SUNSHINE OR SHADOWS?

July 29, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”–Prov. 15:13

Have you ever noticed that being in the presence of some folks is like sunshine, whereas with others it is shadows? Which do you prefer? What do you bring into the lives of others? When they see you coming does is seem like the sunshine after the storm, or does it seem like storm clouds? Do they get the feeling that you are about to rain on their parade? Do you ever think of yourself as being on a mission to brighten the day for others? You should. In this world of doom and gloom it should be our desire to bring sunshine into the lives of others.

However, we cannot give what we do not have. If we are to banish the shadows and bring sunshine to others we must have it in our heart. If we are sour within there will be no sweetness without. And we are commanded by the Lord to “Be of good cheer“. J. R. Miller was right when he said, “Everyone carries an atmosphere about him”. Experience tells us that is true.

The mere mention of your name brings to the mind of others some quality of your character. And simply being in your presence makes them glad or sad. It is our duty to make life delightful for others rather than depressing. And the great thing about this is that we can do it without spending a penny or exhausting ourselves through hard toil. A smile, a hug, or a kind word doesn’t cost anything, but it can amount to a lot.

Just as God’s plan for Abraham was to bless him and make him a blessing, we are blessed to bless. God wants to use you to help others. In this broken, sin blighted world of darkness, you can be a bright light to someone in despair. And there is a constant need for such a ministry. You need not travel the world in search of needy people, they are at your doorstep.–HDS

THE HAVES AND HAVE NOTS

July 27, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. “–John 3:36

We’ve all heard the phrase “The haves and have nots”. It is generally used in reference to those who have money or material things and those who don’t. But it can be used in a much more serous manner. The Bible divides all of humanity into two classes–those who have eternal life and those who don’t. There is no middle ground. It is life or death, heaven or hell. Now notice three things about these folks.

THE DIFFERENT CLASSES– “He that believeth… he that believeth not..”

Some have everlasting life. This speaks of spiritual life not physical life. None of us live forever physically. Christians die just the same as unbelievers. The difference is with the spirit, not the body. The natural man’s spirit is dead, separated from God. However, when a person receives Christ the Spirit of God comes to dwell in them. Their spirit is then quickened, made alive. He now has everlasting life because the eternal Spirit of God resides within.

Some shall not see life. And this is where the majority of people are. Although they might be religious, they are not redeemed. Instead of having life they are lost. They might not be bad people according to human standards, but we aren’t measured by man’s standards. It’s what we are in God’s sight that matters, and the Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;“(Rom. 3:23). You can live without a lot of things, but you cannot go to heaven without being saved.

THE DETERMINING CONDITION— “..believeth on the Son..”

The determining factor is not health, wealth, religion, works, or sincerity. It is belief. That means more than simply acknowledging. You can acknowledge the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross and rose from the grave and still go to hell. The word “believeth” means to place confidence in, to trust, to rely upon. It is to accept what the Bible says about Christ and to trust Him to do what He promised. And true saving faith will manifest itself in a number of ways—such as obedience to God, good works, and love for others.

THE DREADFUL CALAMITY— “..the wrath of God abideth on him”.

Wrath is a trait that many never associate with God, but it is as much a fact as His love is. John the Baptist said, “flee from the wrath to come“(Matt. 3:7). The very worst thing that could happen to you is to die without having Christ as your Savior. You will suffer for all eternity as a result of it. Every rejection of Christ only aggravates the matter ( Rom. 2:5-6). Delay makes matters worse (Matt. 11:20-24). So, are you a have or a have not?Trust Christ right now and have life forever! –HDS

COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY

July 26, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”— 2 Cor. 11:14-15

Contrary to what you might think, the devil is real and he is religious. As Vance Havner said, “The devil is not fighting religion; he’s too smart for that. He produces a counterfeit Christianity so much like the real one that good Christians are afraid to speak out against it”. He was exactly right! Rather than contest the facts he counterfeits the faith.

