MORNING MANNA          6-28-22 

THE POTTER AND THE CLAY

“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”– Isaiah 64:8

A huge chunk of beautiful marble lay in the courtyard of the Florence, Italy cathedral for almost a hundred years. The sculptor commissioned to carve it had made a mistake while attempting to carve the stone, and most people thought it was beyond repair.

But in 1505, another young sculptor by the name of Michelangelo came across the piece and thought he could do something with it. For three years, he worked steadily, carefully shaping the marble into an 18-foot tall image of the young shepherd boy David – a sculpture that would define the great artist’s career.

Much like Michelangelo, God is our Sculptor. He finds us broken, lost, and in desperate need of work. Then, after putting our faith in Christ, He begins to chisel us – scraping and chipping away our imperfections and making us more and more into the image He wants us to be.

This sculpting we undergo isn’t always a pleasant experience. That’s because sometimes we have idols and imperfections chipped away to which we’ve grown very attached. But our Master Sculptor knows what He’s doing. Trust Him to mold you throughout your life into the masterpiece He’s created you to be and thank Him that He’s set you free from the imperfections that hinder you!

Ask God to help you submit to His daily sculpting in your life as He transforms you into His image. (Senior Living)

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

MORNING MANNA         6-27-22

THE JESUS RULE

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”—Matthew 7:12

The name Cecil Rhodes might not ring a bell with you, but many people in the world wear his diamonds in their jewelry. Mr. Rhodes founded the De Beers Diamond Company and was one of the richest men of his time. As many businessmen do, he soon turned his interest to politics and became the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (South Africa). He was so well-known and widely respected that the state of Rhodesia in Africa was named after him (Rhodesia later split into two states and is now known as Zambia and Zimbabwe). As his earnings grew, so did his contributions. He founded the Rhodes Scholarship, a program that grants certain students from territories under British rule, formerly under British rule, or Germany to study, free of charge, at Oxford University.

But among all his titles and accomplishments, Cecil Rhodes was known for some of his more peculiar traits. For example, Mr. Rhodes was very peculiar about his dress and the dress of those around him. He believed in dressing well and emanating an air of dignity wherever he went. One night, at a dinner party he was hosting, a gentleman showed up in a dirty, unpressed suit. While all in attendance were shocked, no one knew what had happened to this man. Receiving the invitation to the event, this man boarded a train to travel the great distance to Mr. Rhodes’ home. Because of the length of his journey, he planned to travel in an older suit and change once he reached his destination since he was scheduled to be a bit early. He had miscalculated the length of the train ride and arrived at the event as everyone else was mingling. Rather than accost him, throw him out, or treat him harshly, Mr. Rhodes, not knowing the circumstances that caused the man’s inappropriate outfit, made his own entrance to the party in an old blue suit. You see, Mr. Rhodes had seen the man come in, and not wanting to embarrass him, he had switched into an older suit of his own. Mr. Rhodes put aside his personal belief, and treated this guest with kindness.

We’ve all grown up hearing the golden rule-“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” While that phrase isn’t in the Bible, our verse today teaches us that very rule: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

We teach our children to be kind to others, share with others, and be courteous in their actions; yet as adults we can ignore those same teachings. We yell at the car who cuts us off, complain about the wait time at the grocery store, gripe about a coworker; all while teaching our children to treat others as they would want to be treated.

Perhaps, better than the Golden Rule would be the Jesus Rule-Do unto others as Jesus would do unto them. In essence, treat others the way Christ would treat them were He in your spot. Would Christ yell at someone on the freeway, complain about the shopper with too many items in the express lane, gripe about the “incompetence” of a coworker?

Sometimes it’s good to step back and see things how God sees them. He sent His only Son to die on the Cross for you, that person who cut you off, the shopper at the grocery store, your coworker, and everyone around you. God loves them just as much as He loves you, yet how do you treat them?

