A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Such a beautiful vista view in front of Val-Co,
where we serve as chaplains, near New Holland,
PA.
"Come
Back To Your Senses!"
Today let us thank God for the blessing of brakes. When He flashes the yellow light of caution we need to slowly, carefully, and Scripturally assess the situation. When He flashes the red light we need to STOP!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
would You help us to be quick to
recognize and respond to Your brake
promptings. Often You speak to us
through Scripture, daily prayer, and
other believers. You also speak to us
through the undesirable consequences
that come from our acts of
disobedience. We want to see Your
cautions and "stops" as part of Your
loving way of keeping us from danger
and redirecting us to that which will
be of blessing in our lives and to
those whom we seek to influence. It
is because of Your wise, loving ways
that You teach us about the wiles of
our adversary, the devil, and his
cunning ways. We are not caught
unaware but recognize his strategy as
we regularly read Your Word and store
it up in our hearts. Your knowledge is
powerful as it opens the eyes of our
hearts. Your precepts are right and
because of that we hate every wrong
path. Direct our footsteps according
to Your Word so that we are in pace
with You, observing the yellow lights
of caution and stopping at the red
lights of danger. As we do so we will
not allow sin to rule over us. Amen.
Message summary:
Today
let us thank God for the blessing of brakes.
When He flashes the yellow light of caution we
need to slowly, carefully, and Scripturally
assess the situation. When He flashes the red
light we need to STOP!
Listen to
our message on your audio player.
"Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.' Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame" (I Corinthians 15:33,34). "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).
We enjoy our work as chaplains and see such a cross section of the people who make up our world. We see all ages and of course the two God-ordained genders. We see many races and people from many different countries. Yesterday we spoke to people from Kenya, Vietnam, China, Bosnia, Mexico, Columbia and other countries. We see everyone from CEO's and board chairmen to the folks on the factory floor. Red and yellow, black and white they're all precious in His sight.
We also speak to people who share their story. Mike is a service tech. Yesterday he told me of his deliverance from alcohol. His father was an alcoholic and Mike got his drinking start at 12 years of age and progressed downward for some twenty years before "coming to his senses" and he has been sober for the last ten years. He is now committed, along with his wife, to helping others come to their senses and stop sinning. He works in a halfway house.
Mike came to a point in life when he fully realized the destructive nature of his ways and put the brakes on. (Note: Mike gave me permission to share his story.)
It's quite unlikely that any one of you would venture out on the road today if you knew that your brakes wouldn't work. Though your intent is to get to a particular destination and you mostly use the accelerator pedal to go, all through the trip and certainly at the end, you expect to apply your brakes to stop. If you've ever had a brake malfunction you know what a blessing brakes are!
My most heart-pounding braking experience took place nearly 40 years ago. I drove a school bus to supplement our income when we planted a church in northern Pennsylvania in a very mountainous region. Mostly I drove kids to and from school but I was asked to make a special trip driving an adult fellowship from the Shiloh Presbyterian Church to a Penn State football game in State College. A designated bus was used for these longer trips but I received no special training on how to drive it.
As I was going down a long grade on a mountain on Rt 322 in Northcentral Pennsylvania I used the brakes as I was accustomed to doing on my regular school bus. But this road bus had air brakes and the more I pumped the less brake power I had until I lost them completely. To this day I still can't explain how that bus stopped without having an accident short of divine intervention. But that experience is a lasting reminder of the blessing or should I say necessity of brakes!
Today let us consider the blessing of another type of brake in regard to our spiritual life. We may very well find this brake annoying, slowing us down or stopping us in places where we would rather see a green light. Tragically the vast majority are charging right through the red lights as they completely disregard the God-ordained brakes that He so wisely and graciously provides, such as this passage from I Corinthians 15:34: "Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning."
What a needed word for each one reading today and for all of humankind! The Jamison, Faussets, Brown commentary states regarding the sense of "stop sinning" in this passage, "Do not give yourselves up to sinful pleasures. The Greek expresses a continued state of abstinence from sin."
The Scripture tells it the way it is to those who choose to forsake God's commands: "Come back to your senses". Once you begin keeping company with the people who wrongly influence you, and you choose to engage in sin, you lose control to the point of even losing your God-given common sense. You no longer see things the way they really are because you've given the enemy a foothold and he will distort your present view and the future outcome of your choices.
Today let us recognize the blessing of God's brakes as an expression of His love, His care, and His protection. Remember, when your vehicle brakes stop working it not only brings danger to you, but those in your path of destruction. It's also true when we don't apply God's brakes to our own hearts; it will not only bring personal destruction but it will bring painful, lasting harm to those near and dear to us and even those who aren't.