If ever there was a time when the truth needed to be shouted from the rooftops it’s today. Man’s spiritual ignorance today is appalling. People don’t understand that Satan actually loves religion. But you could say it is his chief weapon. Satan has duped people into believing that there is good in all religions, that it makes no difference what version of the Bible you use, one church is just as good as another, and that all roads lead to heaven. And he has been successful. The average church member can’t give you a scriptural definition of the gospel, tell you what constitutes a true church, or explain which version of the Bible is true.

However, we can’t lay all the blame on the devil’s doorstep. People remain ignorant because they refuse to study the Bible. Rather than search out the truth they follow the crowd, listen to a false preacher because of his charming personality, go with their gut-feeling, or do whatever makes them happy. They have no concern about being right, as long as they are pleased. The sad, and to them the shocking, thing is that they are never pleased. Regardless of how religious they are there is always something missing and they are left with a feeling of emptiness. The fact is, only Jesus can satisfy the longing of the soul. That’s why He said,”..I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”--John 6:35. My dear friend, you don’t need religion, you need redemption and only Jesus can redeem your soul. Trust Him today and be saved for eternity!—HDS

DEFEATING DISAPPOINTMENTS

July 23, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”--Rom. 8:28

Disappointments are as common as changes in the weather. One day the sun is shining bright, but the next day storm clouds appear. There just isn’t any way to avoid disappointments. But we can learn to deal with them. Sadly it takes some of us far too long to learn how, and that puts us in danger, because we tend to make foolish decisions when we are discouraged.

The key to defeating disappointments is dependence upon God.– knowing He knows best and believing He will do what’s best. Were we as wise as we should be we would thank God for uninvited problems and unanswered prayers. Many time we desire and ask for things that wouldn’t be best for us. But God knows what we need and when we need it, and He doesn’t cave in to our unwise requests.Not getting what we want would be discouraging were it not for our knowledge of His wisdom, love, and power. Awareness of His attributes gives us assurance that He will make “all things work together for good”. What appears to be the worst thing might turn out to be the best thing. We can rest in the fact that God knows what is best for us. Trusting Him we can be content and cheerful regardless of our circumstances.

In this life you might never know the reason for your difficulties, but we don’t need to know the reason–just that there is a reason. We can accept that because we know it was designed by the Lord’s infinite wisdom, unbounded goodness, and undying love. That enables us to think of our disappointments as His-appointments. If you don’t believe God is in control, nor perfect in all His ways, you will always be discontent about something. Take Him out of the picture and nothing makes sense. Ask those who trust Him and they will tell you that He never disappoints. You won’t understand all His ways, but you can rest assured that He will not fail to do what is best for those who love and trust Him. He will do what He has promised! –HDS

AN ELASTIC PROMISE

July 21, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient 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 Cor. 12:9

The first five words tell us something great is in store–“And he said unto me“. To think that the One who spoke all of creation into existence would speak to us is thrilling. Here we see the Creator communicating with the creature. He speaks out of love, as our Father, with infinite wisdom. We would be fools to not listen.

Here we see a sufficient supply. George Everard wrote, ” It has been spoken of as an ‘elastic’ promise. The word ‘sufficient’ may not sound great, but it stretches according to a man’s necessity. A Christian’s need may be great today–and the word ‘sufficient’ reaches it still. The grace is still sufficient for the greater need–as for the lesser”.

Here is a promise that will help you get up in the morning, keep going through the day, and give you rest at bedtime. It is a promise for all seasons, able to assist with every need. It will give you a peace that passeth all understanding, joy unspeakable and full of glory, and a hope that is steadfast and sure. There are no words to describe the greatness of its value. The more I think about it the more I think of it. It is as a well that never runs dry.

This precious promise reveals a reason for my suffering, a remedy for my weakness, and rejoicing in my trials. I know of nothing that is its equal when it comes to help in time of trouble. It is assurance of aid from the One who is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think” ( Eph. 3:20) ). It is when we are at our lowest and weakest that this grace is given. When we have no resources of our own we can rely upon the abundant supply of God’s resources that are never diminished ( Phil. 4:19)–HDS

SUNSHINE OR SHADOWS?

THE HAVES AND HAVE NOTS

COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY

DEFEATING DISAPPOINTMENTS

AN ELASTIC PROMISE

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