A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Friday, July 5,
2019
Wheat
harvest
Quite a
few workers were busy yesterday in this field building
shocks of wheat. If you enlarge you'll see the young
man who is at the very top of the wheat wagon.
(Click
to enlarge)
"A
Lesson From Yeast"
Message
summary:
Let us determine
today that sin will
not be our master
and let us live our
lives to glorify
God.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"Don't
you know that a
little yeast works
through the whole
batch of dough?"
(1 Corinthians
5:6). "Therefore
do not let sin
reign in your
mortal body so
that you obey its
lusts, and do not
go on presenting
the members of
your body to sin
as instruments of
unrighteousness;
but present
yourselves to God
as those alive
from the dead, and
your members as
instruments of
righteousness to
God. For sin shall
not be master over
you, for you are
not under law but
under grace"
(Romans 6:13,14).
Our region
is now active with
the wheat harvest.
We see the combines
working the fields
using the most
modern farming
methods and we pass
views of living
history as our Amish
neighbors harvesting
methods are
practically from the
Bible times.
Wheat is a
"staple" meaning "a
main or important
element of
something,
especially of a
diet". Yesterday we
had a rather huge
4th of July meal
with our dear
friends, the
Schmidts, and had
wheat in a variety
of items such as
hamburger buns,
cupcakes and
cherry/rhubarb/blueberry
cobbler.
Wheat is
the first food
listed in
Deuteronomy 8:8 as a
valued divine
provision for the
people of God. The
basic manifestation
of this provision
was bread, the
best-known product
of wheat, often
synonymous with
food. Jesus taught
us to pray "Give us
this day our daily
bread".
A tasty
compliment to wheat
is yeast, which is a
fungus. Yeast
microbes are
probably one of the
earliest
domesticated
organisms. In making
bread it only takes
a tiny portion of
yeast in relation to
the other
ingredients to have
dramatic effect.
This tiny
but significant
portion is used in
the Bible for
illustrative
purposes and that's
just how the Apostle
Paul uses it in our
first daily text. "Don't
you know that a
little yeast works
through the whole
batch of dough?"
(1 Corinthians
5:6).
In 1
Corinthians 5 the
Apostle Paul is
addressing a
situation in the
Corinthian church
regarding a rather
bizarre form of
sexual immorality, "a
kind that does not
occur even among
pagans".
Incredibly,
the Corinthian
believers were proud
about the situation!
Perhaps they
reasoned that being
open-minded and
non-judgmental was
virtuous, kind of a
"different strokes
for different folks"
outlook. That's sure
a lot like today's
attitude toward sin
where "tolerance",
has been elevated to
a virtue.
But Paul doesn't excuse it or brush it aside as insignificant. He commanded the church to take prompt, decisive action. Actually his words seem harsh and unloving in this age of toleration. "Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:3-5). Wow, how mean-spirited and hateful this sounds to modern ears. Lighten up Paul, try to be more understanding of the times, most would say today.
But Paul's action was loving. Sin leads to destruction. Unchecked sin destroys the individual, the family, the local church and mars the testimony of the church community worldwide.
But Paul doesn't excuse it or brush it aside as insignificant. He commanded the church to take prompt, decisive action. Actually his words seem harsh and unloving in this age of toleration. "Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:3-5). Wow, how mean-spirited and hateful this sounds to modern ears. Lighten up Paul, try to be more understanding of the times, most would say today.
But Paul's action was loving. Sin leads to destruction. Unchecked sin destroys the individual, the family, the local church and mars the testimony of the church community worldwide.
But
confession and
repentance leads to
redemption. In the
powerful song "I'd
Rather Have Jesus"
is this poignant
line, "I'd rather
have Jesus than to
be held in sin’s
dread sway". So many
are held in sin's
dread sway because
they have chosen sin
over obedience!
Redemptive
love means
confronting
destructive sin head
on, which is what
Paul did, because a
sin is a big deal.
