“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” –Rev. 14:12
Although not a common subject of discussion, patient endurance is a constant challenge to God’s people, and a continual theme in the New Testament. It is needed because we live in a corrupt world, amid powerful enemies, and the flesh is weak— oh so weak!

Every Christian faces tremendous challenges and is told to remain “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord–“( 1 Cor. 15:58). Our difficulties and danger do not relieve us of our duties. The work must be carried on even under the most adverse conditions. The question is,”How?”

One of the great helps in this challenge is the example of others who have endured great hardships for Christ’ sake. Time and time again I have been motivated to greater heights by observing and reading of those who stayed steadfast in spite of great obstacles that would have halted the progress of the average person. Those dear saints are worth their weight in gold. And they are what we all ought to be.

However, nothing gives us more comfort, confidence, and courage than the constant consideration of Christ Himself (Heb. 12:1-3). In Him we find the example we all should emulate. But, by looking to Him we find more than an excellent example, we receive inspiration that strengthens us beyond what anything else can do. Focus on Him infuses us with power unknown to the natural man. It is for that reason that we must not be distracted from looking to the One who is “Altogether lovely” ( S. S. 5:16), “Faithful and True“( Rev. 19:11), “called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace“(Isa. 9:6). We are to be “faithful unto death“(Rev. 2:10) and this alone makes it possible. – HDS

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

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.-2 Cor.12:10

Not until we discover God’s plan for our life are we able to make sense of our trials. Perhaps the biggest problem is that we all tend to believe that we deserve better. Something tells us that life is unfair and that we should be exempt from hardships. That would be nice, but it isn’t true. To get to the truth about ourselves we have to look to God’s Word. We can parade ourselves before the world and win its approval and applause and still not measure up to the standard of perfection. Or we could use the power of reason, compare ourselves to others and conclude that we are more deserving, yet not qualify for an exemption status. The cold hard fact is that, based on God’s righteous standard, we all come up short—way short!

Our unworthiness is not only depicted by the manner in which God’s Word describes the sinner, but also by the declaration that salvation comes “by grace”, “not by works”. Were we worthy grace would have nothing to do with it. Once we get it nailed down in our mind that we are sinful and unworthy we are able to see that we don’t deserve anything and should be thankful for everything. Regardless of what happens to us, regardless of how bad and painful it might be, it is always less that what we actually deserve. That’s why we should be thankful for every blessing and uncomplaining about every burden. Although we don’t derive pleasure from pain we can discover pleasure in pain by knowing God will use it for good ( Rom. 8:28).

Not until we get to place that can we see ourselves as chief of sinners, the least of all saints and “take wrong” and allow ourselves “to be defrauded” ( 1 Cor. 6:7) can we endure hardships without complaining and enjoy ourselves without ceasing. And that is a major milestone in a person’s life. Do yourself a favor— discover what God says about mankind and accept the truth about yourself. You will never be the same! God’s plan is to make you holy, rather than happy. and hardships are a part of the process. The person who comes to realize this will be able to “count it all joy” when they “fall into divers temptations”(James 1:2), endure any trial, and glorify God in any situation.—HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”- Heb. 12:15

Bitterness is one of the most difficult and deadly enemies we have to contend with. Many are bound by bitterness, although most won’t admit it. They are enslaved by it and every area of their life is adversely affected. So, perhaps the most difficult part of this battle is admitting that we are bitter. Until that happens we will never overcome it.

One of the things that makes this so difficult is the wretched condition of the world in which we live. Everywhere you look you see things that disappoint, hurt, discourage, and trigger resentment. To make matters worse, even if you limit your view to the “Christian” segment of society you can’t escape the temptation to get bitter. Truth is— that just might be the most troublesome area of all. We don’t expect much from the world, and for good reason, but we have lofty expectations for those professing to be God’s children. And what we see is heart-breaking. But we make matters worse if we get bitter. It is no wonder that so many unbelievers want nothing to do with Christianity. The rotten condition of churches today have made the glorious gospel repulsive to the world in general. We ought to do better than that!

