“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”- Psa. 103:1-2

Robert Morgan told of a terrific testimony by a woman in New York who heard her pastor preach one Sunday on these verses. “A few days later she awoke to find it was raining, and her truck had a flat tire. Her husband fixed the flat, but she left for work late. As she drove down the street, the truck’s exhaust pipe dropped off, hit the ground, and started dragging. She wanted to scream in frustration.

But she remembered to talk to herself: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. She took a deep breath, thought a moment, and thanked God for her husband who fixed her flat. She thanked God that it had been raining, for the rain had caused her to drive more cautiously and slowly when the exhaust pipe broke off. She reminded herself that the exhaust pipe hadn’t gotten mangled under the vehicle or caused a wreck. She thanked God for the coat hangers she found in the truck with which she was able to wire the tailpipe to the chassis, and she praised the Lord for an old burlap sack in the truck’s cab that she put on the ground when she laid down to wire the exhaust pipe.

She thanked God for the dexterity of her fingers as she wrapped the coat hangers around parts of the chassis. And she thanked God that no other trucks or cars came along to splash her with dirty water.

She later said, “That day I realized that I can choose how to respond to the things that happen to me. The problems I face can make me grumble or give up, to be bitter and angry, or I can choose to search for the good that is hidden in each trial—and I can thank God for every situation.” 
Perhaps you need to have a good talk with yourself. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

As familiar as we are with the “Thanksgiving” holiday, not everyone understands thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is more than being thankful. Thanksgiving is giving thanks, expressing what we are feeling, giving a voice to an attitude of gratitude. If you are truly thankful you need to make it known. Those who have experienced God’s blessings should break forth in praise. That’s what we see in Psa. 30:11-12 “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.” Notice the words “not be silent“. Enough of that nonsense about being an introvert and not expressing your emotions. Break out of your bondage and do as you ought. Indeed we are all different and don’t express ourselves in exactly the same way, but that’s not a license to give no expression. If we are thankful it is our duty to make it known. Whether in prayer, song, or testimony we should give thanks. It is an obligation, an observance – something we do, and an opportunity.

If we are truly impressed by the greatness of God and grateful for the grace of God, we ought to impress others with our gladness for His goodness. In light of all He has done silence is sinful and shameful. Thanksgiving is a testimony that we are thrilled by God’s goodness. You might be thankful but you should be thanking. How can you claim you are thankful if you don’t even say thanks? Psa. 10:4 says, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”. Let it never be thought that we are among their number. Instead, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” – HDS

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

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” – Psa. 103:1
Everyone is concerned about blessings. The problem is that they are usually more concerned about getting blessings than giving them. But there’s one that should always follow the other. He who is blessed ought to bless. But this takes on an even greater significance when we think about it in terms of blessings the Lord. Knowing He demands it, deserves it, and delights in it makes it of immense importance. How then could we dare do otherwise?

Our response to the blessings of God should be blessing God. As George Matheson wrote, “God speaks, and the echo is praise. God blesses us and the response is that we bless God”. Sadly we usually get it backwards. We usually commence our prayers by asking God to bless us, rather than seeking to bless Him. That is an evidence that we are selfish and therefore unworthy. But out of the depths of His grace God blesses us any way – giving all the more reason to bless Him.

Seeing the greatness of God’s grace and the marvelous manifestations of God’s mercy, how can we fail to magnify His name? We ought to be so thrilled by His treasures that we testify everywhere of His person and work. Being pleased by Him should prompt us to praise Him. His works and worthiness should cause us to worship Him in spirit and truth. Just as the river rises after a torrential rain it is only natural that our praise ascends to God’s throne after the out pouring of His blessings. It is a sinful shortcoming if that doesn’t happen. Moses warned us about this in Deut. 8:18-19 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish”.
 
Clearly, un-thankfulness is an evil, an extreme evil that will lead to our destruction. Let us then remember to never forget the blessings of God, nor our responsibility to bless Him. May we awaken every morning with these words ringing in our heart “Bless the LORD, O my soul“. May that be our theme song all day and our closing prayer at night. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”– Matt. 6:19-21
Over the years I’ve known many people who made the mistake of living for the moment rather than eternity, people who wasted their lives on things of no lasting value. Some time ago I read this sad story that illustrates the folly of those whose faith is not in the Lord. “Sarah Winchester’s husband had acquired a fortune by manufacturing and selling rifles. After he died of influenza in 1918, she moved to San Jose, California. Because of her grief and her long time interest in spiritism, Sarah sought out a medium to contact her dead husband. The medium told her, ‘As long as you keep building your home, you will never face death.’

Sarah believed the spiritist, so she bought an unfinished 17-room mansion and started to expand it. The project continued until she died at the age of 85. It cost 5 million dollars at a time when workmen earned 50 cents a day. The mansion had 150 rooms, 13 bathrooms, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, and 10,000 windows. And Mrs. Winchester left enough materials so that they could have continued building for another 80 years. Today that house stands as more than a tourist attraction. It is a silent witness to the dread of death that holds millions of people in bondage.”

The fruit of deception, the folly of disobedience, and the fear of death has caused many to live in misery, waste their lives, and deprive themselves of treasures in heaven. To avoid that Paul says, “ Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”- Col. 3:2 . So where is your treasure? – HDS

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