MORNING MANNA              1-17-23

“ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.“- Eph. 3:17-19

   As you stand on the shore of the ocean, looking out over the great expanse, you can’t tell where the sea ends and the sky begins. The view is breathtaking. It leaves you speechless. The surging of the mighty waves tells you that it is powerful. Just a glance tells you that it is mysterious. The sheer magnitude of it convinces you that there is far more than you can see with the natural eye.

   So it is with the love of God. As the song -writer said, it “is greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell”. His infinite love is beyond comprehension or description. His love is unconditional, everlasting, powerful, and transforming. It fills our mind with wonder and our heart with joy. It steadies our trembling hands as we grapple with the difficulties of life. It quickens our step as we walk the pathway of duty. It brightens our day when we are lonely and helps us along the way when we are weary.

   We compose sermons, songs, and poems about it, but when all is said and done we know the half has not been told. We know that we are merely standing on the shore and there is more, much more, that we cannot see. It is deeper, wider, longer, and more powerful than we can conceive. It, as Paul said, “passeth knowledge” ( Ephesians 3:19). But our lack of understanding doesn’t diminish from our enjoyment of God’s love, we marvel all the more. We benefit immensely although we are just standing on the shore! —David Stone, 7-21-2007

DAVID STONE

NORTHWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA                1-15-23

THE HOPE OF GLORY” To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ” – Col. 1:27

Reading this verse leaves me spell bound! It’s like opening a door that leaves you looking out on a vast expanse with no end in sight. It leave you speechless, yet you feel that you ought to spend the rest of your life talking about it. Here we find God answer to history’s greatest mystery – “Christ in you, the hope of glory“. I want you to examine every part of that statement like you would look at the facets of a diamond and see how they beautify the whole.

— SalvationSalvation isn’t a matter of you trying to live for Jesus. It is Jesus living in you. Your heart is His home. he is your life, not just a part of your life.
— SecurityWhen Christ takes up residence in your heart He never changes His address. he is there to stay. We have eternal security. Since he is our life the only way we could lose our salvation is for Him to die or leave and that’s not going to happen.
— StrengthTo live the Christian life we need God’s strength and Christ provides it. Paul said, “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” vs.29. That’s why he said in Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” As Christians we need strength for many things. We need strength to obey God’s commands, resist temptation, endure trials, and to do our work. Life is difficult and none of us can succeed on our own. We need the kind of help that God alone can provide, and with Christ we have it.–

When we speak of the “hope of glory” it has to do with what we receive in Christ. As Spurgeon said, “Christ in you means you in glory”. Amen! We are as sure of heaven as if we were already there. Whatever it entails we are assured of a perfected state in heaven where all is glory. Entering glory will be the conclusion of all our conflicts, the consummation of God’s promises and purpose, and the commencement of eternal glory! That’s why we sing, “What a day that will be”. For the Christian the best is yet to come. We shall go from grief to glory, from pain to pleasure, from heartache to happiness. There are no words to describe the glory that awaits God’s children.
But it isn’t that way for everyone.Sadly many are without God and without hope (Eph. 2:12). They have no hope of glory and that is awful – worse than the mind can imagine. The good news is that their situation could change today. As Paul said, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” ( Eph. 2:13). Peter said He has given us a “lively hope” ( 1 Pet. 1:3). Since Jesus came into our hearts we have “the hope of glory”. That’s glorious! – HDS

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

MORNING MANNA           1-13-23
THE BRIGHT DAYS
 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”- John 15:5

We generally stress our need of God most when things are at their worst, and as we think about the future it is usually with the prospect of problems in view. However, we need to consider the other side of the coin. Life isn’t all bad. I’ve noticed over the years that prosperity has spoiled more people than problems ever did. We need to see our need of God at all times in our life. 

The following words by J.R. Miller helps us put things in their proper perspective:“We need Christ just as much in our bright, prosperous, exalted hours as in the days of darkness, adversity, and depression. We are quite in danger of thinking that religion is only for sickrooms and funerals, and for times of great sorrow and trial—a lamp to shine at night, a staff to help when the road is rough, a friendly hand to hold us up when we are stumbling. This is not true. Jesus went to the marriage-feast as well as to the home of sorrow. His religion is just as much for our hours of joy as for our days of grief. There are just as many stars in the sky at noon as at midnight, although we cannot see them in the sun’s glare. And there are just as many comforts, promises, divine encouragements, and blessings above us when we are in the noons of our human gladness and earthly success, as when we are in our nights of pain and shadow. We may not see them in the brightness about us, but they are there, and their benedictions fall upon us as perpetually, in a gentle rain of grace.”

The song writer got it right when he said, “I need Thee every hour”. There is never a second of the day when we don’t need God. Without His help we could not take another breath or step. As Christ said, “without me ye can do nothing.”(John 15:5).- HDS