A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Tuesday, March 5,
2019
Farm in the far
distance beyond the field across from our home that Ester
captured using her camera zoom early yesterday morning.
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
"Our
Great Redeemer"
Message
summary: The atoning
death of Jesus Christ on
the cross is the supreme
demonstration of God's
love resulting in:
This week we will be examining each of these three "r's".
•
Our redemption from
sin (yesterday's
message)
• Our reconciliation to God (today's message)
• Our restoration to wholeness
• Our reconciliation to God (today's message)
• Our restoration to wholeness
This week we will be examining each of these three "r's".
Listen to our
message on your audio
player.
I am
redeemed, You set me
free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed
Today we
want to especially
consider those who
feel they may have no
hope. Among the
saddest of human
conditions is the
sense of having no
hope. And the most
extreme sense of
hopelessness is
spiritual hopelessness
while the greatest
form of hope is
spiritual hopefulness.
We were blessed by
this thought from
Pastor Richard
Dresselhaus' online
devotional,
"Tomorrow’s promise
becomes today’s source
of strength. This is
the power of hope."
Rahab is introduced into the Scriptural record as a prostitute (Joshua 2:1). Both biographical references to her in the New Testament epistles (Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25) forthrightly remind the reader that she was a prostitute. She was also a resident of doomed Jericho so what kind of hope did she have?
Pastor W.A. Criswell wrote, "Rahab the harlot is an example of the grace of God at work. Her salvation was not based on her character or merits: she lived in a doomed city, practiced a condemned profession, engaged in subversive activities, and falsified [lied about] her actions. Nevertheless she acted upon faith, and was spared the judgment of God which was executed at the hands of the Israelites."
Providentially she was a part of God's plan and provided the means of deliverance for the two spies whom Joshua had sent to look over the land. In recognizing the spies she acknowledged their God with a powerful statement of faith when she declared "The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" (Joshua 2:11). In exchange for providing protection for the spies she pleaded with them for her salvation and that of her family. They promised her, "We will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land" (Joshua 2:14).
But there was a condition. She was to tie the scarlet cord in the window. The scarlet cord for Rahab was a practical sign of her faith and obedience and also identified her location at the time of the conquest so that she and her family might be saved. It is also a symbol of grace, for it certainly had absolutely no capabilities of saving her or her family from the destruction that befell Jericho. As early as the first century, commentators saw this scarlet cord as a symbol of the blood of Jesus.
Bible scholar W. Graham Scroggie calls this "the scarlet thread of redemption" which runs all through the Bible. He writes, "Christ is predicted in the OT, presented in the Gospels, proclaimed in the Acts, possessed in the Epistles, and predominant in the Revelation."
Our spiritual "scarlet cord" is the redemption provided by Jesus Christ. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:7,8).
Our salvation is a matter of grace from start to finish. Rahab had no rights to God's favor and neither do we. But through the scarlet cord of redemption through faith we can also be in God's family. Now that's a hope we all need today and, in spite of all the other issues we are confronted with, it can provide us an assurance concerning that which matters most. Place your complete trust in the Lord today!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer
Father,
when I
consider the
scarlet cord
being the
lifeline for
Rahab I also
think of the
umbilical cord
in the life of
a baby. In
Your marvelous
creation of
new life You
made the
umbilical cord
to be an
unborn baby's
lifeline that
delivers the
nutrients and
oxygen needed
for normal
development
through its
life-giving
mother. My
redemptive
lifeline is
the
transmission
of Your pure,
scarlet blood
that provides
absolute
forgiveness
for my
transgressions.
You forgive so
completely
that even the
vilest
offender who
truly believes
that very
moment from
Jesus a pardon
receives. May
I never be
drawn to any
other temporal
lifeline but
only the
eternal
redemptive
lifeline of
Your scarlet
blood that
saves unto the
uttermost.
That brings
hope that
springs
eternal. Amen.
Rahab is introduced into the Scriptural record as a prostitute (Joshua 2:1). Both biographical references to her in the New Testament epistles (Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25) forthrightly remind the reader that she was a prostitute. She was also a resident of doomed Jericho so what kind of hope did she have?
Pastor W.A. Criswell wrote, "Rahab the harlot is an example of the grace of God at work. Her salvation was not based on her character or merits: she lived in a doomed city, practiced a condemned profession, engaged in subversive activities, and falsified [lied about] her actions. Nevertheless she acted upon faith, and was spared the judgment of God which was executed at the hands of the Israelites."
