MORNING MANNA         1-2-22

TELL HIM TO COME IN

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”– Rev. 3:20

Here we are at the close of another year, and still the patient Savior stands at man’s door, seeking admission. He has been kept outside a long time. Anyone else would have given up long ago and gone home. But not the Savior. He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. He waits with the hope that one day the door will be flung open and He will be welcomed inside.

It is amazing that anyone would fail to answer the knock of the Lord Jesus. If it were a neighbor, the door would be opened promptly. If it were a salesman, someone would at least give him the courtesy of opening the door and saying, “We don’t need any!” Certainly if it were the President or the Governor, the family would compete for the privilege of welcoming him. Strange then that when the Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer stands at the door, He is given the cold, silent treatment.

Man’s refusal is all the more irrational when we realize that the Lord Jesus does not come to rob but rather to give. He comes to give life more abundant.

A Christian radio preacher once got a late night call from a listener who wanted to stop by for a brief visit. The preacher tried every excuse to dissuade him from coming, but finally relented. As it turned out, the visitor came with a large gift of money to help with the radio expenses. After he left, the preacher said, “I’m so glad I let him in.”

Joe Blinco used to describe a scene where an animated conversation was going on in the living room of a home. Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. One of the family said, “There’s someone at the door.”

Another jumped up, went to the door and opened it. Then someone in the living room asked, “Who is it?” Back from the door came the answer. Finally the head of the house shouted, “Tell him to come in.”…..

Listen! There’s Someone at the door. Who is it? It’s none other than the Lord of life and glory, the One who died as a Substitute for us and rose again the third day—the One who is now enthroned in glory and coming soon to take His people home to be with Himself. Tell Him to come in! – William MacDonald

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

MORNING MANNA         1-1-22

THIS IS THE DAY

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24

The Psalmist does not mean some special day or holiday nor must we limit this to Sunday or some rare occasion. Any day and every day is the day which the Lord hath made. Therefore any day and every day is the day in which to rejoice and be glad. All days are not alike. Some days are ore troublesome than others. But the most troublesome may be the most triumphant.

New Year’s Day has a bad reputation because it is the birthday of so many resolutions that die in infancy! It is not the day that is so important but the God who made it. Any day is somebody’s birthday, and every day really begins a new year. The God who made them all is the Great I Am and lives in a timeless Now. Any day you can begin a new life in Him. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).

And every day you can know Him better, for He is “the same today” (Hebrews 13:8).

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

MORNING MANNA            12-31-21

A GLORIOUS FACT

“I am the Lord’s.”  Isaiah 44:5

Not only because He has chosen me…in Jesus His beloved Son; nor merely because I am redeemed from among men, by the precious blood of Immanuel; but also because I have surrendered myself up into the Lord’s hand, with all I have and am, to be taught by His Spirit, ruled by His word, supplied by His providence, and devoted to His praise. The Lord claimed me, and I was enabled to acknowledge the claim; He has a right to me, and that right should never be forgotten by me. Am I tempted to sin? To murmur? To despond? Let this be my preservative, “I AM THE LORD’S.” How base, ungrateful, and wicked for me to yield to sin; for me to complain of any of His dispensations; or for me to doubt His goodness or His grace. I am the Lord’s for life; I shall be the Lord’s in death; and then (O delightful thought!) I shall be the Lord’s for evermore. He will guide me by His counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory. I have only to aim at His glory, walk by His word, and live at His throne, until He takes me to Himself. My only business on earth is to please God, and my heaven will be to enjoy Him forever. Blessed truth, “I am the Lord’s!” (James Smith, 1840)

Jesus, Thy boundless love to me
No thought can reach no tongue declare;
O knit my thankful heart to Thee,
And reign without a rival there!

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

MORNING MANNA           12-30-21

WORDS AND DEEDS

I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.John 8:37-40

The response that people have when they are confronted with the truth varies. Some people accept it gladly and are willing to make whatever changes are required. Others hear it skeptically, looking for hidden motives and meanings in the word. Still others reject it, refusing to listen because of what accepting the truth would require. Jesus saw all of these responses during His ministry. Most of the opposition and rejection to Him came from those who prided themselves on being the most religious and strict in their observance of the Old Testament Law. Yet despite their proud claim to be descended from Abraham, they did not follow his example in accepting the truth.

There is a great difference between saying that something is right and actually doing what is right. The devil tempts us to substitute words for actions and to rest on the accomplishments and deeds of those who have gone before us. None of that matters when God evaluates our lives. He does not care who our ancestors were or what they believed, but rather what we are and what we do. He is not impressed with our proclamations, but looks at our actions. Rather than resting on our laurels and thinking that we have arrived, we need to be continually obeying God and doing what He commands. Instead of comparing ourselves to other people and feeling superior, we must be holding up God’s truth as our standard of measurement. 

It is not what we say but what we do that determines whether we are obedient to God. -Daily in the Word

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

MORNING MANNA            12-29-21

THE PROMISE OF HIS PRESENCE

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – Hebrews 13:5

If the Lord is with us, all will be well; but He has promised to be with us always, even unto the end. Anyone but our God would have left us long ago; but He is longsuffering, full of compassion, and of great mercy.

He will go through the whole journey with us, He will be our God to all eternity, and will conduct us through life with safety.

He will be with us in every trouble, to support us – in every trial, to comfort us – in every difficulty, to provide for us–in every danger, to deliver us – and under all circumstances, to bless us.

He will be with us as our heavenly Father – as our firm and faithful Friend – as our God; and we shall be with Him by-and-by, as His children, dependants, and jewels, to be glorified with Him forever.

Beloved, let us rejoice in this, that God will never leave us, troubles may come upon us; but our God will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake, because it hath pleased the Lord to make them His people. Having loved His own, He will love them unto the end.

Since He has said, “I’ll ne’er depart”,

I’ll bind His promise to my heart,

Rejoicing in His care :

This shall support while here I live,

And when in glory I arrive,

I’ll praise Him for it there.    – James Smith, 1840

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