MORNING MANNA 1/2/20

January 2, 2020 By Pastor David Stone

“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” –James 4:13-15
The Bible repeatedly reminds us how transient life is. We are told that it is like a shadow, a step, grass and flowers that wither and die, a breath, a few years, and a few days. Over and over again God impresses upon our heart that we are here only for a short time. Time is fleeting, life is short, eternity awaits. Today we walk upon the grass, but someday we shall lie beneath it. Today we live in the warmth of the sun shine, tomorrow we will be buried in the cold dark soil.

As much as we would like to make our life meaningful and our memory pleasant, all earthly signs of our presence will eventually vanish. Only what’s done for Christ will prove of eternal value. As Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) said, ” The children who come after us will tread upon our graves. They will weep for us for a few days. They will talk of us a few months. They will remember us a few years. Then our memory shall disappear from the face of the earth, and not a tongue shall be found to recall it!”. He was right.

That fact should cause us to make the best possible use of our time here on earth. When all is said and done we shall be done with it all, and it shall be done with us. The only thing that shall remain is that which is laid up in heaven. We are all moving toward eternity and know not what moment shall be our last. So let’s spend our life on things that last. Whether we are serving or sleeping, working, worshiping or whatever, let it all be done for the glory of God, out of love, and with joy, and it shall not be wasted. -HDS
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” – Psa. 90:12
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

MORNING MANNA 1/1/20

January 1, 2020 By Pastor David Stone

Would you believe me if I said “I know your future”? That would seem to contradict what yesterday’s article said about “An Unknown Future”. But both statements are true. In His great wisdom and love, God made it so that we can’t know what will happen tomorrow. Thanks God for that! But that doesn’t mean we can’t know anything about the future. Although there are no prophets today and the events of tomorrow are hidden from our view, there are some things we can know the future. And what we know can help us to deal with what we don’t know. So here’s what I know about the future – yours and mine.
— We will reap what we sow. For every effect there is a cause. Choices have consequences. God established the universal immutable law of sowing and reaping. That includes good as well as bad. So in a very real sense we each determine much of what happens to us. If we are wise we will sow seeds of righteousness.

— God controls everything all the time. He either appoints or allows everything that happens. In other words, providence shall prevail. So as you look to the days ahead, regardless of how things appear, you can rest assured that God is in control.

— God never changes. Rest assured there will be many things that will change in your life during this upcoming year. The one exception is God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

— Our purpose never changes. Regardless of our circumstances, our chief purpose in life is to glorify God.

— We all fail at times. Fortunately failure isn’t final. With God recovery is possible. We might fall down or get knocked down, but “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” – Psa. 37:24

— Others will be watching and affected by what they see. We don’t have the right to not live right. As Christians we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

— People will disappoint us, and we will disappoint them. Since we are all imperfect we know this is to be expected. So we must be prepared to deal with our difference and live peaceable with one another.

— For unbelievers, the worst is yet to come. Prospering greatly in life some assume all is well and that they have no need of God. But, the fact is, the very worst thing imaginable awaits them. No one sins successfully. There is a pay day someday! And unbelievers will suffer eternal punishment.

— For believers, the best is yet to come. Sometimes the best people suffer the worst problems. The good news is that for God’s children the best is yet to come. God will dry every tear, remove every pain, explain every mystery, answer every question, and comfort every troubled soul. We will enter into the presence of the Lord and the fulness of our inheritance as joint heirs with Jesus Christ!

Life is difficult for everyone, but imagine how much worse it would be if we didn’t know these things. Faith enables us to face the future without fear. So a knowledge of these facts, upon which our faith is based, is essential. Knowing God’s Word is true, His promises are sure, and His character never changes gives us a firm faith that He will cause all things to work together for good as He tells us in Rom. 8:28. Now knowing these things I pray you will live courageously throughout the new year. He who brought you to it will get you through it! – HDS

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

MORNING MANNA 12/31/19

December 31, 2019 By Pastor David Stone

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” – James 4:14

As we stand on the threshold of a new year many are wondering what it will hold, but nobody knows. John MacDuff, in 1885, explained why that is a good thing. He said: There is no more gracious provision for our happiness, than what is contained in that brief saying of Scripture, “ye know not what shall be on the morrow”. James 4:14

If we knew in full, in this grief-stricken world, all that would befall us in the future — how sad would existence be! It would leave even prosperity without a note of gladness; for the certainty of losing our blessings, would rob us of all their enjoyment while we retained them. And thus moments of unbounded pleasure, would be clouded with the dark characters of anticipated sorrow.

How would the mother’s joy be marred, as the object of her tender solicitude and affection was sporting by her side, or as she hung over the infant cradle — if she could pry with certainty into the future, and read the mournful sequel of that little history — the lingering sickness, the early grave, the blighted hopes, the desolated household, the broken heart. To know the future, would convert the few brief years of possession of her blessing, into consecutive hours of agony — the consciousness and foreknowledge that every moment was drawing nearer the fatal one — sitting by Time’s sand-glass and marking grain by grain, as they dropped and fell, until the last grain of the diminishing heap announced, “The long-dreaded hour has arrived!”

But, thank God that the future is veiled! The storm and coming wreck are concealed, in order that the calm of the present waveless sea may be enjoyed. Yes, we again say, thank God for hiding the future, and allowing us only to be conversant with the joys and sorrows of today.

“ye know not what shall be on the morrow” James 4:14

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

MORNING MANNA 12/30/19

December 30, 2019 By Pastor David Stone

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” — Heb 13:8

We leave many things behind us, as we go on. We can never go back again over the closing year. We never go over any life-path a second time. We never pass a second time through any experience. We have infancy once, childhood once, youth once, manhood and womanhood once, old age once, and we die once. We are forever leaving things, places, conditions, and experiences behind us. But through all these, we have the same Christ, unchanged, unchanging.

The Christ of childhood and of youth remains the Christ of manhood and of old age. Whatever changes the years bring to us–we must ever keep our eyes on the living Christ. He will always be all we need. There will never be a path which he cannot find for us and show us. There will never be a dark valley which he cannot light up for us. There will never be a battle which he cannot fight for us. There will never be an experience through which he cannot safely take us. We are leaving the old year behind, but we are not leaving Christ in the dead year. We need not be afraid, therefore, to go forward, if we go with him. We have not passed this new way before, and it is all strange to our inexperience; but Christ knows and he will guide us, and all will be well–if we put our hand in his. – J. R. Miller

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

MORNING MANNA 12/29/19

December 29, 2019 By Pastor David Stone

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”– Psalm 116:15

From our perspective it is the greatest grief we can imagine; from God’s perspective it is the delight of His heart. From our perspective, it brings a sorrow that only heaven can erase; from God’s perspective, it brings a joy that only heaven can know.

How can the death of His people be so precious in the sight of the Lord? Doesn’t He care about the gaping wound that loved ones leave behind on earth? Is He not sensitive to the pains and anguish that usually precede our own death? Why would anything so grievous to us be so precious to God?

The answer, of course, is that God loves more, sees more, and wants more for us than we love, see, or want for ourselves or loved ones. God sees the majesty, sweetness, purity, and perfection of each glorified saint as they cross over from this cursed earth and put on the robes of Christ’s righteousness.

If we could see just how delightful heaven is, just how joyful we will be there, and just how overwhelmingly sweet it will be to live in the presence of Jesus Christ forever, we would doubtless find death as precious as God does. – Baptist Bible Hour

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

MORNING MANNA 1/2/20

MORNING MANNA 1/1/20

MORNING MANNA 12/31/19

MORNING MANNA 12/30/19

MORNING MANNA 12/29/19

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