COURAGE
“Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.”–2 Sam. 2:7

Courage is one of the finest qualities in manhood.

In the world the quality is rated so high that its absence makes a man an object of contempt. No insult stings more deeply than to be called a coward. Courage is ofttimes associated with war. But we do not need to wait for war to give us a chance to be courageous.

There is a higher courage than that which shows itself in brave deeds on a battlefield. It takes courage to be true amid all the world’s temptations to be false. It requires courage to do what is right, when the multitude about us is doing things that are wrong. It takes courage to confess Christ before the world.

We all need to have our hands strengthened – only God can make us strong for the service to which He calls us. We are set to fight the battles of the Lord. We have victories to win against evil, against wrong. Without a brave heart and a strong hand we shall not be able to stand for God and for truth in this world.–J. R. Miller

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

UNSEARCHABLE RICHES
“…..the unsearchable riches of Christ;”–Eph. 3:8
My Master has riches —
  beyond the eloquence of words
  beyond the dream of imagination,
  beyond the count of arithmetic, and
  beyond the measurement of reason!
              

They are unsearchable! You may look, and study, and weigh, but when your thoughts are at the greatest — Jesus is a greater Savior than you think Him to be. My Lord is more ready to            pardon — than you to sin; more able to forgive — than you to transgress. My Master is more willing to supply your needs — than you are to ask for them!

        

Never tolerate low thoughts of my Lord Jesus. When you put the crown on His head, you will only crown Him with silver, when He deserves gold.          

        

My Master has riches of happiness to bestow upon you now. He can make you to lie down in green pastures, and lead you beside still waters. There is no love like His, neither earth nor Heaven can match it. To know Christ and to be found in Him — oh! this is life, this is joy, this is marrow and           fatness, wine on the lees well refined!

        

My Master does not treat His servants churlishly — He gives to them as a king gives to a king! He gives them two Heavens: a Heaven below in serving Him here — and a Heaven above in delighting  in Him forever!

        

His unsearchable riches will be best known in eternity. He will give you all that you need on the way  to Heaven — your place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks, your bread shall be given you,     and your waters shall be sure. But it is there, THERE, where you shall hear the song of those who triumph, the shout of those who feast, and shall have a face-to-face view of the glorious and beloved One! The unsearchable riches of Christ! This is the tune for the minstrels of earth, and the song for the harpers of heaven!–Charles Spurgeon

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

GOD’S GIFT
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”–John 3:16

This verse is a little Bible in itself, for it contains the whole gospel. It shows us the source of man’s redemption — God’s love. It shows us the measure of this divine love — God gave His only begotten Son. It shows us how the redemption was accomplished — by the sacrifice of Christ. It tells us how to be saved — by believing on the Son of God. It tells us who will be saved — whosoever believeth on Christ. It shows us what the salvation is — deliverance from perishing, and the gift of eternal life.

Any one who truly believes that God loves him is saved; the consciousness of this blessed truth is life in the soul. A story is told of a child in Luther’s time who thought of God only with dread, as of a terrible Judge. In her stern home God had been held before her only in this way, to terrify her. She had never heard a word about God’s gentleness or affection. But one day in her father’s printing office she picked up a scrap of paper and found on it just the first part of this verse, “God so loved the world that he gave” the remaining words were torn of, but even this mere fragment was a revelation to her. God loved — “loved the world” , loved it well enough to give something. What He gave she did not know, but it was enough for her to know that God loved at all, and that He loved the world enough to give anything to it. The new thought changed all her conception of God. She learned from this time to think of Him as one who loved her, and this thought brought sweet comfort to her.

We have the whole verse, and we know that God is love; we know just what His love gave — the most costly and most valuable gift in all the universe; and this revelation should fill us with unutterable joy.(J. R. Miller)

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

THE BLESSED MAN

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”–Psalm 1:1-3

   There is a path of blessing for each of us to seek and enjoy.  The God of Heaven wants to bless His children.  When God placed the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden, the Bible says that He “blessed them” (Genesis 1:22).  It is important that we recognize this truth about our Creator and Savior.  He desires to bless our lives.  This fact will influence our prayer lives.  It will keep hope alive when circumstances seem adverse.  When it may not appear that God is blessing, we can know that He is working in ways we sometimes do not understand.  

   What does it mean for God to bless us?  How is it that He blesses us?  How might we be qualified to receive God’s blessings?  Are we presently being blessed of God?  Our text begins with the words, “Blessed is the man.”  This simple phrase presents great promise for every sincere seeker of God.  There is such a thing as a life that is spiritually and supernaturally blessed.  God wants to make our lives fuller – more meaningful than anything that can be experienced outside the realm of His blessing.  

   The words bless, blessed, blessing are usually defined with such words as “happy, prosperous, enjoying the favor of God,” etc.  True blessing comes from God.  We are not just blessed by fate or coincidental circumstances.  We are not just blessed by our hard work or determination.  Anyone, including the ungodly, might think at times that things are really going his way and refer to it as a blessing.  But the Bible teaches that there are precise and recognizable blessings that are promised from the hands of God.  There are behaviors that God promises to bless, and there are lifestyles that prevent His blessing.  In the Word of God, there are blessings promised to individuals, to families, to nations, to congregations, and even to our descendants.  Sometimes we fail to recognize or appreciate His blessings. We want to see His hand of blessing on our lives.(Thomas Smith)

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

COMMITTED TO GOD’S WAY

“They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.”- Hosea 14:7–9

It’s a common sign to see when you visit parks and wilderness areas: “Stay on the path.” These notices are not given to restrict people from enjoying the parks, but to protect them from danger. Each year hundreds of people get lost because they stray from the marked trails. Usually lost people are located within a few hours, but some people are never found. In fact according to one recent estimate, more than 1,500 people have disappeared in national parks and never been seen again. There is a great danger in deciding that we are capable of determining the path to follow and choosing to go our own way.

This is even more true in the spiritual realm. The Bible is not filled with restrictions meant to keep us from enjoying life, but with Divine guardrails that have been erected to keep us safe and on the right path. How we view God’s commands is vital, for what we believe determines how we will live. Charles Spurgeon said, “Nothing makes a man so virtuous as belief of the truth. A lying doctrine will soon beget a lying practice. A man cannot have an erroneous belief without by-and-by having an erroneous life. I believe the one thing naturally begets the other.” Committing to follow God’s ways no matter what others may do provides safety and blessing. The only safe path through our world is the one laid out in Scripture.– Paul Chappell

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