MORNING MANNA           6-28-24
HALF- HEARTEDNESS
“Their heart is divided.”  Hosea 10:2

This is a very serious charge, for God demands the whole heart, and his people profess to surrender it. But have we not reason to fear that many are guilty on this point? They appear so undecided, that we must think that the heart is divided between God and the world; between sin and holiness; between truth and error; or between Christ and self. 

What are the symptoms of a divided heart? Habitual cleaving to earth. Being satisfied with a form of godliness. Backwardness to examine ourselves. A dislike to plain, close, soul-searching, rousing preaching. Putting away eternal things to a distance. Beloved, how is it with you? God rejects half the heart; He will have all or none. Do you fear on this point? 

There is a remedy. Thoroughly examine your heart. Condemn whatever you detect amiss in it. Take it to Jesus, and beseech Him to heal it. Expose it to the keen edge of God’s word. Endeavor to keep up a constant sense of the presence of God. Converse much with eternal realities. As the heart is, so will the life be; so will the comfort and peace be. 

O Lord, unite my heart to fear thy name!

Let me, according to Thy word,
A tender, contrite heart receive,
Which grieves at having grieved its Lord,
And never can itself forgive;
A heart Thy joys and griefs to feel,
A heart where Christ alone may dwell.— James Smith, 1840

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

MORNING MANNA            6-27-24  

A TREASURE TROVE

”For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”Romans 15:4

God uses pastors to minister to all types of people – young and old, saved and unsaved, people at different levels of spiritual maturity, etc. We aren’t at liberty to preach whatever we please, nor what it appealing to most people, or particular people in the congregation. I mention this because I’m sure some people wonder, “Why did he preach that?” The truth is, the pastor himself doesn’t always know why God leads him to preach a certain message. I mention this because, in most churches you will hear more sermons from the New Testament than from the Old Testament – perhaps with the exception of Psalms and Proverbs. And in light of the age we live in that stands to reason. But we need to see the big picture.

I am raising this issue to remind you that there is a vast treasure trove in the Old Testament that seldom gets any attention. Not only is there the history of creation, man, and nations. There are exciting stories that build faith in God, beautiful prophecies, and thrilling pictures of Christ. You don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t study the Old Testament. It is as much God’s word as the New Testament. The Bible would be incomplete without it. The Old Testament is the very foundation for the New Testament.

It would take hours to explain all the benefits of studying the Old Testament and that would be fine, but that isn’t the purpose of this short article. I simply want to encourage you to get started. 

I’ve often said that no Christian gets all he needs by attending all the regular church services. We need a daily dose of God’s word. Please do yourself a favor and start a study of the Old Testament. I promise you, you will be glad you did. Whether you study one of the books of the Old Testament, or the life of one of the characters, or a topic, it will be time well spent. – HDS

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

MORNING MANNA            6-26-24

TOT

“For to me to live is Christ-“–Philippians 1:21

”Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,”  Philippians 3:13“

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 “

Post-it-notes” have been popular ever since their invention. It seems that man has always had a problem with his memory, and he does some strange things to overcome it–like “tie a string around your finger”,etc. By the way, it usually doesn’t get any better with age! 

The fact of the matter is that God knows we have difficulty remembering things that are important. An example of this is found in Deuteronomy 6:3-12, where God instructed Israel to write His words in various places around the house. I guess you could say that it was God who invented the post-it-notes. I thought about this when I recently read an article by the late Adrian Rogers, entitled “Staying Focused on God’s Plan for Your Life”. Here’s what he wrote:

“The devil would love to get you distracted and get you off the course on which God has placed you. God has something He wants you to do and you had better not substitute the good for the best. Find out what God wants you to do and refuse to be distracted by the devil. You need to say as the apostle Paul said, “This one thing I do!” Know what it is that God wants you to do and do it with all your strength for His glory! 

Take a few minutes to write out a mission statement about your life focusing on “that one thing” (TOT) that you think God has called you to do. Then, post the letters TOT everywhere to remind yourself to stay focused on the calling of God in your life.“

That’s a pretty good idea. We need all the help we can get when it comes to keeping our focus on the main thing. Some seem to have forgotten the purpose for which they exist and they waste their life in pursuit of things that are of secondary importance – things of no eternal value. Paul said,”For to me to live is Christ”. What is it for you? What is “TOT” for you? – HDS (1-22-11)

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

MORNING MANNA           6-25-24    
FACING THE FUTURE

 “ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”Phil.1:21 

  
This the same text that I used recently when I wrote about “A Work to do”. I hope I didn’t leave the impression that I have mastered the matter. I haven’t. I don’t always perfectly practice what I preach although I try. I’m still learning and will be till the day I die.

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned comes from the example of Paul. He was writing this letter from prison. He was in a place where a lesser man might have felt that his life was over, that there was nothing left to live for. But Paul viewed it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle (read vs.12-20). That amazes me.

When your great desire is to serve God and you reach the place that you no longer can do what you’ve been doing to serve the Lord it can get discouraging. Sometimes you start feeling useless. You can also feel that others think you could do more if you just tried harder. Fact is, sooner or later life changes and what God plans for us and expects from us changes, but as long as we are alive God has a purpose for us. 

When you read the story of Paul you realize that serving God can take different forms. You don’t have to preach like Paul, sing like David, or pray like Elijah to serve God. There is a work for all to do. If you are bedridden you can still pray, if you can’t preach you can pass out tracts, if you can’t be a missionary on a foreign field you can witness to your neighbor, etc. As long as we have life there is something we can do. Simply being an example of godliness preaches a powerful sermon.

God help us to have the attitude of Paul when he said, ,”For to me to live is Christ”.- HDS  
David Stone  

Lakeway Baptist Church   

Humble, Tx

MORNING MANNA          6-24-24

SPEAK UP

”….be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you—“ 1 Peter 3:15

Too often we Christians talk to each other about telling others about Christ without ever actually telling the lost about our Savior. We discuss our duty without doing it! Sometimes I think we might be better off cancelling a service and spending the time actually serving the Lord. Instead of getting in a holy huddle talking about what we ought to do, break the huddle, get on the field and run the play! This story from the devotional “Senior Living” illustrates what I’m talking about:

The great Christian evangelist, D.L. Moody, was once asked to speak at a convention in Indianapolis. One afternoon, he asked the convention’s song leader to meet him on a street corner downtown at about 6 pm. When Ira Sankey got there, Moody had him stand on a overturned box and sing. This unusual spectacle attracted quite a crowd.

After speaking briefly, Moody persuaded most of the crowd to follow him to a nearby meeting place. They followed in droves and listened intently as Moody shared the good news of Jesus.

Too soon, the convention delegates started arriving, and Moody had to stop preaching. He said simply, “Now we must close, as the brethren of the convention wish to come and discuss the topic ‘How to reach the masses’!”

That makes my point. So often, we think we have to have special training or special knowledge to tell others about Christ.But like Moody, maybe all we need to do is be creative…and think of simple ways we can share Christ with others.

Maybe it’s fixing dinner for your next-door neighbor. Maybe it’s making a hospital or nursing home visit with a nice card or some flowers. Whatever it is, God wants you to share His love with those around you. Rather than just think or talk about sharing your faith any longer…just go out and do it! – HDS ( revised from 5-3-11)

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

5801 FM 1960 E.

Humble, TX. 77346