MORNING MANNA                 8-24-22

FACING THE FUTURE WITH FAITH

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”– Hebrews 11:8-10
Here we are at the start of a new day – the first day of the rest of our life. And as we face the future we know not what a day might hold, but what else can we do? Trying to forget the fact doesn’t work– life goes on regardless. Fearing it just makes matters worse. So we must face it, although we don’t know what lies ahead – and it’s better that we don’t know. However, as Christians we ought to consider the facts God has given. We are aware of some things to come. We have read God’s promises which assure us that, regardless of what trials we must go through, the best is yet to come. That’s something we should never forget.

Paul Chappell recently wrote something about Charles Spurgeon that caught my attention. He said: “Spurgeon routinely spoke to crowds of 6,000 or more at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. On New Year’s Eve in 1891, he spoke to only a handful of friends who were with him in Mentone, France, where he had been seeking treatment for his painful illness. Spurgeon did not know when he spoke that night that in less than a month he would see the Lord, for whom he had faithfully preached, face to face. Although, Spurgeon did know that he trusted God.”

Spurgeon said, “Could we procure a telescope which would enable us to see to the end of the year, would we be wise to use it? I think not. Great mercy has hung up a veil between us and the future; and there let it hang.” The following morning he preached a brief New Year’s sermon at his hotel. “The vista of a praiseful life will never close, but continue throughout eternity. From psalm to psalm, from hallelujah to hallelujah, we will ascend the hill of the Lord where we will bow before the Divine Majesty in the bliss of endless adoration.”

How thankful we ought to be that we have divine assurance that all shall end well. To know that the best is yet to come gives us the courage to face the challenges of life. Although we don’t know what the future holds we know Who holds the future. That makes all the difference in the world. We can trust God to get us through whatever He brings us to. We are in good hands!– HDS

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

MORNING MANNA              8-23-22

GOD WILL MAKE A WAY

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” —Romans 15:13

I love what Stephen Davey wrote below in regards to the story about a song that many love. It’s another example of  what God can do in our time of need. He wrote—-

“Thousands of Christians in North America have heard one of Don Moen’s praise songs which he wrote to affirm God’s sovereignty in the Christian’s life.  However, most Christians who have sung this song do not know the kind of hopelessness from which the lyrics came. 

Don Moen was awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from his mother-in-law; a tragic car accident had just occurred. Don’s sister-in-law, Susan, her husband, and their four little boys were on an automobile trip when tragedy struck. They all were seriously injured, and their eight-year-old son was dying from his injuries. 

As Don and his wife grieved and poured out their hearts to the Lord, they felt helpless to communicate any hope to Susan and Craig. Don recalls asking the Lord to help him express hope to the family members. In a very short time, Don scribbled some lyrics and composed the music for a chorus that, to this day, gives believers a deep sense of hope in the midst of difficult times. The lyrics read: 

God will make a way, 

Where there seems to be no way; 

He works in ways we cannot see, 

He will make a way for me. 

He will be my guide, 

Hold me closely to His side; 

With love and strength for each new day, 

He will make a way. He will make a way! 

To put it simply, the only way to have hope is to have Him. The only way to have peace is to have Him. 

As Paul reminds us in Romans 15:13, hope—as well as peace and joy—come through faith. It is true that many people claim to have faith in God during the good times, but when trials come their way, their faith is clearly lacking. In times when our vision of God becomes blurred by sorrow, the eyes of faith are more important than ever. 

George Macdonald, author and mentor to C.S. Lewis, once wrote: “I think faith can never have a greater victory than when it will trust even in the midst of darkness and doubt and temptation.” What a great definition of victorious faith!—faith in our victorious God who never loses control of His people . . . and His planet. 

The truth is, God’s will for us isn’t even nullified by our suffering, nor does it end at the grave. Our hope rests in the promise that our lives will stretch far beyond these few fleeting moments on earth, into an eternity of heavenly joy and satisfaction. 

Are you willing to believe that God will make a way where there seems to be no way? He works in ways we cannot see . . . He will make a way! 

