MORNING MANNA 8-20-25
A GOOD MINISTER
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” 1 Timothy 4:6

Of all the men who have lived since Christ, Paul is the man I would most like to sit at his feet and learn from. Imagine that! There would be no falling asleep in that class, that’s for sure.

Here in our text we find Paul advising Timothy. But actually he is providing instruction for all believers, because every child of God is to be “a good minister”(servant). There are a lot of church members doing nothing, but there are no members with nothing to do. We all have our assignments. How well we do them depends on whether or not we are “nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine”. Sadly too many are under-nourished.

Here’s the point. The late Ray Stedman said,”What do you feed on daily? What do you put in your mind? What is your habitual input in your life? The sports pages, perhaps? Soap operas? The Dow Jones Averages? TV movies? Best-seller novels? If any of these things are your daily diet, then I can guarantee you will be a spiritually undernourished servant of Jesus Christ, because the apostle makes clear that what you feed on is what is going to determine how effective you become.”

He is right, but please don’t misunderstand this. I’m not talking about entirely eliminating all of these things, as though they were sinful. I’m talking about regulating, not removing things. Even sinless things can become sinful when they distract us from our duty. For the Christian nothing is more important than the teachings of God’s Word. It is our “daily bread”. We should feel like Job, who said,”I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”(Job 23:12). Yet some have starved themselves spiritually and are stuck on stunted spiritually in their spiritual maturity. To be a good servant we must discover God’s will and do it. To be a good servant you must first be a good student. Are you? The learning is for the living! It’s my prayer that you will feed on God’s Word daily and follow God’s will devotedly. That will enable you to be “a good minister of Jesus Christ.”- HDS

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

Sent by David Stone on Wednesday, August 20 at 7:25AM

FACING THE FUTURE

“LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; That I may know how frail I am.” Psalm‬ ‭39‬:‭4‬ ‭

Far to many go racing through life in pursuit of their own selfish desires, as if nothing could stop them, and as though they will live forever. How foolish! The comments below on this verse, by an unknown writer, should make us stop and think – which is a good way to start any day. – HDS

Is not the measure of my days a mere hand’s breadth? How short is the longest span of life! How many do not reach half that length!

And then, too, how frail is the human frame! Even the most healthy and robust, carry in them the seeds of decay! Their breath is in their nostrils—their heart at any moment may cease to beat.

How fearfully and wonderfully are we made! How mysterious is the circulation of the vital blood; how delicately arranged are the air-cells of the lungs; how finely strung are the nerves of sensation. On how many strings is the harmony of the human frame dependent!

“Strange that a harp of thousand strings,
Should keep in tune so long!”

Lord, help me not only to realize how frail is my earthly tenement—but to remember with joy how glorious and enduring will be my heavenly abode. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬

“So teach us to number our days, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”‭‭Psalm‬ ‭90‬:‭12‬

‭

Prayer Prompter: Morning prayers lead to evening praise.

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble,TX

Many have been blessed by the writings of Charles Spurgeon–said to be the most widely read preacher ever. But they would be even more blessed if they read his whole life story. Spurgeon suffered much during his ministry, often being absent from the pulpit for months at a time. It is amazing that a man so weak could accomplish so much. It was only his strong faith in God’s precious promises that kept him going.Here he comments on one of those promises:

“When called to serve or to suffer, we take stock of our strength, and we find it to be less than we thought and less than we need. But let not our heart sink within us while we have such a word as this to fall back upon, for it guarantees us all that we can possibly need. God has strength omnipotent; that strength He can communicate to us; and His promise is that He will do so. He will be the food of our souls and the health of our hearts; and thus He will give us strength. There is no telling how much power God can put into a man. When divine strength comes, human weakness is no more a hindrance. Do we not remember seasons of labor and trial in which we received such special strength that we wondered at ourselves? In the midst of danger we were calm, under bereavement we were resigned, in slander we were self-contained, and in sickness we were patient. The fact is that God gives unexpected strength when unusual trials come upon us, We rise out of our feeble selves. Cowards play the man, foolish ones have wisdom given them, and the silent receive in the self-same hour what they shall speak, My own weakness makes me shrink, but God’s promise makes me brave. LORD, strengthen me ‘according to thy word.’”

MORNING MANNA 8-16-25

August 16, 2025 By Pastor David Stone

“WHAT?” Not “WHEN?”

