The
online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber 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 <Previous
Message
Next
Message Wednesday, February 16, 2011 "God Is Able" "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Timothy 1:12). I regularly see trucks with an interesting slogan, "Kane Is Able" which makes me wonder if the originator of the slogan might have been influenced by the Biblical characters of Cain and Abel! I'm unfamiliar with this trucking company, but surely their slogan is intended to convey the proficiency of their service. Today we want to focus on the One who is supremely able to care for all our needs and is thus worthy of our utmost trust! Only after we fully trust an individual will we commit ourselves to that person. Years ago an interesting story was printed in "Our Daily Bread" that is a great illustration of trust: A crowd gazed in awe as a tightrope walker inched his way across Niagara Falls. The people cheered when he accomplished the feat. Then he turned to a man and said, "Do you think I am able to carry someone across?" "Sure," the man replied. "Let's go then!" "No thanks!" the man exclaimed. The story demonstrates a spiritual challenge each of us must face. Our sinfulness is a yawning chasm between us and God, and we are unable to cross it. Only Jesus is able to bring us safely to the other side. But we must repent and trust Him with our lives. Are you trying on your own to cross the chasm of sin that separates you from God? It's impossible. Put your trust in Christ, for He alone is able to bring you to God. The apostle Paul confidently wrote, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Timothy 1:12). "Able" is translated from the word dunatos (in turn from dunamai) which refers to the power one has by virtue of inherent ability and resources. "Able" describes that which has sufficient or necessary power, means, skill, or resources to accomplish an objective. Thus in this context dunatos describes one who is powerful enough to have the ability to perform the function of keeping what Paul had committed to Him. "God is able" is also expressed in a theological term known as omnipotence (all-powerful). In the epistles there are several rich expressions of what God is able to do:
Interestingly, though, Paul writes that there is one thing God is unable to do; to be untrue to Himself: "If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful because He cannot be untrue to Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13). That's one thing I'm glad God is unable to do; be untrue to Himself no matter the failings of humankind. Our Father was able to see that our righteous acts were no better than filthy rags, that we were without hope when we were without Him. But in Christ Jesus we who once were far away were brought to God through the blood of Christ. Our God is able to see us standing in His presence blameless and without fault, because of the sacrificial blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, how wonderful it is that nothing is impossible with You. There is nothing You are unable to do except that which is untrue to Your divine nature. You are able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within us. To You, Father, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. (See Ephesians 3:20) Today's
Suggested Music
and Supplemental
Resources "He Is Able" Video Heritage Singers Powerful song! "Our God Is Able" Video Don Moen "I Am Not Ashamed" Video Heritage Singers This was the theme of the message on February 10 but this is another version of the song we posted at that time. It has an outstanding message! "I Know Whom I Have Believed" Video This is set to a newer tune but maintains the same wonderful words. It is beautifully sung by a worship team in a local church. Here's an inspiring piano version of the same song using the familiar tune. Audio All through our series of messages on 2 Timothy 1:12 we will be using this song as a background to our daily podcast. If God Is Good . . . Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil By Randy Alcorn / Random House, Inc Difficult
times beg questions about God's goodness and power. Offering compelling
true stories, fresh answers, and biblical insights, Alcorn challenges
the logic of disbelief and reveals the big picture of who God is and
what he's doing in the world---equipping you to share your faith
clearly with those experiencing pain and fear. 432 pages, hardcover
from Multnomah. 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! 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 2011
Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA Home www.dailyencouragement.net Contact us This device counts unique
visitors by nation and
state. I
installed the international version in mid April 2010 and the state
version later. They thus register unique
visitors to since then. "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" |