MORNING MANNA            4-5-21

BEARING ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS

“ And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.” – Mark 2:3
That was a very touching sight, those four strong men carrying their helpless friend to the Healer. That is the kind of help we ought always to be willing to give to one another. There are on all sides of us many persons who need to be helped. There are lame people to be assisted over rough places, and blind people to be led along the way they cannot see themselves, and even paralytics who have to be carried in strong hands. The Christian law of love requires that we shall be ready always to lend a hand to those who need the aid we can give. We never can tell how soon it may be our turn to require for ourselves just such friendly aid as our neighbour requires from us today. If we expect to have people turn aside from their work to help us in our time of need, we must be willing to do as much for others who now require help.

There are many ways of doing the neighbourly duty to others. These four men bore their friend to Jesus. They could not heal him themselves, but they could carry him to the One who could heal him. All about us are neighbours and friends who are spiritual paralytics. We cannot cure them, but perhaps we can take them to One who can do for them what we cannot do.

We should notice, too, that there were four of these men who carried their friend to Jesus. One of them could not have done it ; two of them could not have carried him with ease; even for three the trembling burden would have been hard to bear. But when all four of these brawny men united their strength, they bore the man along without difficulty. So it is in helping sinners to Christ. There is strength in the union of hearts and hands. When one alone cannot take his friend to the Saviour, let him call others to his aid, and let them unite in their efforts on his behalf.(J. R. Miller)

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

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA            4-3-21

MORNING MANNA           4-2-21

REWARDS

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ”2 Cor.5:10

While it is true… that there are no degrees of fitness for heaven, it is also true that there will be degrees of reward in heaven. The Judgment Seat of Christ will be a place of review and reward where some will be rewarded more than others.

Also there will be differing capacities for enjoying the glories of heaven. Everyone will be happy but some will have greater capacity for happiness than others. Everyone’s cup will be full but some will have bigger cups than others.

We must get away from the idea that we will all be exactly alike when we reach the glorified state. The Bible nowhere teaches such dull, faceless uniformity. Rather it teaches that crowns will be awarded for lives of faithfulness and devotedness, and that while some are being rewarded, others will suffer loss.

Here are two young men who are the same age and who are converted at the same time. One goes out and lives the next forty years by giving top priority to the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The other gives the best of his life to making money. The first talks enthusiastically about the things of the Lord, the second about activity in the market. The first has a greater capacity for enjoying the Lord now, and he will take that greater capacity to heaven. The second, though equally fit for heaven through the Person and work of Christ, is spiritually dwarfed, and he takes that reduced capacity to heaven.

Day by day we are determining the rewards that we will receive and the measure to which we will enjoy our eternal home. We determine it by our knowledge of the Bible and our obedience to it, by our prayer life, by our fellowship with God’s people, by our service for the Lord, and by our faithful stewardship of all that God has given to us. As soon as we realize that we are building for eternity with every passing day, it should have a profound effect on the choices we make and the priorities we set.- William MacDonald

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble,Tx.

MORNING MANNA            4-1-21

COMPLETE IN CHRIST

“And ye are complete in him….” Colossians 2:10 

Contrary to popular opinion, there are no degrees of fitness for heaven. A person is either absolutely fit or he is not fit at all. This goes counter to the common notion that at the top of God’s totem pole are good, clean-living people, at the bottom are the crooks and mobsters, and in between are those with varying degrees of fitness for heaven. It is an enormous mistake. We are either fit or we aren’t. There is nothing in between.

Actually none of us is fit in himself. We are all guilty sinners, deserving eternal punishment. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have all gone astray and turned to our own way. We are all unclean, and all our best works are like filthy rags.

Not only are we totally unfit for heaven, but there is nothing we can do by ourselves to make us fit. Our best resolutions and noblest endeavors cannot avail to put away our sins or to provide us with the righteousness that God demands. But the good news is that God’s love provides what His righteousness demands, and He provides it as a free gift. “It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Fitness for heaven is found in Christ. Whenever a sinner is born again, he receives Christ. God no longer sees him as a sinner in the flesh; He sees him in Christ, and accepts him on that basis. God has made Christ to be sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).

So what it comes down to is this. Either we have Christ or we don’t. If we have Christ, we are as fit for heaven as God can make us. Christ’s fitness becomes ours……

On the other hand, if we don’t have Christ, we are as lost as we can possibly be. To be without Him is the fatal deficiency. Nothing else can ever make up for this crucial lack.

It should be clear then that no believer is any more fit for heaven than another believer. All believers have the same title to glory. That title is Christ. No believer has more of Christ than another. Therefore none is more fit for heaven than another.(William MacDonald)

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