“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”– James 4:1
   Have grudges, or petty differences, or personality clashes been tearing at your church lately? Has your own love for the Lord, and his people, been diminished by some strife in the church in which you have taken sides?
   Where do such body-breaking, unity-shredding difficulties come from? James answers rhetorically: the problems among you come from problems within you. Wars in the church result from unsuccessful wars inside your soul, James says. The strife and tension comes because of your unchecked desire for personal gain and pleasure.
   Check yourself by James’ answer sheet. Does the bitterness in your heart come from pure motives and a selfless spirit, or does it come from wanting to get your own way? Have your words sought to edify and build up others, or have they been tools to tweak your own agenda?
   The writer of Proverbs observes: “Only by pride cometh contention” (13:10), and James echoes that assessment. When we seek our own happiness and put ourselves first, the inevitable result is a clash with anyone who gets in our way.
   Regardless of what genuine offenses or real grievances you may have suffered, surrender your case to Christ, pray for those who have opposed or injured you, and refuse to be drawn into a war with others in the church. (Baptist Bible Hour)

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

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”- Isaiah 6:8
   Something that is absolutely necessary for the work of God to go forward is a spirit of volunteerism.  The ministries of our churches depend upon it.  Those who care for our children in the nursery, the ones that drive the church buses, the voices that bless us as they sing in the choir, the ushers and greeters who cheerfully welcome us, the faithful givers who financially support the church ministries, those who teach our Sunday School classes, the servants who minister to the elderly in the nursing homes, etc., are all a part of this army of volunteers.  They do not receive financial compensation.  They are not forced to serve.  They are not serving that they might earn favor with God or merit His grace.  For grace to be grace, it is unmerited and undeserved.  Like Isaiah, these faithful servants offered their services.  “Here am I; send me.”  
   Every church needs volunteers, many of them.  There has always been a shortage of laborers.  When Jesus looked upon the multitudes, He saw them as sheep without a shepherd and described the need in these words: “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2).  There remains a great need for workers.  Many years ago, a pastor of a very small congregation said to me, “We have a great need for workers here in our small church.  It is not like it is where you are in a larger congregation”  I said to this sincere and discouraged preacher, “Brother, every church, regardless of the size, is in need of more workers.”  
   What caused Isaiah to say, “Here am I; send me?”  The Bible says that he “heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  Isaiah heard this divine appeal for workers.  Have you heard this plea from Heaven for volunteers?  Have you heard the Spirit of God in your heart calling for laborers?  Have you heard the Word of God declaring the plight of the heathen and the urgent need for soldiers of the cross?  Isaiah heard and responded.  Thank God for the many volunteers who staff the multiple ministries of our churches, reaching out and caring for those in our communities.  Where would our ministries be without them?  God is still calling.  The need is great and growing every day.  Can you hear His voice?  How will you respond?– Thomas Smith

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

“And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.”- Matt. 14:22

Even when Christ sends us out—we may encounter storms. It was so here; the disciples were sent out by their Master, even constrained by him to go upon the sea—and yet a terrific storm arose. We must not expect that when we begin to obey Christ—that we shall have all favoring breezes. We must not conclude, whenever we find obstacles or hindrances in anything we have undertaken, that we are not doing right, and that these difficulties are providential indications that we ought not to proceed in the course. They are providential; but they may have a different mission altogether to inspire us to stronger faith and greater endeavor.

 Jesus sent his disciples out alone; but in all their life, they had few more profitable experiences, though the night was one of such terror. They knew their need of Christ after that experience, better than ever before. Then they had a new revelation of Christ’s power and glory, which they never could have had if he had not stayed behind, and then come to them on the waves. We do not see Christ’s cross, until we are left in the night of conviction. We can never understand the sweetness of the divine comfort, if we never have sorrow. So it may be a blessing for us sometimes, even to go alone a little way, to learn lessons we could never learn with Christ beside us. We can at least learn our need of him.- J. R. Miller

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

 We often get into states and frames of mind, where we need something else besides consolation. A child would not grow if it was always fed sweets. It must have exercise, and be exposed to the weather, and have the cold winds blow upon its face, and be hardened, so as to enable it to bear the chill winter and the nipping frosts.

 So the child of God is not always petted, and fed upon love-tokens. He is not always carried in the warm bosom, or nursing the breasts of consolation, but he has to learn lessons to fit him to be a soldier. The soldier, we know, has to endure hardships. He has to lie all night upon the wet grass; to be pinched with hunger, parched with thirst, and nipped with cold; to make demanding marches; to hear the roar of the cannon and the whistling of the bullets, “the thunder of the captains and the shouting;” to see the flash of the saber uplifted to cut him down, and the glitter of the bayonet at his breast, aye, and to feel painful and dangerous wounds.

 So with the spiritual soldier in God’s camp. He has to hunger and thirst, to suffer cold, nakedness, and hard privations, to be shot at by the arrows of calumny and the fiery darts of Satan, to make demanding marches through an enemy’s country, to suffer painful wounds, and by these very exercises learn to be a soldier. Only so far as he is thus exercised spiritually can he learn the art of war, can he know how to fight and make effectual battle under the banners of the Lord against the enemies.( Daily Portions)