 Faith in the promises of God naturally leads to a hopeful expectation of their fulfillment. Pray that God will increase your faith in Him, not allowing it to waver amidst difficult circumstances, but instead, causing it to grow stronger through them.”

David Stone

lakeway Baptist Church

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA            8-22-22

THE ADVANTAGE OF THE LORDS ASCENSION

“Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” John 20:17

One of the much-loved hymns for children says, “I think when I read that sweet story of old,/ When Jesus was here among men,/ How He called little children as lambs to His fold,/ I should like to have been with Him then.” Probably most of us have shared that sentimental desire at one time or another. We think how nice it would have been to enjoy the personal companionship of the Son of God during His earthly ministry.

But what we should realize is that it is better to know Him today, as He is revealed by the Spirit through the Word. Instead of being at a disadvantage, we are actually more privileged than the disciples. Look at it this way: Matthew saw Jesus through Matthew’s eyes, Mark through Mark’s eyes, Luke through Luke’s eyes, and John through John’s eyes. But we see Him through the eyes of all four Evangelists. And, to carry the thought a step farther, we have a fuller revelation of the Lord Jesus in the entire New Testament than any of the disciples had when they were on earth.

There is an additional sense in which we are more privileged than the contemporaries of Jesus. When He was mingling with the crowd in Nazareth or Capernaum, He was necessarily closer to some than to others. In the upper room, John leaned on His bosom, whereas the other disciples reclined at varying distances. But all that is changed now. The Savior is equally close to all believers. He is not only with us; He is in us.

When Mary met the resurrected Lord, she wanted to cling to Him in the same way she had previously known Him. She did not want to lose His physical, bodily presence. But Jesus said to her, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father…”. He was saying, in effect, “Mary, don’t cling to me in an earthly, physical sense. When I ascend to my Father, the Holy Spirit will be sent to the earth. Through His ministry you will know me in a fuller, clearer, more intimate way than you have ever known me before.”

So the conclusion is this: Instead of wishing we had been with Jesus when He was on earth, we should realize, rejoicingly, that it is better to be with Him now.- William MacDonald

David Stone 

Lakeway Baptist Church 

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA         8-20-22

UNCOVER AND CONFESS

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) 

Here is the way of mercy for a guilty and repenting sinner. He must cease from the habit of covering sin. This is attempted by falsehood, which denies sin; by hypocrisy, which conceals it; by boasting, which justifies it; and by loud profession, which tries to make amends for it.

The sinner’s business is to confess and forsake. The two must go together. Confession must be honestly made to the Lord Himself, and it must include within itself acknowledgment of the wrong, sense of its evil, and abhorrence of it. We must not throw the fault upon others, nor blame circumstances, nor plead natural weakness. We must make a clean breast of it and plead guilty to the indictment. There can be no mercy till this is done.

Furthermore, we must forsake the evil; having owned our fault, we must disown all present and future intent to abide in it. We cannot remain in rebellion and yet dwell with the King’s majesty. The habit of evil must be quitted, together with all places, companions, pursuits, and books which might lead us astray. Not for confession, nor for reformation, but in connection with them we find pardon by faith in the blood of Jesus.( Faith’s Check Book)

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

MORNING MANNA           8-19-22

 PRECIOUS PROMISES

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”- 2 Peter 1:4 

This verse is important, informational, and inspirational. To escape “the corruption that is in the world” is wonderful, but to be “partakers of the divine nature” is even more glorious. It staggers the mind to think about it. It’s something that is far beyond the reach of man’s natural abilities. It is possible because the great God “that cannot lie“(Titus 1:2) has given us “exceeding great and precious promises.“

Although we are weak and helpless,“his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue“(2 Peter 1:3). God’s children are not short-changed in any sense whatsoever! Notice, he said,”all things”. Everything we need for “life and godliness” is freely supplied by the grace of God. We need only claim what He has already given. 

Seeing that all this is true, how can you say that the Bible is a boring book or that you don’t have time to read it? I urge you today to plunge into its depths, discover what He has promised, and claim what He has provided. Do this and you will find that for every need there is a promise. Search for them like they were precious jewels. In doing so you will discover that these gems of grace are exactly what you need.- HDS

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