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Thursday, January 14, 2016
The sculpture was crafted from 1000 pounds of butter over 14 days.
"A Warning To The Secure"
Message Summary: Twenty-six hundred years ago the people sadly responded to Jeremiah's warning with an emphatic, "I will not listen." And so many are responding the same way today as they turn a deaf ear toward God's message and messengers. We hope you are listening to God's loving warnings, as spoken by His servants and written in His Word. In Christ alone we have true security for all eternity. "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player."It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure" (Psalm 18:32). "I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me" (Jeremiah 22:21). "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19).
Yesterday we visited the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg which is essentially Pennsylvania's State Fair held indoors in the winter. It is the largest indoor agricultural event held in the United States with some 600,000 people attending over the 8 day period. This is the 100th anniversary of the show which includes farm animals and equipment, many demonstrations such as cutting wool directly from a sheep, combing (or whatever they call it), and making a shawl.
The show has a
massive food court featuring Pennsylvania grown products. I especially
like the mushroom soup; Brooksyne enjoyed the trout chowder; and Ester
had
a huge piece of breaded mozzarella cheese. Famous for their thick
vanilla and chocolate milkshakes they broke rank and introduced
strawberry this year. And of course we had to test the newest product
for the Dairymen's Association! All three of us give the strawberry flavor five *****.The Farm Show draws a lot of people and one of the concerns this year, as is the case with many large venues, was security. I had read that they had additional measures in place but we didn't really notice any difference from previous years.
Security! That's why we use it a lot as a descriptive term for such titles as security guard, security deposit, security blanket, alarm security. How many of you use computer security?
With the rise in terrorism we no longer take security for granted. The other night a police officer in Philadelphia faced an execution style shooting and amazingly survived. Regardless of where this is being read your country has likely been impacted by terrorism. Security is a real blessing and we use the word in various ways. We strive for financial security. We prepare our home so that it is secure against the perils of the weather and many people buy security alarms to ward off thieves. We desire security in regard to our health.
These forms of security are a blessing but they can also lull us into a false sense of security if they are the total focus of our hope. The only true and lasting type of security is in God. "It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure" (Psalm 18:32). "Blessed is He whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD His God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them - the LORD, who remains faithful forever" (Psalm 146:5,6).
Jeremiah faithfully ministered during those fateful last days of Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity. He served during the time of godly Josiah who was the last king that honored God. He courageously ministered during the time that the four evil kings who followed King Josiah reigned. The context of the daily verse places it at the time of Jehoiakim, who reigned for eleven years and whose life is summed up by the candid phrase, "the detestable things he did" (2 Chronicles 36:8).
I'm intrigued by the first clause in the second daily text: "I warned you when you felt secure." In addition to security the Hebrew word used here conveys abundance and prosperity. It seems that just prior to the fall of the kingdom there was a period of prosperity and security in Judah. Even as evil swept through the land and judgment loomed, the economy was booming. The Israelites "felt secure" and refused to listen to the warning of the true prophet of God. By contrast the false prophets were saying, "Peace, peace" (Jeremiah 8:11b).
Twenty-six hundred years ago the people sadly responded to Jeremiah's warning with an emphatic, "I will not listen." And so many are responding the same way today as they turn a deaf ear toward God's message and messengers. We hope you are listening to God's loving warnings, as spoken by His servants and written in His Word. In Christ alone we have true security for all eternity. "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
as I dwell in Your secure shelter I rest in the shadow of Your
wings. You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I
trust. You saved me from the evil plot of Satan when You secured
for me the eternal plan of salvation. Like a bird who protects its
young with the spread of its feathers, You cover me and protect me as
You shield me with Your wings blocking the fiery darts of
Satan. I will not fear the light of day nor the darkness of night as I am sheltered and
protected by You. No evil can harm me for I am resting in Jesus and I am
safe forevermore. Amen.Prayer inspired by Psalm 91
Farm Show Photos
That's a long time!
Musselman's Display at 2016 Pennsylvania Farm Show
Sheep to Shawl competition
We are blessed to see several Christian witnesses and had a nice chat with these two men representing the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association.
A bike frame made of wood
We enjoy looking at the historical and informative materials.
This is a perfect example of the family working together on the farm as mentioned in the poster above. Mom is driving the farm truck with the children alongside and one sitting beside her. Dad is likely walking behind pitching the bales of hay on the truck bed. The kids are having a great time, potentially dangerous - no seatbelts, car seats, no sunscreen, exhaust fumes, riding on the bumper, etc. but the vast majority survived long before government became our "security".
We blew up the calendar on the wall and it appears to be 1957. Grandma, Mom, and baby daughter in the country kitchen during a day of canning. We can't make out the cut up veggies but notice the glass seals for the quart jars. This appears just a little staged, in my opinion, since I'm comparing it to my kitchen on canning days where mine is no where as neat as this tidy kitchen. And someone is entertaining the baby to get a cute smile for the photo! If facebook existed back then this might be a profile photo for the month of August! It also dawned on me, after looking at the calendar date of 1957, that I would be the baby daughter in this photo (if it were from my collection). My mother canned for our family of seven all the years I lived at home.
Antique tractor pulling competition
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"In Christ Alone/The Solid Rock " Video Travis Cottrell
"My Hope Is In The Lord" Video Tommy Coomes Band
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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 make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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