NONE LIKE JESUS
“…yea, he is altogether lovely…” SS 5:16
Of all the subjects ever studied, thoughts entertained, needs ever considered, people who ever lived, sacrifices ever made, love ever displayed, blessings experienced, Christ is at the top of the list. In fact He is the only one on this list! There is nothing or no one that can compare to Him. He is one of a kind, in a class by Himself, preeminent over all.
It is no wonder that we’re told to be “Looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). And doing that demands that we consider His person and work– who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and yet to do. Every aspect of His excellence should be taken into consideration, none are boring or unimportant.
He is more than tongue can tell, or words can describe, or the mind can imagine. We can do the best we can, but it’s always less that He deserves. The best we can do is all we can do. However, we can improve on our best by doing those things that foster growth. While our capacity to understand and appreciate the greatness of Christ will never be as great here as in heaven we can all improve. To do so we must remember that Christ is more than a subject to be studied, or a topic to discuss, or an inspiration to sing about. He is a person with whom we must have a relationship. Our love for Him and likeness to Him requires communion with Him. And to abide in Christ we must abide in His Word.
The artist has tried to capture His likeness on canvas, the sculptor in clay, the poet with words, but to see Him best we must see Him as He is pictured in the Scriptures. To fellowship with the One who is “the Word” we must spend time in the Word which testifies of Him. Jesus said, “ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”(Rev. 1:8). So how can it be that we have no interest in Him? Until the day we see Him face to face there is no more joyful experience than to immerse yourself in meditation on the excellency of Christ who is indeed “altogether lovey”!  –HDS

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

THE BEGINNING OF DOING
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”–Ex. 3:11“And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”–Ex. 4:10

If I say, “The beginning of doing is beginning” it sounds trite, but it needs to be said. I have spent a good part of my life trying to do things I really didn’t know how to do. I’m not sure when it started, but it sure became noticeable when I became a father. I used to say, “Before I became a father I had no children and several theories about raising kids. Now I have eight children and no theories”. But, the truth is, I didn’t actually have any theories when I started. Like everyone else, I learned about being a father by experience–and I didn’t get it all right.

The next big step was becoming a preacher, followed quickly by becoming a pastor. I wasn’t prepared when I started and after 50 years I am still far from perfect. I mention this because regardless of what you do it won’t happen until after you start and it will never be perfect, or as good as someone else might do it. Do it anyway! As someone said, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called”.

I’m not saying do whatever you please anyway you please. I’m talking about discovering what God wants you to do and doing it the best you can. We should never assume that we ought to do something just because we want to do it. Desire alone is no justification for doing as we please. But when you know it is what God wants you to do and you have prepared the best you can, do it. Don’t be afraid to start and don’t be discouraged if you make a mistake, or fail to measure up to your expectations or those of others.

Give yourself a break. Getting discouraged doesn’t help. Everyone fails. Don’t let your failure become your fall. Failing doesn’t make you a failure. When you do your best, which is all God expects, and you fail, get up and try again. For some of you it is way past time to get started. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from starting.–HDS

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

OFTEN REPROVED
“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”–Prov. 29:1
Searching the pages of God’s Word we find numerous examples of this, the most notable of which is Israel. Again and again they ignored God’s warnings, sinned, and sufferd horribly as a result. Amazingly God repeatedly offered to take them back if they would come back, but they wouldn’t. You cannot help but be amazed at the patience of God. Only a love so great as His would so graciously await our repentance. Yet,although often reproved, people go on in their rebellion. And not all are the ‘un-churched”.
Some attend church week after week and even read their Bible daily, but they refuse to repent. It is as though they think God will go on forever ignoring their folly, but they are wrong. There is a hidden boundary between God’s mercy and His wrath, and eventually they “shall be destroyed, and that without remedy“. What about you? Can you honesty say that during the course of your Bible reading or hearing the Word of God that you are not being reproved in some way? Your sin might be different than Israel’s sin but it is no less serious or dangerous.
By the grace of God you have been given another opportunity to repent. Whether your sin is one of commission or omission you are in jepordy. No sin of any sort is safe. It should never be ignored. If God is dealing with your heart please don’t delay in dealing with it. After all, no one has ever sinned successfully. –HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

WORDS OF WARNING

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”–Ezk. 3:17
You see it coming, but you can’t stop it. That could be said of anything from a change in the weather to a train wreck, something minor or major. Parents know what I’m talking about, thus the oft heard warning, “If you don’t stop that you’re going to get hurt”. They see it coming, sound the warning, but feel helpless to stop it. They would if they could, but they can’t.
As a parent and pastor I could write a book on this subject. Again and again I’ve seen people I love headed for a heartache and all I could do was warn, watch, and wait. Sadly weeping often follows. I’ve often thought about Jeremiah’s pitiful plight. He could see destruction coming and wept over his people. He knew from the beginning of his ministry that the people would not listen, yet he remained faithful. That’s not always easy, but love compelled him to not give up.
When a crash is about to happen there is a point of no return. Anytime prior to that you can hit the brakes or turn the wheel and avoid a collision. A split second later is too late. Even so, there are some folks who continue in their sin because they feel there will be no consequences– because there have been none so far. They seem to be getting by with their reckless behavior, but eventually they will reach the point of no return.
We would be shocked if we knew how close some people are to that dead line. Some are headed for disaster and refuse to give heed to the warnings. That might be true of someone reading this message at this very moment. I want to encourage you to please stop and take a serious look at yourself– call it a “state of self” exam. It just might save you from a terrible tragedy. Think about it!– HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” (Matt. 6:19-20)
Suffering loss can be a traumatic experience. Many have committed suicide because they lost their wealth. Many have given up on life because they lost their health. And others are miserable because by death or separation they have lost a loved one. No one likes to lose what they love. I recently read an article entitled “When all is lost”. The author said a lot of good things, but the title troubled me. The fact is, for the Christian “all” is never lost! We might suffer the loss of many things, but we never lose all. In fact we never lose what matters most.
Romans 8:35-39 gives us blessed assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Our relationship and riches in Christ are eternally secure. We have eternal life and shall never perish. We have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1Pet. 1:4 and “are kept by the power of God” (1 Pet. 1:5). Indeed, regardless of what is lost, we never lose all. We can be assured of that because God “cannot lie“(Titus 1:2).
Not only are we assured of our relationship and riches in Christ, but also of the rewards for our faithful service. Jim Elliot was right when he said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose”. Let us remember these words from C. T. Studd,“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
 Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
 If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee
However, on the other hand, those who are unsaved will eventually lose everything–even their soul. They possess nothing of eternal value. They live and die without Christ and are separated from God forever. At this moment you have a wonderful opportunity to be a joint-heir with Christ. If you miss it you will truly lose all. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31)–HDS

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