“…..he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;”– Acts 17:25

Well, I’m about to do it again, Lord willing, and so are you. We are about to enter another new year. What do you think about that? Some might feel like the old song that says, “Another day older and deeper in debt”. Some might feel deep regret for their past failures and will make resolutions to do better in the future. Others feel battered and bruised and are hoping the new year will be better. And then there are those who are simply feeling older and fearing it.

Sometime ago I started to write an article about the “Art of Aging”, but I stopped because I’m not qualified. I’m still learning and failing. Besides, most people don’t want to think about growing old. It is depressing to them. But, as someone said, “It sure beats the alternative”. At least that’s what we think–but that’s another story. However, wouldn’t it be great if we could look at aging in a positive light, rather than as a problem? I believe we can. I think we should.

Every day I thank God for three things– the gift of eternal life, the gift of life, and the gifts of life. Life, indeed, is a gift from God. To complain about aging is to complain about a gift. That seems strange. Did you complain about your Christmas gifts? I didn’t either. Why then would we complain about the gift of living? It’s true that life is “full of trouble” (Job 14:1), but the gift of life is also the gate to the gifts of life. Think about that for a while. Consider all the wonderful gifts in your life– family, friends, food, shelter, and numerous other blessings to enjoy. Better still, it is life that gives us the chance to lay up treasures in heaven! Be thankful for the privilege of being able to serve God and invest our life in things that pay eternal dividends. If we will focus on our blessings it will give us the strength to bear our burdens. Happy New Year! – HDS

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

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”- 1 John 5:13

Some folks are shocked when they hear Christians say they know they are saved and sure they will go to heaven. They doubt that you don’t doubt. They are of the opinion that know one can know with absolute certainty that they will go to heaven when they die. On the other hand I am surprised that anyone claiming to be a Bible Believer is surprised by this. So how do we clear up all the confusion? We do so by faith in the facts of God’s Word rather than our feelings.

Our text clearly says, “ye may know that ye have eternal life”. In other words, as the old song says, we may have “Blessed Assurance”. That puts us at peace about the matter. Confidence in God, who cannot lie, gives us comfort beyond compare. If you know you have it you don’t doubt that you’ve got it. You know whether you are married or not, so why wouldn’t you know whether you are saved or not? Salvation isn’t a think so, hope so, maybe so thing. It is a know so matter based on our faith in God’s provision. And nothing is more important.

We place great emphasis on what we believe, as well we should, but it is who we believe that’s the key to being right about what we believe. There are many voices clamoring for our attention and we can’t afford to be led astray. The apostle Paul got it right when he said, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” ( 2 Tim. 1:12).–HDS

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

“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”- Esther 4:14

I love Norman Rockwell paintings. They awaken pleasant thoughts of yesteryear. However, a Norman Rockwell world is not the real world– it’s not even the ideal world. I’m sorry if that disappoints you, but it is true. I suspect we all envision what we would like the world to be like. For those my age, there is likely a desire to get back to what we call “the good old days”. But those “good old days were not always so good. “Better than today!” you say, and in some ways you are right , but in some ways they are much worse.

The fact of the matter is, life at the moment is what it is and this is the time God has appointed for us. We can let ourselves get  lost in the fifties or bemoan the fact, complaining that things aren’t better, or we can do what we can in the time we have. We are not here by accident. Whatever the time and the place, God put us here, and He did so for a special purpose. Esther, no doubt, had a lot of questions as to how she ended up as a queen, especially in that place at that time– but God knew! None of it could have happened without Him allowing it, and none of it would have happened had God not had a reason for it. It is the same in your life. We can’t always control or change our circumstances, but as the old song says, “Brighten the corner where you are”. Bloom where you are planted. Do what you can with what you’ve got, where you are, while you can, and God will bless you and make you a blessing. – HDS

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

” Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”.– 1 Thess. 5:16-18

Here we find a tremendous trilogy of truth, given in staccato like style–” Rejoice evermore, Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks…” This is divinely designed to get our attention and to be easy to remember. And it is for good reason. These three things– rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving not only makes life better, they make life different. They transform us. They might not change our circumstances, but they will change us.

Although certain conditions are not conducive to the practice of these precepts, we are to do them nevertheless, as we see by the words “evermore”, “without ceasing”, and “In everything”. Regardless of what is going on in your life these things are to be put into practice–regardless of how you feel. In the doing of them God will cause “all things” to “work together for good” ( Rom. 8:28). If you want to defeat depression, beat the blues, and alter your attitude, put these into practice and it can happen.

Not only should we do this because of the benefits, but also and more so because “this is the will God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. That makes this of utmost importance. Pleasing Him is the path to being pleased in life. This is what prompted Paul to say, “..we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more”. ( 1 Thess. 4:1). If you are convinced that you can’t be happy unless something changes you will never be happy– happiness will forever elude you. Happiness is found in doing God’s will, not getting our way. That means we will have to live with conditions that are not ideal, fair, or comfortable, and yet we are required to “Rejoice in the Lord always” ( Phil. 4:4). That would be impossible unless we “” Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks”. That is “the will of God”. And obeying God empowers us to do what seems impossible. In that sense it can be said that happiness is a choice. That doesn’t mean we are happy with our situation, but that we are happy in it. Others have made that choice, and if you are a child of God in the will of God you will do the same.- HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

It’s obvious to everyone that something is seriously wrong with the world. Surely you don’t think the world is what it should be or could be. There is a conflict between good and evil, a battle between darkness and light. That’s why it is so important to think of Christ as “the Light” ( John 1:4,7), the “true Light” ( John 1:9), “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Satan, on the other hand, is referred to as the “prince of darkness”. But those who receive Christ “shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”( John 8:12).

When Jesus came into the world He came to give life, thus He came as “the Light“. There can be no life without light. That’s why the first thing God created was light. It alone can drive out darkness. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” When John the Baptist came it was “to bear witness of that Light” ( John 1:8). He did so because he knew that Christ was man’s only hope for life. Sadly not everyone received Him, because “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” ( John 3:19).
All this sounds simple and it is, but it is also serious. The only way to conquer the conflict is to receive the Light, otherwise a person is doomed to darkness. Hopefully as you think of Christmas you will be reminded of the need for the Light, upon which your life depends.

Just as “the glory of the Lord shone round about the shepherds” ( Luke 2:9) drawing their attention to the announcement of the Savior’s birth, and as the wise men were later guided by the star, God has given us the light of the Scriptures to guide us to the Light of life and to guide us throughout life by that light. God forbid that we close our eyes and remain in darkness.- HDS

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