A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Wednesday, May
8, 2019
This old
stone barn always catches our attention along
Strasburg Pike. Back in the day when it was a wagon
path they didn't worry how close to the road it was!
(Click
on photo to enlarge)
"The Hurdles"
Message
summary: We
are sure some of you
today are dealing
with hurdles and
wonder how the
particular matter
that troubles your
heart is going to
work out. Like the
Apostle Paul, we
seek to provide
teaching to Christ's
followers in our own
generation by
encouraging you to
remain true to the
faith as, "we
must go through
many hardships to
enter the kingdom
of God".
"They
preached the
good news in
that city
(Derbe) and won
a large number
of disciples.
Then they
returned to
Lystra, Iconium
and Antioch,
strengthening
the disciples
and encouraging
them to remain
true to the
faith. 'We must
go through many
hardships to
enter the
kingdom of God,'
they said" (Acts
14:21,22).
This
week we are
studying lessons
we can learn from
"running the race"
since in several
instances the
Bible describes
the Christian life
as running a race.
We have input from
our very
experienced 81
year old friend,
Coach Bill, who
coached track and
field for over 50
years. Today let
us consider the
hurdles.
My dad, Eugene Weber, who went to be with the Lord 20 years ago would now be 100 years of age! He was a superb athlete in his youth. For a number of years he held the high school state track record in Kansas for running the hurdles. The hurdles add a dimension to a regular race of obstacles that must be overcome. Of course we will have many hurdles in our Christian life as well. However the difference with track hurdles is that they are predictable since the obstacles can be seen from the start of the race. They're spaced at a standard distance and each at the same height. In real life the hurdles we encounter may blindside us and are anything but predictable! As I often share with those going through a trial, "You don't pick your problems and you don't schedule them." "You
can't just run the
hurdles, you must
attack them. The
object is to get
over the hurdle,
get your foot down
as quickly as
possible so you
carry your
momentum to the
next hurdle.
Hesitation over
the hurdle will
upset the rhythm
and the next
hurdle will not
fit the pattern of
three steps
between the
barriers for which
we train. There
will be hurdles in
our Christian
life, but the key
is to get back
into the
aggressive mode
once you clear the
hurdle."
In today's Bible text Paul, along with Barnabas, are on their first missionary journey and are returning to some of the cities where they had earlier established churches. Their basic purpose in returning to these young churches is summed up in this phrase: "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith" (Acts 14:22a). But Luke sums up the essence of their verbal message in a single phrase, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22b). This portion bears careful attention in an age when the call to follow Christ is often presented to unbelievers as "simple" or "easy". Most all of us would be hesitant to share the above verse with those we are seeking to lead to Christ! Notice the part, "you must go through". This hard reality seems to be an acknowledgement that in life this is no race free of hurdles. Testings of all kinds are present from our childhood to the final breath we draw in this life. Thankfully, during our times of hardship, we can "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). We are sure some of you today are dealing with hurdles and wonder how the particular matter that troubles your heart is going to work out. We must remember the timeless message to the early believers in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. Like the Apostle Paul, we seek to provide teaching to Christ's followers in our own generation by encouraging you to remain true to the faith as, "we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God". I
choose Christ
when everything
around me says
give up
I choose faith, I choose to trust to believe He is good, He'll come through like He said He would every time, oh I choose Christ. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber The Christian race is characterized by endurance and overcoming inevitable trials. Many readers are undergoing trials as they read this and any of us who have been in the race for awhile can sing, "Through
many dangers,
toils and
snares I have
already come.
T'was grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home." Here's
a verse in
Galatians we
do well to
consider: "You
were running
well. Who
hindered you
from obeying
the truth?"
(Galatians
5:7).
This
week our
series will be
on lessons
from life's
race:
Monday: "Running The Race Set Before Us" Tuesday: "The Start" Today: "The Hurdles" Thursday: "The Relay" Friday: "The Finish" Yesterday
Randy, a young
man we see in
the course of
our chaplaincy
visits shared
about his
participation,
along with his
wife Crystal,
in the "Live
From New York"
event this
last Saturday
on New York
City.
The
crowd lining
Broadway from
the stage in
Times Square.
The
event included
music,
testimonies,
and the
projection of
a live 4d
ultrasound
along with the
sound of the
heartbeat.
Randy said the
event began
with a loud
counter
protest from
the forces of
darkness
(Planned
Parenthood)
who shouted
and banged
drums to
disrupt the
gathering, but
as the worship
commenced they
quieted down.
Randy
and Crystal,
parents of
three, taking
a public stand
for life.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental Resources
"I Choose
Christ" Video Karen Peck
& New River
"Takin' the Easy Way" Video The Second Chapter of Acts, includes these thoughtful lyrics based on Matthew 7:13,14: "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." Takin' the
narrow road isn't an easy
way (repeated)
Takin' the easy way isn't an easy way Finally
today:
Here we are coming
down the church aisle as a
newly married couple on May
8, 1976 in Sapulpa,
Oklahoma. The wedding was
held in the church where
Brooksyne was in charge of
Children's Church over the
summer months when she
wasn't attending Central
Bible College in
Springfield, MO where we
first met.
43
years later Brooksyne is
still at my side and we
enjoyed team ministry
even before our marriage
when we served together
in missions and
children's ministries at
Central Bible College in
Springfield, MO where we
met in 1973.
My brother Pat
and his wife Laverne have
been staying with us the
last several days as they
attend a church conference
in the Harrisburg area.
Pat officiated at our
wedding and can be seen in
the background of our
wedding photo with hair
and mustache.
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