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Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Cooperstown New York is at the southern tip of Otsego Lake, which is the source of the Susquehanna River which flows through Lancaster County into Chesapeake Bay. This photo was taken in Cooperstown on the very first bridge over the river looking north toward the lake.
Listen to this message on your
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"God's Upholding Hand"
"My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:8). "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3).
As you read the text today consider those words in our second daily text, "do not be dismayed". I am blessed as I read and study God's Word for His perspective and the "big picture." We all observe and experience current events, whether in our own personal lives or on a larger scale and may very well deal with dismay and often wonder, "What does this mean?"
The Lord is always in control and is always at work. I regularly point out that God is at work both macroscopically and microscopically. That is, He is involved not only in the big picture (current events in nations, the world, and the entire universe) but He is also actively involved in the minutest details of our lives (keeping active track of the number of hairs on of our heads, for example). A maturing Christian has a growing peace and calm assurance regarding God's will being worked out in his or her own life and in the Kingdom of God.
But God's providential ways are surely difficult to understand. They can be mysterious and the testings of life can bring about despair and hardship. Some readers this very day are dealing with confusion, disappointment or are in the midst of a very difficult personal trial. You join Brooksyne and me in waiting for God's plan to be worked out in your life and in His Kingdom. But the wait is hard.
I want to remind you this morning of God's steady hand. In a wonderful promise found in Isaiah God says, "I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." He will and this truth is a major source of the assurance we can have as God works out His plan for our lives. God's upholding hand is always steady!
Fellow believer, the only sure foundation upon which we can build our lives is that of our resurrected Lord and His eternal Word. We need to stay faithful and vigilant to keep our heads on right!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Just as
a loving parent takes the hand of a wobbly child to love, lead,
protect, and steady him so it is with You, Father, who upholds us with
Your righteous right hand. After all, it is Jesus at Your right hand
who is always interceding for us. No tempest storm can overtake
You and no earth shattering event perplexes You. As we walk in
Your ways help us to cling tightly to Your loving, protective hand so
that we don't veer off-course or become faint-hearted. We want to exchange fear for
trust, replace self-reliance with God-reliance and depend upon Your plan
rather than our own. Help us to do so. Amen.
"They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them" (Deuteronomy 32:28). Our nation and many other nations in the West are in a great state of confusion. In this verse God is prophetically warning of the future apostasy of the people of Israel, which culminated with their Babylonian exile some 800 years after this was spoken. Without the firm foundation of God's Word we are on sinking sand. The consequences may not be immediate, but they are certain.
New York Trip
(Part 3)
This last weekend we took some Amish friends to New York state and we have shared some photos of our trip the last several days. We share the final set today, some unusual photos one doesn't normally associate with New York. (We know people from the Midwest who think all of New York is the city!)
Years ago somebody put some real effort into building this tree house and surely created a lifetime of memories for some youngster.
This rural property owner was sick and tired of the plow hitting his mailbox so he devised a hanging system. He can lift the mailbox up out of the way when he hears the plow truck coming through!
We visited the Saturday Farmer's Market in Cooperstown.
A pink Farmall tractor!
(Maybe it's for breast cancer awareness month.)
We sort of get the idea that this old truck hasn't been driven for awhile!
We appreciate the resourcefulness of most farmers. Looks like this piece of machinery had a flat tire so the farmer used a winch and tree to hoist one side up for the repair. I just hope the branch is good and secure.
It was a lovely Indian summer type day Sunday following our church service and Ester enjoyed looking over the pond at the Fly Creek Cider Mill where we stopped to have a light lunch.
In Monday's message we mentioned visiting a church with a Jewish pastor. Here Pastor Berger plays the Shofar during the song, "Days of Elijah".
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
<Previous Message Next Message>
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Cooperstown New York is at the southern tip of Otsego Lake, which is the source of the Susquehanna River which flows through Lancaster County into Chesapeake Bay. This photo was taken in Cooperstown on the very first bridge over the river looking north toward the lake.
Listen to this message on your
audio player."God's Upholding Hand"
"My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:8). "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3).
As you read the text today consider those words in our second daily text, "do not be dismayed". I am blessed as I read and study God's Word for His perspective and the "big picture." We all observe and experience current events, whether in our own personal lives or on a larger scale and may very well deal with dismay and often wonder, "What does this mean?"
The Lord is always in control and is always at work. I regularly point out that God is at work both macroscopically and microscopically. That is, He is involved not only in the big picture (current events in nations, the world, and the entire universe) but He is also actively involved in the minutest details of our lives (keeping active track of the number of hairs on of our heads, for example). A maturing Christian has a growing peace and calm assurance regarding God's will being worked out in his or her own life and in the Kingdom of God.
But God's providential ways are surely difficult to understand. They can be mysterious and the testings of life can bring about despair and hardship. Some readers this very day are dealing with confusion, disappointment or are in the midst of a very difficult personal trial. You join Brooksyne and me in waiting for God's plan to be worked out in your life and in His Kingdom. But the wait is hard.
I want to remind you this morning of God's steady hand. In a wonderful promise found in Isaiah God says, "I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." He will and this truth is a major source of the assurance we can have as God works out His plan for our lives. God's upholding hand is always steady!
Fellow believer, the only sure foundation upon which we can build our lives is that of our resurrected Lord and His eternal Word. We need to stay faithful and vigilant to keep our heads on right!
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say, than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say, than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Just as
a loving parent takes the hand of a wobbly child to love, lead,
protect, and steady him so it is with You, Father, who upholds us with
Your righteous right hand. After all, it is Jesus at Your right hand
who is always interceding for us. No tempest storm can overtake
You and no earth shattering event perplexes You. As we walk in
Your ways help us to cling tightly to Your loving, protective hand so
that we don't veer off-course or become faint-hearted. We want to exchange fear for
trust, replace self-reliance with God-reliance and depend upon Your plan
rather than our own. Help us to do so. Amen."They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them" (Deuteronomy 32:28). Our nation and many other nations in the West are in a great state of confusion. In this verse God is prophetically warning of the future apostasy of the people of Israel, which culminated with their Babylonian exile some 800 years after this was spoken. Without the firm foundation of God's Word we are on sinking sand. The consequences may not be immediate, but they are certain.
New York Trip
(Part 3)
This last weekend we took some Amish friends to New York state and we have shared some photos of our trip the last several days. We share the final set today, some unusual photos one doesn't normally associate with New York. (We know people from the Midwest who think all of New York is the city!)
Years ago somebody put some real effort into building this tree house and surely created a lifetime of memories for some youngster.
This rural property owner was sick and tired of the plow hitting his mailbox so he devised a hanging system. He can lift the mailbox up out of the way when he hears the plow truck coming through!
We visited the Saturday Farmer's Market in Cooperstown.
A pink Farmall tractor!
(Maybe it's for breast cancer awareness month.)
We sort of get the idea that this old truck hasn't been driven for awhile!
We appreciate the resourcefulness of most farmers. Looks like this piece of machinery had a flat tire so the farmer used a winch and tree to hoist one side up for the repair. I just hope the branch is good and secure.
It was a lovely Indian summer type day Sunday following our church service and Ester enjoyed looking over the pond at the Fly Creek Cider Mill where we stopped to have a light lunch.
In Monday's message we mentioned visiting a church with a Jewish pastor. Here Pastor Berger plays the Shofar during the song, "Days of Elijah".
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
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