THE GOD OF HERE & NOW
“Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not diedBut I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”– John 11:21-26

Martha greets Jesus with a phrase that must have been frequently on all of their lips when Lazarus was sick: Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. I do not believe this is a word of reproach. Martha is not saying, Lord, why didn’t you come sooner? We sent for you. If you had responded we wouldn’t be in this pickle. It is clear that she realizes the message did not reach him until Lazarus was dead. There was no way he could have responded and gotten there before Lazarus died. Martha’s word is not one of reproach, but rather one of regret: Lord, I wish you could have been here, because if you had, my brother would not have died.

Then she goes on to say, But even now, whatever you ask of God, he will give it to you. Many ask at this point, What does she expect? What is it that she wants from him? Some say that she really did expect Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead. But they seem to miss the point because the very next word of Jesus is, Your brother will rise again. If Martha had any idea that that would happen then, she would have said, How wonderful, Lord! That is exactly what I expected you to do now that you have come. But she does not say that. What she says is, Yes, I know. He will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. No, Martha is not looking for the immediate resurrection of her brother.

What, then, is she looking for from Jesus? What does she mean by the words, Even now, whatever you ask of God, God will give it to you? We have to conclude that she is looking for his comfort, for the release that God can give to a heart that is burdened and saddened, torn with grief, anticipating the loneliness and emptiness of the days ahead. God can give marvelous inward peace. Many have testified to that.

As we listen to this we can see that Martha’s faith is placed right where ours often is, in what she thought would happen, not in who Jesus is and whom she is dealing with. How many times have you said to yourself, I know God has worked in the past, and I know that he will work again in the future, but today, well, this is not the day of miracles?  In the daily grind of life our world seems to be so barren of miracles that we think, Those days have gone. God can’t work now. He will work again, though… This is Martha’s faith—in the future, at the resurrection of the last day. Her theology is accurate, but she has forgotten that God is right there in the here and now.

That is what Jesus brings to her attention. Notice how he shifts the focus back from the program to his Person, in the words, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Even in the grammar of this passage the focus is on the first word, I, I am the resurrection and the life. Jesus is saying that wherever he is, then anything God ever did or can do can happen! That is where faith ought to be fastened. That is what we ought to remember.–Ray Stedman

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

HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR

“If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.”–Deuteronomy 7:17–19

Winston Churchill was famous for his ability as a public speaker to grab an audience and inspire them. One of his most famous addresses was given at the boarding school he had attended as a boy, Harrow School, which had been badly damaged by German bombers during the Blitz on London. Churchill knew that he was speaking to a nation facing a powerful foe as well as to the young boys seated before him. At the conclusion of his address, Churchill said, “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

The Christian life is a battle, not a pleasure cruise. And in those battles, we often face powerful foes. The temptation we face is to focus on our enemies rather than on God, and when we give in to that temptation, we will find our hearts filled with fear. This is what happened to the Israelites when they heard the report from the ten spies about the giants in the land. Despite what Joshua and Caleb said, they refused to trust God. Fear, and the disobedience that followed because of it kept Israel in the wilderness for forty years, without the victory God would have given. If you recognize God’s power available to you, you will not be overcome by fears of any foe. — Daily in the Word

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

What Your Heart Really Longs For 

“Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4

This verse doesn’t mean you’ll have every whim and fancy met—that you can have an island paradise somewhere, a pink Cadillac, or a handful of diamonds. It means when you delight yourself in the Lord, what your heart has really been seeking for, it will find. What your heart really yearns for is God. Only Jesus can meet the deepest needs of your heart.

Do you know why so often we live in fear? Because we think our needs are not going to be met. Or because we think the things we believe are meeting our needs are going to be taken away from us. This verse tells us God will never leave us nor forsake us, and godliness with contentment is great gain. We have something that can’t be tampered with.

Suppose someone were to go into your house and carry out all your material possessions. Could you still praise the Lord? If your delight is in the Lord, you could!– Adrian Rogers

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

HAPPINESS
“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.“Prov. 3:13

It is worth our while to study what the Bible says about happiness, and how to get it. All people want to be happy–but most miss the mark.

Yet those who follow the Bible rules for happiness, will never be disappointed. “Happy is the man who finds wisdom.”

Wisdom is a large word. It is not merely knowledge. A man may know so much, that he is a walking encyclopedia, and yet not be happy. He may pursue knowledge into all its nooks and hiding-places, dig it out of the rocks, extract it from the minerals, gather it from flower and plant, draw it down from among the stars–and yet not find happiness. Knowing a great many things–does not make one wise!

Wisdom is knowledge applied to life. He has found wisdom–who has learned to live well. To live well—is to live according to God’s laws, which are summed up in one word, love–love to God and love to man. No one is happy who does not recognize God and do His will. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Likewise, no one can be really happy who does not love his fellow-men. Happiness never is found in selfishness. Those who seek happiness in thinking, toiling, and striving only for themselves–will have a vain quest! It never lies that way. He only has found wisdom–who has found rest in Christ.–Daily Comfort

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

DRAW NIGH TO GOD

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”–James 4:8

   What a great promise our text provides!  “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”  It reminds us of the fact that our great God wants to be near us.  He wants to commune with us.  God made the first man, Adam, that he might have fellowship with his Creator.  Even when Adam sinned, disturbing that fellowship with God, God came to the Garden of Eden seeking Adam.  This is one of the most amazing thoughts our minds can ponder, that holy and perfect God would want to walk in harmony with unworthy men.         

   This verse is not only a promise, but it is also an invitation.  We are to draw nigh to God if we want Him to draw nigh to us.  That gives us both responsibility and direction.  This is something we can do.  By faith, we can draw near to Him.  Lest we think that God is putting all of the initiative on us, we should be reminded that the Lord has already initiated all reconciliation with us.  

   He has come near to us in many ways.  He has come near to us in His Word that reveals His will to us.  He has come near to us in His Son who walked this planet and died on the cross for our sins.  There would be no possibility of approaching God, had Jesus not shed His blood that we might be forgiven and cleansed.  We are “made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).  He has come near to us in His Spirit that convicts us and indwells the life of every true child of God.  God has provided every means that we might be drawn near to Him. We also know that He made us creatures of choice; and He wants us to take some steps in His direction, if we want a closer walk with Him.  

   Lastly, our Scripture reveals a condition for drawing near to God.  “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”  What is it that puts distance between our Savior and us?  Is it not our sin?  It was Adam’s sin that shattered the sweet fellowship that he had enjoyed with the Lord.  God does not leave us nor walk away from us.  It is through our sin and disobedience that we drift away from His fellowship.  That is why we are responsible to draw nigh to Him, because we are the ones that have hindered that closeness.  As we confess our sins and seek His forgiveness, we are assured that we can draw near to Him.— Thomas Smith

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