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"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:1,6). "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8,9).
There
is an increasing boldness and public "witness" among those who espouse
there is no God. Last night we watched a program with an avowed atheist
who proudly asserted his view that "belief in God is a scam." A
recurring theme among modern atheists is a mocking of those of us who
do believe in God as foolish and that they have the sole position when
using intellect and reason. However the Scriptures have this to say
about them in Psalm 14:1.
Notice I began by stating "those who believe there is no God". Not believing in God is a belief. As proud and assertive as the atheist may be, he still is expressing a belief, a form of faith, however insistent he may be that faith is not in the equation. Several years ago a book was written with this interesting title, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist."
Hebrews 11:1 is a succinct definition of faith. Certainly the overarching theme in this chapter is faith in God, powerfully expressed in v.6, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
The life in Christ has always been a faith walk. This has been especially true since Jesus ascended back to the Father in Acts 1. Since that time His followers have not been able to see Him in a physical sense. During a very special period about 2,000 years ago some people had the wonderful privilege of seeing the Word become flesh and dwell among them. However even during that time many did not believe in who He was or what He stood for. Seeing does not necessarily mean believing.
The Apostle Peter, an eyewitness and close friend of Christ during His earthly ministry, wrote our third daily verse to those who "believed in Him" some 30 years after Jesus had ascended. These believers had not physically seen Christ in His earthly ministry but, like us, they believed. O, how we thank God for this belief that fills us with "inexpressible and glorious joy!"
I want to note a very significant verb tense in the text this morning. Notice Peter says, "You are receiving" (not "you have received" or "you will receive") "the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." I believe this is a vital ongoing truth in the believer's faith life. While living, these fellow believers were receiving this goal. At their deaths they received it fully. The process is true for us today, fellow believer. Hold tight, for the best is yet to come!
This new year let us continue in our faith walk and remember the timeless perspective of the Apostle Paul as we "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). This takes a conscientious, purposeful, ongoing effort and spiritual perspective as we walk the narrow path laid out for us. Let us stay faithful to God today, throughout our journey in 2011, and for the remaining time God has allotted us on this earth!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father,
help me to walk faithfully with You day by
day. As I earnestly seek You I will receive the reward You promise to
those who do so. Daily temptations, recurring doubts, and fleeting
distractions seek my heart's affection but I remain faithfully
committed to You, my Lord
and Savior. Though I've not seen You physically Your Spirit indwells
me and I am filled with Your glorious and inexpressible joy. No matter
the mocking and undermining of my faith by the unbelieving world, I
believe in You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
Amen.
"I Believe" Video Lenny LeBlanc
"I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary" Video Gaither Vocal Band I have been blessed by this song since I was a young Christian in the seventies.
"Blessed Be Your Holy Name & I Believe" Video Vineyard Singers
"Living By Faith" Video Gaither Homecoming Series
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Farm scene at the end of our road.
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player.
Farm scene at the end of our road.
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player."I Believe In God"
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:1,6). "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8,9).
There
is an increasing boldness and public "witness" among those who espouse
there is no God. Last night we watched a program with an avowed atheist
who proudly asserted his view that "belief in God is a scam." A
recurring theme among modern atheists is a mocking of those of us who
do believe in God as foolish and that they have the sole position when
using intellect and reason. However the Scriptures have this to say
about them in Psalm 14:1.Notice I began by stating "those who believe there is no God". Not believing in God is a belief. As proud and assertive as the atheist may be, he still is expressing a belief, a form of faith, however insistent he may be that faith is not in the equation. Several years ago a book was written with this interesting title, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist."
Hebrews 11:1 is a succinct definition of faith. Certainly the overarching theme in this chapter is faith in God, powerfully expressed in v.6, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
The life in Christ has always been a faith walk. This has been especially true since Jesus ascended back to the Father in Acts 1. Since that time His followers have not been able to see Him in a physical sense. During a very special period about 2,000 years ago some people had the wonderful privilege of seeing the Word become flesh and dwell among them. However even during that time many did not believe in who He was or what He stood for. Seeing does not necessarily mean believing.
The Apostle Peter, an eyewitness and close friend of Christ during His earthly ministry, wrote our third daily verse to those who "believed in Him" some 30 years after Jesus had ascended. These believers had not physically seen Christ in His earthly ministry but, like us, they believed. O, how we thank God for this belief that fills us with "inexpressible and glorious joy!"
I want to note a very significant verb tense in the text this morning. Notice Peter says, "You are receiving" (not "you have received" or "you will receive") "the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." I believe this is a vital ongoing truth in the believer's faith life. While living, these fellow believers were receiving this goal. At their deaths they received it fully. The process is true for us today, fellow believer. Hold tight, for the best is yet to come!
This new year let us continue in our faith walk and remember the timeless perspective of the Apostle Paul as we "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). This takes a conscientious, purposeful, ongoing effort and spiritual perspective as we walk the narrow path laid out for us. Let us stay faithful to God today, throughout our journey in 2011, and for the remaining time God has allotted us on this earth!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father,
help me to walk faithfully with You day by
day. As I earnestly seek You I will receive the reward You promise to
those who do so. Daily temptations, recurring doubts, and fleeting
distractions seek my heart's affection but I remain faithfully
committed to You, my Lord
and Savior. Though I've not seen You physically Your Spirit indwells
me and I am filled with Your glorious and inexpressible joy. No matter
the mocking and undermining of my faith by the unbelieving world, I
believe in You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Click on the link to open and play.
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
Click on the link to open and play.
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
"I Believe" Video Lenny LeBlanc
"I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary" Video Gaither Vocal Band I have been blessed by this song since I was a young Christian in the seventies.
"Blessed Be Your Holy Name & I Believe" Video Vineyard Singers
"Living By Faith" Video Gaither Homecoming Series
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Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
Scripture
references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version.
© 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation,
New King James
Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the
King
James Version.
Personal
Mission Statement:
"I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ
I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord.
My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and
to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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Copyright 2011
Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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