THE REASON FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.  That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.  God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”– Psalm 67:1, 2, 7

   Why is it that we should want God to bless us?  Besides the fact that it will provide a more meaningful life to us, and more glory to God, the psalmist sings of how it will affect the world around us.  This song requests God’s blessings for His children and asks that God would “cause his face to shine upon us” that His “way may be known upon earth.”  His face shining upon us speaks of His presence and His favor.  As much as we need all things He might do for us, more than that, we need Him.  Not only do we need Him and His blessings for our sakes, we also need Him for the sake of others.  Others need to see that our God is real and active in our personal lives.  

   There are many religions in our world.  False gods are in abundance.  Idolatry takes many forms.  Some people worship the planet and the creation.  Misled religions worship tradition that is mixed with Bible truth.  Others hold to extra-Biblical writings they believe are sacred and elevate them above the Word of God.  All of these practices stand in direct contrast to Bible Christianity.  They may have a form of godliness, but they deny the basic tenets of true Biblical worship.  

   What separates Christianity from the rest?  The answer has to do with our God and our Savior.  Our God is Creator, the only true and living God, and He has manifested Himself to us in numerous ways.  He has made Himself known through His creative acts, through His inspired Word, through His virgin-born Son who died for us and rose from the dead, and through His peculiar people.  

   The world needs to see that God is real, and He is working in the lives of His children.  When Moses was pleading with God about the future journeys of the Israelites, the servant of the Lord made this comment, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exodus 33:15).  It was the presence of God with His people, working with and through them, that made them unique.  This is the reason we need His blessing, that the confused world that we live in might see that our God is not just a code or creed, but a living Person among us. (Thomas Smith)

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

WHAT ABOUT YOU?
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” — Matt 6:10     

Many people always quote this petition as if it meant only submission to some painful providence. They suppose it refers only to losing friends or money, or being sick or in trouble. but this is only a little part of its meaning. It is for the doing of God’s will, not the suffering of it, that we here pray.

It is a good deal easier to make prayers like this for others than for ourselves. We all think other people ought to do God’s will, and we do not find it a difficult prayer to make that they may do so. But what about ourselves? There is no other person in the world for whose life we are really and finally responsible but ourself. This prayer, then, if we offer it sincerely, is that we may do God’s will as it is done in heaven. We can pray it, therefore, only when we are ready for implicit, unquestioning obedience to the divine will the moment we know what that will is.

Then some times it is a passive doing that is required. God asks of us something that costs pain or sacrifice or earthly loss; when this is true our prayer may cut deeply into our own hearts. It may mean a giving up of some sweet joy, a losing of some precious friend, the sacrifice of some dear possession, the going in some way of thorns and tears. We should learn always to say the prayer, and then to hold our lives close to the line of the divine will, never rebelling nor murmuring, but sweetly doing whatever God gives us to do.

He always wins who sides with God,
   To him no chance is lost;
God‘s will is sweetest to him when
  It triumphs at his cost.

Ill that He blesses is our good,
  And unblest good is ill;
And all is right that seems most wrong,
   If it be his sweet will.  — –J. R. Miller

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

What Are Your Plans for Mother’s Day?

“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”Exodus 20:12

When we observe Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, we are obeying this Scripture. You can honor your father and mother three ways: Obey them when you’re young, care for them when they are old, and honor them at all times. How do you give them honor? 

• Show them respect. 
• Express gratefulness. Give them thanks. Learn to develop the attitude of gratitude. Have you thanked your parents for all that they’ve done?
• Listen to their counsel.
• Show your parents love. Think of what you owe your parents. They gave you life. I’m convinced that the closest thing to God’s love is the love of a mother. 

Now would be a good time to write a letter to your mother or father and tell them how grateful you are for them.  I’ll tell you one thing, they will read it over and over again.  And when they die and you’re going through their things, you’ll find that letter tucked away in their most treasured possessions. Do it, rather than saying “I wish that I had.”  And if your parents are not living, give them honor and thank God for their memory.- Adrian Rogers

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