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Friday, June 19, 2009

Purple malva
We have an abundance of beautiful perennial flowers all around our house and they are sure thriving with the abundant rain we've had!
(This is Malva from the Hollyhocks family)


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"Man Of God"

"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:11,12).

As I prepare for Father's Day I consider my dad who went to be with the Lord eleven years ago. As time goes by I continue to reflect on his example in living life and specific teaching moments borne out of actual experiences.  He was a quiet man and his teaching was rarely verbal.

Gene WeberA lasting memory of this teaching method took place when I was in first grade. Up to that point in my life I had both sets of grandparents and I didn't know anyone who had died and had never even thought about death.  We lived near an Air Force base and one December day a C-130 cargo plane crashed in a field several miles west of our home in Belton Missouri killing all seven men aboard. When my dad came home from work we drove out to the crash scene and he explained death to me, solemnly pointing out that these men had families who would not see them on Christmas. My dad had trained as a pilot during World War 2 so perhaps this scene also gave him some pause for consideration.

I hope many of you are able to consider similar teaching memories from your dad. What a vital role they have in our lives.

I am preparing to issue a Biblical challenge to men this Sunday on Father's Day to rise up as men of God.  My main text is the solemn charge to Timothy expressed in the daily Scripture portion. My main points are Flee, Follow and Fight, but today I just want to consider the final point.

I have never enjoyed fighting. I recall a period in Junior High School when a class bully had the word out that he wanted to fight me. I was a skinny kid who could run a lot better than I could fight! I had no idea why he wanted to fight me but that was sure a hard several months. Thankfully, we never had the fight he threatened months earlier.  To this day I would much rather avoid conflict than face it.

But there is an ongoing conflict in the spiritual realm that is unavoidable. We who have decided to flee evil and follow Christ are engaged in this conflict by virtue of the fallen condition of mankind. Supposed neutrality in this conflict is actually surrender and an alliance with the forces of evil. Paul wrote, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).

Paul calls this "the good fight." This specific phrase is only used in the letters to Timothy. It is good in the sense that God desires his people not to surrender but to take an unyielding stand. The good fight is the ancient conflict that began with the fall of Satan that resulted in his expulsion from the heavenly realms. It was seen soon after Creation in the Garden and all through the Bible and human history.

As the great old hymn declares, "For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe, his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal."

Today we pray for all those fighting the good fight, seeking to contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints and standing up for God's truth and righteousness. We are convinced the battle will get increasingly fiercer. Let us all remain faithful to our call and, men, let us be spiritual leaders in our household! Declare with us "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!"


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, we pray for our fathers, grandfathers, husbands and sons that they will pursue godliness above any earthly pursuit.  We pray that they will resist the temptation to fall into the devil's trap where foolishness and harmful desires will plunge them to ruin resulting in disappointment, loss and heartache. Help them to flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  Help them to lead their families in the good fight of faith as they take hold of eternal life.  Make them strong in their faith so that they throw away anything that hinders their spiritual walk.  In Jesus' name we pray.  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.)

"The Family Prayer Song"
Video
"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord"

"One Thing Have I Desired"  Video

"To Be pleasing You"  Video

The written tribute: A great way to bless your father.

Call 2 Fall logoRegardless of what country you may live in we sure need a revival! On Sunday morning July 5 our church will join many others in participating in "Call2Fall", a nationwide prayer meeting. We encourage others to look into this, especially pastors here in America. Essentially this is a definite time during worship on Sunday, July 5th when we get on our knees before the Lord in repentant prayer, pleading with God to reshape our lives, renew our land, and send times of refreshing (See 2 Chronicles 7:14; Acts 3:19).

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.


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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 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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