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Friday, March 2, 2012
This quaint spring house is on Musser Road, about 1/2 mile east of our home, a relatively straight walk through now dormant farm fields.
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player
"When Every Man Does His Own Thing"
"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).
Earlier this week we shared a message titled "Rebuilding The Ancient Ruins",
which was a call to being a faithful remnant in these increasingly evil
days. I alluded to a recent poll that showed 74% of Americans
believe our nation is in moral decline but only 36% believe we should
live by God’s principles of right and wrong.
"74% of Americans believe our nation is in moral decline" Although I suppose it's heartening that a clear majority still acknowledge the moral decline it's astounding that over 25% don't! But the extremely revealing fact that grieves my spirit, in understanding the current state of affairs, is that "only 36% believe we should live by God’s principles of right and wrong."
That really got me thinking and the daily verse came to mind. A sense of interpreting the survey result is that a majority realize the consequences of people doing their own thing ("moral decline"), but only a minority acknowledge the need for God's standards (to live by God’s principles of right and wrong.")
Where is our culture heading? When will the Judge of the universe act in a dramatic way to judge evil as He has done so all throughout history? These are questions I have today particularly as I consider the moral apostasy evident throughout the world.
The Book of Judges ends with the summary statement that describes the moral climate of Israel as expressed in the daily text. The early part of the verse describes the period as a time when "there was no king in Israel."
As later history proved, this in itself was not necessarily significant. Even when the nation had kings there were periods when the people earnestly followed and obeyed God. But there were also periods of spiritual decline and apostasy. However if we understand "king" in the sense of "moral authority" this portion has enduring meaning.
The latter part of the verse really sums up the period: "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes." The NIV phrases it, "everyone did as he saw fit." The period of the Judges was one of the most barbaric times in history. Some are troubled at the events recorded and even wonder why they are mentioned in the Bible, but they merely document the sordid history of the period and the consequences of living without regard to God. Details were very possibly worse than recorded in Scripture due to the sensitivities of the writer.
Is it that much different than our day? Stories of barbarism are far too common in our own time. Listen to the news any given day and the increase in lawlessness is evidenced all around us. Surely the phrase, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" describes our times as well.
Fellow believer, let us who follow the Lord heed the words of Scripture through Moses: "Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 12:28). Today, let's strive to do what's good and right in the eyes of the Lord!
Let us live under the realization that "the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). Let us commit our hearts fully to Him this day and receive His strength and blessing as we live in these very challenging times.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father,
we read throughout the period of the Judges that the people of Israel
endured great heartache and spiritual defeat because each one became
his own authority and acted on his own opinions of what was right and
wrong. They did not look to You as the final authority; they
disregarded Your holy laws and chose to do that which was right in
their own eyes. We see this prevailing attitude in our own day.
But as believers we acknowledge that our judgment is flawed and our
motives are selfish when we do not submit our will to a holy God who
knows what is best for His children. We want to obey Your laws and
surrender our will as we seek to do what is good and right in Your
eyes. This will result in our hearts being strengthened and our lives
being blessed as we walk in the ways of Christ in whose name we pray.
Amen.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Find Us Faithful" Video Steve Green
"If We've Ever Needed You" Video Casting Crowns Brooksyne and Ester hope to work at a Casting Crowns concert at the Giant Center in Hershey later this month.
"Draw Me" Video Keith Green
An Example Of "dogged" Persistence: Ester
made a YouTube video of Mollie's astounding agility and jumping ability. She was jumping to reach one of her rope toys we had on a tree branch stub some six
feet off the ground!
She gets it and is immediately ready to do it again! In fact
Brooksyne went out today and there she was under the tree, rope in her
mouth looking up waiting for Brooksyne to dangle it on the edge of the
limb.
I received word this week that Edward Menaldino, who had a brief but significant impact on my life, went to be with the Lord at 86. The story of his impact was shared in this message.
Yesterday we shared a quiz. The first to respond with the correct answers was Lee from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who sent in the correct answers in a little over an hour after our message was posted! We will be sending him a copy of "Earthen Vessels" Devotional Thoughts from the best of J. Oswald Sanders.
We'll repeat the quiz below and then place the key with the correct answers highlighted in yellow below the "boilerplate" footers
Find the 30 “hidden” books of the Bible in this paragraph! Two examples are seen highlighted in yellow (Mark and Nahum)
This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That’s a fact. Some people however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized, truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, the books are right there in plain view, hidden from sight. Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answer. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found.
(See below all footers for quiz key with all correct answers highlighted)
Send
a message
to Stephen &
Brooksyne
Friday, March 2, 2012
This quaint spring house is on Musser Road, about 1/2 mile east of our home, a relatively straight walk through now dormant farm fields.
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player"When Every Man Does His Own Thing"
"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).
