Category Archives: “Think About It”

“Knowing the God of Lincoln”

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Knowing the God of Lincoln 1

© 2024 Don Pinson | [Download]
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There’s a little-known story about Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday we celebrate this week, which needs to be told.

Shortly before his death, an Illinois clergyman asked Abraham Lincoln, “Do you love Jesus?”  Mr. Lincoln solemnly replied:

“When I left Springfield I asked the people to pray for me.  I was not a Christian.  When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian.  But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.  Yes, I do love Jesus.”

(America’s Providential History, p. 241)

Abraham Lincoln was not Continue reading →

“God’s Instruments of Liberty”

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© 2024 Don Pinson | [Download]
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Is America a nation birthed by God?  Well the Bible says all nations are birthed by God:  In Acts 17:26 the Bible says,

“[God]…hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined…the bounds of their habitation;”

Let’s learn about it from the book, Why God Birthed America…

“God’s plan had not changed, even though man had left the good beginnings brought about by Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, and outpouring of His Spirit into believers.  Still yet, God had not given up on His dream of man being a vessel through which He could live His life.  And He was about to Continue reading →

“Is Law Livable?”

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© 2024 Don Pinson | [Download]
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When I was a kid and I’d get a little rowdy, my Dad would often say, “Now son, I’m laying the law down to you.”  And then he’d go on to explain what I could or could not do.  I knew what he meant by “laying the law down”.  He was making plain the boundaries for my behavior, and I understood I’d better not step outside those boundaries or I would suffer the consequences—not the least of which was his belt applied to my rear end.  I learned through that discipline that I could live “by the law”.

Is Law Livable 1I’m amazed at how many people think we can’t live by law anymore.  They say by their actions, if not their words, “You don’t have to keep any law.  I determine the law for myself.”  In other words, there is nothing “set in”, which is what the word law means.  The boundaries for behavior shift depending on what the individual wants in a given situation.  But is this good?

The Bible says, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6).  We are Continue reading →

“Overcoming the Current Fear”

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© 2024 Don Pinson | [Download]
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Is the economy going to get better—or will it continue to slide?  Will I lose my job?  Will I be able to provide for my family?  Will the nation survive the current downhill slide or will we lose our liberty and live under a dictator?

These are very real fears that many feel today.  What can we do?

The pattern I’m about to give you, you will not hear on the nightly news.

Number one, we have to settle the issue of physical death.  That’s right, we have to come to peace with our individual moment of death.  You may be wondering how this relates to the crisis in Washington, but it has everything to do with it.  Until we come face to face with the fact that we’re not going to live forever on this earth, but that we are going to live forever somewhere, we cannot possibly move into the destiny God has for us.  We cannot protect national liberty until we have personal liberty!

We simply must come to a moment in our lives when we acknowledge that this life is not ours; that it belongs to our Creator who knit us together in our mother’s womb.  When we face that fact, and say Continue reading →

“The World or the Word”

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© 2024 Don Pinson | [Download]
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Since the Garden of Eden there has been a war of ideas going on in this world. Today we see this war manifested in the battle over what methods will be used in our education systems, with the minds of our children being the prize that goes to the victor. It is likewise evident in the economic realm, as those who believe government should stay out of business debate with those who believe increased government interference will solve our economic woes. Government itself is a battleground of ideas. There are those who believe government is a tool of God to maintain order. On the other side there are those who believe government is god!

In this battle the stakes are high. Liberty, with all its priceless benefits, is what is at stake. So how do we determine who is right? Can we find the answer deep within us, as man-centered thinkers would have us believe? Or must we look Continue reading →

“Education Is the Root”

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Education Is the Root 1All thinking people agree that education is the key to what the next generation becomes. What a child learns before he is six years old is probably going to determine his methods of doing things for the rest of his life. It is simply impossible to over-estimate the value of teaching children what is right. Ben Franklin said of those who taught children,

“I think…that talents for the education of youth are the gift of God; and that he on whom they are bestowed, whenever a way is opened for the use of them, is as strongly called as if he heard a voice from heaven.”

(Franklin, Benjamin. August 23, 1750, in a letter to Dr. Samuel Johnson, President of King’s College (now Columbia University). Verna M. Hall, The Christian History of the American Revolution (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1976), p. 221.)

Every reasonable person would agree with Mr. Franklin.

While we all agree that education is extremely important, we don’t all agree on what type of education is best to prepare children to Continue reading →

“Who’s the Best at Influencing Government?”

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© 2023 Don Pinson | [Download]
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Often when I speak in churches I ask people to be involved in their government in order to protect the liberty of their children.  Many times they look at me with bewildered looks, as if to say, “How can I affect government?”  I’m sorry we’ve gotten to such a state.

When the Pilgrims came to America they had been through many years of government oppression.  And before them, many others had felt the restrictions of ungodly government and education.  Because of the hurt they had experienced through un-Biblical government, they knew they must establish education which was true and government which was just.  They knew the Bible taught that liberty could not be maintained in any nation apart from teaching the ways of God in their schools; neither could they expect liberty to continue if their government was not the form of government taught in the Bible.  Thus, they worked to create cultural institutions which God taught in the Bible:  Institutions which would teach and protect the moral foundation necessary for Republics to carry out their God-given purpose.

When people look at me with a questioning face that says, “How can I affect government?”,  I know they have Continue reading →

“The Christmas Story”

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© 2023 Don Pinson | [Download]
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Ladies and gentlemen, the following story is why we have Christmas:

The Christmas Story1 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away [privately]. But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for…he…shall save his people from their sins.’ Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.’ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS.” Continue reading →

“The Promise of Deliverance”

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© 2023 Don Pinson | [Download]
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At the Christmas season, a lot of emphasis is given to a lot of things other than the One the season is all about—JESUS! In the next two messages we hope to tell His story! It all started like this:

The Promise of Deliverance1“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments…of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because…Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God…he went into the temple of the Lord…And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord… And when Zacharias saw him…fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, ‘Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John…For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord…and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God…’ And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived… Continue reading →

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

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© 2023 Don Pinson | [Download]
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So often, at this time of year, we sing Christmas carols in our churches or at family gatherings.  Some have melodies which raise our emotions to the heights.  Others woo us into quiet meditations on the deep meaning of Jesus’ entry into this world and what His invasion into human flesh really means to us.  But the carol that does both those things for me—is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.  Written by the great song-writing revivalist, Charles Wesley, the revelation in this hymn of what Christ did for us is astounding!  Take a journey with me as we attempt to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us what Jesus did for us.  Wesley wrote:

Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild– God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!” Continue reading →