MORNING MANNA             3-13-23

 SPIRITUALSTARVATION

“–Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”(Matthew 4:4) 

 A foolish old farmer, so the story goes, concluded one day that the oats he had fed his mule for years were simply costing him too much. So he hatched a plan: he mixed a little sawdust in with the feed, and then a little more the next day, and even more the next, each time reducing the amount of oats in the mix.

The mule didn’t seem to notice the gradual change, so the farmer thought things were fine and kept decreasing the proportion of oats. But weeks later, on the day he finally fed the poor beast nothing but sawdust, the mule finished the meal and fell over dead.

A silly tale, perhaps, but it serves as a parable of the backslider–the Christian who slips further and further away from God through unrepented sin or neglect. Though we know our souls cannot survive on spiritual sawdust, we may well convince ourselves that a little won’t hurt too much, and a little less real spiritual food won’t be missed. Then, over time, the proportion of sawdust increases while the oats gradually disappear. Before long, the change is complete, and our starved, sawdust-stuffed spiritual life has collapsed. 

To avoid this you need to get into a good church where you will hear the word of God and get into the Word everyday, so as to receive the spiritual nourishment you need. As Peter said,”As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”(1 Peter 2:2) – HDS

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA             3-12-23

THE WORST MISTAKE

“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.“- Acts 26:28-29

Everyone makes mistakes, but some are worse than others. Here’s some examples related to people applying for a job. These are actual statements made on job applications:
(1) I served as an assistant SORE manager. (2) Education: Attended college on a FOOL scholarship. (3) I am very DETALE OREINTED. (4) I am a RABID typist. (5) I was involved in RUINING an entire Midwest division. (6) Reason for leaving previous job: I was pushed aside so the manager’s girlfriend could steal my job. (7) ON A FEDERAL JOB APPLICATION: “Do you favor the overthrow of the United States Government by force, subversion, or violence? Answer: “Violence.”

WOW! We laugh, but that’s bad. However, as bad as those are there is something much worse. The worst mistake you could possibly make is to not receive Christ as your Lord and Savior- causing you to be unprepared for death or His return. Rejecting Him results in ruin of the worst kind- eternally separated from God in hell. Right now you have the opportunity to get it right. Don’t waste it. – HDS

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist  Church

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA            3-11-23

SERVING THE LORD

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt. 25:40

Here is both a rewarding encouragement and a warning that should bring us up short. Whatever we do to Christ’s brethren is reckoned as being done unto Himself.

We can show kindness to the Lord Jesus any day by showing kindness to a fellow-believer. When we show hospitality to God’s people, it is the same as if we entertain Him in our homes. If we give them the master bedroom, we are giving it to Him.

Almost anyone would be quick to do everything possible for the Savior if He came as King of kings and Lord of lords. But He commonly comes to our door in very humble guise, and it is this that puts us to the test. The way we treat the least of His brethren is the way we treat Him.

In his poem “How the Great Guest Came,” Edwin Mark-ham tells of an old cobbler who made elaborate preparations for a dreamed-of visit from the Lord. The Lord never came. But when a beggar came, the cobbler put shoes on his feet. When an old lady came, the cobbler helped her with her load and gave her food. When a lost child came, the cobbler took her back to her mother.

Then soft in the silence a voice he heard:

“Lift up your heart, for I kept my word.

Three times I came to your friendly door;

Three times my shadow was on your floor.

I was the beggar with bruised feet,

I was the woman you gave to eat,

I was the child in the homeless street.”

David Stone

Lakeway Baptist Church

Humble, Tx.

MORNING MANNA              3-9-23

REACHING YOUR POTENTIAL

“ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, ”- Ephesians 3:20

One day, a man was walking by a farm and saw an eagle living among the chickens. So he stopped to ask the farmer why. The farmer replied that he had found the eagle when it was young, began giving it chicken feed, and trained it to be a chicken. Since then, it had behaved like a chicken and never learned to fly.

“Still, it must have the heart of an eagle,” replied the man, “and can surely be taught to fly.” So he took the eagle to a high mountain and lifted him up to see if he would fly. The eagle was shaking and wouldn’t move. Just then, he saw two more eagles soaring overhead. When the eagle saw them, he stretched his wings, began to flap them, jumped, and soared into the heavens.

The eagle never knew his potential until he was encouraged by others to live it out. And in much the same way, many people are resigned to the identity they’ve been given by their circumstances and never truly realize their potential until they are empowered to do so.

Maybe you’re like the eagle who thinks he’s a chicken. Or, perhaps you’re a soaring eagle who can encourage others to be all that God created them to be. Find your identity in who you really are and live it out. When you do, you’ll realize your own potential and encourage others to do the same!

Ask God to help you live out your full potential and teach others to do the same.–Senior Living

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