ACCEPTED
“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”–Eph. 1:6
Rejection is a terrible feeling. It might be a kid with his cap in his hand and a tear in his eye because neither side chose him to be on their team, or the boy who didn’t make the cut on the school team, or the girl who had no date for the prom, or the spouse who is being divorced. But much worst is the thought of being rejected by God. It is a fearful thing to hear that we are condemned by the Lord and will be banished from His presence forever. But it is glory unspeakable to be assured that He will accept us.
When we think about our sinfulness and God’s holiness it leaves us with a feeling of utter hopelessness. And there would be no help for our situation were it not for the grace of God that provides a gate to God. That’s why it is with great gladness that we hear the gospel of Christ– the good news that God will receive all who receive His Son and we who are alienated from God are accepted by God.
Think about that. Although we are without any goodness, guilty in every way, Christ has made it possible for us to be forgiven, accepted, and reconcilied to God. And it is entirely due to grace rather than goodness and mercy rather than merit. It is because of what Christ has done rather than what we do. Being so blessed with such a precious privilege we have no cause for complaint, regardless of circumstances. Assured of acceptance we have reason to rejoice with joy unspeakable, peace that passeth all understanding, and a hope that is steadfast and sure. Why would you reject Christ when God is ready to receive you? Words cannot describe the blessedness of being received by God. There is nothing that can compare to being a child of God. Let us thank Him for His unspeakable gift.–HDS

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

YOUR PART IN GOD’S PLAN
“And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they  came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after  the name of his father. And his mother answered and  said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said  unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this  name. And they made signs to his father, how he would  have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and  wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.”— Luke 1:59-63

One of the many things Christmas teaches us is that God has a plan and that He uses people to carry it out. While Christmas centers on Christ there were many people involved in His coming to earth. Here we are reminded of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, and his parents–all played a role and all were important. The plan was set in motion when Gabriel announced to Zacharias that he and Elisabeth would have a son and that his name was to be called John.

When the time came to name the child some of the people opposed the name. It appears that they first protested to Elisabeth and then to Zacharias. Both refused to compromise and stuck to the plan God had revealed. Considering the difficult ministry that lay ahead for John, their example was greatly needed. If ever a child needed a lesson in courage it was him. There is no way to over estimate the value of their example. All three of these were a part of God’s plan and all were willing to fulfill their role. Are you?

Success may be defined as discovering and doing the will of God. It might be difficult and dangerous, but we aren’t excused from duty. To do it takes commitment. There will be times when people will question, oppose, or try to resist you, but you must not quit. Playing our part in God’s plan is serious business and we must not fail. Whatever work calls you to, do it with unwavering loyalty and a cheerful attitude. What you do might appear unimportant to others and you might not even see the significance of it, but it is important none the less. Do it!—HDS

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

HEREAFTER

“Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”—John 13:7 

J. C. Philpot wrote: “It is never wise for us to pass judgment on any of  God’s providences, while we can read but a part of their meaning. No work can be fairly judged, while it is only in progress. We must wait until it is completed. As the end must sometimes lie far out of sight, whether it be in future years of earthly life, or in the unrevealed life beyond earth’s horizon–we need to train ourselves to trust the goodness and the love of God, believing that he will do only what is right–and what is best also for us. It is faith alone can give us peace.”

When you are confused about your circumstances it would do you well to remember that we will not forever be left in the dark about the matter. The time will come when God will lift the vail and reveal the reason and we will confess “He doeth all things well. He makes no mistakes”. In that glorious day we will look back on our life and see the profit in our pain, the advantages of our afflictions, and the wisdom of God’s ways. Be assured “thou shalt know hereafter”. For the Christian “hereafter” takes us away from all the sorrid things of this present wicked world to a time when we shall see Him as He is and everything else for what it was. As the old song says, “We’ll understand it all by and by“. Indeed we will! Until then, when faith gives way to sight let us trust Him who never makes a mistake. — HDS

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

DOES IT HELP OR HINDER?
“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”– Heb. 12:1

Bad habits and addictions can come in in different forms and degrees of harmfulness. Sometimes we are not even aware of an addiction—until we try to stop. We say, “I can quit anytime I want”, but we can’t. It just might be that although you don’t have an addiction to any of the things we generally associate with addictions you are enslaved to something.

Guy King wrote…How many are all unconsciously ensnared in that trap: they would be greatly surprised, and highly incensed, if they were told they were told they were, and it is only when they try to escape that they become really aware of their imprisonment. How cleverly the devil lures us, working with, and working upon, the thing that fascinates us. Mice don’t like traps; but they do like cheese – and there lies the tragedy. There is a passage (James 1:14), where we are given what one might call the physiology of temptation – “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” That is the way Satan lures us, draws us away: he plays upon our lust, our particular strong leaning or liking – that’s the cheese! So he gets us.”

John MacDuff said, “the world’s pleasures are often curses in disguise — like Cleopatra’s viper, which was hidden in a basket of flowers. There is often . . .an adder lurking in the bed of roses, a  fly in the ointment, poison in the wine-cup! ” 

Your addiction might not be sinful in and of itself, it might even be good in some way, but it keeps you from doing what is best. That’s when sinless things become sinful. Anything that decreases our passion for God, dampens our devotion to God, and deters us from the will of God is something we need rid of. It becomes your enemy and must be defeated rather than ignored.–HDS  
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

A PASTOR’S PLEA
“ Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”–Job 23:12

Christians, especially new ones, have many needs. While it’s not easy to decide how they should be listed in order of importance, I’m convinced that the reading and studying of God’s Word should be at the top of the list. A failure here will lead to failure everywhere. It touches every area of our lives and neglect can be very costly.

After more than half-a century of observation I’m convinced that the average church member doesn’t spend 10 minutes a day reading God’s Word and none in actually studying the Bible apart from church services. That’s hard for me to understand. I feel exactly as Job did when he said, ” I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” The study of God’s Word is not just a matter of enjoyment or entertainment, it is a matter of survival! It enlightens the mind, encourages the heart, and enlarges our affections.

My feelings about this matter are so strong that I could preach about it weekly. You cannot neglect God’s Word without being severely affected as a result. Those who couldn’t care less about the Bible will be careless in their behavior. Dusty Bibles belong to disobedient believers! If I could beg you to do just one thing this would be it! Please set aside some time everyday to study the Word of God. It will change your life.–HDS

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