MORNING MANNA                 2-26-25
THE GLORY OF THE CROSS

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ-“ -.Galatians 6:14 

Paul had what we all need–a burning desire to proclaim the glories of the cross to a lost and dying world. In spite of all the difficulties he faced, he never allowed anything to dim his vision of the cross. Neither should we. Keeping our focus on the cross will feed our faith, fuel our faithfulness, and fix our faults.
 
Turn your eyes away from the vanities of the world and set your sights on the cross. See the two arms stretched out in both directions, east and west, embracing all the peoples of the earth. See the foot of the cross descending below the grave, down to the very gates of hell, making a way for the lowest of men. Behold the cross ascending upward, beyond the sun, moon, and stars, until it reaches the very throne of God and sheds its light throughout the heavenly city. Then, there you will hear the heavenly choir singing in perfect unison the “new song” about the old rugged cross.
 
If the cross is our theme for eternity it certainly should be at the center of our thoughts ever wakening moment here below. All else pales in comparison. Let us then glory only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have nothing else of which to boast.- HDS, 3-9-13
 
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

MORNING MANNA                2-25-25
THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT
“—- the God of all comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3

Of all the names and titles assigned to God this has to be one of the most lovely and cheering. The very thought of it cheers our heart because sooner or later we all need comfort. We live in a troublesome world where we face many trials, tribulations and temptations. But we can be made cheerful and courageous by being confident that God comforts His children. He is not just ever aware of our needs, He is completely capable and forever faithful in meeting them. How can we not be cheered by a fact so glorious as that?

Take careful note of the little word,”all”. It is big in meaning. It reminds us that there are no limitations nor exceptions. God is the sole and sufficient source of our comfort. God is always up to the task, no matter what the circumstances might be. Of that truth we must be convinced. We are never at liberty to say God has lied, failed or deceived us. The comfort He promises He will provide. But, that isn’t always automatic. We must appropriate what God makes available if we are to experience what He desires and we need.

The chief way we do this is through His Word. It informs our mind, increases our faith,and inspires our heart.It is designed to give us the hope of help or the help of hope– however you want to look at it. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”–Romans 15:4. Out of many years of experience and observation I can tell you with certainty that God comforts His children.- HDS, 10–30-12

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

MORNING MANNA             2-24-25

A GOOD MINISTER

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained” 1 Timothy 4:6 

Of all the men who have lived since Christ, Paul is the man I would most like to sit at his feet and learn from. Imagine that! There would be no falling asleep in that class, that’s for sure. Here in our text we find Paul advising Timothy. Actually he is providing instruction for all believers, because every child of God is to be “a good minister”(servant). 

There are a lot of church members doing nothing, but there are no members with nothing to do. We all have our assignments. How well we do them depends on whether or not we are “nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine”. Sadly too many are under-nourished. Here’s the point.

The late Ray Stedman said,”What do you feed on daily? What do you put in your mind? What is your habitual input in your life? The sports pages, perhaps? Soap operas? The Dow Jones Averages? TV movies? Best-seller novels? If any of these things are your daily diet, then I can guarantee you will be a spiritually undernourished servant of Jesus Christ, because the apostle makes clear that what you feed on is what is going to determine how effective you become.” 

He is right, but please don’t misunderstand this. I’m not talking about entirely eliminating all of these things, as though they were sinful. I’m talking about regulating, not removing things. Even sinless things can become sinful when they distract us from our duty. 

For the Christian nothing is more important than the teachings of God’s Word. It is our “daily bread”. We should feel like Job, who said,”I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”(Job 23:12).

 To be a good servant we must discover God’s will and do it. To be a good servant you must first be a good student. Are you? The learning is for the living! It’s my prayer that you will feed on the Word and follow God’s will. That will make you “a good minister of Jesus Christ.”- HDS, 11-14-10

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

MORNING MANNA          2-22–25
FROM BOREDOM TO BLESSING
Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them of who are of the household of faith.” 

The late Clovis Chappell told the story of a troubled man who lived without any sense of purpose. The man finally became so bored and bitter that he decided to end his life. He made his way to a pier and jumped into the sea. Fortunately he had a friend who had become suspicious and was watching. Seeing the man jump into the water, this friend leaped in after him. 

It so happened that while the would-be suicide was an excellent swimmer, his friend couldn’t swim a stroke. Therefore, when the man attempting suicide saw his friend drowning for his sake, he went to his rescue. After a long hard struggle, he managed to save him. This experience proved to be such a thrill that the man decided that he wanted to live. Little by little his boredom vanished and joy was restored to his life, all because he had helped someone else and began to see a purpose in living. 

Dear friend, if you feel fed-up with life, as though it is of no value, try shifting your focus to the needs of others. Make your life count for something important by reaching out to those in need. That’s the best way to find what you need. Remember—When you are good to others you are always best to yourself.- HDS, 12-1-12

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