MORNING MANNA               5-27-25

NOT NOW BUT AFTERWARDS 

“What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”John 13:7

Our Lord’s saying goes deeper than the immediate application of this precious word. God trusts some of His saints in the dark. To some He allows chapters that defy all explanation, that do not make sense, that seem to contradict all we have been taught to expect. From some He seems to withdraw His presence; some He lets pass from this world in strange and sinister ways. We must never make too much of deathbed stories, for some choice saints have had anything but a shouting exit.

We must take account of this, for all lives do not follow the ocurse we would have anticipated. Paul dropped from height to depth in the same chapter (II Cor. 12), from third heaven to thorn in the flesh, and God may give us along with a mountain-top vision a dark valley where deliverance is not granted.

Some chapters are to be experienced now and understood hereafter. It is well to be forewarned about them and forearmed for them, even if they do not come, lest Satan overwhelm us as he sought to do with Job and Peter.

God marks across some of our days, “Will explain later.” – Vance Havner

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

MORNING MANNA                  5-25-25

“The memory of the just is blessed…..”—Prov. 10:7

It started shortly after the Civil War when families of the fallen decorated the graves of their loved ones who died in battle. Today we call it “Memorial Day” and we tend to include all our loved ones who have died. Remembering others is fine, we should do it often, but we need to remember that “Memorial Day” is a day to honor those who died in defense of our country –that was the original intent.

From the time it was instituted until now we have enjoyed freedom that was purchased and preserved by the sacrifices of those who served in our armed forces. How could we ever forget the price they paid? How can we fail to be grateful?
 
This day should cause our hearts to overflow with thanksgiving for those who loved liberty more than life, and freedom more than fortune, fame, and fun. Let us then honor these men and women by giving thanks for what they did. May we never forget that freedom isn’t free. So, as you enjoy your freedom, doing whatever you do, be grateful that someone cared enough to make the sacrifice necessary to secure it for you.

As our nation observes Memorial Day, please take time to reflect on what others have provided for you, thank God for His blessings, express in some appropriate way your appreciation, and pray–especially for the families who have suffered the loss of a loved one in the pursuit of freedom.—HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

MORNING MANNA             5-24-25

REFUSING RESCUE

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”John 10:9

 Here is a shocking story of a man who chose death over life.

On May 1, 1830, George Wilson and James Porter were sentenced to a public hanging for six charges of robbing the US Mail. The justice system was much different then, and penalties were harsher. However, George Wilson had some influential friends who convinced President Andrew Jackson to give him a pardon. 

Rather than being overjoyed, Wilson resolutely refused to accept the pardon. The case was sent to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshal and the rest of the court ruled that a pardon could not be forced on anyone, so the execution was carried out.

Although we may never know what caused George Wilson to refuse his pardon, we could certainly all learn how important it is to accept ours. In this passage Christ uses a door as a picture of the salvation He can give. 

Perhaps the most important word of the whole verse is the two-letter word “if”. The door of God’s forgiveness is open to everyone, but only those who choose to enter will be saved. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Thank God for His salvation and consider all He has done for you in giving His Son to give you eternal life. Why would you reject what you need most?

David Stone  

Lakeway Baptist Church 

Humble, TX

MORNING MANNA             5-22-25

God’s Finished Product

“The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” – Psalm 138:8

I love the following story told by Vance Havner. It serves to illustrate how our Father is working even when we aren’t aware of it. 

I have heard of a little boy whose sailor father was coming home to see him. The youngster worked the afternoon long trying to carve a ship model from a block of wood. He fell asleep, with very little success achieved for all his whittling. That night his father came, removed the block of wood and put in its place a real wooden ship exquisitely carved and rigged or perfection.

Your life and mine often bears poor resemblance to the Perfect Model. At our best we are like the carving of the little boy. But one day we shall awake in His likeness and see Him as He is. And we shall find that we bear the image of the heavenly. He who has begun a good work in us in regeneration will perform it in sanctification until the day of Jesus Christ in glorification. We were predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, and God will make of us a finished product and a perfect creation.

It will be great to awaken in the morning and find that we are just like Jesus! Cheer up, my brother. He will perfect that which concerneth you! 

David Stone 

Lakeway Baptist Church   

Humble,Tx

MORNING MANNA                 5-21-25

We live in troublesome times and tend to focus on man and his weakness rather than God and His power. That is a great mistake. It is the duty of the pastor to reverse that order. These words from a message by James Smith in 1842 serve as a good example for us: