MORNING MANNA          7-13-21

DO WE REALLY CARE?

“….ye shall be witnesses unto me…“Acts 1:8

When you cross paths with people during the course of the day you never know what is going on in their lives. Not only do we need to take advantage of opportunities to witness when they come, we need to be looking for ways to create opportunities. Here is a good example:

While waiting in a cemetery to conduct a funeral service, Charles Simeon ( a preacher from England, 1759-1836) walked among the graves, looking at the epitaphs. He found one that arrested him.

When from the dust of death I rise,
To claim my mansion in the skies,
E’en then shall this be all my plea–
“Jesus hath lived and died for me.”

He was so impressed with that gospel message that he looked for someone in the cemetery with whom he might share it. He saw a young woman, obviously distressed, and called her over to read the epitaph. He took her address and visited her the next day. The home was a scene of poverty and squalor. The woman’s old mother was dying of asthma, and two little children, very dirty, were trying to warm themselves by a small fire. Simeon prayed with the family, visited them again, and found assistance for them. Later, the young woman told Simeon that she had been in the cemetery five hours and was contemplating suicide when he called her to read the epitaph. Because of his concern she trusted Christ and the family situation was changed.

So why is it that we fail to show such concern for others? Why do we act as though others do not exist and think of no one’s welfare but our own? Perhaps it is because we are not all that impressed with the gospel, nor thankful for the blood, nor hopeful of heaven. How else can you describe a person who never speaks to others about Christ? Stop and think about where you would be if nobody had told you about Christ? – HDS

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

MORNING MANNA          7-12-21

THE SINFULNESS OF SIN

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”– 1 John 3:4

One of the early pioneer missionaries to the American West was Marcus Whitman. In 1836, this doctor and preacher led a group of people to Oregon, where he began preaching and working among the American Indians living there. His ministry would continue until he was martyred in 1847. Though a number of people were saved, many of the Indians did not receive his message gladly. The story goes that when Whitman preached against sin, the Indians asked him for “good talk” instead. They did not want to hear that they were breaking God’s law and needed a Savior. They wanted someone to make them feel good about themselves.

We live in a society that downplays the wickedness of sin and, in many cases, even glorifies and promotes sin. Many people around us do not want to hear the truth that God’s law remains in full effect and that breaking that law is sinful, no matter how good it may make someone feel to do it. Like Whitman’s audience, those around us want “good talk” rather than the truth. But this is not just a problem for the world—often it affects Christians as well. We do not want to be confronted with the reality that God’s Word is still the standard by which all human behavior must be judged. We want to carve out exceptions and justifications for the things we want to do, regardless of what the Bible says.

This is the path to destruction. There are no “little” sins. Each sin is an act of betrayal against the God who saved us, and each sin brings consequences and judgment. James warned, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). We must not rationalize or explain away sinful behavior. God’s law still stands as He wrote it, and we are sinning each time we go against it. If we love God as we should, we will hate every sin, both those seen as large and those seen as small.(Daily in the Word)

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

MORNING MANNA          7-11-21

GOD’S PROPERTY

“I am thine, save me: for I have sought thy precepts.”- Psa. 119:94

We profess to be the Lord’s. We are not our own. We belong not to the world. We are no longer the servants of sin. We are solely and entirely the Lord’s: having willingly giving up ourselves into His hands, to be saved by His grace, devoted to His service, and employed for His glory. We are His children by grace and adoption; His servants by voluntary engagement; His soldiers by public profession; and His spouse by affection and union. Being the Lord’s, we may expect His interference on our behalf; and we should call Him and plead with Him in all straits and difficulties. He will save us. He will deliver us. Let us, therefore, lay our case before Him; and then ardently expect Him to glorify His grace in us. Let us walk worthy of God as beloved children, and live under the impression that He will make all grace to abound towards us, so that we having all sufficiency in all things, may abound in every good work. His mercy is great unto the heavens, and His faithfulness unto the clouds; and He never said to the seed of Jacob, “SEEK YE ME,” in vain. But He saith, “SEEK YE ME, AND YE SHALL LIVE.” – James Smith, 1840

Jesus, my Saviour, and God,
Thou hast redeem’d me with Thy blood;
By ties both natural and divine,
I am, and will be ever Thine;
Save me from sin, and Satan’s power,
Guide me and guard me every hour.

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

MORNING MANNA            7-9-21

BETRAYED BY TIME

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”- Eph. 5″15-17

People often wonder, “What’s wrong with the church?”. They seem to be experts at finding fault and are usually quick to voice their complaints–never seeing themselves as part of the problem. A.W. Tozer helps us see what’s wrong and explains what the real need is:

“Churches get in ruts only because individuals get in ruts. It is impossible that the church should do anything that individuals do not do. It is impossible that we should make any progress except as made by individuals. It is impossible there should be any regress unless individual Christians go backward. Think about people who find themselves in religious ruts. They discover a number ot things about themselves. They will find that they are getting older but not getting any holier. Time is their enemy, not their friend. The time they trusted and looked to is betraying them, for they often said to themselves, “The passing of time will help me. I know some good old saints, so as I get older I’ll get holier and better. Time will help me, purify me and revive me.” They said that the year before last, but they were not helped any last year. Time betrayed them. They were not any better last year than they had been the year before. . . . I say to you that the people in the religious rut are getting older, but they are not getting any holier. Time, which they have trusted to be their friend, is betraying them and proving to be their enemy. Time is doing something else to them: it is increasing their indifference to spiritual things. The signal that God used to be able to get through to them easily is now getting fainter and fading away. Once in a while on good days they can still hear it.”

How about it? Can you “still hear it”? Would this not be a good day to get out of the rut? You can make a difference in the church! Get out of your rut and God just might use you as the spark needed to ignite a revival in the church. One thing is for sure, nothing will ever change for the better until we do.- HDS

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