MORNING MANNA            10-26-23
BURDENS INTO BRIDGES
“-–the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.”–Phil. 1:12

We live in a pressure cooker world and everyone feels the heat! Even believers are often burdened down to the point that they feel they will be crushed if relief isn’t found. No one is exempt from trials (Job 14:1). We all have our share of suffering and sorrow, but people view them and deal with them differently. Some poor souls throw their hands up in despair and quit. Others become bitter and resentful, often rebelling and resorting to destructive habits. A few, however, have learned to turn their burdens into bridges. Their burdens make them better rather than bitter.

The Apostle Paul gives us a good example as to what our attitude should be. Numerous passages tell how he benefited from his burdens. He knew God had a purpose in all that He allows to enter our life, a plan to use it for good, and the power to make it happen.

We too can benefit from our burdens. While burdens weigh heavily upon us, impeding our progress, bridges enable us to rise above difficulties and enable us to cross over into new territory. When your burden becomes a bridge it brings you to places you could have never reached by any other means. It can promote spiritual growth, protect you from danger, or put you in a place of ministry that you could never be in without it. Believe it or not you can advance through adversity, grow through grief, benefit from your burdens, and make a ministry out of your misery.

Don’t allow your burden to become a barrier, shutting you off from the good things God planned for you. Make your burden a bridge whereby you can experience the blessings of God in your life. In other words, don’t waste your suffering. You cannot escape it, but you can embrace it, trusting God to use it to make you the person He wants you to be and enabling you to endure it.

Having received the promise that God’s grace would be sufficient, Paul wrote, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong.”–2 Cor. 12:9-10. No doubt about it–Paul turned his burdens into bridges, so can you! –HDS 

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

MORNING MANNA            10-24-23

LOOKING UNTO JESUS
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2

We cannot avoid adversity, but we can conquor our cares. Since God’s fobids us to worry He must provide a means whereby we can do as He commands. That provision is Himself. He doesn’t just show us a solution–He is the solution. God is glorious and fixing your focus on Him is the key to bearing up under the burdens of life. Jesus wasn’t lying when He said “without me ye can do nothing”, nor was Paul being untruthful when he said,” I can do all things through Christ”.

But to do it we must ever be looking to Him——-

His Word is wonderful

 His promises are precious

 His grace is glorious         

 His mercy is marvelous  

 His love is lavish  

 His patience is plenteous                

 His faithfulness is fabulous                   

 His power is profound 

 His blessings are bountiful  

 His plan is perfect

We sing “How Great Thou Art”, but after we’ve said all that we can say the half has not been told. He is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. We simply cannot describe God–He is altogether lovely! However, we can fix our focus on Him, and doing so changes our perspective on everything. Although our circumstances are the same we aren’t. We are changed! As Paul said, “But we all, with open faces beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”( 2 Cor. 3:18) Regardless of what you are forced to face today, if you fix your focus on Christ you can be victorius, ie., faithful to God. We cannot meditate upon Him without being changed. So, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, think about Him and you will come away saying, “O for a thousand tongues to sing my Redeemers praise.” Now you’ve got the emphasis where it ought to be! HDS

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church  

Humble, Tx 

MORNING MANNA            10-23-23

A WORD TO THE WEAK

“And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord.”- Zechariah 10:12 

MORNING MANNA           10-22-23    
STORMS  

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Cor. 1:3-4

In light of what I plan to preach this morning I thought this would be a good time to give you something to think about.

The Bible never tells us that God will keep us from storms. Sometimes he does, sometimes He doesn’t. However it does assure us that he will deliver  us in and through the storms. 

Consider some storms Paul mentioned in Rom. 8:35-37, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us“.

We also see such promises in the Old Testament. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour” (Isa. 43:2-3). How about that!

So when we find ourselves in a storm let us not think that it’s because God is’t in control. Nor should we think that it is because God is unloving or unkind. And we should not always think that it is because we did not have enough faith. It is often God’s plan to save us from the storm in order to provide us such comfort,grace and strength that we might experience something to make us more useful. That’s why Paul later told them what he had to endure with the thorn in the flesh,” 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. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.“ (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Think about that! – HDS

David Stone    

Lakeway Baptist Church    

Humble,Tx.