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭

Under the pressure of severe trials we tend to ask, “When shall I get out of this?” or “How shall I get out of this?” But those are the wrong questions. A better question is, “What shall I get out of this?” But even then we do not always find an immediate answer. That’s OK! We don’t always need an answer. We just need to believe that God will use the experience for some good reason as He has promised in Romans 8:28.

If Job had followed the counsel of his wife it would have made matters worse. Thankfully he refused to give up his faith and remained faithful.

Anyone can give up and complain when life gets difficult, but they pay a high price for doing so. Someone said, “If Columbus had turned back, nobody would have blamed him, but nobody would have remembered him either. If you want to be memorable, sometimes you have to be miserable.”

As believers we are called to live by faith. To do that we must accept what God allows and do what He demands, regardless of cost, circumstances, or consequences; believing that He is working out His perfect plan in ways we cannot always understand.- HDS

Prayer Prompter: Don’t let prayer be your last recourse in time of need; make it your first.

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble,TX

Sent by David Stone on Saturday, August 16 at 7:09AM

MORNING MANNA 8-15-25

August 15, 2025 By Pastor David Stone

MORNING MANNA 8-15-25

MAN’S PLANS THWARTED
“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps”.–Proverbs 16:9

How many times have we thought to ourselves, “This is not at all what I planned”? More than a few I suspect! It is quite common for us to find ourselves in a situation like that. And there is a reason for it. J. R. Miller explained it well:

“There are few entirely unbroken lives in this world; there are few men who fulfill their own hopes and plans, without thwarting or interruption at some point. Now and then, there is one who in early youth marks out a course for himself — and then moves straight on in it to its goal.

But most people’s lives turn out very different from their own early dreams. Many find at the close of their life, that in scarcely one particular, have they realized their own life-dreams; at every point God has simply set aside their plans — and substituted His own. There are some people whose plans are so completely thwarted, that their story is most pathetic. Yet we have but to follow it through to the end, to see that the broken life was better and more effective, than if their own plans had been carried out.”

This is why we take such great comfort in Romans 8:28,”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. It will help us deal with our disappointments if we remember that God’s purpose is more important than our plans. It is always better that His purpose be done than our plan fulfilled. God is working in your life for your good and His glory. When your plans get in the way of His purpose they need to go! And we should never protest. What appears to you to be a setback just might be the way for your comeback. Our plans are thwarted so His purpose can triumph, and that’s all that matters. – HDS

Prayer Prompter: Keep praying, but be thankful that God’s answers are wiser than our prayers.

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

MORNING MANNA 8-20-25A GOOD MINISTER“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” 1 Timothy 4:6

Of all the men who have lived since Christ, Paul is the man I would most like to sit at his feet and learn from. Imagine that! There would be no falling asleep in that class, that’s for sure.

David StoneLakeway Baptist Church5801 FM 1960 E. Humble, TX. 77346

FACING THE FUTURE

“LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; That I may know how frail I am.” Psalm‬ ‭39‬:‭4‬ ‭

Far to many go racing through life in pursuit of their own selfish desires, as if nothing could stop them, and as though they will live forever. How foolish! The comments below on this verse, by an unknown writer, should make us stop and think – which is a good way to start any day. – HDS

“So teach us to number our days, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”‭‭Psalm‬ ‭90‬:‭12‬

‭

Prayer Prompter: Morning prayers lead to evening praise.

“WHAT?” Not “WHEN?”

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭

If Job had followed the counsel of his wife it would have made matters worse. Thankfully he refused to give up his faith and remained faithful.

Anyone can give up and complain when life gets difficult, but they pay a high price for doing so. Someone said, “If Columbus had turned back, nobody would have blamed him, but nobody would have remembered him either. If you want to be memorable, sometimes you have to be miserable.”

As believers we are called to live by faith. To do that we must accept what God allows and do what He demands, regardless of cost, circumstances, or consequences; believing that He is working out His perfect plan in ways we cannot always understand.- HDS

Prayer Prompter: Don’t let prayer be your last recourse in time of need; make it your first.

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble,TX

MORNING MANNA 8-15-25

Prayer Prompter: Keep praying, but be thankful that God’s answers are wiser than our prayers. David StoneLakeway Baptist Church5801 FM 1960 EHumble, TX. 77346

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MORNING MANNA 8-20-25
A GOOD MINISTER
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” 1 Timothy 4:6

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

Prayer Prompter: Keep praying, but be thankful that God’s answers are wiser than our prayers.

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