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Thursday,
January 9,
2020
A snowy
afternoon from our front porch.
"That
You May Know"
The
Blessing of Assurance
Message summary: Do you "believe in the name of the Son of God"? That's life's most important question. With this belief "you may know that you have eternal life"!
Note:
A podcast not prepared for this message which was
prepared Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday evening we are
taking our Amish "grandchildren" to a Hershey Bears
hockey game at the Giant Center in Hershey and of
course will get home late and need to leave early
Thursday morning for chaplaincy visits.
"But
these have been written so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing you may have life in His name" (John
20:31). "I write these things to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God so that you may know that
you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
We recently attended
a funeral for an employee we have seen many years
in the course of our chaplain work. He has been
disabled for several years due to a stroke but his
wife still works for the company and we have had
steady follow-up and visits since he continued to
work up until his second stroke. He was greatly
respected for his very strong work ethic and we
often commended him for that as well. They have
both been receptive to our ministry in a caring
sense over the years but as Laotian immigrants
they still identify with their Buddhist background
so it was a Buddhist funeral service, a new
experience for us. The entire service was in
Laotian and included chanting and other features
peculiar to us.
This was last Friday
afternoon before my knee was treated and it was
getting rather long with no end in sight since we
couldn't understand anything so I was in
considerable pain and distress. After about an
hour, not meaning to be disrespectful but I was
almost in physical agony, I whispered to Brooksyne
to query her smart phone, "How long is a Buddhist
funeral service"" to which we received the
encouraging answer of "49 days"! (see here). Well it did last at
least another hour when we finally excused
ourselves by exiting a back side door. Today we
expect to see some others from the service and
will probably learn just how long it did last if
they stayed the entire time!
Buddhists believe
that after death each person is reincarnated as
another being. The new life is dependent on past
actions and deeds. Karma plays a large role in
determining what happens to people after they die.
They have no assurance of eternal life.
What a blessing our
two daily texts are teaching us about the great
truth of assurance!
"But
these have been written so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing you may have life in His name" (John
20:31). John is summarizing his gospel and the main
purpose for his writing:
"That
you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God" That was his theme from the very beginning
when he wrote "the Word (Christ) became flesh and
dwelt among us" (John 1:14).
"And that believing you may have life in
His name" In John two types of life are taught;
"abundant life" (John 10:10) and "eternal life"
(John 3:16).
The second text
states:
"I write these
things to you who believe in the name of the Son
of God so that you may know that you have
eternal life" (1 John 5:13). These things
refer to his letter according to most commentators
but we will find rich fulfillment when we consider
all of John's writings.
Do you "believe
in the name of the Son of God"? That's
life's most important question.
With this belief "you
may know that you have eternal life"!
Blessed assurance,
Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, there are so many things
we are uncertain of from day to day, whether
it's safety on the road, a troublesome health
problem, a struggling marital relationship,
worries about mounting bills, rebellious
children, the instability of the world and so
much more. But one thing which is the main thing
that we can have assurance about is our
salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord that
provides us with eternal life. When we are born
of His Spirit and washed in His blood the Spirit
enables us to trust God for all that we are
uncertain of in this temporal dwelling, that He
will provide a way to cope or overcome.
For that we are thankful! Amen.
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, there are so many things
we are uncertain of from day to day, whether
it's safety on the road, a troublesome health
problem, a struggling marital relationship,
worries about mounting bills, rebellious
children, the instability of the world and so
much more. But one thing which is the main thing
that we can have assurance about is our
salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord that
provides us with eternal life. When we are born
of His Spirit and washed in His blood the Spirit
enables us to trust God for all that we are
uncertain of in this temporal dwelling, that He
will provide a way to cope or overcome.
For that we are thankful! Amen.Brooksyne's
Note: As Chaplains we befriend all
who are employed at our companies, and and
seek to show respect to their various
religious backgrounds while hoping to
witness for Christ and His Gospel. It's a
bit tricky when we meet those from a
different cultural and language
background, but we've found most in that
category responsive to our presence since
they see us weekly year after year. Such
is the case with the employee who passed
away. One Christmas he said quite bluntly
to me, "People ask me if I celebrate
Christmas" but I tell them "I don't
celebrate Christmas because I don't know
what it means." It was a perfect
conversation to share with me as I
responded "Christmas is all about Christ
Jesus. Would you like to learn more about
him" to which he responded perhaps a
little reluctantly, "yes". I told him
about the Jesus Movie that I would try to
get him in his own language. It took quite
a lot of searching but I finally came up
with a copy and gave it to him. I never
got feedback but I have prayed many times
over the years that the message of that
movie touched his heart. We can only plant
the seeds, pray for the person, and live
an exemplary Christian life. The rest is
up to the individual surrendering to
Christ.
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Blessed
Assurance" Video
Harpeth
Gospel Quartet
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."
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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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