“…..Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” – Eph. 5:25

This is a simple phrase, but it is a glorious truth. And it appears even more glorious when you consider our imperfections. Saying it was or is imperfect is an understatement. Yet Christ loved and loves the church – spots and all. The proof of His love is His sacrifice – He “gave himself for it”. So there is no question about His love. The only question is “Do you love the church?”

Let’s be honest, sacrifice is something most of us don’t know much about – especially in America. To sacrifice is to offer, give, surrender something for the sake of something else. But it is more than giving. It is giving that results in depriving oneself. And that can relate to many different things. Can you honestly say that you deprive yourself so as to provide for the sake of the church? Some do. Others know they don’t. And some just think they do.

Now you might suppose that my next step is to ask you to step up and sacrifice for the sake of the church, but you are wrong. That’s getting the cart before the horse. Our greatest need is love, not sacrifice. Even if I could somehow get every member to start making sacrifices it would be meaningless and short lived. Worse than that, sacrifice without love, external service without love, is displeasing to the Lord. David said, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”- Psa. 51:16-17. If the heart isn’t right, what we do is unacceptable. If what we do doesn’t spring from a heart of love it is rejected by God and worthless to us.

Is sacrifice not needed? Of course it is, but it must proceed from love. The problem is that we often mistake sacrifice for love. Sometimes people get stirred up emotionally to the point that they are willing to make sacrifices, and from all outward appearance it seems to be evidence of love – but that’s not necessarily the case. The problem is that, although all seems well, all isn’t well. When troubles arise the sacrifices stop. However, when the sacrifices are motivated by love they continue on even in times of great difficulty. Anyone can get all excited for a moment and made a sacrifice, but without love it won’t last. Some folks go through life making one resolution after another, but they all end in failure. It’s not until we deal with the actual problem that we correct the situation. Rather than depending on campaigns, revival meetings, programs, concerts, etc. we need to deal with the real issue which is a lack of love for Christ and His church. Love just naturally sacrifices, without prompting, because it delights in pleasing its object, and those who love the Lord love what He loves.. – HDS

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

“—forgetting those things which are behind–I press toward the mark for the prize” —Philippians 3:13-14 
In these wonderful verses we see Paul’s past, his proclamation, and his pursuit. Then in the next verses we see his plea–setting himself forth as an example. 

That dear old apostle refused to allow anything in his past divert his attention and dim his vision of the prize before him. That is really rather amazing when you consider all of the things from his past that he could have been thinking about– his atrocities (persecuting the saints), his abilities, his accomplishments, his authority, his associates, his adversaries, his afflictions, etc. Yet he was looking ahead to “the prize of the high calling”. And he wasn’t just looking, he was reaching–straining with all his might to gain what God had for him.

Paul was no quitter, nor loafer, nor coaster. He had a fixed purpose and a burning desire to fulfill it. He was willing to pay the price regardless of the circumstances, cost, conditions, or consequences. Although he had learned to be content in whatever state he was in (Phil.4:11) he was not content to remain as he was as a person.

All of us need to get past the past! Although we can learn from it we must never be controlled by it. We would do well to learn from the example of Paul. If you’re going to build momentum for a better future you’ve got to get rid of the ball and chain of your past. As Lehman Strauss wrote,” There is no bright future for the Christian who wastes time dwelling on the past.” Winston Churchill was right when he said, “We must learn to accept the past as unalterable and move on.” Good advice! And, Paul proved that it can be done. God records this information about Paul to inspire us, not so we can idolize him. He wants us to see what He can do in our life. Regardless of your past, God can give us a glorious future. So, let’s forget the past and focus on our purpose. – HDS

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

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” – 2 Cor. 3:18
Salvation is a glorious gift that puts an end to our fear of condemnation, our search for satisfaction, and our concerns about our eternal destiny. To know that your sins are forgiven and that you have a home in heaven is wonderful beyond compare. But our desire shouldn’t end there. While salvation is the end of one thing it is the beginning of another. Having been delivered from condemnation and the bondage of sin we should desire to be conformed to the image of Christ as much possible.

For us, it is a blessed thing to experience the difference that Christ makes in our life. To others it is a beautiful sight to see it expressed. The transformation is thrilling, but it isn’t automatic. While the spiritual birth is a one time experience, spiritual growth is an ongoing process, and it should never stop until the day we die. As long as we are on earth there will be room for improvement. We never attain unto the full likeness of Christ until we are with Christ. That’s why it is crucial that we understand how we grow. There is a lot of confusion in this area.

