, then you can be truly prepared to face whatever may be in your soon coming future.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” - Acts 16:31

How to Handle Pressure

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” - Proverbs 16:32

We have all been under a lot of pressure lately, haven’t we? Our entire country has been under tremendous pressure. The question is not how to get rid of pressure but how to handle pressure. Let’s examine three persons in the Bible and see how they handled pressure.

1. Moses was Overloaded. Exodus 18:13-18

· He Accepted Counsel. Exodus 18:19-a, 24

· He Delegated Responsibility. Vs. 20, 21

· He Organized the People. Exodus 18:25

Vance Havner: “Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.”

2. Abraham was Faced with Confrontation. Genesis 13:5-9

· He Reacted properly by Communicating. Genesis 13:8

· He Believed God’s Promises. Genesis 12:2; 18:14-17

· He Avoided Pride and Stubborness. Genesis 13:9

Robert Frost: “The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.”

3. Jesus was Faced with Criticism. Mark 3:1-7

· He took a Break. Mark 3:7

· He had a Consistent Prayer Life. Luke 6:12

· He Saturated His mind with Scripture. Matthew 4:4

Nick Gumbel: “Pressure is what transforms a lump of coal into a diamond.”

Seven Muddy Ducks

One of the greatest stories in the Bible is of Naaman, the captain of the host of armies of the King of Syria. He was a great and honorable man, but the Bible says that he was a leper. A small young Hebrew servant told his wife that if he would go to the man of God in Samaria that he had the power to heal him. At this point in his life, he was desperate for healing from his awful disease, so he went.

When he came to Elisha, he was instructed to go to the Jordan River and dip into the river seven times. He was angry because the Jordan river was a very muddy river. He was so desperate that he finally HUMBLED HIMSELF and dipped seven times in the river. The Bible says that when he came out of the muddy river that his skin was like the skin of a little child!

There are so many great lessons in this story! To begin with, God used a very unlikely small child who was in bondage. The hymn, “Little is Much when God is in it”, is so true! This young girl possessed three outstanding virtues:

1. She Had Great Faith in Her God.

Matthew 9:29 – “According to your faith be it unto you.”

Matthew 13:58 – “He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

John 20:27 – (To Thomas) – “Be not faithless but believing.”

2. She Was Filled with Courage. V. 3-a Notice what she overcame:

· The Fear of Ridicule.

· The Fear of Misunderstanding. (Her motive was to help, not to hurt.)

· The Fear of Failure.

Note: Courage is overcoming the paralyzing affects of fear. Courage comes from God! Acts 18:9-11

3. She Was Motivated by Love and Compassion. V. 3-b; John 3:17 – “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”

· Remember that she was taken and made a slave. He was an enemy to her people.

· She did not think of revenge, she thought of rescue.

One day we will talk to Naaman in heaven and he will tell us of the faith, the courage and the love and compassion of this little girl. 😊

“America is a great country, but you can’t live in it for nothing.” - Will Rogers

As we celebrate our nation’s birthday let’s pause and thank God for this land of opportunity that is the envy of the world. Do you realize that anyone regardless of their social standing, race, whether rich or poor can rise to occupy the highest office of this land! Here are ten poor boys who rose to become great leaders in our country.

JOHN ADAMS: The second President of the U.S., was the son of a grocer of very moderate means. The only start he had was a good education.

ANDREW JACKSON: He was born in a log hut in North Carolina and was reared in the pine woods for which the state is famous.

JAMES K. POLK: He spent the earlier years of his life helping to dig out a living out of a new farm in North Carolina. He was afterward a clerk in a country store.

MILLARD FILLMORE: He was the son of a New York farmer, and his home was a humble one. He learned the business of a clothier.

JAMES BUCHANAN: He was born in a small town in the Allegheny Mountains. His father cut the logs and built the house in what was then a wilderness.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: He was the son of a wretchedly poor farmer in Kentucky and lived in a log cabin until he was twenty-one years old.

ANDREW JOHNSON: He was apprenticed to a tailor at the age of ten years by his widowed mother. He was never able to attend school and picked up all the education he ever had.

ULYSSES S. GRANT: He lived the life of a village boy, in a plain house on the banks of the Ohio River, until he was seventeen years of age.

JAMES A. GARFIELD: He was born in a log cabin. He worked on the farm until he was strong enough to use carpenter’s tools, when he learned the trade. He afterwards worked on a canal.

GROVER CLEVELAND: Was a Pastor’s son with a small salary and a large family. The boys had to work jobs to help their family survive.

Hickory Creek Baptist Church
940-484-2091

Praising our Lord Jesus Together!

More Pastor's Pen Archives

Morning Devotional and Introducing Landyn

Five Big Questions from COVID-19

Hickory Creek Baptist Church940-484-2091

Praising our Lord Jesus Together!

More Pastor's Pen Archives

Morning Devotional and Introducing Landyn

Five Big Questions from COVID-19

Hickory Creek Baptist Church
940-484-2091