I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
Author Archives: Shawn Thomas
“Are You A Disciple?” (Luke 9:23 sermon)
(Preached at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 4-12-15) Are you a disciple? When we think of the word “disciple”, a lot of us probably think of 12 guys in robes who followed Jesus around, usually saying or doing the wrong then, … Continue reading
Are You Any Better?
Often it is easy to criticize others for a particular drawback, when the truth is we are not any better than they are. In Psalm 28, David asks God to judge the wicked, and in :5 he gives the reason: … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged faith, Psalm 28:5, spiritual blindness, spiritual perception
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When God Changes Your Plans
Don’t be surprised if things don’t turn out the way you plan. Indeed, often it seems like they rarely do! But Proverbs 16:9 explains why that is often the case: “The mind of man plans his way, but YHWH directs … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged C.S. Lewis, interruptions, plans, Proverbs 16:9, providence
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No Small Sin
A church member was once overheard saying: “He’s a good minister, he’s just got a little pride problem.” But pride is not a “little” problem — for a minister or anyone else, as Proverbs 16:5 makes clear: “Everyone who is … Continue reading
Roll It To God
Proverbs 16:3 is a good word for any of us who make plans, whether personal, business, or in ministry: “Commit your works to YHWH and your plans will established.” The Hebrew here is literally “ROLL” your works to YHWH” — … Continue reading
The Demons Know
When Jesus cast demons out of people in Mark 1, :34 says: “He did not allow them to speak, because they knew Him.” There are a couple of important lessons in this verse: One is that the demons have a … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged demons, discernment, James 2:19, Mark 1:34, salvation, spiritual realm
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Making It Personal
Psalm 27:10 is a comforting verse regarding God’s commitment to his children: “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me up.” David had just prayed in the previous verse, “Do not abandon nor … Continue reading
The Poverty of Mere Talk
Proverbs 14:23 admonishes us: “In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” This is a good reminder to us that just talking about something rarely accomplishes anything. It must be backed up by actions.
Speak to Jesus About Them!
After Jesus and His disciples had concluded an exciting episode in the synagogue with the demon-afflicted man, Mark 1 tells us that they went to Simon’s house. Then :30 says: “But the mother-in-law of Simon was lying sick with a … Continue reading
A Good Fear
Not all fear is bad. Proverbs 14:16 says: “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.” The word “cautious” in this verse is literally “fears” in Hebrew. A wise man “fears” … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged consequences, fear, fear of the Lord, Proverbs 14:16, sin, wisdom
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