MORNING MANNA            12-8-21

God is Strong

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.- II Chronicles 16:9

We live in a day of shameless self promotion. People in all walks of life, including Christians and especially preachers, strut their stuff to make an impression on others. They want to be seen as number one, and honored as much as possible. The late Vance Havner left us this wise counsel.

“God is not waiting to show us strong in His behalf but Himself strong in our behalf. That makes a lot of difference. He is not out to demonstrate what we can do but what He can do. But God is on the lookout for candidates with hearts perfect toward Him. He is not a talent scout looking for somebody strong enough or good enough. He is looking for someone with a heart set on pleasing Him and an eye single to His glory. He will do the rest.

What a wonder that God will use our lives to demonstrate Himself! But we like to demonstrate ourselves and do great exploits in God’s behalf. That reverses the process and God does not get the glory. We have seen enough of what men can do for God; we need to see more of what God can do through men.

He has shown Himself strong in our behalf many a time. And what He has done for others, He will do for you.”

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

MORNING MANNA          12-7-21

REASON TO REJOICE

“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. – 1 Samuel 2:1

God’s salvation is a deliverance from the worst of evils, of freest grace, for the best of purposes. He saves the poor and needy, the guilty and the distressed, who call upon Him, and believe upon Him. And we who have obtained mercy, should with Hannah rejoice in God’s salvation, as those who have received an invaluable favour; as those who are laid under, and are ready to acknowledge their infinite obligations.

Salvation is the proper source of joy and rejoicing; and while some rejoice in property, some in power, and some in earthly prospects, let us rejoice in the salvation of our God. It is a cause for rejoicing in sickness and in health, in poverty and in plenty, in life and in death.

Although the fig tree should not blossom, neither should fruit be on the vine; though the labour of the olive should fail, and the fields should yield no more meat; though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls : yet we may rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of our salvation; for not one thing shall fail of all that He hath spoken. Delightful truth, “SALVATION IS OF THE LORD.” – James Smith, 1840

Join heaven and earth, to bless

The Lord our righteousness,

In Him I will rejoice,

With cheerful heart and voice;

In Him complete I shine;

His life and death are mine.

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

MORNING MANNA            12-6-21

HOW TO GIVE WITH A CHEERFUL HEART

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7

An article in Senior Living said, “A pastor once recounted how, as a child, his mother sent him to pick a quart of raspberries. Reluctantly he dragged himself to the berry patch. His afternoon was ruined for sure. Then a thought hit him. He would surprise his mother and pick two quarts of raspberries instead of one!

Rather than drudgery, his work had now become a challenge. He enjoyed picking those raspberries so much that fifty years later, that incident was still fresh in his mind.

His job hadn’t changed, but his attitude did. Instead of focusing on the hard work of picking berries, he focused on how he could use his time to bless his mother. And it was this change in perspective that made his job so much easier.

Many Christians today see giving as a task or a chore that they check off a list so they don’t get in trouble. Sadly, because this is their perspective, they miss out on the joy that comes by contributing to God’s purposes.

But what if, instead, you thought of giving with the end goal of supporting God’s work in mind? You see, when you give, you bless others and you show God’s love to those who need it. Giving is not about putting a little money in the offering plate, it’s about being an active part of God’s work here on earth. And when you see it that way, you can’t help but to give cheerfully.

Ask God to give you a Kingdom perspective when it comes to giving. Pray that when you give, you would do so with His purposes in mind and because of that, you would give cheerfully.”

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

MORNING MANNA           12-5-21

WITNESSES FOR CHRIST

“ … ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.- Acts 1:8

Here we see our God given mission to bear witness of Christ to everyone. Sadly we often fail to take advantage of our opportunities. The providence of God brings us into contact with people, but we fail to make an effort to communicate Christ to them.

MORNING MANNA            12-4-21

HOW TO KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”- 1 John 5:13

H. A. Ironside was once speaking with an elderly man who told him that he wanted to be sure of his salvation in Jesus Christ. So Ironside asked him, “Suppose you had a vision of an angel who told you your sins were forgiven. Would that assure you that you’re going to heaven when you die? Would that be enough to rest on?”

The man replied, “Yes, I think it would. An angel would be splendid.”

Ironside continued, “But suppose on your deathbed Satan came and said, ‘I was that angel, transformed to deceive you.’ What would you say?”

The man was speechless. So Ironside told him that God has given us something more dependable than the voice of an angel. He has given His Son, who died for our sins, and He has testified in His own Word that if we trust Him, all our sins are gone. Ironside read today’s passage in 1 John 5:13, and asked, “Is that not enough to rest on? It is a letter from heaven expressly to you!”

So when doubt creeps in, stand on the promises of God and remember that because of your faith in Jesus Christ, you can know you have eternal life! ( Senior Living)

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