A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home About Us Archives Free email subscription
Listen to these
messages
Text only for printing
See
here for more info.
<Previous
Message
Next
Message
Listen to this message on your
audio player.
"But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King" (Jeremiah 10:10). "All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever" (Micah 4:5).
I've been reading through I and II Kings for several weeks now and have done so slowly and thoughtfully, taking careful note of the way in which the kings reigned. What was their belief, how did they carry it out, what were the results, and how did their life end? What I've learned or I should say reaffirmed in my heart is that "What we believe is the pattern for which we live our lives."
This is true for rulers, politicians, employers, teachers, parents and right on down to everyday people like you and me.
As I read about the kings I recognized that their culture very much influenced their belief and the way in which they ruled. So much so that they "forgot" the law of Moses and began to adapt the philosophies and practices of godless nations, going so far as to offer their children up as a sacrifice to gods – a practice detestable to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Awhile back I had a lengthy discussion about postmodernism with a man about 15-20 years younger than I who earned a philosophy degree from a prestigious university. Simply put, postmodernism is the criticism and/or rejection of absolute truth and is rampant today.
One of the greatest offenses to secular sensitivities and religious tolerance is the assertion of the exclusive truth claims of Jesus Christ. To those ignorant of sound Biblical doctrine and thoroughly indoctrinated in the ways of the world this seems so unloving and even mean-spirited. Sadly this is evident in the modernistic and apostate churches. (Many aspects of postmodernism is also integrated in the growing emergent church movement).
"But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King" (Jeremiah 10:10).
To postmodernism thinking all religions are equally valid and there are many ways to God. This outlook is seen as virtuous, loving, and all-embracing of people's groups all over the world. The problem comes when we also embrace their foreign godless teaching and integrate various aspects of it into our every day way of life.
Asserting the exclusive truth claims of Christ seems intolerant and narrow-minded (two of the greatest taboos in secular thinking). Many have no problem recognizing Jesus as a fine man and excellent teacher, perhaps even a noble example. The rub comes in His claim to being the second Person in the divine Trinity, whom we alone must worship, and He is God's only provision for meeting our sin problem.
But true followers of Jesus Christ must faithfully proclaim their Master's words; "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). The apostolic proclamation was an unequivocal statement of faith concerning the Name of Jesus Christ, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Today's second verse draws a sharp contrast. Indeed, "All the nations may walk in the name of their gods." When written this referred to the specific false gods of the nations that surrounded Israel at that time such as Baal and Molech. But it still applies broadly to each generation, people and nation whether they are polytheistic (more than one god), atheistic, or materialistic. There are many false gods.
Today join me in making this great declaration of faith, "We will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever." What a powerful statement of steadfast commitment! We must not dilute the exclusive truth claims of Jesus Christ. And we must not "update" according to our present culture's way of thinking. To do so would be to present a false gospel. The apostle Paul reaffirms the words of Christ when he wrote, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time" (1 Timothy 2:5,6).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Jesus, when I chose to surrender my life to You it was not simply an emotional response that would last for a short season. I asked You to be my Lord and Master and to rule my heart for ever and ever. Though there have been trials galore that would assault my faith and countless remarks that would attack my faith I choose to walk in Your name forever and ever. In the good and bad of life You will always remain my only Lord and Master.
"This Is Our God" Video Chris Tomlin
"God And God Alone" Video Steve Green
"You Are God Alone" Video Phillips, Craig and Dean
Here are some online articles concerning today's topic
"Jesus: The Only Way To Heaven?"
"The New Absolutes"
Monday, February 8, 2010
Here's the view from
our front porch Saturday afternoon after the storm passed by!
Listen to this message on your
audio player. "The One True God"
"But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King" (Jeremiah 10:10). "All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever" (Micah 4:5).
I've been reading through I and II Kings for several weeks now and have done so slowly and thoughtfully, taking careful note of the way in which the kings reigned. What was their belief, how did they carry it out, what were the results, and how did their life end? What I've learned or I should say reaffirmed in my heart is that "What we believe is the pattern for which we live our lives."
This is true for rulers, politicians, employers, teachers, parents and right on down to everyday people like you and me.
As I read about the kings I recognized that their culture very much influenced their belief and the way in which they ruled. So much so that they "forgot" the law of Moses and began to adapt the philosophies and practices of godless nations, going so far as to offer their children up as a sacrifice to gods – a practice detestable to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Awhile back I had a lengthy discussion about postmodernism with a man about 15-20 years younger than I who earned a philosophy degree from a prestigious university. Simply put, postmodernism is the criticism and/or rejection of absolute truth and is rampant today.