 Our own imperfections should remind us that life is hard and we all fail. Considering how gracious and tender God has been with us, we ought to be more patient with others. Isn’t it strange how we try to justify our own sins by pointing the faults of others? At this very moment some are bitter toward others because of their “wrong-doings” toward them, and they are so focused on their faults, real or perceived, that they can’t see their own. Make no mistake about it– if you have bitterness in your heart, you have sin in your life, and that is a problem. It is a problem for you and others. Consider what is said in Heb. 12:15, “Looking diligently  lest any man fail  of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing  up trouble  you, and thereby   many be defiled”.

I’ve watched some people pout for months, even years, over some professed injustice in their life. They are miserable and they make others miserable. They have taken themselves out of the picture so far as being useful in God’s work. They are sitting on the sidelines complaining when they should be joyfully involved. Not only are they miserable, since the “joy of the Lord is your strength“, they are weak and susceptible to temptation. You could say, they’ve fallen and are fixing to fall further.

If it stopped here it would be bad enough, but there is more. Your bitterness ends up defiling “many” others. So now the “victim” becomes the villain. Now how do you justify your bitterness and judge your “enemy”? Even if he is in the wrong, do you not also sin by harboring malice in your heart? Let us then ask for grace to forgive our enemies. — HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficent for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
 
Make no mistake about it–this will be a difficult day for some folks! Different people will face different difficulties: poor health, loss of goods, domestic difficulties, separation from a loved one, the loss of a loved one, temptation, failure, sin, difficult duties, etc. Numerous things bring us pain. And that threatens our peace and joy. These painful experiences cause us to cry out to God for help–that’s when we find sustaining grace! 

It is at this point that we discover the treasure of our trials. Although the pain remains, we find grace for our grief. We discover the presence of God in our problem, and out of our weakness we receive strength for the struggle.  
That’s what happened with the apostle Paul and his God is your God–and He has not changed! Mark it down–He will be there in your hour of need just as He was with the aged apostle in his affliction. 
 
God’s promise to the prophet Isaiah may be claimed by all of God’s obedient children–“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10).  Rest assured that God’s grace will be sufficient for whatever you face. He will not fail you! – HDS

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

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”– Gal. 6:2

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, but I’ll say it anyway– Christians, including preachers, aren’t perfect. That’s something I’m reminded of everyday. And although we want to be the best we can be sometimes we don’t even come close. We fail more than we like to admit. The spark that ignited my thoughts about this matter was a statement I made in my sermon notes for an upcoming message. Here it is–” As a Christian you need to stop trying to justify your fears by pointing out the severity or size of your problem. We never have a problem that’s too big for God. He is able”. That’s true and easy to say, but preaching is one thing and practice is another.

It is a sad fact that we are sometimes so troubled by our troubles that we act as though God is dead, mighty sick, or out of town and unavailable. Of course we know better, but our mind tells us one thing and our emotions something else. And pretending we’ve got our act together might hide our faults from others, but it doesn’t help us. Nor does it help if we dump our wagon load of worries on others– something that can be hard to resist. Sometimes we feel like shouting our problems from the mountain top for the whole world to hear. However, the Spirit whispers in our ear, ” every man shall bear his own burden” ( Gal. 6:5). In other words, we shouldn’t burden others with our burdens. But that raises a question, “If we can’t share them and we feel we can’t bear them, what do we do?” And make no mistake, we all sometimes feel that our burden is more than we can carry. What then? The only solution is found in Psa. 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee…”.

I mention all this for two reasons. First, to assure you that help is available. Second, to remind you to be patient with others. Some are like Job when he said, ” ..my complaint is bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning” (Job 23:2). To put it another way– my suffering is worse than my sighs, my calamity is worse than my complaint. Knowing others are suffering worse than words can tell ought to move us to do as we’re told in Gal. 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. There are burdens we can share, burdens we must bear, and burdens we can neither share nor bear. The only thing that keeps us going is God’s sustaining grace– it is always sufficient! – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346