THINK ABOUT IT             1-2-25

After sending the announcement about not being able to preach next Sunday I was down in the dumps because I’m so limited in what I can do. Then something happened to changed my perspective.

First I received a heartfelt message from someone who encouraged me.
 
Second, I read a heartbreaking message from someone. The second was a report about the churches in Ukraine. It was from a godly Baptist preacher. He, along with a delegation of Christian conservatives just returned from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, where they met with Christian leaders and government officials.

As that dear brother described the atrocities of the war with Russia I bowed my head in shame that I was feeling sorry for myself. While millions suffer, I am blessed beyond measure. As much as I would like to preach everyday, having had the privilege of preaching over 58 years I would have no grounds for complaint if I could never preach again. Things could be worse. But having said that, I do ask you to pray that God would enable me to preach as often and long as possible.

I don’t know what you might be going through, but if you are a child of God, in the will of God, wanting to work for God, there will be difficulties to overcome. Sometimes, as it was with David when he wanted to build the temple, God says,”No”. And He knows best. To overcome our disappointments we need to remember that we all have it better than we deserve. However bad your situation is it could be worse! Let us then thank God for what we have and what we can do. Think about it! – HDS

David Stone  
Lakeway Baptist Church  
Humble, TX

THINK ABOUT IT           11-23-24

Media Manipulation

A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) said “. . . advertising, at least in the United States, is the most powerful educational agent extant. Those who write the advertising copy probably do more to determine the way the average person thinks than the school and church combined.

The reasons for this are two. One is that men may flee from the admonitions of parents and the good counsel of the church, but where can anyone hide from the advertiser” He is as near to being ubiquitous as anything on earth except gravity.

The second reason the advertiser exercises such incredibly powerful influence is that he has learned to perfection the art of communication. He may be lying, and often is, but he does get his ideas across; and that is more than can be said for the school and the church.”

It should be easy to see that it’s worse now than when Tozer wrote those words. There is no denying that the world is getting its message out which, as Tozer said, “is more than can be said for the school and the church”.

Tozer told the truth! I’ve been preaching 58 years and I can tell you from experience and observation that Christians and churches did more to reach the lost then than they do today. So is it any wonder that things are as they are?

Jesus said, “ “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭. Sadly there are too many “good for nothing” churches today.

It is a well known fact that meat will spoil without salt. Without salt the outcome is predictable – it rots! Even so, when the church fails to be salt to the society it gets worse and worse. We need to stop blaming the world for its rotten condition and put the blame where it should be – on our shoulders. We have failed to deliver the life changing message of the gospel to the world.

Be honest, when is the last time you made a sincere effort to lead someone to Christ? What ministry are you involved in that works as a witness to those who are without Christ? How often do you pray for someone specifically to be saved? How long has it been since you invited someone to church? 

So, rather than spewing our disdain for this wicked world let us do our best to reach others for Christ. God help us to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. THINK ABOUT IT!- HDS

David Stone  

Lakeway Baptist Church  

Humble, TX

THINK ABOUT IT                11-19-24

Understanding Understanding
As hard as we might try, we can’t always understand one another. As we listen to people pour out the burdens of their heart, we’re often guilty of saying,”I understand” when we don’t. O we mean well, we want to understand and we try, but we can’t. We are all different and our circumstances are not the same. 

Sometimes we are guilty of criticizing others when we would actual do worse were we in their exact same situation. They fare better than we would were the roles reversed, yet we complain about their short-comings. We need to realize that we can’t always understand the degree of their temptation, the weight of their burden, the extent of their weakness, the stage of their maturity, and the effects of their past. If we could truly understand we might commend them rather than condemn them.

In a thousand years I could not explain to you what it is like to be a pastor. Unless you are a pastor, you don’t have a clue! However, neither can I always understand what it is like being in your shoes. Since that is true, we both need to work at being more understanding regarding things that we don’t understand. Although we can’t understand we can be more understanding, and that would make a tremendous difference in our relationships. We are all different, imperfect, and in need of help. So let’s pray for one another, and for ourselves—asking God to help us understand that we don’t understand.

 Since we all fail, it behooves us to be “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”(Ephesians 4:32). That’s not just good advice, it is a command. Think about it! – HDS

David Stone  

Lakeway Baptist Church 

Humble, TX