MORNING MANNA            12-23-23
Do What You Can With What You’ve Got

”A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”(Proverbs 17:22)  

Isn’t it strange—one person says Christmas is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, while many others can’t wait until it’s over? I am amazed that so many people fuss and complain about petty little issues associated with Christmas, when they should be rejoicing that Christ has come. If you’re one of those who are irritated by the “Christmas rush” maybe the following story will help you see things from a better perspective: 

One Christmas Eve, as late Christmas shoppers hurried along the street, a crippled newsboy stood on his crutches offering his papers to the passersby. He looked happy, and his crutches were decorated with evergreens.

 One man greeted him with a cheerful smile, “My boy, you surely have the Christmas spirit.” The boy replied “What’s the use of putting on a sour face? Sure, I am poor and lame, but that’s no reason for looking glum. I won’t get presents like other boys at Christmas, but I can have fun, too. So I decorated my crutches just to make them seem special for Christmas.” 

MORNING MANNA             12-22-23

GIVE YOURSELF

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”- Luke 1:38 

As I think about the Christmas story, I just can’t get those words out of my mind. Mary was willing to risk her reputation, give up her comfort and subject herself to great difficulties for the sake of pleasing the Lord. God wanted her to make her humanity available to Him, so He could manifest His deity to others, and she was willing for it to be so. She was willing to endure hardships for the sake of doing God’s will. 

Perhaps you’ve never thought about it, but in a sense that is exactly what God wants from all of us. He wants us to “present” our “bodies a living sacrifice”(Romans 12:1) so He can make Himself known to others. As someone said, “You are the only Bible some people will ever read.” Scary thought, but it is true! Some people will make judgments concerning Christ based on what they see in you as a professing Christian. God forbid that we give the wrong impression! 

Many folks have great talent, treasures,and time that could be used for God, but they refuse to use them. They waste their lives in the pursuit of selfish pleasures and expend their energy on things of no eternal value. How foolish. How sinful! God is still looking for people like Mary who will make themselves available for His purpose. Don’t worry about your lack of ability. Make yourself available without hesitation, question, or reservation and you will never regret it. Serving God isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.Will you say this day,”be it unto me according to thy word”? I pray that you will respond as Isaiah did when he said, “Here am I; send me.”(Isaiah 6:8). HDS

Will you give yourself to the One who gave all for you?

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

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”  Matthew 2:1–2

I once heard about a court case that was lost because of the silence of an attorney. The distinguished lawyer Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) was representing the defendant. When it was time to present his case, he told the jurors that the facts favoring his client were so evident that he would not insult their intelligence by arguing them. The jury retired to deliberate and returned in a few minutes with a verdict of guilty. Samuel Hoar was astonished! 

“How,” he asked, “could you have reached such a verdict?” The foreman replied, “we all agreed that if anything could be said for a case, you would say it. But since you didn’t present any evidence, we decided to rule against you.” Silence had lost the case. 

How often do we lose an opportunity to witness for Christ because we remain silent? Those who need to hear the Gospel may conclude that salvation is not important enough to talk about!

God commands us to be the light of the world in Matthew 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” That means we are to be a witness, showing Christ’s light of salvation through our lives. We are not to be silent or hide our light but to show all.

Imagine if the eastern star the wise men were tracking suddenly got a mind of its own and decided it wasn’t going to shine. It was tired of always shining. Also, people were constantly looking at it and scrutinizing its size and brightness. It wanted to be a normal star and just blend in, so it stopped shining.

What would the wise men have followed to find Christ? The star was their only hope of finding God’s Son! They were lost without it. Because the star failed to shine, the wise men never found the Messiah.

Thank the Lord that didn’t happen! But that’s exactly how we are sometimes. We shine bright as a witness for God but when scrutiny comes or someone questions us, we shrink back and decide to blend in. 

Have you dimmed your light? Have you sought to blend in to avoid controversy or discussion? Don’t be afraid to witness to someone. You may not know all the right verses or the fundamental doctrines, but you can witness. The most powerful witness you have is your testimony. Tell someone how Christ changed your life. Personally show them how He has helped you. Shine brightly and let your witness be heard today! ( Daily in the Word)

Don’t allow the darkness around you to dim your light for Christ!

David Stone  

Lakeway Baptist Church.  

Humble,Tx

 MORNING MANNA            12-20-23

WHY WORRY?

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”- Psalm 37:1–3

God promises to provide for your every need, so what is there to worry about?

Have you ever found yourself worrying? We all do. We worry about how the bills will be paid, how a project at work will get done, if we are training our children correctly, how we will know God’s will, how to handle a certain situation, and so on. We worry about things as small as what someone will think about our outfit to things as large as how we will make the next house payment. It’s in our human nature to worry. 

Recent studies show that on average people worry about:

            40%—things that will never happen

            30%—things about the past that can’t be changed

            12%—things about the criticisms of others, mostly untrue

            10%—things about health, which gets worse with stress

              8%—things about real problems that will be faced

Many times Christians can begin worrying when they focus on the lives of others. Have you ever wondered why you faced so many trials when it seems as if the unsaved enjoyed their wealth and luxuries? Why were you suffering for serving Christ and others were seemingly blessed?

It can be easy to get sidetracked from serving God and focus on others, but God wants us to focus on Him! God clearly explains in Psalm 37 His provisions for the righteous. He says, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:7–9).

It’s as if God is saying, “Don’t worry about what the unsaved do and have. I am still God and am in control of all. They have their reward here on earth, but your everlasting reward is waiting in Heaven! Just focus on me and continue living for me!”

Have you ever had times of doubt and worry? Does seeing the prosperity of others sometimes discourage you? Don’t allow Satan to take your eyes off Christ! Yes, others may have more provisions and everything seems to go perfectly for them. But if you are serving Christ faithfully, He promises you a reward far better than anything this earth has to offer. He’s promised to provide for your every need, so there is no need to worry!

Don’t lose focus of Christ this Christmas season. Keep your eyes on Him and claim His promise of eternal blessings for living for Him! (Copied)

David Stone     

Lakeway Baptist Church   

Humble,Tx

MORNING MANNA             12-19-23

THE INEXHAUSTIBLE TREASURES OF HIS GRACE

“ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 4:19

“The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want…”Psalm 23:1. I have all I need!

David Stone  

Lakeway Baptist Church  

Humble, Tx