MORNING MANNA          1-13-24 

  DELIGHT

  Man’s great desire is delight. His great dread is disappointment. Yet, try as he might, disappointments are sure to come – often with great distress. After all, having your dreams dashed to pieces is painful.

So, how do we deal with disappointments? I think I’m safe in saying “Usually not very well”. And that raises a question “Why?”.

Perhaps the first potential problem is attempting to deal with everything that disappoints us. If we aren’t careful we can run ourselves ragged and worry ourselves sick trying to prevent, change, or fix everything that displeases us. The truth is, we can’t control, change, or correct everything, and we need to learn to live with such things as they are.

Secondly, another mistake we make is that of assuming that anything that disappoints us is harmful rather than helpful, bad rather than good. We seem to forget that we don’t always know what is best for us. Fact is, we aren’t that smart. Jer. 10:23 “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps”.

The third problem is the assertion of pride that our ideas are good when they aren’t, and that we deserve more than what we have. Many feel “short-changed”- deprived of what they think they deserve. They go through life feeling they are superior and that the world owes them. Then when they don’t get what they desire they are disappointed, and that can lead to difficulties that we should dread. That’s the product of pride.

The point is, we go through life suffering the consequences until we deal with our pride. We need a wake-up call to the fact that we don’t deserve anything good. The best man on earth is a rotten sinner, deserving of everlasting punishment in a devil’s hell. It is only by God’s grace that we have or do anything good. We owe it to God’s grace that our heart beats, we can take another breath, have food to eat, and a roof over our head.

We will never be at peace until we acknowledge our sinfulness and God’s grace! The next time you take a breathe of air, or a bite of food, remember it was by grace. Those who refuse will continue to deal with disappointments. The only solution is to repent and trust Christ. He never disappoints! “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”- Psa.37:4. Think about it! – HDS

David Stone    

Lakeway Baptist Church  

Humble, Tx

MORNING MANNA           1-12-24  

OVERCOMING EVIL

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”- Rome.12:21

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church  

Humble,Tx

SUCCESS
“—Thy will be done—“ Matthew 6:10
“—not as I will, but as thou wilt. “Matthew 26:39

Just about everyone would say that they want to live a successful life, but few are successful! What is success? It is doing the will of God, nothing less and nothing more. If you have any other purpose, aim, goal, or ambition as the main thing in life it is wrong. It’s not just wrong but wicked also. We have no right to do only as we please–unless what we please pleases God.

The truest test of one’s life is character. Reputation is one thing, character is another. Although we should be some what concerned about what others think about us it is God’s opinion that matters the most. With Him it is character that counts the most. It also what makes us do the things we do. That’s why we often hear it said, “Being is more important than doing”. It can also be said that a man of noble character will prize God’s will above all else. He is pleased by what pleases God.

It is only as we do the will of God that we are able to please God and, as strange as it might seem, self is pleased also. Man was created to live in communion with God, in harmony with His will, and only in doing so can he find true fulfillment and complete satisfaction. To prize and pursue anything else as our reason for being is foolish. It is like a child chasing a soap bubble—it disappears the moment he grasps it. Such an endeavor is a waste of time and energy.

He who makes the pursuit of pleasure, power, position, and possessions his sole aim in living will never achieve true success–he misses the target every time. In their place these things might be fine, but they are never “in their place” when they are in first place. They can never be any better than of secondary importance. Only the will of God should be given top priority.

A life well lived is one which submits cheerfully to the will of God, seeks mainly the glory of God, and serves faithfully according to the dictates of God. Anything less is not enough. The true success has for his purpose, pursuit, pleasure, and prayer the glory of God by obedience to God. He does it regardless of cost, conditions, circumstances, or consequences. So, how successful are you? HDS

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

MORNING MANNA           1-10-24

CHRIST-LIKENESS

The following article by J.Vernon McGee speaks of a matter that we need to think about everyday. He said:

      You see, the ideal of the artist (who is the Holy Spirit) is to conform us to the image of Christ. The chisel He uses is the discipline of the Lord–“For whom the Lord loves He chastens . . .” (Heb. 12:6). And the hammer is the Word of God. Therefore, we can say with the psalmist, “I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15)

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David Stone   

Lakeway Baptist Church   

Humble, Tx

MORNING MANNA           1-9-24

WASHED BY THE WORD

“ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” Eph. 5:26

Years ago I read a story about an old man who lived in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning, the grandfather would sit at the kitchen table and read from his worn-out Bible. Wanting to be just like his grandfather, the young boy would imitate him by reading his own Bible.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandfather, I try to read the Bible just like you, but I don’t understand it. When I do understand it, I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?”

The grandfather simply replied, “Son, take this old wicker coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but the water leaked out of the basket before he could get back to the house. The grandfather sent him back three more times and told him to move faster each time. Every time, the frustrated boy returned with an empty basket.

Finally, out of breath, the young boy said to his grandfather, “See…it’s useless!”

The old man said, “Look at the basket. Instead of a dirty old wicker coal basket, it’s now clean. Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand it or remember everything you read, but when you do, it will change you from the inside out.”

As believers in Christ in a fallen world, you and I must saturate our hearts and minds with the Word of God every day. Just like the young boy above, it may seem that we can’t retain or comprehend everything we read. But remember that God uses His Word to change us from the inside out!  

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”Luke 4:4

Yes, I know I’ve told this story before, but I figured we all needed to hear about it again.I hope you feel the same way.-HDS

David Stone   

Lakeway Baptist Church   

Humble, Tx