“Only by pride cometh contention” – Proverbs 13:10

This powerful proverb brings arguments to a sweet conclusion, lost tempers to a cool self-examination, and finger pointing to a swift end.

Only by pride is there contention, or conflict. Arguments and strife do not come because one person is right and another is wrong. They only come by way of pride.

No matter how loudly we may declare our innocence, no matter how cleverly we may defend our cause, no matter how furiously we may justify our position — only by pride comes contention. Do you pretend that you are free of pride? Can you honestly argue that the problems in your family are all because of other people’s pride?

As C.S. Lewis observed, “[Pride] is one vice of which no man in the world is free.” For this reason, every conflict in every home requires strenuous and honest self-examination, from husbands, wives, parents, and children alike.

What have you done to contribute to the current tension in the home? What could you have said differently to avoid giving offense? How have you allowed your pride to escalate what could have been a productive discussion or honest disagreement? How have you disobeyed God’s role for you in the home?

If each member of the family spends concerted time and sincere energy in searching his or her own heart and motive and conduct, the confession of pride will be universal within the home. No one is guiltless; everyone has pride.

With this confession, with this realization, however, comes great hope. There is a solution! As each one in the home humbles themselves before God, the strife in the home will slowly but surely dissipate. When pride is gone, the tension will be gone.

Let it then begin with you. – Baptist Bible Hour

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

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” – Philippians 4:13

God’s will is not always easy but it is always possible. For with God all things are possible. Rest in the fact that God will never command you to do something you can’t accomplish. He will never direct your steps without providing the strength to walk the path.

Jack Handey wrote in his book entitled Fuzzy Memories:

There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day at school. Since I was smaller than he was, I would give it to him. Then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons. But then the karate instructor told me I owed him five dollars a lesson. Five dollars! So I just went back to paying the bully.

Truth be told, it’s sometimes easier to pay the bully than it is to learn how to defeat him. However, God never commands you to live for His glory without helping you to overcome the obstacles you will face. Whether it is loving your spouse, witnessing to friends and family, or remaining pure on a college campus, Christ will enable you if you obey Him. Paul did not say, “I can do most things through Christ,” but “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

While you’re at it, stay alert to the fact that opposition usually means opportunity is close at hand. In fact, there is rarely opportunity without opposition, so you must be prepared for both opportunities and obstacles at the same time. Paul intends to encourage us as we follow the leadership of Christ, which in real terms means never throw in the towel. He challenged the Corinthians and every Christian to be “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.“ What a great promise—your toil is not in vain.

Endurance that demands blood, sweat, and tears, will be rewarded one day. So get ready for today’s obstacle course and run it with patient diligence. The hurdles may be high, the track may be uneven, the distance may be great, but it’s possible . . . not easy! Ask the Lord to help you to discern opportunities masked by obstacles. Ask Him to give you the ability to see possible advancements in your character development that are presently cloaked in those difficult obstacles. (Copied)

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

“In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”- (Job 1:22)

You will never read biographies of great quitters. You will never see a long line of followers behind great quitters. You will never see trophies and awards given to great quitters. There is a man in the Bible who is in the Bible and has a book about him in the Bible, because of one thing – his perseverance. He ran the stop sign and didn’t quit, but he had every reason to. His name was Job. 

No man in the Bible, outside of Jesus Christ himself, suffered more than Job. It would even be fair to say that outside of Jesus, no man suffered more unjustly and more unfairly than Job. If Job had responded the way the vast majority of people would and do this book would have never been written and Job’s name would have never been known. We learn a great character trait called “perseverance” from this man who teaches us that tough times never last, but tough people do. 

The next time you think you’ve got problems, go read the book of Job. It may not make you feel better at first, but it will put your problems in perspective. When all of these terrible things started happening to Job, he began to ask the same questions we all would ask, “Why?” and “Why me?” After these questions usually comes the worst question of all: “How do I get out of this?” 

The question we should be asking is, “What should I get out of this?” As you face difficulties, you are going to learn that problems are not meant to defeat you, depress you, or even discourage you; they are meant to develop you. Problems are not tools to tear you down; they are tests to build you up. So don’t get discouraged when you face tough times. Instead, ask the Lord to help you learn from them and grow from them so that you can point others to Him. 

Dear Lord, thank you for the faithful example of Job. Help me to remain faithful to you and to trust you when life gets hard. Give me the strength to persevere, even when I’m tempted to quit. In Jesus’ name, amen. James Merritt

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

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6–7

Perhaps the most remembered message of Christmas was spoken by the angels: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). While Christmas should be a time of peace, it is often the opposite for many. Worry, family problems, and financial stress can rob us of the peace God desires for His children to enjoy.

The Old Testament prophet Daniel provides a perfect illustration of God’s peace. Notice the specifics of how Daniel prayed: “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God” (Daniel 6:10–11).

The prescription for peace that Paul provided in Philippians is exactly the same pattern Daniel followed in his prayers. Although Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, he still had a peace that was beyond human understanding. This peace did not come to Daniel because he was immune to fear, but because of how he prayed and trusted God.

When we take our requests to God while thanking Him for all that He has done for us, we will have His perfect peace. All the worry in the world will never change things for the better. Until we seek God’s face in prayer, we will never know His genuine peace.

Do you want to know the reality of the angel’s Christmas message? Do you long to experience peace on Earth? Take your needs to the Lord in prayer, and thank God for His never-ending faithfulness in your life. The key to great peace is not found in our resources or in our circumstances but on our knees.- Daily in the Word

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

“His lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses”– Matthew 18:34-35

When someone asked Jesus what the great commandment is, He replied that we must love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. He commanded love!

Here Jesus commands forgiveness — and, again, it must be a genuine forgiveness from your hearts.

It is difficult for us to live by the reality of an all-knowing God. We assume that if no one else sees that lustful glance, or hears that private thought, then we have gotten away with our stealthy sin. But God searches the heart!

For this reason, He demands heart-deep obedience, even in relation to forgiveness. We might feel as though we have done our duty—and maybe a little more—to let an offense or injury go without confrontation or angry words. But Jesus is not satisfied until we have actually forgiven that person in our heart.

How could Jesus demand so much from us? The context explains it all. Jesus relates the parable of a man who is forgiven an enormous debt to the king, and yet refuses to relinquish another person from a very small debt. The king therefore is angry and requires the enormous debt to be paid in full.

This is a clear picture of salvation. If we have been forgiven so much sin, freely by God’s grace, how could we ever demand justice for some small offense against our own person?

Do you have some small debts you need to forgive, in light of God’s free and amazing grace to you?  – Baptist Bible Hour

We could avoid ruined relationships, divorces, church splits, and a host of other evils if we just did what we should and practiced forgiveness. You can’t put all the blame on the offender if you refuse to forgive. You are just as guilty as he, she, or them. – HDS

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