“But I would have you without carefulness…..”- 1 Cor. 7:32

Anxiety, or carefulness, is very injurious; it divides the heart, distracts the mind, chokes the word, leads to distrust, and destroys our peace. It is inconsistent with our profession; we have resigned all into the hands of the Lord, and should leave all to His blessing.

 We should do everything as for the Lord, and consider our families, our property, and our business, as the Lord’s; so should we be holy and enjoy peace. Anxiety, or inordinate care, dishonours God; it reflects upon His sufficiency to supply all–upon His omniscience to discover all–upon His authority and ability to manage all–upon His mercy, bounty, and liberality, as if He would leave us to want–upon His veracity, fidelity, and immutability, as though His word may be forfeited or His promise broken. Carefulness injures our own souls – it is opposed to contentment and resignation – it nourishes impatience and unbelief – it hinders our usefulness, and hardens our hearts – it cuts off supplies, and procures the rod and the frown.
 We should therefore aim to be without carefulness, for the Lord careth for us. – James Smith
 How sweet to have our portion there,
 Where sorrow never comes, nor care,
 And nothing will remove!
 We then may hear without a sigh,
 The world’s destruction to be nigh –
 Our treasure is above.

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

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” Eph. 5:2

Religion is love: the love of God shed abroad in the heart, transforming our nature into love. The blessing is bestowed to be exhibited; we are to let our light shine, and walk in love.

 Under the influence of love to God, for His mercy towards us; and love to man for God’s sake. By the rule of love, doing unto others as we would they should do unto us. Seeking their spiritual and eternal welfare. Letting it be clearly seen, that we indulge no envy, jealousy, malice, or ill-willin our hearts against any; but that we wish them well, and desire to promote their best interests in any way we can.
 Love should run through the whole of our actions, and be the ruling motive in our souls. God acts towards us from love. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love; and love is the brightest and surest evidence of regeneration.

 Let us not be satisfied to feel that we love, but let us manifest it; let us “WALK IN LOVE”; this is the way to be happy, useful and honourable. Bitterness, wrath, censoriousness, and selfishness, prove that we are under sin; but love is of God; and he that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

 May I from every act abstain,
 That hurts or gives my brother pain;
 Nay, every secret wish suppress,
 That would abridge his happiness;
 And this may I Thy follower prove,
 Great Prince of peace, great God of love!
–Jams Smith

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

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” — Eph 3:17-19.
Having just written, the best I can, about the love of God, I want you to consider these words of a far more able writer on the same subject. The famous English preacher, F. B. Meyer wrote:
The dimensions of the Love of Christ! It is broad as humanity, “for God so loved the world“; the length God’s love had no date of origin, and shall have none of conclusion. God is Love, it continueth ever, indissoluble, unchangeable, a perpetual present tense. Its height–as the Flood out-topped the highest mountains, so that Love covers our highest sins. It is as high as the heaven above the earth. Its depth–Christ our Lord descended into the lowest before He rose to the highest. He has touched the bottomless pit of our sin and misery, sorrow and need. However low your fall, or lowly your lot, the everlasting arms of His love are always underneath. The Apostle talks by hyperbole, when he prays that we may attain to a knowledge of the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ. We cannot gauge Christ’s love, but we can enjoy it. Probably the only way to know the love of Christ is to begin to show it. The emotionalist, who is easily affected by appeals to the senses, does not know it; the theorist or rhapsodist does not know it, but the soul that endeavours to show the love of Christ, knows it. As Christ’s love through you broadens, lengthens, deepens, heightens, you will know the love of Christ, not intellectually, but experimentally (1Jo 4:11, 1Jo 4:12; 1Jo 4:20-21).
But you say, “there are people in my life whom I cannot love.” Granted, but you must distinguish between love and the emotion or feeling of love. You may not be able to feel love at the outset, but you can be willing to be the channel of Christ’s love. I cannot love, but Christ is in me, and He can. Is it too much to ask that all this should be realized in ourselves and in others? No, because God is already at work within us by His Holy Spirit, and He is able to do infinitely beyond all our highest requests or thoughts. Ask your furthest, think your highest, and the Divine Love is always infinitely in advance.

We thank Thee, O God, for the infinite love which Thou hast given us in Jesus Christ. We have no measure for its heights and depths, its breadths and lengths. Teach us with all saints to know more because we love more. AMEN.

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