“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”–Psa. 37:7   
 It is a mistake to be always turning back to recover the past. The law for Christian living is not backward, but forward; not for experiences that lie behind, but for doing the will of God, which is always ahead and beckoning us to follow. Leave the things that are behind, and reach forward to those that are before, for on each new height to which we attain, there are the appropriate joys that befit the new experience. Don’t fret because life’s joys are fled. There are more in front. Look up, press forward, the best is yet to be!

Fret not because your ideals appear to mock you. Every ideal which we cherish is the herald and precursor of a reality which, in a better form than ever we dreamed, shall one day come to our possession. The ancient alchemists spent their lives in the pursuit of the Philosopher’s Stone, which they thought would turn every substance it touched to gold. They never discovered it, but they laid the foundations of modern chemistry, which has been more fruitful in its blessing to our race than the famous magic-stone would have been. Who shall say that those old explorers were deceived? Was not God leading them on, by a way that they knew not, to better things than they dreamed?

Fret not because the future seems dark. After all, the troubles we anticipate may never really befall. It is a long lane without a turning, and the dreariest day has some glint of light. In any case, worrying will not help matters; it can alter neither the future nor the past, though it will materially affect our power in dealing with troubles. It will not rob to-morrow of its difficulties, but it will rob your brain of its clear-sightedness, and your heart of its courage. Let us turn to God with faith and prayer, looking out for the one or two patches of blue which are in every sky. And if you cannot discover any where you are, dare to anticipate the time when God shall make all things work together for good to them that love Him. Heavenly Father, we have been careful and troubled about many things. Forgive us, and breathe into our hearts a great faith in Thee, that doubts and fears may not be able to break in on our peace. Fence us around to-day as with a wall of fire; let us hear Thy voice saying: Fear not, I am with thee. Amen.– F. B. Meyer

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

“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”–Lam. 3:25
The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works; but He is especially benevolent, kind, and attentive to the praying, waiting soul. He has prepared of His goodness for the poor, and His goodness is ever great towards us. He bids us ask, promises to bestow, makes us wait, and then blesses us indeed. We have proved Him to be good; but if we had more faith in Him, and were more earnest with Him, we should see and enjoy His goodness in a much greater degree. He delivered David from the horrible pit; Jeremiah from the dungeon; Daniel from the lions; Peter from the waves; and Paul from the forty Jews. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.” He will renew our strength, illumine our path, take vengeance on our foes, and introduce us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Let us wait for Him in faith, look for Him in hope, and plead with Him to work in us all the good pleasure of His will, and the work of faith with power. Wait for the Lord and prove Him good.- James Smith

 Jesus, preserve my soul from sin,
 Nor let me faint for want of Thee;
 I’ll wait till Thou appear within,
 And plant Thy heavenly love in me;
 In every soul that waits for Thee,
 Thou wilt Thy goodness, Lord, display.

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

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”- Eph. 1:13
Our salvation is our deliverance from sin, the curse, and the wrath of God; this was impossible to man, but God sent His own Son in our nature, to save us freely, fully and eternally. The gospel is the “good news of our salvation.” It is sent to inform us that God is love; that grace reigns; that heaven is opened; that provision is made for our guilt, weakness, and fears; that God waits to receive us, bless us, and glorify us with Himself for ever. It sets before us all Christ has done, all He possesses, and invites us to come and receive, to use, and be happy. It requires nothing of us to entitle us, it presents all it has, and gives it freely to the poor, the halt, the maimed, and the blind. It has all our misery requires, all our wants demand; we cannot wish for more than it brings; it is full of grace, and full of glory. Precious gospel! Glorious news! May we receive it, act upon it daily, and so be happy. It is intended to fill us with joy and peace in believing, to lead us to abound in hope, and to make us more than conquerors over despondency, doubt, and fear.– James Smith

 For you the purple current flowed,
 In pardons from His wounded side;
 Languished for you the eternal God;
 For you the Prince of glory died;
 Believe, and all your sins forgiven;
 Only believe, and yours is heaven.

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

She said, ‘The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.’ And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.’ And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him– Judges 16:20
   The horrendous tragedy of the shorn, helpless, but foolishly confident Samson is an appropriate picture of each one who dabbles too long in sin.
   Samson had teased with Delilah on several previous occasions, pretending to confide in her the secret to his supernatural strength. But finally he revealed it to her and she, of course, promptly took advantage of the information. This pathetic scene follows, in which he goes boldly against his enemies, but this time without the strength he has always had before.
   The same thing can easily happen to any of us, if we are not careful. Your marriage, your relationship with your children, your moral purity—all of these are only invincible as long as Christ is the core of your life.
   If you dabble in sin long enough, assuming that you can keep the power of Christ and enjoy the immediate pleasures of sin, you will wake one day to find that you have been shorn of the strength that you thought you would always have. Your marriage is falling apart, your children are rebelling, you have committed sins you never thought possible, life has lost its luster.
Thankfully, as with Samson, God is only a prayer away. When we turn to Christ in repentance and faith, God is able to restore what has been lost, although there may be life-long scars from the mistakes we have made.– Baptist Bible Hour

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