MORNING MANNA          6-17-21

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

MORNING MANNA         6-16-21

THE ALLNESS OF CHRIST

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”– Col. 1:16-17“……Christ is all, and in all.”- Col. 3:11

 This title is borrowed from an article by Vance Havner, and it’s one of those phrases I can’t get out of my mind. When I first saw the word “allness” I wasn’t sure it was a real word or something Havner cobbled together to make his point. So I went to the dictionary and discovered that it actually is a word and has been since about 1645. It means, “the quality or state of universality or totality”.

Several months ago I preached a message entitled “Christ is all” from Col. 3:11 and Havner’s phrase is a great way to explain it. Anyone who has ever read Ephesians and Colossians can easily see how “allness” applies to Christ and that’s exactly how we need to think of Him. This could be one of the most important phrases ever.

Whether you are speaking of creation, control, conversion, circumstances, or coronation Christ is all. He is not just involved, playing a part, He is in control and the centerpiece of them all. The sad thing is that many see Him as less than He actually is. Havner spoke about it as the “tendency to belittle our Lord”, which is what most people do. Even professing Christians often fail to focus on His fullness. Not only do we need to think about Him more, we need to think more about Him. We exist for the purpose of glorifying God by exalting Christ, and it is impossible to be a failure if you succeed at that! You might be poor, uneducated, crippled, blind, and unknown beyond your family and friends, but you are a success if you spend your life glorifying God and glorying in Christ.

It’s when we fail to keep “Looking unto Jesus” ( Heb. 12:2) that we fail. If we are to think more highly of Him, see Him as all and in all, we must “consider him” (Heb. 12:3). Seeing Him in all and above all makes a world of difference in how we face the challenges of life. It does so because He who causes all things to consist has a firm grip on His people and their problems- and He won’t let go! We fear and fret when we feel things are out of control and going to end poorly, but when we see Christ in control of all and causing all to work together for good we can be at peace. – HDS

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

MORNING MANNA          6-15-21

“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          6-14-21

WEATHER WATCHERS

“He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.”- Ecclesiastes 11:4

If a farmer waited until he was sure of the weather he would never raise a crop. He has to reckon with the weather and contend with it, but he cannot be sure of it. So every year he makes a venture of faith.

We cannot let the wind and clouds of circumstances determine our course. We cannot grow a harvest for God with one eye on the weather. Just as with the farmer, circumstances are to be considered, and we shall not foolishly disregard them. But we must not let them be the main factor in making our decisions.

Too many saints live fearfully from one “weather report” to another, scanning the skies and watching the clouds, conscious of “conditions” rather than of Christ. Faith goes ahead in fair weather and foul. It breaks up the fallow ground, sows the seed, cultivates the crop, and gathers the harvest. There may be pests and floods and droughts, but the Lord of the Harvest will see to it that our labor is not in vain.- Vance Havner

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