"Don't you know
that a little
yeast works
through the whole
batch of dough?"
Two challenges to sum up today's message:
Two challenges to sum up today's message:
* God
has provided a
means to deal with
specific sin in
our lives. Don't
make excuses or
procrastinate but
confess, repent,
(turn away from
it) and live to
please the Lord.
* The true church will be increasingly unpopular in standing up for Biblical standards. We will be labeled mean, hateful, narrow-minded and ignorant. In fact that is already happening. If you are mocked, scorned or laughed at for believing and adhering to Scriptural teaching pray that you'll have the same attitude as the disciples in Acts 5:41. When they were severely beaten they "left rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Christ".
* The true church will be increasingly unpopular in standing up for Biblical standards. We will be labeled mean, hateful, narrow-minded and ignorant. In fact that is already happening. If you are mocked, scorned or laughed at for believing and adhering to Scriptural teaching pray that you'll have the same attitude as the disciples in Acts 5:41. When they were severely beaten they "left rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Christ".
In a one
verse parable Jesus
illustrates that
yeast, though its
presence is but a
fraction of the
whole, also has
power to do good. "He
(Jesus) told them
still another
parable: 'The
kingdom of heaven
is like yeast that
a woman took and
mixed into about
sixty pounds of
flour until it
worked all through
the dough'"
(Mathew 13:33).
Let us
determine today that
sin will not be our
master and let us
live our lives to
glorify God.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, the
practical
example of the
Corinthian
church serves
as an example
to the church
of each
generation. To
ignore sin or
brush it aside
does not make
it
insignificant.
It only gains
strength and
infiltrates
the rest of
the body when
not dealt with
in a
Scriptural
manner. The
Christian's
code of
conduct is
revealed
through Your
Holy
Scriptures,
often in stark
contrast to
the popular
philosophy of
our day. In
turning our
eyes away from
the sin we in
essence give
approval, but
when we have
the courage to
deal with it
we save not
only the
transgressor
but we also
purify Your
church. Keep
us faithful,
prayerful and
vigilant as we
seek Your
leading in
matters of
vital
importance,
for Your glory
and for our
good. Amen.
Yesterday
this team was
busy at work
with the wheat
harvest near
Paradise, PA
(Click
to enlarge)
I
decided to
make Tomato
Pie and add
fresh corn
kernels. I
discarded the
cobs, but
Sadie found
them and was
quite excited
at her find.
But after I
read that corn
cobs are not
good for dogs
I forcefully
took it from
her - what a
nuisance I was
to take away
her tasty
treat!
We had Tomato
Pie for supper
which is so
tasty,
especially in
the summer,
and a perfect
dish when you
have extra
tomatoes. I
posted my own
recipe here
on September
1, 2017 which
I prefer over
this recipe I
made on
Wednesday. It
was equally
tasty but a
bit soggy on
the bottom and
who wants a
soggy crust!
Finally,
to go with the
theme of the
4th of July, I
made a
cherry-rhubarb-blueberry
cobbler. I had
no star cookie
cutter for the
flag cobbler
so I just used
leaves in
place stars. I
made a
Cherry/rhubarb
filling for
the majority
of the cobbler
and
blueberries in
the upper
corner under
the leaves. It
was a very
nice sweet
ending to our
enjoyable
afternoon with
the Schmidts.
I wonder if
Betsy Ross
would approve?
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental Resources
"I'd
Rather Have Jesus"
Video
Selah
I'd rather have
Jesus than silver or gold
I'd rather be His
than have riches untold
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land
I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hands
Than to be the king of a vast domain than be held in sin's dread sway
I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land
I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hands
Than to be the king of a vast domain than be held in sin's dread sway
I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today
Finally today:
The new:
New Holland Agriculture
smashes the current GUINNESS
WORLD RECORDS™ title for
most wheat harvested within
eight hours with the CR10.90
combine Video
The old:
Amish farmer with 4 horse
hitch binding wheat Video
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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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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