“Abraham believed God…” Rom. 4:3

Thinking of all this I can’t help but wonder why a person wouldn’t believe God. We have no reason to not trust Him. He has proven Himself faithful and true. As we read in 1 Kings 8:56 “There hath not failed one word of all his good promise”. That’s reason enough for me! His revelations can be relied upon and doing so brings great rewards. Those who trust God open the door to blessings untold. Only a fool would deny or doubt God and deprive himself of all that God’s grace affords. If you don’t trust God who will you trust? The wisest thing you will ever do is to put your faith in the Lord who never fails. Trust Him today! “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” – HDS

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

 ” And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.” – 2 Kings 13:21

Yesterday’s message was also related to Elisha’s death and you might think that’s the end of the story, but it isn’t. As He does so often, God gives us a miracle with a message. Here we find a reminder of a person’s influence after death. It is said of Abel, “he being dead yet speaketh” (Heb. 11: ) and the same could be said of all of us. Some day they will bury your body, but your influence, for good or bad, will live on. Like an invisible hand from the grave it will touch the lives of others. Here’s what J. R. Miller said of this text. :

“The bones of Elisha had no more power in themselves to give life—than any other dead man’s bones. Yet we may get here the lesson of posthumous influence. No man ever wholly dies. We have nothing to do with superstitious nonsense about relics, saints’ bones, and bits of holy men’s clothing or of their coffins; but it is true that a really godly man has influence after he dies. He leaves behind him something which cannot die. His name has power. If he writes good books, these live after him, and give life to the souls that their words touch. We ought ever to seek to live—so as not only to be missed and mourned when we die—but to live on after death in our works, our name, our influence.”

There is no doubt about it, you will outlive your life. The only question is “What will the message be?” – HDS

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

“Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. ” 2 Kings 13:14

A death-bed is a good place from which to look at one’s past life. In the strange, dim light that pours in from eternity, things do not appear as they did in the common sunlight. Many things that gave pleasure as life went on–now give pain and shame in the retrospect, and appear calamitous. This is true of all sins and follies, of all gains and pleasures that did not have God’s blessing, of all things done for SELF and not for Christ, of all quarrels and strifes.

Many things also that seemed hard when they came, and that cost pain and self-denial, in the light of the death-chamber, now appear radiant and beautiful. Thus the dying hour–is the place to test life. If we would always ask, before doing any doubtful thing, “How will this look–when I am dying?” it would save us from many a mistake and sin!

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

But the death-bed is also a good place for other people to study a man’s life. When a man is engaged in the affairs of the world, he suffers more or less from the envy of others. The more active and influential he is, the more are men about him envious of him. But when a man lies dying, all this unjust feeling vanishes. All men feel kindly toward him. Whatever has been faulty in him is forgotten in the glow of tenderness that his dying enkindles; and whatever has been beautiful in him shines out in still fairer beauty. – J. R. Miller

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

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”- Col. 3:23-24

The life of slaves in the Roman Empire was not easy. They were regarded as “things,” and they had no rights. Some had good masters and challenging work, but most were given menial tasks to perform. They worked long hours with little rest.

Christians, however, could catch a glimpse of glory in the grind. Whether slaves or masters, they could do their work with dignity. They were Christ’s servants, and they represented Him in the marketplace or the home. Each worked for his Master, Jesus Christ, and labored for a commendation that would ultimately come from Him.

Someone captured the heart of this truth when he observed, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that the hosts of heaven will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.'”

Your work may be tedious. You may have an employer who doesn’t appreciate you or pay you what you’re worth. You may want to quit. But you are working for Christ. Do your daily work so that your Master in heaven can one day say to you, “Good job. Well done.” –H W Robinson (Our Daily Bread)

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

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”- Phil. 3:7-8

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” – Phil. 3:14

As a boy and a young man I was thrilled every time I got my name or picture in the newspaper or won a trophy for some achievement. For several years I kept a scrapbook and displayed trophies I had won for baseball, softball, and bowling. I even had awards for winning yo-yo contests and one for killing a big buck. However, after I became a pastor I lost interest in those things. Eventually I lost my scrapbook. But I still kept a box of trophies carefully packed away.

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