We hear a lot of testimonies about people making changes after they have been saved, and more than enough boasting. However, the changes that matter most are not made by us, but to us. We change, not because we changed, but because we are changed. It’s clear from our text that the Holy Spirit is the change agent. So, what do we do? What is our role in bring about spiritual growth? Paul gives us the answer – “beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord”. It is only as we are “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” ( Heb. 12:2) that we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord“. As we “Consider Him” ( Heb. 12:3) we are changed by Him and conformed to Him. Let us then take great care that our attention is not diverted away from Christ. It is only as we abide in Him ( John 15:4-5) that we bear the fruit of the Spirit. Rather than get distracted by the world we need to do as the old song says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”. As we behold Him we become like Him. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” – 1 Pet. 2:2“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” – 1 Pet. 2:11

My earliest recollections of a religious song was hearing my mother singing “This world is not my home”. Many years later when I received Christ as my Savior that song became real to me. However, although this world is not our home it is where we must live until God calls us home. And as we struggle through this wicked world we need to remember the words of another song that says,  “I’m nearer home than I was yesterday”. That is true for every Christian and living with the hope of heaven in our heart can be very helpful. Thinking about the brevity of life should cause us to “apply our hearts unto wisdom” ( Ps. 90:12), which affects us in many ways. Applying your heart unto wisdom is to walk wisely, which is to walk in the ways of the Lord. But to do that we must spend time in the word of the Lord. Since no Christian gets all he needs by attending all the church services, everyone needs to study the Bible personally everyday. You will be glad you did. It will literally change your life.

Now back to the song. The chorus says, “I’m closer to God, along life’s way”. Can the same be said of you? Some folks attend every service, serve in a ministry, and give generously, yet they are no closer to God than they were years ago. Somewhere along the way their spiritual growth came to a standstill and they’ve been stuck there ever since. And sadly they see no need to change – after all they are doing what good Christians do – so they say. What they’re doing might put them miles ahead of the average church member, but there is a difference between average and normal. Comparing ourselves to others isn’t wise or sufficient. Christ is our example, so there is always room for improvement and it’s normal to grow. If your spiritual life is stagnated you need to spend more time in God’s word. It isn’t all about just getting home to heaven. Our eternal rewards will be based on what we’ve done here on earth. And many things are taken into account, one of which is the degree of our likeness to Christ ( 1 Cor. 15:40-42). Until the day we enter our heavenly home, where we will be like Him ( 1 John 3:2), we ought to be growing in our likeness to Christ. I love to hear my wife sing, “We’re not home yet children”, it reminds me that the best is yet to come. As strangers and pilgrims we can expect hardships in this world, but when we get home all those will pass away. You can have that blessed assurance by placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. – HDS

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

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God…..” Eph. 4:30

The word “grieve” speaks of causing pain and sorrow. It is associated with love. This tells us that the Holy Spirit is a person. You can’t grieve an influence. Since He is a person he knows, loves, hates, feels, and hurts. Since He loves us it is possible for us to cause Him grief. And the greater the love the deeper the grief. That being the case, we cannot even imagine how much it hurts God when we grieve Him. It hurts Him because He knows and cares that we are actually hurting ourselves. So this is no minor matter.

When we think of sin we generally think about how it hurts us or others, but our greater concern should be how it hurts God. It’s our responsibility to please God, but when we sin we cause Him pain. We hurt the one who loves us most. What we need to remember is that the Holy Spirit is more sensitive to sin than we realize. Sin of any sort grieves Him – whether it is an act, an attitude, or an absence. Even the appearance of evil concerns Him. Our manner of life is of great importance to God and we must give an account for even the smallest word or deed. This is why God tells us how we should walk in this wicked world.

Looking at this letter we see that we should walk worthy ( 4:1-16); differently ( 4:17-24); in love ( 4:25-5:2); in light ( 5:3-14), and carefully (5:15). We are to avoid anything that offends, hurts, hinders, or brings sorrow to the Holy Spirit. As Christians we find our greatest happiness in pleasing God and we suffer our greatest harm in hurting Him. We cannot sin successfully. Hurting God hurts us and hinders others. So, “grieve not the holy Spirit of God..…”. The only way for us to succeed at this is to “ be filled with the Spirit” ( 5:18). Unless we are under His control we are out of control. – HDS

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