“Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”Rom. 4:18–21

Abraham waited for some twenty-five years for the arrival of his promised son who would fulfill God’s promise to raise up a great nation. In that time, he had no human reason to expect a son would ever come. In fact, it was physically impossible for Sarah to bear a child. Yet in that long season when there seemed to be no reason for hope, Abraham still believed. And he continued in faith until the promised child, Isaac, was finally born. Marshal Ferdinand Foch, who commanded the French army during much of World War I said, “There are no hopeless situations: there are only men who have grown hopeless about them.”

The reason we can have hope in what may seem to others to be hopeless situations is that our hope is not based on our ability, resources, knowledge, or strength. Our hope is in the Lord who faithfully keeps every promise He has made to His children. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God” (Psalm 42:11). Any other resource we could have can be exhausted or fail, but God never does. He is not only the source of the promises we have received, but the guarantee that they will be fulfilled. When God is our hope, there is never a reason for despair. (Copied)

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

“And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” – Acts 5:40–42

According to church history, Polycarp, who pastored the church in Smyrna, was personally discipled by the Apostle John. After a long, faithful ministry, he was arrested during a period of Roman persecution of the church. When he was told to renounce Christ, Polycarp responded, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?” In light of his advanced age, he was told he would go free if he would say, “Away with the atheists” which was how the Romans regarded the Christians who refused to worship Caesar. Instead, Polycarp pointed at the crowd and said, “Away with the atheists.” As a result, he was burned at the stake.

Nothing should be able to shake our commitment to Jesus Christ. He is our Saviour, and His sacrifice for us is worthy of any sacrifice we might be called on to make for Him. While most of us do not face the beatings, imprisonment and even death faced by the members of the early church, and many Christians around the world today, we are still tempted to be silent when we should speak. Someone referred to “Secret Service” Christians—those who are undercover and never let anyone know that they are followers of Jesus. There is great shame in allowing fear or hardship to keep us from sharing the gospel with those around us. May we be like the early disciples and never cease to speak about Jesus. Our love for God should be so strong that nothing can stop us from doing what He has commanded. (Daily in the Word)

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

 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” – Heb. 12:15

Underneath the ground of Belgium’s Flanders Field, one of the deadliest battlefields of World War I, a very dangerous and deadly secret lies. It’s so deadly, in fact, that it’s caused a very big problem for the Belgian government.

You see, all across this field, artillery shells are surfacing more than 90 years after they were fired. Still unexploded, many are still very capable of killing. Some are unearthed by farmers and construction workers, while others simply work their way up through the soil. Dozens of full-time workers cannot keep up with them. And even worse, thousands of these projectiles contain poisonous gas.

It’s one thing to recognize something that can cause immense damage when it’s obvious. I’m sure you didn’t have to tell the soldiers fighting in World War I to avoid those artillery shells at all costs! However, when things such as these lie dormant for so long, they become all the more precarious because they are an unseen danger.
In much the same way, many Christians today hold on to bitterness for years, even decades, before it finally comes up to the surface or is unearthed by a particular situation. And when that happens, it can often be damaging, and even deadly, for relationships between friends and family.

So if you have any “unearthed” bitterness in your heart, be sure you deal with it by forgiving the person it concerns and even talking with them about it. Don’t let buried feelings of contempt harm your relationships with friends and family because those relationships are some of God’s greatest gifts!

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psa. 1:1–3

Over the years I’ve read a lot of New Year’s Resolutions made by different people. Many people use the start of a new year as a time to try to reach a specific goal, perhaps related to their health, their finances, their time management, or their spiritual lives. I have never yet seen anyone announce their resolution to have a complete failure of a year—to be fruitless and unrooted, to wither away and not have anything they do succeed.

Yet God’s Word draws a clear distinction for us between those who walk in His way and those who do not. All of the positives that are promised to those who love God’s Word and meditate in it and obey it are denied to those who do not. “The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away” (Psalm 1:4). While we would not make a resolution to fail, if we do not develop roots in God’s Word, we will fail in the ways that matter most.

Obediently following God and reaping the blessings and rewards that follow requires a conscious and dedicated effort. We are surrounded by the counsel of the ungodly, the work of sinners, and the negative attitudes of the scornful. Yet, God offers us the refreshing, life-giving, Word of God. When we find our delight within its truths, we will think on it and obey it…and we will experience the good fruit of it in our lives. The path to success in all parts of life begins by conforming our walk to God’s Word. (Daily in the Word)

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