A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Wednesday,
November 20,
2019
Our home on a
bright autumn afternoon. We have lots of acorns under the
oak trees!
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
"Free
Is Not Always Good"
Message summary: Today we want to present life's premium genuine free gift.
We
have two large oaks in our front lawn. They were
young trees when we first moved to our home
located on property that had been tilled farmland
when our house was built in the mid-eighties. When
we first moved here in 2002 the oaks had brilliant
red leaves in the fall and no acorns. But now, as
the trees have matured, the leaves tend to be a
more reddish/brown color and under the trees our
lawn is loaded with acorns.
But today we want to present life's premium genuine free gift. Notice the glorious phrase in our daily verse "so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men". That's the very best free gift in all eternity! It is available to all people; men and women, boys and girls, from every tribe and language. The Scripture proclaims, "To all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
Daily
prayer: Father, offers are sent to
viewers through every media outlet so we've
grown skeptical about receiving anything of
value that we don't pay for ourselves. Yet the
greatest eternal gift offered to all of humanity
is beyond our ability to pay. What we were
unable to do through the Law You did by sending
Your own Son, Jesus, in the likeness of our
human flesh. In doing so He made Himself an
offering for our sin so that we might receive
forgiveness and be adopted into the family of
God. We cannot boast, for it is not in
observance of the Law that we are cleansed, but
through the free gift of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. We have freely received this
gift and we want to freely share it with those
who have not heard. In the name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.
Message summary: Today we want to present life's premium genuine free gift.
"Therefore, as
through one man’s offense judgment came to all
men, resulting in condemnation, even so through
one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to
all men, resulting in justification of life"
(Romans 5:18). "For
the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Romans 6:23).
We
have two large oaks in our front lawn. They were
young trees when we first moved to our home
located on property that had been tilled farmland
when our house was built in the mid-eighties. When
we first moved here in 2002 the oaks had brilliant
red leaves in the fall and no acorns. But now, as
the trees have matured, the leaves tend to be a
more reddish/brown color and under the trees our
lawn is loaded with acorns.So we make a proposal
to each reader today. We will give you some free
acorns, in fact you can have all you can take
(we'll provide the bags as well). We're feeling so
generous we'll even throw in all the free
leaves you can haul away. You just need to come
over and pick them up!
Years ago there was a
commercial that had the line, "Free is always
good". Well that's certainly not true. As
a child we were told not to take free candy from a
stranger. All through life we are bombarded with
free offers, some are valid but most aren't.
There's almost always a catch.
Then there's the
"free" that is really a trap such as a free drink,
a free joint, a free voucher for a gambling
casino, etc.
When many of us hear
"free gift" we wonder if it's a gimmick. We've
been conditioned to think that way. I get lots of
offers for free gifts often accompanied by small
asterisk such as "Free Gift*". I look down the
page for the * and it reads "Pay only shipping and
handling" or some other onerous condition which
may end up being more than I would have been
willing to pay for the item in the first place!
But today we want to present life's premium genuine free gift. Notice the glorious phrase in our daily verse "so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men". That's the very best free gift in all eternity! It is available to all people; men and women, boys and girls, from every tribe and language. The Scripture proclaims, "To all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
God's free gift to
the human race is not a gimmick. Jesus said, "Freely
ye have received, freely give".
Indeed, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." Or as another old chorus puts it, "He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed Someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay."
Have you received God's free gift of salvation? Are you living as a child of God? Are you walking in the joy of knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you have a future home in heaven?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Indeed, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." Or as another old chorus puts it, "He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed Someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay."
Have you received God's free gift of salvation? Are you living as a child of God? Are you walking in the joy of knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you have a future home in heaven?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, offers are sent to
viewers through every media outlet so we've
grown skeptical about receiving anything of
value that we don't pay for ourselves. Yet the
greatest eternal gift offered to all of humanity
is beyond our ability to pay. What we were
unable to do through the Law You did by sending
Your own Son, Jesus, in the likeness of our
human flesh. In doing so He made Himself an
offering for our sin so that we might receive
forgiveness and be adopted into the family of
God. We cannot boast, for it is not in
observance of the Law that we are cleansed, but
through the free gift of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. We have freely received this
gift and we want to freely share it with those
who have not heard. In the name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Fairest Lord Jesus/Jesus, Son Of God/Is He Worthy?" Video Calvary Church choir, orchestra and congregation (Stephen's note: Can you find Brooksyne in the choir?)
A reader named Jack
shared the following comment
about "Is He Worthy?":
"Our grandchildren sang this
with their Church's choirs and
orchestra last Easter.
The children asked the
questions and the adults
answered and all together sang
the affirmation. It moved us
to tears." Now that's a
great idea!
"The God Who
Stays" Video
Matthew West
"I
Got Saved" Video
Selah
Finally today:
We have come to
enjoy Andrew Peterson's music
although we don't recall ever
hearing of him till we sang
the song "Is He Worthy" last
year. Andrew Peterson's name
rang a bell in Ester's memory
of a song she associated him
with called, "Tractor Song" on
"Slugs and Bugs", a children's
album from many years
ago! Video
We dedicate this song to
Stephen Lapp.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
We
realize there are many fine ministries and
causes requesting support but if the
Lord would lead you we surely need and
appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners.Our ministry labor is comprised of approximately half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive compensation. Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many years is that each would provide half of our ministry expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
Donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note:
We also provide this easy option due to the
convenience, for international supporters,
and for those who may not be concerned
regarding receiving an official tax
deductible receipt.
Click here
to send an offering using PayPal. This will open
to a page that states "Brooksyne Weber"Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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."
© Copyright 2019 Stephen C. & Brooksyne
Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA