MORNING MANNA            5-13-22

GRATITUDE

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”– Psalms 103:2

How easily, in the muck and clamor and distractions of life, we seem to forget the Lord’s many blessings to us. If we pray at all then our prayers are largely taken up with requests for family and friends and health and blessing. But how often do we pause to bless the Lord, to praise Him for the many benefits He has given to us already?

Thousands of people struggle daily with discouragement and frustration, or at least with discontentment, even though they are surrounded by prosperity and property. Why is this? Why does there seem to be so little contentment in the midst of such enormous wealth? Perhaps it is because we have neglected to develop grateful hearts.

But we are here encouraged to develop the habit of gratefulness — forget no allhis benefits. Not a single blessing of God should be taken for granted. Not a single benefit should come to us without our carefully marking it as yet another unmerited favor from our heavenly Father.

It is also interesting that this admonition is an entirely inward one. The psalmist is actually speaking to himself, addressing his own soul. He is keeping a close check on his spirit and correcting trends that he sees there toward ingratitude, complaining, or dissatisfaction.

We ought, also, to stir ourselves up to habitual, genuine, God-centered gratitude; which will then lead us to habitual, genuine, God-centered praise. ( Baptist Bible Hour)

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

MORNING MANNA           5-12-22

CELEBRATING SIN

“Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”– Romans 1:30-32 

For much of the history of our country, there was a widespread agreement on the moral framework of what was right and what was wrong. Even those who were not Christians largely followed the laws, and most people recognized that our laws were based on a biblical standard of morality. That has changed. Now many people reject the idea that there is even such a thing as right and wrong. We hear people saying things like “my truth” or “that may be true for you but not for me.” As the moral framework of our society has broken down, we have seen sinful behavior that once was done only in secret paraded through the streets and celebrated.

As the world around us becomes more openly wicked, enjoying the opportunity to flaunt their evil conduct, it is more important than ever that we take a firm and unwavering stand for the truth. The things that were wrong before are still wrong now. There is no changing in God, and thus there is no changing in His law. We are to stand for the truth even if those around us are celebrating evil. Alexander Pope warned:

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
But seen to oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

What we must do is to fill our hearts and minds with the Word of God so that we remain firmly grounded in what is right and what is wrong. We should celebrate and love righteousness with more intensity than the world celebrates and loves sin. ( Paul Chappell)

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

MORNING MANNA            5-11-22

WALKING BY FAITH

“So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” Genesis 12:4

That was faith. Obedience proved it. Abram did not know where he was going; he had simply the call of God and a promise. But he asked no questions. He did not insist on knowing how his journey would come out, how profitable it would be, just what he would get in exchange for the land he was leaving and the sacrifice he was making. Quietly, without question or hesitation, he arose, cut the ties that bound him to his old home, and departed.

That is the kind of faith all of us should have, whenever God gives us a call and a promise. Some people want to see where they are going before they will begin to follow Christ; but that is not walking by faith at all.

We should not trouble ourselves to know where we are to be led, if only we know that God is leading us. His guidance is safe; and we should be willing to trust him, do precisely what he says, and go just where he leads, without asking any questions. Abraham’s life is a picture of a true “walk with God.”- J R Miller

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

MORNING MANNA            5-10-22

THE MEANING OF THE CROSS

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”- Phil. 2:5

Faith is not simply an intellectual experience of a statement of fact, but it is our personal trust and confidence in Him of whom the fact is true. We are not saved merely because we believe that Jesus Christ died for us on the Cross, but because we trust in Him who died. It is the personal touch between Christ and ourselves that causes His life to pass into our nature, making us … secure and safe.

What does the Cross mean to you and me? Does it not mean that there our Lord gave Himself absolutely to the Father’s will? Never in any way did He make Himself the origin and fountain of His action, but was ever the empty channel through which God poured Himself. “He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” It seemed as if He went down lower and lower, on rung after rung of the ladder until He reached Hades, giving up everything only to follow the Will of God; but out of the lowest depths God raised Him to the Eternal Throne……..

At this moment I would summon you to stand beneath the Cross and to see there One who entirely yielded up His own will. More than that, I want you to see your self-life nailed there, and turn from it to God in adoration, saying that you are prepared to be weak and helpless so far as your own energies are concerned, that He may put forth in your life the mighty energy of that power which raised Christ from the dead. It is only when we are weak that we are really strong; it is only when we surrender ourselves to the power of the Cross, so that we realize that we have been crucified with Christ, that we are able to share in His eternal victory over the devil and the power of evil.

O God, Thou hast revealed Thyself to us in Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We love Him, because He endured the Cross, and despised the shame in order to save us. May we follow Him by the way of the Cross, bearing His reproach, sharing His griefs, obedient even unto death, that we may also live and reign with Him here, and more perfectly at last. AMEN.- F B Meyer

David Stone 

Lakeway  Baptist Church 

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA         5-9-22

MOTHERS
“…a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”– Prov. 31:30

Yes I know Mothers Day is over. That’s my point. Our responsibility to mothers is everyday and we need to remember that! Pastors all across America  try to say what cannot be put into words. They make their best effort to articulate the value of godly mothers. They know they will fail before they ever start but they feel compelled to make their best effort, and rightly so.

If there is any group of people deserving of praise it is mothers. As Solomon said, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies” (Prov.31:10). We can exhaust ourselves describing what she does and making a case for what she deserves, but when all is said and done we have only touched the hem of the garment.

There will be sermons and songs, poems and cards, gifts and meals – but how do you put into words what can only be felt in the heart? Who can describe what a mother means to the injured child sitting on her lap listening to sweet words of comfort. Or who can tell her value as she counsels a fearful child awakened in the middle of the night by a dreadful dream?

And all of this is to say nothing of her excellent example – putting her love on display for all to see. What she does often speaks louder than what she says. Watching her teaching things that could never be learned in a classroom, or from a textbook, is a sight to behold. She is a living sermon!

If we only knew how much depends on her, what great things are accomplished without fanfare, we would surely honor her every day. Of all the things to be said about the family none deserve so much attention as does the mother. All we can do is the best we can do, but we haven’t done our best until we’ve done all we can do. And that’s the least she deserves. Make her feel special by treating her special every day! – HDS

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