Providentially she was a part of God's plan and provided the means of deliverance for the two spies whom Joshua had sent to look over the land. In recognizing the spies she acknowledged their God with a powerful statement of faith when she declared "The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" (Joshua 2:11). In exchange for providing protection for the spies she pleaded with them for her salvation and that of her family. They promised her, "We will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land" (Joshua 2:14).
But there was a condition. She was to tie the scarlet cord in the window. The scarlet cord for Rahab was a practical sign of her faith and obedience and also identified her location at the time of the conquest so that she and her family might be saved. It is also a symbol of grace, for it certainly had absolutely no capabilities of saving her or her family from the destruction that befell Jericho. As early as the first century, commentators saw this scarlet cord as a symbol of the blood of Jesus.
Bible scholar W. Graham Scroggie calls this "the scarlet thread of redemption" which runs all through the Bible. He writes, "Christ is predicted in the OT, presented in the Gospels, proclaimed in the Acts, possessed in the Epistles, and predominant in the Revelation."
Our spiritual "scarlet cord" is the redemption provided by Jesus Christ. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:7,8).
Our salvation is a matter of grace from start to finish. Rahab had no rights to God's favor and neither do we. But through the scarlet cord of redemption through faith we can also be in God's family. Now that's a hope we all need today and, in spite of all the other issues we are confronted with, it can provide us an assurance concerning that which matters most. Place your complete trust in the Lord today!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer
Father,
when I
consider the
scarlet cord
being the
lifeline for
Rahab I also
think of the
umbilical cord
in the life of
a baby. In
Your marvelous
creation of
new life You
made the
umbilical cord
to be an
unborn baby's
lifeline that
delivers the
nutrients and
oxygen needed
for normal
development
through its
life-giving
mother. My
redemptive
lifeline is
the
transmission
of Your pure,
scarlet blood
that provides
absolute
forgiveness
for my
transgressions.
You forgive so
completely
that even the
vilest
offender who
truly believes
that very
moment from
Jesus a pardon
receives. May
I never be
drawn to any
other temporal
lifeline but
only the
eternal
redemptive
lifeline of
Your scarlet
blood that
saves unto the
uttermost.
That brings
hope that
springs
eternal. Amen.Today
we share a
selection of
photos taken
by Ester
The
lead photo is
a dairy farm
across
Colebrook Road
about 3/4 mile
from our home.
This view
includes the
trees in our
lawn. We
thought the
way the sun
hit the trees
with the
golden color
is
interesting. I
can't remember
seeing the
electrical
wire next to
our road ever
being coated
with snow
quite like we
saw today (as
seen above).
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
Our
snow-covered
pink
(currently
white)
Heartbreaker
Weeping
Redbud.
Our
front yard
dogwood
Many
are following
Ester's two
month old
puppy, Sadie
Willow,
through her
Facebook page.
She is growing
daily, eating
healthily, and
is now able to
climb the
steps of our
deck which
helps with
potty
training.
Admittedly,
she can be a
little sassy
so Ester has
her work cut
out for her,
but her
cuddles make
up for her
mischievousness
at the
present.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Chain Breaker"
Video
Gaither Vocal Band
Finally
today:
Flash from the
Past: Brooksyne
posted this photo on Marvin
Culajay's Facebook page to wish
him a Happy Birthday Sunday.
Marvin, six years old, lived
with us in 1989 and again in
1990 when he was treated for his
life threatening illness from
which he is now cured. He is 36,
I believe. In the middle is Tina
Matangelo from who had recently
been adopted by our long-time
friends Mike and Kathy
Matangelo. She is now in her
30's, lives in North Carolina
and continues to be a good
friend to Ester. Brooksyne is
holding Heber, (two) who lived
with us during and after his
three heart operations at
Geisinger Medical Center in
Danville, PA where Ester had her
five heart surgeries. We
traveled to Guatemala and
returned Heber to his family
after his last stay and his
parents gave us Guatemalan
attire which Brooksyne is
wearing in this photo. All three
of these precious children are
now in their 30's about the same
age as Brooksyne in this photo.
Much to our disappointment, we
have lost track of Heber and his
family, and we pray that he
continues to be well. They are
at and Extended Care in St.
Marys, PA where Brooksyne shared
a Bible Study weekly with the
elderly residents. We snapped
this photo after Marvin had just
quoted John 3:16 in his Spanish
language and sang "At the Cross"
in Spanish.
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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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Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA