“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. “ – Rom. 12:21
 
I recently read the story of a young man who was in the army. He was a Christian and had formed the habit of praying beside his bed before he went to sleep. He kept up this practice in the army, but he became an object of mockery and ridicule to the entire barracks. One night he knelt to pray after a long, weary march. As he was praying, one of his tormentors took off his muddy boots and threw them at the boy, one at a time, hitting him on each side of his head. The Christian said nothing about it, and just took the boots and put them beside the bed and continued to pray. But the next morning, when the other man woke up, he found his boots sitting beside his bed, all shined and polished. It so broke his heart that he came to that boy and asked him for forgiveness. That led, after a time, to that man becoming a Christian. This is what Paul means when he says you overcome evil with good. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to overcome an enemy is to make him your friend.”

As Christians we have an obligation to overcome instead of being overcome. But as clear as this command is we seldom obey it. Instead of complaining about the evil done to us, as we usually do, we would be much better off if we did good to those who treat us badly. To do otherwise is to disobey God, which puts us in the same company as those who do evil. – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

MORNING MANNA         11/5/19
 DISOBEDIENCE
 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” – Ja. 4:17
 Sam Jones was a preacher who held revival services, which he called “quittin’ meetings.” His preaching was directed primarily to Christians, and he urged them to give up the sinful practices in their lives. Sam’s messages were very effective, and many people promised to quit swearing, drinking, smoking, lying, gossiping, or anything else that was displeasing to the Lord. On one occasion Jones asked a woman, “Just what is it that you’re quittin’?” She replied, “I’m guilty of not doing something — and I’m going to quit doing that too!” Even though she had no bad habits to give up, she wasn’t actively living to please God.

 Elisabeth Elliot told of her brother Thomas Howard. Their mother let him play with paper bags she’d saved if he put them away afterwards. One day she walked into the kitchen to find them strewn all over the floor. Tom was out at the piano with his father singing hymns. When confronted, he protested, “But Mom, I want to sing. ” His father stated, “It’s no good singing God’s praise if you’re disobedient.”

 We need to think about that. Sins of omission are just as bad as sins of commission. Sin of any sort is serious in God’s sight. It is one thing to sit and sing in church and another to leave the service and practice what we preach. Sometimes the most serious sins are the things we leave undone.- HDS
 David Stone
 Lakeway Baptist Church
 5801 FM 1960 E
 Humble, TX. 77346

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”– Phil. 2:9-11
 
Having heard R. G. Lee preach, as I read these words it is as though I can almost hear him speaking now. He said:
“The Transcendence of the name of Jesus and its everlasting glory depend upon the work accomplished at the place called Calvary and at the open grave. It is because of that, dear friends, that He stands out today the First Begotten from the dead, “that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.” “His name shall endure forever.”
When the names of earth’s benefactors are no more remembered, when the achievements of science are no longer of value, when the guesses of philosophers are seen to be in vain, when time shall be no more – multitudes, in praise of Him in gratitude for salvation through His name, will still sing the song of Moses, and of the Lamb of enduring name. When the Caesars and Charlemagne, the Napoleons and Wellingtons and their so-called splendid victories are forgotten, the multitudinous trophies of His saving power, in enjoyment of His endless fruits of His blood-bought victories, will sing the praises of His peerless name.
There never was a name like the name of Jesus – so representative of sacrificial love at its best. And someday, “every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord . . . to the glory of God the Father.”

It is not a question of “If” you will confess Jesus is Lord, but “When?”. The time is coming when there will be a universal consensus of that fact. The sad thing is that it will be too late for most. Today is the day of salvation. You dare not delay! – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“…. Thy God reigneth!” – Isa. 52:7
Fall reminds us that change is coming. The dancing golden leaves will soon be replaced with the fluttering white snowflakes. Summer has ended and winter is just around the corner. As far back as I can remember fall has been my favorite time of the year, but that is changing. The older I get, the more aches and pains trouble me, the less I like the chilly days of fall. But since I can’t change or control the seasons, I must cope with them.

Now that is a minor matter, but some changes are major. Just a few days ago I received the shocking news that one of my cousins had died. Now the family and friends must cope with the change and learn to live with their loss. That’s something most people would rather not have to do, but we can’t dictate the events of life.

Change is inevitable. The one thing you can count on is that change is coming. As long as we are in this world we must contend with changes. We see some of them coming, but are surprised by others. Some are pleasant and some are painful. Some are desired and some are despised. They are all different in their nature, intensity, and duration. We must continually cope with the challenge of change. Sometimes it is easy, but sometimes it seems impossible.

The one thing all changes have in common is this – they all happen because God appoints them or allows them. There are no accidents with God. And since we can’t control or change them our only path to peace is to accept what God allows. That’s crucial if we hope to find comfort. I realize that this is a tough task, but it is what God expects. He wants us to trust Him. And, since He never changes – the same yesterday, today, and forever, He is trustworthy. You can always rely upon Him. In our text we find God speaking to the inhabitants of Jerusalem about changes, past and future, and He reminds them of this glorious fact, “Thy God reigneth!“. Thank God He is still on His throne! As He said, “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Mal. 3:6).

So when you are confronted with a change you can’t change or control, to find comfort you must accept what God allows. In doing that you experience peace that passeth all understanding and express your confidence that God will cause all things to work together for good. We don’t have to be controlled by circumstances. In Christ we can find comfort and courage for the crisis of change. As Paul said, “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us”. ( Rom. 8:37). – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“….Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?….” – John 21:16

Sometime ago, after preaching from 1 Pet. 4:8 about love being the greatest characteristic, command, credential, and challenge, I left the service feeling like “What’s the use?”. That’s a feeling all pastors are familiar with. It was one of those days that every pastor has once in a while–and they are never fun.The entire message was about “The Greatest Thing”, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it was on anyone’s top ten list– if they truly attached any great importance to it. Surely it would be a reason to fear God if we didn’t. To treat lightly something God values so highly certainly is no minor matter–but it happens. Although just about everyone recognizes their responsibility to love, few acknowledge their failure to do so. Even when it is obvious that love is lacking they keep pretending, and singing “It is well with my soul”. Really?

If it suddenly came to their attention that their bank funds were depleted, or their health was diminished, or their spouse spoke of divorce, they would hit the panic button and give their full attention to the problem. But present evidence that there is a lack of love and they just yawn. It doesn’t so much as raise an eye-brow– let alone drive them to their knees in repentance. It’s almost as though they resent having someone even question their love. As you read this interaction of Christ with Peter you can almost sense the tension.There was no doubt great emotion on both sides. Peter had publicly denied the Lord, so there was need for a public confession.

We know Peter’s story, but what about you? What is your story? Has your actions, or lack thereof, raised a question about your affection for the Lord. How would you answer the Lord? Can we honestly say there is evidence of our love for Christ? Although we all fail at times we are never at liberty to ignore the matter. Our failure should drive us to our knees in prayer as we repent. Dear friend, this is a question we all must answer – “lovest thou me?” – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346