Earlier this week we shared a message titled "Rebuilding The Ancient Ruins",
which was a call to being a faithful remnant in these increasingly evil
days. I alluded to a recent poll that showed 74% of Americans
believe our nation is in moral decline but only 36% believe we should
live by God’s principles of right and wrong."74% of Americans believe our nation is in moral decline" Although I suppose it's heartening that a clear majority still acknowledge the moral decline it's astounding that over 25% don't! But the extremely revealing fact that grieves my spirit, in understanding the current state of affairs, is that "only 36% believe we should live by God’s principles of right and wrong."
That really got me thinking and the daily verse came to mind. A sense of interpreting the survey result is that a majority realize the consequences of people doing their own thing ("moral decline"), but only a minority acknowledge the need for God's standards (to live by God’s principles of right and wrong.")
Where is our culture heading? When will the Judge of the universe act in a dramatic way to judge evil as He has done so all throughout history? These are questions I have today particularly as I consider the moral apostasy evident throughout the world.
The Book of Judges ends with the summary statement that describes the moral climate of Israel as expressed in the daily text. The early part of the verse describes the period as a time when "there was no king in Israel."
As later history proved, this in itself was not necessarily significant. Even when the nation had kings there were periods when the people earnestly followed and obeyed God. But there were also periods of spiritual decline and apostasy. However if we understand "king" in the sense of "moral authority" this portion has enduring meaning.
The latter part of the verse really sums up the period: "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes." The NIV phrases it, "everyone did as he saw fit." The period of the Judges was one of the most barbaric times in history. Some are troubled at the events recorded and even wonder why they are mentioned in the Bible, but they merely document the sordid history of the period and the consequences of living without regard to God. Details were very possibly worse than recorded in Scripture due to the sensitivities of the writer.
Is it that much different than our day? Stories of barbarism are far too common in our own time. Listen to the news any given day and the increase in lawlessness is evidenced all around us. Surely the phrase, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" describes our times as well.
Fellow believer, let us who follow the Lord heed the words of Scripture through Moses: "Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 12:28). Today, let's strive to do what's good and right in the eyes of the Lord!
Let us live under the realization that "the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). Let us commit our hearts fully to Him this day and receive His strength and blessing as we live in these very challenging times.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father,
we read throughout the period of the Judges that the people of Israel
endured great heartache and spiritual defeat because each one became
his own authority and acted on his own opinions of what was right and
wrong. They did not look to You as the final authority; they
disregarded Your holy laws and chose to do that which was right in
their own eyes. We see this prevailing attitude in our own day.
But as believers we acknowledge that our judgment is flawed and our
motives are selfish when we do not submit our will to a holy God who
knows what is best for His children. We want to obey Your laws and
surrender our will as we seek to do what is good and right in Your
eyes. This will result in our hearts being strengthened and our lives
being blessed as we walk in the ways of Christ in whose name we pray.
Amen.Can anyone tell me what this says?
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Find Us Faithful" Video Steve Green
"If We've Ever Needed You" Video Casting Crowns Brooksyne and Ester hope to work at a Casting Crowns concert at the Giant Center in Hershey later this month.
"Draw Me" Video Keith Green
An Example Of "dogged" Persistence: Ester
made a YouTube video of Mollie's astounding agility and jumping ability. She was jumping to reach one of her rope toys we had on a tree branch stub some six
feet off the ground!
She gets it and is immediately ready to do it again! In fact
Brooksyne went out today and there she was under the tree, rope in her
mouth looking up waiting for Brooksyne to dangle it on the edge of the
limb.I received word this week that Edward Menaldino, who had a brief but significant impact on my life, went to be with the Lord at 86. The story of his impact was shared in this message.
Hidden Bible Book Quiz!
Yesterday we shared a quiz. The first to respond with the correct answers was Lee from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who sent in the correct answers in a little over an hour after our message was posted! We will be sending him a copy of "Earthen Vessels" Devotional Thoughts from the best of J. Oswald Sanders.
We'll repeat the quiz below and then place the key with the correct answers highlighted in yellow below the "boilerplate" footers
Find the 30 “hidden” books of the Bible in this paragraph! Two examples are seen highlighted in yellow (Mark and Nahum)
This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That’s a fact. Some people however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized, truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, the books are right there in plain view, hidden from sight. Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answer. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found.
(See below all footers for quiz key with all correct answers highlighted)
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Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
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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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This device counts unique
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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"
Hidden Bible Book Quiz Key
(see above for Quiz)!
(see above for Quiz)!
This is a most
remarkable
puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from
Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping
him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some
friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john
boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. El aine Taylor a columnist
friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column.
Another friend judges
the job
of solving this puzzle so involving, s he brews a cup of tea to
help her nerves. There
will be some names that are really easy to spot. That’s a fact. S
ome people however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the
book names are not necessarily capitalized, truthfully, from answers
we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a
minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has
shown that something in our genes is responsible for the
difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund
raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade
booth set a new sales record. The local, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200
patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had
ever seen. As Daniel
Humana humbly
puts it, the books are right there in plain view, hidden from sight. Those a
ble to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who
have to be shown. One revelation that may help is
that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also keep in
mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude
will help you com peter
eally well against those who claim to know the answer. Remember, there is no
need for a mad exodus,
there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this
paragraph waiting to be found.