“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” – Heb. 12:11

Scottish author George MacDonald told this story of a woman who had experienced a great tragedy in her life: “The heartache was so crushing and her sorrow so bitter that the one in distress exclaimed, ‘I wish I’d never been made.’ With spiritual discernment, her friend answered, ‘My dear, you are not fully made yet; you’re only being made, and this is the Maker’s process!'”

MacDonald wisely concluded, “We can let God take our troubles and make out of them a garment of Christian fortitude which will not only warm our souls but also serve to inspire others.”

This is true for all of our trials– even when we are being corrected by God for our sin. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb. 12:11).

Does it seem as though everything in life is going against you? As you face disillusionment, take heart! If you’re a child of God, all things are working together for good, and He is conforming you “to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:28-29). God’s lessons through trials can be the making of you! — Author unknown

For all the heartaches and the tears,

For gloomy days and fruitless years

I do give thanks, for now I know

These were the things that helped me grow. –Anon.

God may have to break us in order to make us.

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

“Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; ” – Rom. 12:11

An epidemic of apathy has filled the church. Consumed with worldly passions and pursuits, the modern parishioner gets more upset about a red light than he does the red flames of hell.  It’s not that we are lacking in passion, it is just that our passion has become misappropriated.  Instead of channeling our resources, thoughts, energy, zeal, and affection to the building of God’s kingdom, we have sidetracked our lives with the glory of our own empire.

The root of apathy grows in the soil of self-centeredness and produces a harvest of indifference.  Serving God and mammon has never been an option for the genuine child of the kingdom. One cannot carry the cross, feel the splinters of denial, assume the position of heaven’s bond-slave and do it with a nonchalant stroll.  But strolling we are. Strolling to the tune of meaningless drivel.

Yes, apathy is the result of self-love.  Our generation has bought into the “me-first” and “me-only” worldview.  The self-centered life turns away any thought or notion of sacrifice or loss.  Unwilling to take any spiritual risk we slouch and slump our way through church, through ministry, through worship, and through devotion.  We yawn our way through preaching yet grow disturbingly excited when we have a Facebook notification.  And because the apathetic life hates confrontation, we determine to give and do just enough to ease the conscience. So we don’t get out of church, we just stop liking it.  We don’t stop carrying our Bibles, we just stop living it.  We don’t stop calling ourselves believers, we just don’t have faith for anything in particular.( Copied)

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

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” – 1 Peter 2:21-24

When the wife of the great pioneer missionary Adoniram Judson told him that a newspaper article likened him to some of the apostles, Judson replied, “I do not want to be like a Paul…or any mere man. I want to be like Christ…I want to follow Him only, copy His teachings, drink in His Spirit, and place my feet in His footprints…Oh, to be more like Christ!”

Even before the world was created, God’s plan was for us to be, “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). God did not save us solely to allow us to go to Heaven, though of course that is a wonderful and undeserved blessing. God also saved us so that we could go into the world just as Jesus did and point men and women to Him. God intends for us to be walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ as we go through this world.

Though Jesus left us many important examples, perhaps the greatest is His sacrificial death for the sins of others. While we are not called on to do what only He could do, we are called to give up our rights and privileges for the sake of following Him and for the benefit of others. The more we are willing to give and invest in those in need, the more we are being like Jesus. 

God’s purpose and plan for your life today is for you to be a reflection of His Son.- Daily in the Word

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

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Prov. 3:5-6

Everyone should know that human wisdom is very fallible. In spite of that, a woman in Haifa, Israel, is suing a television weatherman in small claims court for $1,000 after he predicted sunshine for a day that turned out to be stormy. The woman claims the forecast caused her to leave home lightly dressed. As a result, she caught the flu, missed four days’ work, spent $38 on medication and suffered stress. Whether the legal system agrees with her or not, however, it’s obvious that she reaped the consequences of trusting in human wisdom.

Solomon believed that no one should rely upon his own understanding. Instead, he declared, place your trust in God and seek His wisdom in every aspect of life. The promise God gave through this wise king is that, in return, He will direct your steps into the right path. God never makes a wrong prediction.

Most things, including the weather, are understood very imperfectly even by people who have spent many years studying them. At best, we can only make educated guesses. If those guesses prove true, it’s still usually beyond our control to change our circumstances. The Lord, on the other hand, possesses all knowledge (Ps. 139:4-6). Furthermore, He is in control of all things–not only the weather (Mark 4:39), but illnesses (Matt. 8:3; Mark 1:30-34) and death itself (John 11:43-44). Every nation of the earth is at His mercy (Ps. 2:1-9). What He declares will come to pass. You can count on it.

In the Bible you’ll find the wisdom of God. Trust Him to guide you when you read His Word. Be confident that He will direct your paths as you apply the Scriptures to your life. Take every opportunity, every difficulty, every issue that comes up in your life and let God show you His way through His Word.

When you read God’s Word you read God’s mind. –  Woodrow Kroll

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

“Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word…. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Psa. 119:67, 71

There are many hard lessons to be learned in life – things we would like to avoid. One of the most important is to accept what God allows. To do that we must realize that God is for us, not against us. His will is always right, best, and safest. But let’s face it, sometimes it appears that God is against us. We feel that He is treating us as an enemy rather than a friend, or one of His children. We feel fine as long as we fare well, but when trials come we feel we are being treated unfairly. That’s why Rom. 8:28 is so important – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Not until we come to understand that God uses troubles and trials for our good and His glory are we able to accept them without complaint.

The truth is we sometimes need what we would never choose for ourselves. Scientists tell us that there are certain desert bushes whose seeds must be damaged before they can germinate. Covered with a hard shell they are impervious to water. Not until they are damaged by a storm do they begin to grow. When the heavy rain dislodges them and bangs them against the rocks the shell is cracked allowing them to absorb moisture and begin to grow. Even so, we often need the battering of a storm to soften our heart, promote growth, and transform us – making us fruitful. The experience is painful but profitable. Rather than curse our trials we ought to rejoice that God is in control, working in our life to accomplish something good. We might not see it now, but as the song says, “We’ll understand it better bye and bye”.