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
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player
"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" (Proverbs 4:13). "Test everything. Hold on to the good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown" (Revelation 3:11).
Each of our daily verses instructs the reader to "hold on". We hope you noticed that!
We must press on daily in our walk with the Lord and we must hold on to His truths if we are to be victorious. Today we consider the spiritual concept of "holding on." We often hear this expressed in the phrase, "I'm hanging in there." In some instances it can be a very trite saying but at other times, when talking to one who is going through a very difficult trial, I am blessed to hear them repeat these words with a resolve to stay faithful especially in the midst of adversity.
Let us consider the "hold on" in our three daily verses:
1) "Hold on to instruction" I feel this is best understood as the instruction we have received based upon the Holy Scriptures from godly people who have gone before us; people we know personally (2 Timothy 3:10) where we are able to witness the outcome of their way of life (Hebrews 13:7). I hear this expressed in the New Testament by the apostle Paul: "You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them" (2 Timothy 3:14a).
2) "Hold on to the good" I respond to this command today with a resounding AMEN, as evil increasingly abounds and permeates our world. We find out what is good by learning the Scriptures. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah 6:16: "This is what the LORD says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls'." Romans 12:9 puts it so succinctly, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."
3) "Hold on to what you have" I believe this is foundationally a call to hold on to our faith in God. This
is a command from Christ to the church in Philadelphia (ancient
Philadelphia of course). This is an actual city in present day
Turkey presently named Alasehir (see here for map). At the time of John's writing the church had remained
faithful to the Lord during a time of persecution, receiving this
wonderful commendation from the Lord, "I know that you have little
strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My Name." He
goes on to state, concerning these ancient Christians, "You have kept My command to endure patiently" (Revelation 3:10).
Indeed let us hold on and remain steadfast as we maintain our faith in God! God is strategically planning a future date when conflict will be vanquished, righteousness will prevail, and the everlasting crown will be awarded those who patiently hold on in their faithfulness to God.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
Prayer: Father, help us to contend with those obstacles that
are a part of our strict training so that we will receive an
everlasting crown. Help us to patiently endure and prayerfully
endear the important truths You teach us in our spiritual
training. We want to hold on to Your unchanging hand as we build
our lives not on the shifting sands of time, but on that which will
never perish! Amen.
Personal note: The theme of "holding on" is applicable on many fronts and we're especially mindful of recent calls and emails that we've received from our readers; those asking for prayer regarding disrespectful neighbors, troubled children, critical medical diagnoses, etc. These are the testing grounds in which we play out our claims of faith, to see if it is genuine or just talk. The "play by play" actions of our faith will bring glory, honor and praise to our Heavenly Father as we hold onto His truths and act in accordance to His will. Hold on to His unchanging Hand, dear friend, for He will see you through. This is but a journey; reaching our final eternal destination will make the toils of our present life worth it all!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player"Hold On!"
"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" (Proverbs 4:13). "Test everything. Hold on to the good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown" (Revelation 3:11).
Each of our daily verses instructs the reader to "hold on". We hope you noticed that!We must press on daily in our walk with the Lord and we must hold on to His truths if we are to be victorious. Today we consider the spiritual concept of "holding on." We often hear this expressed in the phrase, "I'm hanging in there." In some instances it can be a very trite saying but at other times, when talking to one who is going through a very difficult trial, I am blessed to hear them repeat these words with a resolve to stay faithful especially in the midst of adversity.
Let us consider the "hold on" in our three daily verses:
1) "Hold on to instruction" I feel this is best understood as the instruction we have received based upon the Holy Scriptures from godly people who have gone before us; people we know personally (2 Timothy 3:10) where we are able to witness the outcome of their way of life (Hebrews 13:7). I hear this expressed in the New Testament by the apostle Paul: "You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them" (2 Timothy 3:14a).
2) "Hold on to the good" I respond to this command today with a resounding AMEN, as evil increasingly abounds and permeates our world. We find out what is good by learning the Scriptures. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah 6:16: "This is what the LORD says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls'." Romans 12:9 puts it so succinctly, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."
3) "Hold on to what you have" I believe this is foundationally a call to hold on to our faith in God. This
is a command from Christ to the church in Philadelphia (ancient
Philadelphia of course). This is an actual city in present day
Turkey presently named Alasehir (see here for map). At the time of John's writing the church had remained
faithful to the Lord during a time of persecution, receiving this
wonderful commendation from the Lord, "I know that you have little
strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My Name." He
goes on to state, concerning these ancient Christians, "You have kept My command to endure patiently" (Revelation 3:10). Indeed let us hold on and remain steadfast as we maintain our faith in God! God is strategically planning a future date when conflict will be vanquished, righteousness will prevail, and the everlasting crown will be awarded those who patiently hold on in their faithfulness to God.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
Prayer: Father, help us to contend with those obstacles that
are a part of our strict training so that we will receive an
everlasting crown. Help us to patiently endure and prayerfully
endear the important truths You teach us in our spiritual
training. We want to hold on to Your unchanging hand as we build
our lives not on the shifting sands of time, but on that which will
never perish! Amen.Personal note: The theme of "holding on" is applicable on many fronts and we're especially mindful of recent calls and emails that we've received from our readers; those asking for prayer regarding disrespectful neighbors, troubled children, critical medical diagnoses, etc. These are the testing grounds in which we play out our claims of faith, to see if it is genuine or just talk. The "play by play" actions of our faith will bring glory, honor and praise to our Heavenly Father as we hold onto His truths and act in accordance to His will. Hold on to His unchanging Hand, dear friend, for He will see you through. This is but a journey; reaching our final eternal destination will make the toils of our present life worth it all!
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"When Trials Come" Video Keith and Kristyn Getty
"Find Us Faithful" Video Let There Be Praise Singers
"Hold On To Jesus" Video Steven Curtis Chapman
"Jesus, Hold Me Now" Video Casting Crowns
"Hold On" Video James Pullin and Remnant
"I'm Still Holding On" Video Luther Barnes and Red Budd Choir
"The Lord's Prayer" Video Selah This beautiful rendition of the Lord's Prayer played on our local radio station, WDAC-FM, yesterday and it captured my (Brooksyne's) full attention. As the solemn words from our Lord's model prayer in the Gospels were sung, it reminded me that this is a prayer we should pray regularly. Jesus' prayer honors our Father in heaven even as He is mindful of our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. Remember, friends, whatever is on your heart today, "Take it to the Lord in prayer."
"It Will Be Worth It All, When We See Christ" Video Musicians not identified.
Send
a message to Stephen &
Brooksyne
"When Trials Come" Video Keith and Kristyn Getty
"Find Us Faithful" Video Let There Be Praise Singers
"Hold On To Jesus" Video Steven Curtis Chapman
"Jesus, Hold Me Now" Video Casting Crowns
"Hold On" Video James Pullin and Remnant
"I'm Still Holding On" Video Luther Barnes and Red Budd Choir
"The Lord's Prayer" Video Selah This beautiful rendition of the Lord's Prayer played on our local radio station, WDAC-FM, yesterday and it captured my (Brooksyne's) full attention. As the solemn words from our Lord's model prayer in the Gospels were sung, it reminded me that this is a prayer we should pray regularly. Jesus' prayer honors our Father in heaven even as He is mindful of our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. Remember, friends, whatever is on your heart today, "Take it to the Lord in prayer."
"It Will Be Worth It All, When We See Christ" Video Musicians not identified.
Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation to Daily
Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this
daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all
over the world. Daily
Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support
of its readers and
podcast listeners. See here for more information on
supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.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