MORNING MANNA           10-9-24

THE DETERMINATION TO SERVE

“even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭28‬ ‭

In light of that great text, Oswald Chambers wrote the following:

Jesus also said, “..I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27).Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s— “…ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor.4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a “doormat” for others— called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. Paul said, “I know how to be abased…”(Phil.4:12). Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another.

Paul’s understanding of how Christ had dealt with him is the secret behind his determination to serve others, “who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.-“1 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬‬‬. In other words, no matter how badly others may have treated Paul, they could never have treated him with the same degree of spite and hatred with which he had treated Jesus Christ. Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake.

MORNING MANNA                   10-8-24

“Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”– John 8:54–56

When we talk about the faith of Abraham, we often think of a few ways he demonstrated trust in God: his willingness to leave his home for a new country, his long wait for a promised son, and then his obedience to God’s command to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. The faith of Abraham is most clearly seen in the things he still believed even though he never saw them. “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). The permanent nation in the land we know as Israel did not become a reality until hundreds of years after Abraham’s death. And the most important promise—Jesus—did not come until thousands of years had passed. Yet Abraham rejoiced in God’s promises, even those he did not personally experience.

There are hundreds of promises in the Word of God. Many of us have claimed those promises and found them to be true in our own lives. But the promises that we have not yet seen fulfilled are just as certain as the ones in the past. God has never failed to keep His promises, and we will not be disappointed in receiving all He has promised to us. It is right and fitting for us to be thankful and rejoice in God’s future promises today. Jesus said, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). We do not need to have already received God’s promises to rejoice in them with confidence. (Daily in the Word)

Regardless of how bad your circumstances are right now, in Christ we have reason to rejoice. Unto us have been given exceeding great and precious promises. Let us celebrate their certainty by rejoicing. – HDS

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

“…they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” (Acts 5:15)

William MacDonald said,”The people recognized that Peter’s ministry was a ministry of power. Wherever he went, the sick were healed. No wonder the crowd wanted to get into his shadow! He wielded a tremendous influence.

Everyone of us casts a shadow. Inevitably we influence the lives of those we contact. Herman Melville wrote: “We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.”

You are writing a gospel,/ a chapter each day,/ by the deeds that you do,/ by the words that you say./ Men read what you write,/ Whether faithless or true./ Say! What is the gospel/ according to you?

When asked which of the gospels was his favorite, one man answered, “The gospel according to my mother.” And John Wesley once said, “I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians of England.”

It is sobering to realize that someone looks at each one of us and thinks, “That’s just what a Christian should be.” It may be a son or daughter, a friend or neighbor, a teacher or student. You are his hero, his model, his ideal. He watches you more closely than you think. Your business life, your church life, your family life, your prayer life—all these set the pattern for him to imitate. He wants your shadow to overshadow him.

Generally we think that shadows are nothings. But the spiritual shadow we cast is something real. Therefore we must ask ourselves this question: When to the last great reckoning/ the lives I meet must go,/ Shall this wee, fleeting touch of mine/have added joy or woe?/ Shall He who looks their records o’er -/of name and time and place -/ Say “Here a blessed influence came”/ or “Here is evil’s trace”? (Strickland Gillilan).

Robert G. Lee wrote: “You can no more prevent what you are, what you say, and what you do from affecting other people than you can prevent your body from casting a shadow in sunlight. What you are within you shows without, with no ambiguous expression. You exert an influence which mere language and strong persuasion are feeble to express.”

MORNING MANNA           10-6-24

CLEANSING THE HEART

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬ ‭

The question is revealing. Notice the psalmist doesn’t say, “Why should a young man cleanse his way?” Neither does he ask, “Should a young man cleanse his way?”

He has already moved past the point that so many young people struggle with, which is to question authority and wonder why mental, emotional, and physical purity is so important. He knows that he is sinful and foolish before a holy God. He is not questioning the need to cleanse his way, but is now pursuing the best means to accomplish this.

And how is it to be done? By taking heed to—by internalizing and personalizing—the Word of God. On one hand this may be disappointing, if you hoped for a more entertaining, less demanding solution. Nothing less than an unblinking gaze into the mirror of God’s Word will show you the genuine flaws in your character and mindset.

On the other hand, it is greatly encouraging. The solution you seek for is readily available! You do not have to climb to the top of a mountain in Tibet, or have a certain social or religious pedigree, or attain some academic status in order to know and understand how to purify your life and please God.– Baptist Bible Hour

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