If you're caught in a destructive descent at the present time we implore you to come to your senses and stop sinning, applying the God-ordained brakes. Stop and use the reverse gear to back up, get things right with God, yourself, and anyone caught in your path of destruction.
Today let us consider four brakes that God has given us:
Listen to
our message on your audio player."Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.' Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame" (I Corinthians 15:33,34). "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).
We enjoy our work as chaplains and see such a cross section of the people who make up our world. We see all ages and of course the two God-ordained genders. We see many races and people from many different countries. Yesterday we spoke to people from Kenya, Vietnam, China, Bosnia, Mexico, Columbia and other countries. We see everyone from CEO's and board chairmen to the folks on the factory floor. Red and yellow, black and white they're all precious in His sight.
We also speak to people who share their story. Mike is a service tech. Yesterday he told me of his deliverance from alcohol. His father was an alcoholic and Mike got his drinking start at 12 years of age and progressed downward for some twenty years before "coming to his senses" and he has been sober for the last ten years. He is now committed, along with his wife, to helping others come to their senses and stop sinning. He works in a halfway house.
Mike came to a point in life when he fully realized the destructive nature of his ways and put the brakes on. (Note: Mike gave me permission to share his story.)
It's quite unlikely that any one of you would venture out on the road today if you knew that your brakes wouldn't work. Though your intent is to get to a particular destination and you mostly use the accelerator pedal to go, all through the trip and certainly at the end, you expect to apply your brakes to stop. If you've ever had a brake malfunction you know what a blessing brakes are!
My most heart-pounding braking experience took place nearly 40 years ago. I drove a school bus to supplement our income when we planted a church in northern Pennsylvania in a very mountainous region. Mostly I drove kids to and from school but I was asked to make a special trip driving an adult fellowship from the Shiloh Presbyterian Church to a Penn State football game in State College. A designated bus was used for these longer trips but I received no special training on how to drive it.
As I was going down a long grade on a mountain on Rt 322 in Northcentral Pennsylvania I used the brakes as I was accustomed to doing on my regular school bus. But this road bus had air brakes and the more I pumped the less brake power I had until I lost them completely. To this day I still can't explain how that bus stopped without having an accident short of divine intervention. But that experience is a lasting reminder of the blessing or should I say necessity of brakes!
Today let us consider the blessing of another type of brake in regard to our spiritual life. We may very well find this brake annoying, slowing us down or stopping us in places where we would rather see a green light. Tragically the vast majority are charging right through the red lights as they completely disregard the God-ordained brakes that He so wisely and graciously provides, such as this passage from I Corinthians 15:34: "Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning."
What a needed word for each one reading today and for all of humankind! The Jamison, Faussets, Brown commentary states regarding the sense of "stop sinning" in this passage, "Do not give yourselves up to sinful pleasures. The Greek expresses a continued state of abstinence from sin."
The Scripture tells it the way it is to those who choose to forsake God's commands: "Come back to your senses". Once you begin keeping company with the people who wrongly influence you, and you choose to engage in sin, you lose control to the point of even losing your God-given common sense. You no longer see things the way they really are because you've given the enemy a foothold and he will distort your present view and the future outcome of your choices.
Today let us recognize the blessing of God's brakes as an expression of His love, His care, and His protection. Remember, when your vehicle brakes stop working it not only brings danger to you, but those in your path of destruction. It's also true when we don't apply God's brakes to our own hearts; it will not only bring personal destruction but it will bring painful, lasting harm to those near and dear to us and even those who aren't.
If you're caught in a destructive descent at the present time we implore you to come to your senses and stop sinning, applying the God-ordained brakes. Stop and use the reverse gear to back up, get things right with God, yourself, and anyone caught in your path of destruction.
Today let us consider four brakes that God has given us:
1)
The brake of Scriptural commands and
prohibitions. God's Word has
both "go" and "stop" commands. When
facing temptation from the enemy we do
well to recall the stop commands. Our
second text today states, "My
people are destroyed from lack of
knowledge". This is speaking
about the knowledge of God and His
Word. So many disregard this knowledge
and we see our society racing headlong
to most certain judgment. The faithful
church and ministry will continue to "devote
themselves to the apostles'
teaching" (Acts 2:42) and
"contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all handed down
to the saints" (Jude 3).
2) The brake of Godly counsel. Solomon wrote, "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity" (Proverbs 3:1,2). We need to heed the counsel of the wise and esteem the elderly with us now and those who have gone before us. Wisdom has been defined as "knowledge rightly applied".
