“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:”- 1 Peter 4:12

Afflictions are a certainty in life, and they can lead to uncertainty. Afflictions can cause anxiety, apprehension, anger, and insecurity. I said “can”, not “will” or “must”. As Christians we aren’t promised exemption from afflictions, but we are assured that we can endure them ( 2 Thess. 1:4-5). As John Wesley said, ” One of the greatest evidences of God’s love to those that love Him is, to send them afflictions, with grace to bear them”. Amen! We would never know anything about God’s saving grace had we never sinned and we would know nothing of His sustaining grace had we never suffered.

Like it or not, it is our lot in life to suffer a lot in life (Job 14:1). We can’t avoid afflictions, but we can choose how we will respond to them. Sometimes we don’t respond well. And sometimes our attitude toward afflictions can be more harmful than the actual afflictions themselves. It is common for people to get into a really bad state of mind when going through hard times. That can cause them to make some awful decisions. We say and do things that are unacceptable when we refuse to be accepting of our afflictions. But how do we accept them?

If we’re wise we will make preparation for our problems. If we don’t we won’t fare well when they come. To have protection from our problems we must prepare. Too many people wait until a crisis comes before they seek a solution. Not expecting it they are overcome by it. And there is usually no quick fix. The Word of God is powerful, but it isn’t a magical potion you can read and automatically be immediately delivered from your dilemma. Maturity isn’t manufactured in a moment.

Believers, however, can be greatly helped by hiding the Word in their heart. Doing so can provide them comfort and courage when the crisis comes. But you can’t wait until it happens and then get through it on command. It doesn’t work that way. However, when we’ve built up our faith by meditating on the Word it is amazing what it can get us through. It will cause us, like Paul, to see a blessing in our burden. We can rejoice in our trials when we know our all-wise, ever loving Heavenly Father has a reason for them and will use them for our good and His glory!– HDS

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

“And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.”- Gen. 42:36

We’ve all heard it, said it, or felt it- “Things have gone from bad to worse.” Compounding the problem is the fact that we don’t understand why. We want an explanation and God isn’t talking. We just can’t get rid of the feeling that an explanation would be helpful, but God knows better. If it was needed He would give it. The truth is, in many cases the explanation has already been given in God’s Word –we just don’t know it or don’t want to accept it. It’s true that God doesn’t always give us the details, but He most assuredly lets us know that our trials can come for several different reasons. We don’t always need to know the reason. Just knowing there is a reason should be reason enough . Since we are to live by faith we shouldn’t expect an explanation for everything. If we could understand it there would be no need for faith.

The good news is that although God doesn’t exempt us from trials, nor explain them, He enables us to endure them if we trust Him. Sadly there are more than a few folks who have come to the conclusion that God’s Word and ways doesn’t work. They say they tried it and it failed. That’s a serious charge. And some who might not say it feel that way nonetheless. They will tell you they love God, obey God, serve God, and trust God, and there seems to be evidence that they do. But things keep going from bad to worse, and it appears that God has not carried through on His promise.

We seem to forget that although things in our life are the worst they’ve ever been they are not the worst they could be. That’s something we ought to think about and thank God for. It’s easy to say we all have it better than we deserve, it’s another thing to accept that without complaint. So, how are you doing with this matter? We would give less thought to the things that are against us if we gave more thought to the One who is for us!– HDS

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

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.– Hebrews 11:8-10
Here we are on the first day of a new year, facing the future. What else can we do? Trying to forget the fact doesn’t work– life goes on regardless. Fearing it just makes matters worse. So we must face it, although we don’t know what it holds – and it’s better that we don’t. However, as Christians we ought to consider the facts God has given. We are aware of some things to come. We have read God’s promises which assure us that, regardless of what trials we must go through, the best is yet to come. That’s something we should never forget.

Paul Chappell recently wrote something about Charles Spurgeon that caught my attention. He said: “Spurgeon routinely spoke to crowds of 6,000 or more at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. On New Year’s Eve in 1891, he spoke to only a handful of friends who were with him in Mentone, France, where he had been seeking treatment for his painful illness. Spurgeon did not know when he spoke that night that in less than a month he would see the Lord, for whom he had faithfully preached, face to face. Although, Spurgeon did know that he trusted God.”

Spurgeon said, “Could we procure a telescope which would enable us to see to the end of the year, would we be wise to use it? I think not. Great mercy has hung up a veil between us and the future; and there let it hang.” The following morning he preached a brief New Year’s sermon at his hotel. “The vista of a praiseful life will never close, but continue throughout eternity. From psalm to psalm, from hallelujah to hallelujah, we will ascend the hill of the Lord where we will bow before the Divine Majesty in the bliss of endless adoration.”

How thankful we ought to be that we have divine assurance that all shall end well. To know that the best is yet to come gives us the courage to face the challenges of life. Although we don’t know what the future holds we know Who holds the future. That makes all the difference in the world. We can trust God to get us through whatever He brings us to. We are in good hands!– HDS

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

“…..he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;”– Acts 17:25

Well, I’m about to do it again, Lord willing, and so are you. We are about to enter another new year. What do you think about that? Some might feel like the old song that says, “Another day older and deeper in debt”. Some might feel deep regret for their past failures and will make resolutions to do better in the future. Others feel battered and bruised and are hoping the new year will be better. And then there are those who are simply feeling older and fearing it.

Sometime ago I started to write an article about the “Art of Aging”, but I stopped because I’m not qualified. I’m still learning and failing. Besides, most people don’t want to think about growing old. It is depressing to them. But, as someone said, “It sure beats the alternative”. At least that’s what we think–but that’s another story. However, wouldn’t it be great if we could look at aging in a positive light, rather than as a problem? I believe we can. I think we should.

Every day I thank God for three things– the gift of eternal life, the gift of life, and the gifts of life. Life, indeed, is a gift from God. To complain about aging is to complain about a gift. That seems strange. Did you complain about your Christmas gifts? I didn’t either. Why then would we complain about the gift of living? It’s true that life is “full of trouble” (Job 14:1), but the gift of life is also the gate to the gifts of life. Think about that for a while. Consider all the wonderful gifts in your life– family, friends, food, shelter, and numerous other blessings to enjoy. Better still, it is life that gives us the chance to lay up treasures in heaven! Be thankful for the privilege of being able to serve God and invest our life in things that pay eternal dividends. If we will focus on our blessings it will give us the strength to bear our burdens. Happy New Year! – HDS

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

“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.”- 1 John 5:13

Some folks are shocked when they hear Christians say they know they are saved and sure they will go to heaven. They doubt that you don’t doubt. They are of the opinion that know one can know with absolute certainty that they will go to heaven when they die. On the other hand I am surprised that anyone claiming to be a Bible Believer is surprised by this. So how do we clear up all the confusion? We do so by faith in the facts of God’s Word rather than our feelings.

Our text clearly says, “ye may know that ye have eternal life”. In other words, as the old song says, we may have “Blessed Assurance”. That puts us at peace about the matter. Confidence in God, who cannot lie, gives us comfort beyond compare. If you know you have it you don’t doubt that you’ve got it. You know whether you are married or not, so why wouldn’t you know whether you are saved or not? Salvation isn’t a think so, hope so, maybe so thing. It is a know so matter based on our faith in God’s provision. And nothing is more important.

We place great emphasis on what we believe, as well we should, but it is who we believe that’s the key to being right about what we believe. There are many voices clamoring for our attention and we can’t afford to be led astray. The apostle Paul got it right when he said, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” ( 2 Tim. 1:12).–HDS

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