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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 ![]() ![]() ![]() Tuesday, January 17, 2012 ![]() Red Barn in snowy Wisconsin (taken by my cousin) ![]() "Holding Unswervingly" "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23). ![]() A critically important and fundamental skill of football is holding onto and keeping a tight grip on the ball. This last weekend, as I watched a game, the announcer commented prior to halftime that the coach needed to stress the fundamentals again due to the many dropped balls. A news story following the game read: "The Packers lost their grip on the football Sunday, and as a result, they lost their grip on the Lombardi Trophy. The Packers played uncharacteristically, losing three fumbles and dropping five passes in a stunning 37-20 divisional playoff loss to the Giants at Lambeau Field." In life there are many ways in which it is imperative that we hold unswervingly and keep a tight grip such as our commitment to our marriage, our family and our integrity. But the most essential tight grip is seen in our daily text: "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess." Other versions state, "Let us hold fast without wavering" and "Without wavering, let us hold tightly." ![]() The author of Hebrews uses this phrase "let us" twelve times. When I read this book or hear sermons preached using this phrase (also known technically as the cohortatory) I am encouraged, as it seems the author or preacher is leading me, not pushing me. The writer conveys that he was facing the same circumstances as his readers so he presents a form of personal resolve in his writing. I believe today's text is the singular key text in the entire book. This call to faithfulness is directed to the earliest believers who were the initial recipients of this Scripture and to all others through the ages of the Church, including us today. That's a vital way we read the Scriptures. We are to "hold unswervingly to the hope we profess." Of course primarily this hope we profess is the hope we have in Christ. Earlier in the book we read, "we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end" (Hebrews 6:11). And this hope we profess is absolutely secure, "for He who promised is faithful." Rest in this wonderful assurance today and join me in holding unswervingly to our hope in Christ! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber ![]() See Psalm 37:24; John 10:29 ![]() Yesterday we joined our friend Mary Ann Miller for her 60th birthday luncheon. We enjoyed our visit with Mary Ann and her husband, Lloyd, along with family members and co-workers, complete with a Lancaster County favorite, Whoopie Pies that she had made! The derivation of this food is quite interesting in light of the fact that Mary Ann was old order Amish as a child and still has many connections to that faith. Amish women would bake these desserts (known as hucklebucks at the time) and put them in farmers' lunch pails or lunch boxes. When they would find the treats in their lunch, they'd shout "Whoopie!" Furthermore it is thought that the original Whoopie pies may have been made from cake batter leftovers. (That would be consistent with the resourcefulness of the Amish.) Here's a photo of whoopie pies and an article. ![]() We passed a most unusual rural mailbox yesterday here in Lancaster County! I suppose I could create a photo collection of colorful mailboxes we pass such as here, here, here and here (Doris High). ![]() A reader shared this note in regard to yesterday's message: I was fired from a company for not discharging 35 white/gray-collar workers fast enough. At age 55 I was devastated and forgot God was in absolute control. I didn't realize it at the time what an incredible blessing my firing would be. I started my own business and never looked back and have developed more than 10,000 customers I never would have met had I still had a "real" job. Our God is an awesome God and trusting Him explicitly regardless of the circumstances is the key to happiness. Praise God. (Stephen: I happen to know this reader personally and he got into insurance sales. He also sees his work as a means of letting Christ's light shine through him and ministering to others, so the increase in contacts actually gives him a larger ministry platform.) Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Press On" Video Selah "I Am Resolved" Video Dailey & Vincent "My Hope Is In The Lord" Video Tommy Coomes Band "My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less" Video Sovereign Grace Music "In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found" Video Geoffe Moore & Adrienne Liesching Today's photo of the red barn in the snow was taken by my cousin who lives in Wisconsin. We haven't had any significant snow in our area since a storm in October. I for one always enjoy a few nice snow storms in the winter! ![]() 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 2012 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |