“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” – I John 3:23

It is often overlooked that God commands us to believe. He does not merely invite or urge, He commands it. Living in unbelief or uncertainty is outright disobedience. We do not honor God by indecision and doubt. It is faith that pleases Him. We ought to come to Christ immediately and trust Him and never waver, because He has bidden us come and believe and we can do anything we ought to do. He inclines us to come by His Spirit, for certainly neither the flesh nor the devil ever impelled a man toward Christ. You may be sure that He is working in you to will and do of His good pleasure, and if you will to obey Him by believing as best you know how, you may be certain He will not cast you out.

It is simple obedience to believe. Therefore “repent ye and believe the gospel.” “God commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” ( Acts 17:30). “And this is his commandment, that we should believe.” – Vance Havner

Some say they are good although they are not Christians, but the facts say otherwise. They are actually rebels against God. Until they repent and believe they are living in open rebellion against God and awaiting the wrath of God. They have no hope of getting onto heaven or staying out of hell. Their sin of unbelief is a sin of the worst sort. Their only hope is to repent and believe. – HDS

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

“But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven? There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men. Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.” – Job 35:10–13

Thomas Chisholm had a path for his life planned out. Born in Kentucky shortly after the Civil War, Chisholm chose, after his conversion, to train for the ministry. However, his pastoral career was cut short after just one year by serious health problems that left him unable to handle the responsibilities of the job. Rather than turning away from God in that darkness, Chisholm began writing poems. He eventually authored more than one thousand, including one of my favorites:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Heartaches, trials, and struggles should come as no surprise to us. We have the promise of Jesus that these difficulties and hardships will come: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The key for us to maintain joy and victory is found in seeing God’s hand in the events of our lives—and when we cannot see it, trusting Him anyway. Those Christians who follow this course are the ones who still have joy in their hearts and a song on their lips in hard times. God is faithful to provide hope to us in the midst of our deepest sorrows and struggles. – Daily in the Word

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

Some awoke this morning fearful that they don’t have what they need to confront the challenges that lie before them. It might be a lack of health, energy, funds, or whatever, but they can’t shake the feeling that the demands of the day exceeds their resources. And they would be right, except for this one thing. If they are a child of God they have the grace of God which “is sufficient for thee” ( 2 Cor. 12:9). Consider what James Smith wrote of this in 1840, and rest assured that His grace has not diminished one bit and never will. He said ——

JEHOVAH glories in His grace. It is His riches, His wealth. All its riches is intended for us, to be expended upon us. They are all treasured up in Jesus to be received by us. They are promised and presented to us. They exceed our thoughts, our expectations, our faith, we do not believe that God has provided and promised so much for our good as He has; and therefore we do not ask for, and expect so much. Let us this day think of ” THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF GRACE.” Jesus was the gift of grace, so was the Holy Spirit, and so are all spiritual blessings. Grace includes, and is the source from which flows all the church has received, is receiving, and will receive throughout eternity. Grace freely gives, but never sells. It has a bountiful eye, a tender heart, and a liberal hand. We are not straitened in God, but in our hearts. Oh, that we did but believe what God has revealed in reference to the riches of grace, and expect to receive according to His most liberal promises! There is an abundance of grace, and it is for us; for us this morning, for us whenever we apply. Let us therefore have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear.

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound!
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see. 

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

“And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,” – Luke 7:37

It is wonderful how genuine goodness draws to itself the unfortunate, the troubled, the friendless, the outcast, the fallen. Wherever Jesus went, these classes always found him out and gathered about him. It was because he was the true .. friend of all men. They found sympathy in him. He would listen to their story. Though he was the sinless One, there was yet no air of “I am holier than thou” about him. He was just as gentle to an outcast sinner as to a spotless Nicodemus. No matter who reached out a hand for help, he was ready to grasp it. One of the truest things ever said of Jesus was the prophetic word concerning him, “A bruised reed shall he not break.” He dealt always most gently with sore spirits and with bruised hearts.

Those who want to be useful in this world must have the same qualities. There is a kind of human “holiness” that draws nobody to itself, but rather repels; genuine holiness, however, wins its way everywhere into men’s hearts. The secret of it all is in living “not to be ministered unto, but to minister;” in considering one’s self not too good to serve the unworthiest of God’s creatures. If we stay in this world to be served, we shall be of no manner of use. But if we live to minister to others, yearning to be of service to every one we meet, our life will be something worth. The hungry-hearted and the soul-needy will be drawn to us, and God will love to put work into our hands.

We need, too, to train ourselves to exceeding gentleness in dealing with human souls in their spiritual crises. many earnest people, in the excess of their zeal, so incalculable harm to those whom they greatly desire to help. People with sore and bruised hearts usually need loving sympathy and strong, kindly friendship much more than they need theology.- J. R. Miller

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

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”– Josh. 1:9

After preaching from this verse last night I was delighted when I read this article by F. B. Meyer this morning. Hopefully it will bless you as it did me. We face many challenges today and are in great need of courage. By means of His Word God has provided everything we need to do everything we should. It is the means to might for the fight. Any failure will be on us, not God. Meyer wrote:

It was a host of young men and women that stood on the verge of Jordan, waiting the signal to enter the Promised Land. God had said that He would give them every place upon which the sole of their foot should tread (Jos 1:3). What an incentive this was for pressing on! Every time an Israelite put his foot forward on the territory of Canaan, he realized that piece of land would come into the possession of his people.

There is a counterpart of this in our own experience. We must learn to put down our foot upon the Promises of God’s Word, and say: “These are mine by right, and shall be mine in actual enjoyment.” In General Gordon’s journal, he tells us that often before he reached some strange or hostile tribe, it seemed as though they had been given to his faith and subdued before he reached them. In combating your spiritual foes, dare to believe that God has given them into your hand, and go forward assured that not one of them shall stand before you. This is a blessed promise: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Jos 1:5). It does not matter how fierce the tempter, how often you have failed, how inveterate the bad habits, if you will dare to believe that God is with you, not one of all the band of besetting sins shall be able to stand before you. God cannot fail, and will not forsake; be strong, and go forward!

The one thing that God asks of all of us is that we should obey up to the hilt.

Here are our marching orders, and we must keep them well before us”

(1) We must meditate upon the Scripture day and night; it must not depart from our heart or mouth.

(2) We must be strong even when obedience seems impossible, and when all influences are brought to bear to weaken our resolution, we must still dare to obey the voice of God. And as we advance we shall find that the dreaded forms of opposition are but shadows; when they are touched with the spear-point of faith, they will divide and we shall pursue our way. F. B. Meyer

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