Deacons’ Devotions

Each month, a Deacon of Hickory Valley Baptist Church will share something that God has laid on their heart to share with you. We hope it is a blessing to those who read it.

The Garden

By: Mark Dial

When asked to give this month’s testimony or witness I thought to myself, “What will I say or write?” Many things came to mind, but the first thing that came to mind was this story of a young child who helped his great aunt in her beautiful garden. 

She tended a garden that would make its way into most present day gardening magazines. This garden was about 1/2 acre in size and yielded some of the finest vegetables most have ever seen. This great aunt, who was in her late 70’s, would begin work just before day break on this garden everyday except on Sundays. She would tend this garden with an old hoe that had the corners rounded off from use. During the planting season, this great aunt would take the handle of the old hoe and measure out the width of her rows to be plowed and planted. She would then drive broken bean sticks at one end of these rows that was measured off by the old hoe. 

This young child, who was much stronger than smart, would be lured into helping his great aunt with the promise of several bowls of lettuce, onions, radishes, and hot bacon grease in “generous proportions” once all these veggies came in. By the way, this young child loved to eat and this bowl of fine veggies was one of his favorites. The sole job of this young child was to do the plowing of these rows using an old push plow. There would be 15-20 long rows to plow. The trick for keeping these rows straight was to focus on the broken bean sticks at the end of the row and push the plow toward the bean stick, simple enough. Once these 15-20 rows were finished the Great Aunt would inspect each row for depth and straightness. The first several rows were completely straight. The young child felt very good about the rows he had just plowed. The next few rows, the Great Aunt pointed out some bends in the rows. When asked why these rows weren’t as straight as the others the young child would think back and remember this was about the time he was thinking about playing ball or hunting or fishing. His focus on the bean sticks was lost. When this child focused on the bean sticks his rows were straight and true. But when he lost focus, his mind wandered and the rows became bent and crooked.

Decades have passed since this child grew into a man. During this span of time the man has often thought back to the time when he was pushing that old plow as a child, wanting to keep the rows perfectly straight. Recognizing that when he kept his focus on the broken bean sticks, he achieved what he set out to do. But when took his eyes off the bean sticks, he drifted off course. 

You see this is what happens to many of us when we take our eyes off of Jesus. When we decide to focus elsewhere we drift off course. When we stay in God’s word, talk with Him daily, we find out that the many rows in our lives are much easier to plow through, we remain on course and our rows in life are much straighter. 

Some verses in the Bible that have always meant a lot to me are in the book of Matthew 14:28-31.

This is where Jesus walked out on water to His disciples in the midst of a storm. When the disciples saw Jesus they were in fear. But Jesus straightaway told them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Peter answered Jesus and asked to meet Him out on the water. Jesus told Peter, “Come”. Peter immediately stepped out of the boat and walked on water to meet Jesus. As long as Peter focused on Jesus he walked on top of the water, but once Peter became distracted by the storm, he went off course and began to sink.

You see, we all lose some focus at times and drift a little off course and maybe have some fear set in, this is when we should see our Jesus stretch forth His hand and say, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

Snack Pack Is Not Jell-O

By: Kendall Riley

My wife, Christine, was very sick and fighting COVID-19. During her battle, she decided that she would like some Jell-O in the small snack cups. I requested our daughter to pick some up with the other groceries she was dropping off at the front door. Later that afternoon, I brought Christine a snack cup. She took one bite and said, “This is not Jell-O. It is off-brand.” You see, Snack Pack is not the Jell-O brand. It looks and shakes like Jell-O, but it is not Jell-O. This got me thinking.

We see this instance many times throughout life. While speaking with His disciples, Jesus illustrates this point in John 14:6. Thomas is confused, not about Jell-O, but about the way to heaven. Jesus explains to Thomas,” I am the way and the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus was revealing that He was the true path to our Heavenly Father. His death would open the way for us to enter His Father’s house. With Jesus as a our intercessor, we have the opportunity to come into God’s presence and remain throughout eternity. In Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus tells us to , “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” You and I must be diligent and watchful so that we are not deceived. There is only one way for us to go to heaven. Ephesians 2:8 tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” So, if you want the real Jell-O, do not be deceived by the Snack Pack. Love you guys.

In Christ,

Kendall

Experiencing Peace and Comfort Through Both Good and Bad Times

By: Mike Simons

Focal verse: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:7

Words cannot describe the overwhelming peace and comfort one experiences when they pray from the heart. When you pray from the heart, ask for forgiveness of all your sins through Christ Jesus, and believe that Jesus died for your sins, you will be saved. There is no greater peace, comfort, and joy!

In order for us to grow spiritually, we must build a relationship with our Lord by praying and talking to him fervently and regularly. Reading the Holy Bible daily is the food that feeds the spirit and helps us grow and mature in our walk with God. Lastly, attending a Bible-based church with a loving church family to worship and pray with is a must.

If we do these things, I promise that we will be filled with the fruits of the spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23), and the peace and comfort that only the Lord can give will guide us through both the good times and the bad times that we all experience in our lifetime. We must lean on the Lord and trust in Him everyday.

To God be the glory!

God and Christmas

By: Greg Hawkins

Focus verse: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

As I think about December, my mind immediately goes to Christmas. I have noticed that when I turn on the television, radio, or browse the internet, my mind wants to focus on trees, lights, food, and gifts. Things that are far removed from the true meaning of Christmas. So that made me start thinking about how I would define the meaning of Christmas. For me, Christmas is God’s selfless love on display for me and the world. God knew we could not reach him, so He came to us. God made a way through Jesus’ birth so that we might spend eternity with him. So as the Christmas season is here, I choose to focus on the greatest news ever told. I want my heart to meditate on the peacefulness of the manger that cradled Jesus, the angels singing to Him, and the wise men worshipping Him. Thank you God for sending your son, Jesus, so that I will spend eternity in heaven worshipping You.

Jesus Is Coming!

By: Earl Davis

As a Christian, I find peace and assurance in the words of Jesus that I mentioned in John 14:1-3. To reiterate, it says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” If you are reading this and have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, I urge you to pray to God, confess that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised for your justification, and receive and confess to Him that He is your personal Savior. If you prayed a prayer like this or need to learn more about our Heavenly Father, we would love to have you join us at Hickory Valley Baptist Church.

Jesus is coming back!

By: Eric Jones

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. 1 Chronicles 4:10

In this verse, Jabez called to God saying “Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory,” Jabez is not speaking about land here; he is asking God to increase his walk with Him. The verse continues, “That Your hand would be with me and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.” God will lead us through life if we just let him. This is why I always ask God to help me not be a stumbling block to anyone. After Jabez’s prayer, God granted him his request.

Jabez was not praying for his personal gain; he was praying for the increase of God’s territory and kingdom. Jabez shows us that we need to be more concerned with praying for others than for ourselves.

Only Hope in Christ is Sure and Certain

By: Kendall Riley

In 1 Peter, Peter was writing to believers in Asia Minor who were beginning to face opposition because of their faith. He wrote to encourage them to persevere through their hardships.

This letter that Peter wrote certainly applies to us today. We place our hope in a variety things: good health, a better job, career advancement, etc. All such hopes are not guaranteed and often fail. No one is exempt from life’s difficulties and tragedies; however, the Christian’s hope in Jesus Christ enables us to rise above all of life’s circumstances.

In 1 Peter 1:3, Peter tells use that those who have been born again through their faith in Jesus Christ have a lively (living) hope. My prayer today is that you can say you have that lively hope. To take a slogan from one of my previous THP Colonels, “The train is leaving the depot; you need to get on it.” Miss you all. Hope to see you soon.