A Southern Baptist pastor for almost 35 years, I currently serve as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Angleton, Texas, and post my weekly sermons on this site, as well as a brief overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson.
Tag Archives: trial
The Stability of Your Times
“And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is his treasure.” (Isaiah 33:6) Significantly, this verse was written to God’s people in a time of impending distress … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged comfort, Isaiah 33:6, peace, Psalm 113, Psalm 16:11, stability, trial, tribulation
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“The Goodness of God in the Midst of Affliction” (Psalm 119:65-72 sermon)
In February 2012, I stood to lead prayer meeting at the church I had been pastoring for 12 years in Louisiana, and the longer I stood the more nauseated I became. I had to leave during prayer and have my … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged affliction, doctrine of God, God, God is good, Psalm 119:68 sermon, purposes for trials, theology, trial
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What God Is Testing In You
In Psalm 26:2 David prays, “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; test my mind and my heart.” In this prayer He asks God to search his inward life. The word “mind” here is actually “kidneys” in Hebrew, a cultural … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged beauty, inner life, Proverbs 31, Psalm 147:10-11, Psalm 26:2, strength, test, trial
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When The Platitudes Don’t Work
It’s easy to quote popular spiritual platitudes to ourselves and others in times of difficulty. But what happens when they don’t “work”? We find in Psalm 22 that David knew something about that. In :4-5 he says, “In You our … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Hebrews 11:, platitudes, Psalm 2:2, spiritual cliches, suffering, trial
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When You Feel Forsaken
Where do you turn when you feel forsaken? David cried in Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” These were the very words that Jesus later used to express His own desolation on the cross. Perhaps … Continue reading
Abandoning the Inadequate
In II Samuel 5:21 it says that after David defeated the Philistines in battle, “They abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.” It is both Ironic and instructive that the Philistines cast aside those idols … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged idolatry, II Samuel 5:21, religion, spurious faith, test, trial
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