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
Thursday, May 12,
2011
Sunset on Donegal Creek
Sunset on Donegal Creek
40 Day New Testament
Reading/Listening Plan: We began a 40 day New Testament reading plan on April 3. The
link below will open to the selection to be read along with a built-in
listening
device. Final day! Congratulations to all who finished reading the New Testament in the last 40 days. For those still plugging along don't give up, keep reading, for the best is yet to come!
- Today's reading (May 12): Revelation 16 beginning here.
"We Win!"
"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!" (Revelation 19:6,7).
I've heard a lot of sermons over my lifetime. I've also preached a lot of sermons over the past 35 years. Quite frankly I don't remember very many sermons in specificity, including those I myself preached, although for many years I have kept a log.
In preaching we tend to especially remember zingers, those poignant points that really touch our hearts. Early in my Christian walk I remember an evangelist who dramatically raised his Bible in the air and declared, "I looked ahead to the back of the book and we win!" (It may have been David Wilkerson though there are a number of preachers who have done this over the years, and after the initial exposure it loses its punch over time.)
Revelation is a hard book. Its imagery is hard to understand and at times may even be a bit creepy (with all due respect to the Bible, God's holy inspired Word). But it can be summed up by these two victorious words, "We Win".
In Revelation 17:14 we read of the culmination of the ancient battle, "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:57, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Being assured of this absolute victory we serve Christ. All over the world today the people of God are making a proclamation of the reigning and victorious Lord; His Kingdom is being lovingly expanded around the globe. I am convinced that the vast amount of this expansion is taking place in small ways and is barely noticeable. Cookies are being baked for a youth center, visits are being made to nursing homes, Christians are letting their light shine where they work, families are welcoming orphans into their Christian homes.
Deep in the Middle East a medical clinic is providing care to the impoverished masses. In Africa the "Jesus" video is being shown in a small rural village because a faithful missionary trudged through the dense bush to reach it. A chaplain walks through a stench-filled prison looking for an opportunity to share Christ's redemptive love that reaches to the uttermost. And in the great cities, churches like Brooklyn Tabernacle and scores of others are faithfully proclaiming the redemptive message of salvation. We are declaring in scores of different ways our foundational belief that "He reigns."
Today God's redeemed children are about their Master's business waiting for the trumpet sound that will signal, "Time's up, the battle is won". Our daily text is a glimpse of the other side described as a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, as the saints throughout the ages shout: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns!" Amen!
Allow this truth to minister to you in regard to the trials and troubles you face this day:
"We Win!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
we give thanks to You who gives us victory in life's ongoing battles
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to listen to the prompting
of Your Holy Spirit that reveals
to us the various ways that we can be used to further Your kingdom and
expand the gospel
message at home and abroad. As You reign in our hearts may our
lives bear fruit that brings glory to Your name, as we seek to glorify
You in all that we do. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
I've heard a lot of sermons over my lifetime. I've also preached a lot of sermons over the past 35 years. Quite frankly I don't remember very many sermons in specificity, including those I myself preached, although for many years I have kept a log.
In preaching we tend to especially remember zingers, those poignant points that really touch our hearts. Early in my Christian walk I remember an evangelist who dramatically raised his Bible in the air and declared, "I looked ahead to the back of the book and we win!" (It may have been David Wilkerson though there are a number of preachers who have done this over the years, and after the initial exposure it loses its punch over time.)
Revelation is a hard book. Its imagery is hard to understand and at times may even be a bit creepy (with all due respect to the Bible, God's holy inspired Word). But it can be summed up by these two victorious words, "We Win".
In Revelation 17:14 we read of the culmination of the ancient battle, "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:57, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Being assured of this absolute victory we serve Christ. All over the world today the people of God are making a proclamation of the reigning and victorious Lord; His Kingdom is being lovingly expanded around the globe. I am convinced that the vast amount of this expansion is taking place in small ways and is barely noticeable. Cookies are being baked for a youth center, visits are being made to nursing homes, Christians are letting their light shine where they work, families are welcoming orphans into their Christian homes.
Deep in the Middle East a medical clinic is providing care to the impoverished masses. In Africa the "Jesus" video is being shown in a small rural village because a faithful missionary trudged through the dense bush to reach it. A chaplain walks through a stench-filled prison looking for an opportunity to share Christ's redemptive love that reaches to the uttermost. And in the great cities, churches like Brooklyn Tabernacle and scores of others are faithfully proclaiming the redemptive message of salvation. We are declaring in scores of different ways our foundational belief that "He reigns."
Today God's redeemed children are about their Master's business waiting for the trumpet sound that will signal, "Time's up, the battle is won". Our daily text is a glimpse of the other side described as a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, as the saints throughout the ages shout: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns!" Amen!
Allow this truth to minister to you in regard to the trials and troubles you face this day:
- That health matter that is so uncertain. He reigns!
- The job or financial situation that looks like a long, dark tunnel and at this point you really can't see the light at the end. He reigns!
- The family troubles that seem to only worsen. He reigns!
"We Win!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
we give thanks to You who gives us victory in life's ongoing battles
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to listen to the prompting
of Your Holy Spirit that reveals
to us the various ways that we can be used to further Your kingdom and
expand the gospel
message at home and abroad. As You reign in our hearts may our
lives bear fruit that brings glory to Your name, as we seek to glorify
You in all that we do. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music
and Supplemental
Resources
"Worthy Is The Lamb" Video
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir We've been there and surely it's
a glimpse of what heavenly singing will be like! Get ready to
praise the Lord!!! The multiracial, multi-ethnic composition of
the choir and church is surely a bit like heaven. The music was as close as I imagine "heavenly singing"
will be. Hands raised all through the sanctuary and one by one people
stood up in worship to the King of kings.
"Revelation Song" Video Gateway Worship Another powerful song!
Send
a message to Stephen &
Brooksyne."Revelation Song" Video Gateway Worship Another powerful song!
Joe, a local friend and farmer, provides this detail regarding the photo
of the tractor and tank in yesterday's post. It is a means of applying
fertilizer. Anhydrous ammonia is a
low cost way of getting nitrogen into the soil, which is needed by
every growing plant. It is in a compressed gas form and changes into a
gas which flows through the lines and must be injected into the ground due to the intensity of the ammonia. That is why they
inject the gas into the ground where it binds with the soil and is
readily available to growing plants. It is a byproduct of steel
production. We also heard from a reader who runs a business
supplying this to area farmers.
Joe asked, "Did you ever take the cap off of a bottle of ammonia?" As a matter of fact I have with a very distinct memory. Many years ago I had a radio program with a devotional message at a small AM radio station in Saint Marys PA. That was before mp3 so I had to go to the studio for each message. Once I was literally nosing around and came across a bottle used for some process there and stuck my nose right over it to take whiff. WOW it burned straight through my brain and practically knocked me out. It was a very powerful type of ammonia. I forgot the lesson in High school chemistry class about wafting the smell toward you.
Joe asked, "Did you ever take the cap off of a bottle of ammonia?" As a matter of fact I have with a very distinct memory. Many years ago I had a radio program with a devotional message at a small AM radio station in Saint Marys PA. That was before mp3 so I had to go to the studio for each message. Once I was literally nosing around and came across a bottle used for some process there and stuck my nose right over it to take whiff. WOW it burned straight through my brain and practically knocked me out. It was a very powerful type of ammonia. I forgot the lesson in High school chemistry class about wafting the smell toward you.
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 2011
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
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 since then.
"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"