One of the greatest offenses to secular sensitivities and religious tolerance is the assertion of the exclusive truth claims of Jesus Christ. To those ignorant of sound Biblical doctrine and thoroughly indoctrinated in the ways of the world this seems so unloving and even mean-spirited. Sadly this is evident in the modernistic and apostate churches. (Many aspects of postmodernism is also integrated in the growing emergent church movement).
"But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King" (Jeremiah 10:10).
To postmodernism thinking all religions are equally valid and there are many ways to God. This outlook is seen as virtuous, loving, and all-embracing of people's groups all over the world. The problem comes when we also embrace their foreign godless teaching and integrate various aspects of it into our every day way of life.
Asserting the exclusive truth claims of Christ seems intolerant and narrow-minded (two of the greatest taboos in secular thinking). Many have no problem recognizing Jesus as a fine man and excellent teacher, perhaps even a noble example. The rub comes in His claim to being the second Person in the divine Trinity, whom we alone must worship, and He is God's only provision for meeting our sin problem.
But true followers of Jesus Christ must faithfully proclaim their Master's words; "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). The apostolic proclamation was an unequivocal statement of faith concerning the Name of Jesus Christ, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Today's second verse draws a sharp contrast. Indeed, "All the nations may walk in the name of their gods." When written this referred to the specific false gods of the nations that surrounded Israel at that time such as Baal and Molech. But it still applies broadly to each generation, people and nation whether they are polytheistic (more than one god), atheistic, or materialistic. There are many false gods.
Today join me in making this great declaration of faith, "We will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever." What a powerful statement of steadfast commitment! We must not dilute the exclusive truth claims of Jesus Christ. And we must not "update" according to our present culture's way of thinking. To do so would be to present a false gospel. The apostle Paul reaffirms the words of Christ when he wrote, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time" (1 Timothy 2:5,6).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Jesus, when I chose to surrender my life to You it was not simply an emotional response that would last for a short season. I asked You to be my Lord and Master and to rule my heart for ever and ever. Though there have been trials galore that would assault my faith and countless remarks that would attack my faith I choose to walk in Your name forever and ever. In the good and bad of life You will always remain my only Lord and Master.
More photos from our weekend snowstorm
Here's
a view of our home late Saturday afternoon after the storm passed. Our
neighbor had brough his tractor over to clear out our driveway.
Brooksyne enjoys feeding the birds and is especially pleased when the cardinals come!
Mr. Cardinal always gets our attention after a snowfall. The bright red in contrast to the white snow is stunning.
Late Saturday afternoon I got out and passed this buried car.
(Only the driver's side mirror is visible!)
(Only the driver's side mirror is visible!)
A tradition in the Weber home after a big snow storm is snow ice cream.
SNOW ICE CREAM
1 can cold evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. maple syrup (optional)
10 cups clean, cold snow (or to taste)
Mix evaporated milk on high till it whips and is thickened (as shown above). Add 2 eggs and mix. Add sugar and vanilla and maple syrup. Add flavorings if desired, strawberries, chocolate, pineapple, coconut, nuts, etc. Best when eaten immediately. Freeze leftover and eat as soon as possible.
SNOW ICE CREAM
1 can cold evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. maple syrup (optional)
10 cups clean, cold snow (or to taste)
Mix evaporated milk on high till it whips and is thickened (as shown above). Add 2 eggs and mix. Add sugar and vanilla and maple syrup. Add flavorings if desired, strawberries, chocolate, pineapple, coconut, nuts, etc. Best when eaten immediately. Freeze leftover and eat as soon as possible.
After
mixing the ingredients it's ready to serve! (This recipe works
best with dry snow. If it's a heavy moist snow it melts quickly
and compromises the overall quality of the ice cream.)
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.)
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
"This Is Our God" Video Chris Tomlin
"God And God Alone" Video Steve Green
"You Are God Alone" Video Phillips, Craig and Dean
Here are some online articles concerning today's topic
"Jesus: The Only Way To Heaven?"
"The New Absolutes"
Send
a message to Stephen &
Brooksyne.
Permissions:
Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on
Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided
that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the
cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not
protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact,
copyright and subscription information intact.
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!
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."
Daily
Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com
©
Copyright 2010
Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"