Daily Encouragement (Archive Edition)

The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
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Thursday, May 31, 2018

Greenhouse wisdom, Farmstead Flowers, Lancaster County, PA 5/28/18

Greenhouse Wisdom
(see below)

"Walking Through A Closed Door"

Message summary: When things seem out of our control we can easily give way to panic and fear.

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"So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you'" (John 20:19).

We have a screen door that slides opens to the outside of our home office. This area was formerly a single stall garage when we bought our home in 2002 before we remodeled it into my mother's room three years prior to her death. It gave her a natural view of the outside world and provided a breezy ventilation.

Well, I learned a lesson the hard way only hours after it was installed by the contractor. I commented to him how I appreciated that the mesh was so finely weaved that you could hardly see the screen in the door.

Several hours later I absent-mindedly walked right through it, completely and utterly destroying that which I had admired only an hour or so earlier. I must have looked a little like Herman Munster as I clumsily barreled through and then stumbled after the event while I regained my balance. (Admitting you look like Herman Munster is one of life's greatest indignities!) We all sure had a good laugh at my expense (both my pride and finances)!

I experienced what I surely already knew, that you just can't walk through a closed door!

Or at least, in the natural sense, you can't! Today's text records a supernatural appearance of Jesus following His resurrection. The disciples were gathered for that first Sunday evening service and were surely discussing the events of the last several days; specifically the reports of the resurrection. But fear and anxiety gripped their hearts and the doors were shut, possibly bolted, in fear of the Jews.

I wonder what kind of doors and locks they had back then? We know for certain it wasn't a screen door! Their doors were surely designed to give those within the house some measure of security.

Suddenly, without warning, there in the disciples' presence Jesus appeared and stood in their midst. Perhaps Jesus considered that a knock on the door would send them into a panic and wanted only to bring them reassurance and peace. And that was the simple but greatly needed message that Jesus conveyed, "Peace be with you!"

When things seem out of our control we can easily give way to panic and fear. Thirty some years earlier God sent down angelic messengers to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, also to Joseph, Mary, and to the shepherds in the field. Each of them heard the same message from the angels, "Be not afraid." God had a plan unfolding and it involved each of them. He wanted their hearts to find peace in the midst of unordinary circumstances and He wanted them to have faith regarding the unseen future. The host of angels also had the counter message to fear, "Peace, good will toward men …"

But this time angels would not do His bidding, for Jesus Himself, needed to convey this message of peace, verbally and physically. They needed to hear His calming words that brought peace to their troubled hearts. They needed to see and touch the scars from His crucifixion wounds to settle in their hearts once and for all that, "Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!"

Several miracles took place on the day of resurrection. The heavy stone was rolled away, Jesus was no longer in the grave, He appeared through closed doors to the disciples. Three days earlier the nails driven in Jesus' hands and feet, the spear in his side had caused deep grief and sorrow. On this miraculous day the scars from the Savior's wound sights brought great joy. Jesus had turned their fears into joys, their insecurities into assurance.

Jesus conveys the same message to His followers today as He did to His disciples on the first day of the week following His resurrection: "Peace be with you." He continues to work miracles in our lives. What is impossible for man is possible with God, "for with God nothing is impossible!"

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Jesus, I thank You for the peace You give us. We are besieged by the troubles of this world and can easily be overwhelmed by the daily cares of life. Yet we take heart and have enduring hope because You have overcome this world and You enable us to overcome this world as well. Help us not to look for solutions to our problems in the natural sense, but in the supernatural, because You are a Miracle Worker who answers our prayers through Your miraculous power. Thank You for all You do on our behalf. Amen.

Greenhouse Wisdom

We walked through Farmstead Flowers, a greenhouse near Lititz, PA where, amongst the plants and flowers for sale, many small inspirational signs were posted.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Oh, No, You Never Let Go" Video Tuesday morning we visited Karen, who attends a church in Ono, PA. She especially likes this song!

Finally today:

Last night Rick Masciantonio, a long-time friend who attended the church we served in New England during the nineties, stopped by for a visit. Rick is now pastoring the Nauset Baptist Church on Cape Cod and is a stalwart defender of the faith. The photo show Rick along with his wife Liz. He is down this way to attend the Banner Of Truth conference.

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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 make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

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