“I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.” Psalm 119:15
     
      There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is    wiser than speech. We would be better Christians if we were more    alone, waiting upon God, and gathering spiritual strength for labor    in His service through meditation on His Word. We ought to muse    upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment    for our souls out of them.

Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if we would have    wine from it, we must bruise it–we must press and squeeze it many    times. The bruiser’s feet must come down repeatedly upon the grapes,    or else the juice will not flow and much of the precious liquid will be wasted.      

So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth, if we would    get the wine of consolation therefrom.

Our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth,    but the process which really supplies the muscles, and the nerves,    and the sinews, and the bones–is the process of digestion.    It is by digestion that the food becomes assimilated with the inner    life.

In the same way, our souls are not nourished merely by listening    awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of    divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require    inward digesting to complete their usefulness–and the inward    digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it.
     
Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons,    make but slow advances in the divine life?
      Because they neglect    their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God’s Word.

They love the wheat, but they do not grind it;      
they would have the grain, but they will not go forth into the    fields to gather it;
the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it;      
the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it.      
From such folly deliver us, O Lord! 
     
May this be our daily resolve, “I will meditate in your precepts.”- Charles Spurgeon

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

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” – Isaiah 41:10

It is natural to crave a problem-free life.  Therefore most people spend much effort and time striving to create a life that feels safe and predictable.  In essence, humans are control-freaks.  If we trace sin back to its origin, we will find a man and woman who wanted to be in control.  Was God holding out on them?  Was there something better than what He promised them?  “If we eat from that tree we can be like God,” they reasoned.  “We can be in control.”  And with one bite, everything changed.  The perfect creation was marred.  And the hearts of men and women would forever be bent towards disobedience and self-reliance.

Sin brought with it a natural inclination to question and doubt God’s goodness and sufficiency.  Isn’t this what the Serpent tempted Eve to do…doubt God’s goodness?  True faith in God is always coupled with a firm conviction of His goodness.  If our faith is based on what we can see – our circumstances – it will always wobble and fall.  Circumstances often times do not make sense in the here and now.  But we must believe that we serve a God Who is much bigger than circumstances.  His wisdom spans beyond the here and now to a future that cannot be fathomed.  His glory is indescribable and His plan is eternal.

In order to deeply know and enjoy such a God, we must be willing to give up control.  We must choose to believe that He is always good and worthy of praise, despite what we might be going through.  We must desperately cling to the truth that His presence is felt most closely in the darkest pits…and that even there He securely holds His children.

The phrase, ” be not dismayed,” in Isaiah 41:10 literally means, “to look around anxiously.”  God is reminding us to fix our eyes on His face and to trust in His constant presence and goodness.  He is with you.  He has a firm grasp on you with His strong and righteous right hand.  You are precious in His sight; and He has a plan – even in your suffering.  Remember that you exist not for security in this life, but for eternal security in the problem-free life that is to come.  You must only believe. – James Merritt

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

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”- Col. 2:8

While enjoying a transatlantic ocean trip, a famous Hollywood actress noticed a gentleman sitting at the next table suffering from a bad cold. So she looked over at him and asked, “Sir, are you uncomfortable?”
   The man looked back at her and gave a nod.
   “I’ll tell you just what to do for that cold,” she said. “Go back to your room, drink lots of orange juice, and take two aspirin. Then cover yourself with every blanket you can find and sweat the cold out. I know what I’m talking about. I’m an actress.”
   The man smiled warmly and said, “Thank you. But I’m a doctor.”
   These days, it seems everyone considers themselves experts even if they’ve only read an article or seen something online about a particular subject. And while the recent information explosion we’ve seen around the world has its benefits, one drawback is that there’s so much misinformation out there, it’s hard to know whom to trust.
This is especially true when it comes to biblical teaching, as many of the so-called “preachers” and “theologians” today have gained a platform by teaching things that run counter to biblical doctrine. So be careful of letting charisma and charm determine what teaching you accept. Make sure you’re putting yourself under solid, biblical teaching and you’ll grow rock-solid in your faith!

   Ask God to guide you to the right teachers and to give you discernment to recognize when you’re hearing false teachings.- Senior Living

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

“The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.”– Psalm 33:10–13

While America has never been a Christian nation in the sense that all citizens were believers, it was unquestionably founded on principles that owed much to the teachings of the Word of God. Even men who were not born again Christian,s such as Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin, quoted Scripture and drew ideas from the Bible. In spite of the efforts of revisionist historians, the role of Christianity in the founding and shaping of America cannot be denied.

In our day, it is becoming common for our faith to be labeled as bigoted or prejudiced. Anyone holding to what the Bible teaches is subject to attack—some have lost jobs or businesses for trying to practice their faith in daily life. We are not promised religious freedom, but we are promised blessings for obedience. We must not listen to the voices that are trying to drive faith out of our nation.

Charles Spurgeon in England said, “I long for the day when the precepts of the Christian religion shall be the rule among all classes of men, in all transactions. I often hear it said, ‘Do not bring religion into politics.’ This is precisely where it ought to be brought, and set there in the face of all men as on a candlestick. I would have the Cabinet and the members of Parliament do the work of the nation as before the Lord, and I would have the nation, either in making war or peace, consider the matter by the light of righteousness.” The most important thing Christians can do for their country is to live as Christians in every part of life.- Paul Chappell

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