MORNING MANNA            11-21-22ARISE AND GO
“ Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” Josh. 1:1-2

Sorrow came to you yesterday, and emptied your home. Your first impulse now is to give up, and sit down in despair amid the wrecks of your hopes. But you dare not do it. You are in the line of battle, and the crisis is at hand. To falter a moment would be to imperil some holy interest. Other lives would be harmed by your pausing, holy interests would suffer, should your hands be folded. You must not linger even to indulge your grief.

A distinguished general related this pathetic incident of his own experience in time of war. The general’s son was a lieutenant of battery. An assault was in progress. The father was leading his division in a charge; as he pressed on in the field, suddenly his eye was caught by the sight of a dead battery-officer lying just before him. One glance showed him it was his own son. His fatherly impulse was to stop beside the loved form and give vent to his grief, but the duty of the moment demanded that he should press on in the charge; so, quickly snatching one hot kiss from the dead lips, he hastened away, leading his command in the assault.

Weeping inconsolably beside a grave can never give back love’s banished treasure, nor can any blessing come out of such sadness. Sorrow makes deep scars; it writes its record ineffaceably on the heart which suffers. We really never get over our great griefs; we are never altogether the same after we have passed through them as we were before. Yet there is a humanizing and fertilizing influence in sorrow which has been rightly accepted and cheerfully borne. Indeed, they are poor who have never suffered, and have none of sorrow’s marks upon them. The joy set before us should shine upon our grief as the sun shines through the clouds, glorifying them. God has so ordered, that in pressing on in duty we shall find the truest, richest comfort for ourselves. Sitting down to brood over our sorrows, the darkness deepens about us and creeps into our heart, and our strength changes to weakness. But, if we turn away from the gloom, and take up the tasks and duties to which God calls us, the light will come again, and we shall grow stronger.—J. R. Miller

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist ChurchHumble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA             11-20-22

THE LAST ENEMY

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death– 1 Corinthians 15:26

In this life we face many daunting foes: temptation, grief, discouragement, fear (to name just a few). But none has proven so devastatingly indestructible as death itself.

As children of God, we have all known what it is to fight against sorrow, to war against lust, to battle with depression — and still emerge victorious, through the power of Jesus Christ. But none of us has ever known anyone who has locked horns with that grim enemy Death successfully.

The last enemy, the one whom we all quake to face, is the very enemy that we cannot possibly defeat. But this is the very same foe that Christ has promised to vanquish on our behalf! The last enemy will be His final victory.

Christ, Paul declares, is mighty in the destruction, not only of His own enemies, but of yours as well! In fact, Christ was willing to feel death Himself, so that we might be forever delivered from the power that death had over us.

With death destroyed, what is left for the child of God, but everlasting life? With the last enemy finally conquered, no further adversary could ever be expected to raise its ugly head against us. Beloved, the same inexorable power that is employed in overcoming the enemies of God has been exercised on your behalf, in order to bring death to its own demise!

Jesus Christ will one day bury death. And the triumphant monument that He will raise over its grave will be the everlasting host of His redeemed children.- Baptist Bible Hour

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

MORNING MANNA            11-19-22

CHRIST DIED FOR ALL

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”- Heb. 2:9

Pastor David Dykes said, “In 1963, Robert Sanchez, now the Director of Missions for Southern Baptists in New York City, was a student at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. He happened to be visiting a cemetery that fall and saw a woman sitting all alone weeping so hard her body was shaking. He walked over to her and with reluctance put his hand on her shoulder. He said, “Ma’am, I’m a pastor. Is there anything I can do to help?” She looked up at him and she said, “I am the mother of Lee Harvey Oswald. All of America is grieving over the death of President Kennedy. Isn’t there anyone to grieve over the death of my son?” There probably were not many people who grieved over Lee Harvey Oswald’s death, but the point I am trying to make is why do you think that mother was grieving? Because she loved him, and what he did hurt her and broke her heart. The good news is the Holy Spirit of God in you loves you! And the reason he grieves over your sin is because he loves you and he wants the very best for you.”

MORNING MANNA             11-18-22

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”- Galatians 6:7–9

When William Carey went to India, the concept of missionaries was sadly unknown and unpracticed among most of the people he knew. There was a great deal of resistance to Carey’s plan to take the gospel to a foreign land. Carey was not a pastor or theologian, he ran a shoe repair business. But his burning zeal to reach the lost compelled him to leave his home and country behind. His first years on the field were hard. His son Peter died, his wife suffered a mental breakdown, and it was seven long years before the first convert was baptized. There was little to indicate a mighty work from God was about to happen.

On a trip to England, I was able to visit Regents Park College at Oxford where they have preserved the letters William Carey wrote to his family and supporters during his time in India. They are filled with news of various difficulties and hardships, but also with an unwavering commitment to continue the work. He closed one of the letters to his sisters with the admonition, “Be strong in the Lord.” Carey remained faithful, and his work eventually made a major impact on India and challenged thousands of others to take up the missionary cause.

No one has accomplished anything lasting and great for God who was not willing to pay the price of faithfulness. Those who shrink or give up when things get hard will not see the harvest. Only those who remain faithful and keep doing what is right reap.- copied

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA            11-17-22

CONTENTMENT 
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”- Phil. 4:11

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”– Heb. 13:5

In light of the subject of contentment, Theodore Epp wrote,“Nowhere does the Bible suggest that we should be content with unsatisfactory conditions. But because of our personal relationship with Christ we can be content in them. As different situations arise and we learn our lessons one after another, we will also find it possible to be content in every situation.
Contentment is one of those concepts that is easier to define than to experience. This is probably because the tendency is to seek contentment in possessions rather than in a person.
We assume that contentment comes from having things, but it is possible to have deep contentment without things. So often we think contentment would be ours if we were promoted to the next higher position or if we were able to buy that object we think we need so much or if we could be accepted in a certain circle of friends.
But as we advance in these areas, we discover that contentment is elusive because we are seeking it in the wrong places and in the wrong way.
Contentment does not depend on what we have; it depends on who we are. It is a spiritual attainment, not something that results from purchasing power. As someone has said, “Contentment is a state of heart rather than a statement of account.”

 
If you need inspiration to become content remember this,“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”– 1Tim. 6:6

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble, Tx.