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Monday, February 15, 2010

Meadow View farm scene
This farm is on Meadow View Road and is one of my favorite photo spots. We pass it each Sunday on the way to our church.
Here's a spring and autumn photo.

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"A Genuine Offer"

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you are like me you receive a barrage of offers. Lately I've been getting a lot of emails from Russian girls informing me that I supposedly met them.  There's an offer to meet them again if I click on the link. Well of course I don't click on the link but instead delete the email. It's likely that some of you've "met" these same "Russian girls."

Since Brooksyne and I, as a matter of accountability, have access to each other's email accounts we try to make a little humor of the ongoing nuisance these emails bring.  As we opened our email folder this morning
Brooksyne asked me with a wink, "So, did Natasha write to you overnight again?"

My elderly aunt stopped using email because of the trashy material she was exposed to. I recall all the way back to my days in New England the embarrassing materials that came on my saintly secretary's computer.

These offers come through snail mail, email, print media, over the radio and TV. They may even come knocking at your door.   I wonder if there are real people who fall for this stuff, but since the offers continue and even increase there must be.  P.T. Barnum said, "A sucker is born every minute" and that was back in the 1800's.  Try calculating how many that would add up to in present day.

Here's an offer that caught my attention.  It touted, "For the introductory price of only $19.95 you a brand new identity."  The deal promises that the "best thing about having a new you is that you have PERFECT credit, you can take a vacation on your newly found credit and never worry about the bills if you don't want to."  I wonder if they allow people to put the $19.95 introductory price on that credit card they're offering?  Well, I suppose that enough suckers will respond to make this innovative thief a small fortune.

There are many who earnestly want a new identity. It may be in regard to their facial features, body size, age marks, a seedy past, or whatever else troubles them and doesn't go away on its own.  The products that "promise" results line the store shelves, fill the air waves and cram my junk email folder. 

But the Scripture promises a genuine offer of a new identity that's been proven valid for over 2,000 years.  Millions can testify to the integrity of this promise.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 

I like the way one commentator puts it:  "The renewed man acts upon new principles, by new rules, with new ends, and in new company. The believer is created anew; his heart is not merely set right, but a new heart is given him. He is the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Though the same as a man, he is changed in his character and conduct. These words must and do mean more than an outward reformation. The man who formerly saw no beauty in the Saviour that he should desire Him, now loves Him above all things."

When I committed my life to Christ I became a new creation.  The daily Scripture text is one of the first verses that I ever memorized. The change in my life was both immediate and progressive.  Men and women from "every nation, tribe, people and language" have accepted this new identity and many are doing so every day.  The promise is freely available to each of you reading this. Have you accepted Christ's genuine offer?  It is the real deal and the only one that has immediate, lasting, and best of all eternal value!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, there is no sin too great that Your mercy is not greater.  We were born with a sin problem, but You provided the solution for our sin sick souls through the wondrous sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  We could never be good enough, rich enough, famous enough – nothing we offer is enough.  Anything we have to offer is sin-based because of our human condition and all that Christ offers is sin-less because He is the Lamb without blemish.  Only Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, is enough to pay for our sins.  Thank You for Your gift of eternal life through Jesus.  Amen.



A word about email. Thankfully filters do a great job of screening out most of the bad email but these people constantly work to get around the filters.  One of the challenges I have in sending out emails to the Daily Encouragement Net list is making sure I have content that gets through the filters.



More snow photos.
Today we are forecast to have another storm!

Chiques Bridge
This stone bridge is over Little Chiques Creek south of Mount Joy.

Amish buggy in snow
Buggies are out rain, shine or snow. This one had a two horse team for extra pulling power. Normally buggies are one horse powered.


Mourning dove in snow
This mourning dove seemed put off by the mounting snow and allowed me a close-up photo.


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.)

"2 Corinthians 5:17" Video Today's verse set to music for memorization.

"I'm A New Creation"  Video  

"I'm A New Creation"  Video  


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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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