The next time you become upset, agitated, annoyed, or stressed, take a minute to remember the Jesus rule. Ask yourself, “How would Christ treat this person?” and ask God for the help to treat others as He would treat them.-Daily In The Word

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

MORNING MANNA         6-26-22

DIFFICULTY AND GRACE

   “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” – Matthew 6:34

Adrian Rogers said, “In the crucible of His wisdom and the ecology of His grace, God has ordered some trouble for you today. And every day of your life.

 We’ve been blessed with difficulties. Yes, you read right—blessed! The worst thing that could happen to us would be not to have any difficulties. If that were the case, we’d never know our need of the Lord. So God in essence says, “I’m going to give you sufficient difficulty for the day.”

 God gives you enough difficulty to draw you close to Him, but then God gives you enough grace to meet those difficulties every day.

Is there a difficult circumstance in your life? If so, thank God for sending it your way to make you more like Jesus. Now ask for His grace to be victorious through it!”

Spurgeon said, “ “I am afraid that all the grace that I have got of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours, might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable…. Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house. It is the best book in a minister’s library.”

Sometimes what you consider to be the worst thing can turn out to be the best thing that could happen to you. God doesn’t make any mistakes. He does indeed make all things work together for good. For that reason we ought to accept whatever He allows or appoints. He does all things well. – HDS

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

MORNING MANNA          6-25-22

GOD’S WORD

The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart– Hebrews 4:12

Notice first that the Word of God is quick, or alive. It always is (present tense) alive. God’s Word will always be true; it is alive forever. And therefore God’s Word is always relevant, never just a dead carcass, a used up and empty vessel from the past. It is the living, breathing truth of God. And, as Psalm 100:5 extols, “His truth endures to all generations.”

The Word of God is also powerful. It is, in other words, energetic. It is not only living, but energetically efficacious. God’s Word, Paul tells us, “is the power of God unto salvation” to every one that believes (Romans 1:16). Have you ever felt the moving, slicing, energetic operation of God’s Word on your heart as you read, or listened to, or meditated on its truth? If so, then you know the kinetic power of God’s Word to reach and melt and prick the heart.

But it is here compared to a sword—and elsewhere called a sword (Ephesians 6:17). Why do we need a sword? Because we are in a war. We daily battle, whether courageously or pathetically, the ever-present foes of sin, self, and Satan. We need the spiritual power of God’s Word to strengthen us and fight for us against these foes.

Finally, God’s Word is called a discerner. The truth of God’s Word sifts through and analyzes the myriad of ideas, aspirations, and desires with which we are enticed and, as a qualified and a skilled judge, discerns truth from error, good from bad. It is a wise weapon!

Do you feel the need today for the energetic, discerning work of God’s Word upon your heart, directing your ways? The question is asked in Jeremiah 17:9, of the deceptive human heart, “who can know it?” The answer from Hebrews is: “the Word of God can.”- Baptist Bible Hour

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

MORNING MANNA            6-24-22

PERSISTENT PRAYER

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” – Luke 18:1-5

Pastor Paul Chappell wrote, “Prayer was not a new concept in Jesus’ day. God’s people had been praying for centuries. Yet much of that prayer had become simply the rote repetition of words and phrases that had been learned without any connection to the heart. Jesus condemned those who prayed in this fashion. “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7). Prayer to Jesus was a vital communication to His Father in Heaven. He continued to pray throughout His ministry, and He taught this way of praying.

In his parable on the importance of persistence in prayer, Jesus described a judge who had no regard for either God or man. Shockingly, this corrupt and uncaring man is the representative for God in the story. Jesus’ point was not to say that God is unwilling to hear our prayers as a dishonest judge would be. It was to create a comparison—if even a corrupt earthly leader could be influenced by continuing supplication, a loving God would be even more quick to respond when His children cried out to Him.

The alternative to persistence in our praying is that we become discouraged and give up. We faint rather than continuing. While there are times when God answers prayer immediately, we must not allow a delay to make us give up on prayer. God loves us and wants the best for us, and prayer is the means by which He provides for our needs. We are always to pray—not just all the time, but persistently until the answer comes.

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