3) The brake of Holy Spirit guidance. The Holy Spirit not only compels us to move forward but at times will lead us to stop. Paul was intending to continue his mission work in Asia Minor when he had his Macedonian vision where the Holy Spirit essentially put the brakes to that and led him in another direction. "When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to" (Acts 16:7). As we walk with the Lord, in sensitivity to His Spirit, we need to rejoice in both the go's and the stop's!
4) The brake of tradition. This point is most difficult to develop since many have developed a negative attitude toward tradition and even the Scriptures speak out against tradition in some circumstances. Certainly, tradition for tradition's sake needs to be evaluated carefully. But it seems to me that an attitude prevails in the church among more than a few that new is seen as better, cooler, more appealing to a current generation. Good practices developed over years can be too quickly shrugged aside in favor of the new, without considering what significance is lost in the process.
2) The brake of Godly counsel. Solomon wrote, "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity" (Proverbs 3:1,2). We need to heed the counsel of the wise and esteem the elderly with us now and those who have gone before us. Wisdom has been defined as "knowledge rightly applied".
3) The brake of Holy Spirit guidance. The Holy Spirit not only compels us to move forward but at times will lead us to stop. Paul was intending to continue his mission work in Asia Minor when he had his Macedonian vision where the Holy Spirit essentially put the brakes to that and led him in another direction. "When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to" (Acts 16:7). As we walk with the Lord, in sensitivity to His Spirit, we need to rejoice in both the go's and the stop's!
4) The brake of tradition. This point is most difficult to develop since many have developed a negative attitude toward tradition and even the Scriptures speak out against tradition in some circumstances. Certainly, tradition for tradition's sake needs to be evaluated carefully. But it seems to me that an attitude prevails in the church among more than a few that new is seen as better, cooler, more appealing to a current generation. Good practices developed over years can be too quickly shrugged aside in favor of the new, without considering what significance is lost in the process.
Today let us thank God for the blessing of brakes. When He flashes the yellow light of caution we need to slowly, carefully, and Scripturally assess the situation. When He flashes the red light we need to STOP!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
would You help us to be quick to
recognize and respond to Your brake
promptings. Often You speak to us
through Scripture, daily prayer, and
other believers. You also speak to us
through the undesirable consequences
that come from our acts of
disobedience. We want to see Your
cautions and "stops" as part of Your
loving way of keeping us from danger
and redirecting us to that which will
be of blessing in our lives and to
those whom we seek to influence. It
is because of Your wise, loving ways
that You teach us about the wiles of
our adversary, the devil, and his
cunning ways. We are not caught
unaware but recognize his strategy as
we regularly read Your Word and store
it up in our hearts. Your knowledge is
powerful as it opens the eyes of our
hearts. Your precepts are right and
because of that we hate every wrong
path. Direct our footsteps according
to Your Word so that we are in pace
with You, observing the yellow lights
of caution and stopping at the red
lights of danger. As we do so we will
not allow sin to rule over us. Amen.
During
our first chaplain visit yesterday I visited
with these two men, Eric and Clarence, who
have a great story of redemption; having met
in prison they now work together and seek to
live a life of responsibility and purpose.
(They gave me permission to share photo and story.)
(They gave me permission to share photo and story.)
Most
of our chaplain visits are at the company
where the employees are based but in the case
of field workers when possible we enjoy seeing
them out on their jobsites. Yesterday we
passed this church on Strasburg Pike, spotted
several roofers, and stopped to greet them
even though we had seen them earlier that
morning. We consider the extreme heat
construction workers deal with, especially our
roofers and HVAC workers who may have work in
a very hot attic!
Here's
one
of the many roadside stands we pass in the
course of our travels. This one is north of
New Holland PA. We picked out a couple of 50
cent cantaloupes. How about $4.00 per bucket
of tomatoes or $3.00 for a bucket of peppers?
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
Late
yesterday afternoon we stopped by to see our
friends at the Old Windmill Farm. Several
Jewish families from New York were waiting to
take a farm tour.
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
We
had fun with the children we often refer to as
our Amish grandchildren after we gave them
railroad hats we picked up a couple weeks ago
at a community luncheon provided by the
railroad in Columbia, PA. Only the baby is
missing since he was taking his late afternoon
nap. The children had fun with this photo and
in consideration of the
Amish tradition we kept
their faces less visible than typical photos
we English post every day.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Slow Down" Video Chuck Girard A great song from our early days in following Christ with a message so pertinent to today's message. Bluntly I still haven't learned the lesson of this song.
"He Will Carry You" Video Brian Free and Assurance This song is prayerfully dedicated today to those who may be having trouble with the brakes.
Finally today:
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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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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