The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.

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Monday, September 20, 2021

Weaverland Road mums (Click to enlarge)
Scene from the Farm Wagon Produce Stand on Weaverland Road in Lancaster County, that offers many produce items, including flowers such as the fall mums in the foreground and zinnias in the background. A young Mennonite couple, or perhaps they're siblings, were cutting zinnias to add to the zinnia bouquets offered at their produce stand.
(Click on photo for larger image)

"Christ Is Enough!"

Message summary: Let us live with the assurance that Christ is enough and provides everything we have need of. May that assuring truth help us to be content and joyful.

Listen to this message on your audio player.

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31,32). "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).

Yesterday in our church service we sang a song that really blesses us and forms the inspirational thought for today's message.

Christ is enough for me
Christ is enough for me
Everything I need is in You
Everything I need

In what sense is Christ enough? What is everything I need? Usually when we say "I have everything I need" we are referring to being content regarding our possessions but we do well to express this truth in a fully inclusive way.

The song begins.

Christ is my reward
And all of my devotion
Now there's nothing in this world
That could ever satisfy

Let us consider today's first text from Romans, "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?"

God "did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all". This alone should prompt our deepest eternal gratitude. If this was all God did for us it would be far more than enough and infinitely more than we deserve.

But the apostle Paul goes on to declare, "How will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" The clearly expected answer to this rhetorical question is, He will! He will fulfill His eternal purpose for our lives in that which brings Him glory.

Bible teacher Ray Stedman writes:

"He who has already given us the best, the greatest, the dearest, the most precious thing He has, and who did so while we were sinners -- while we were enemies, while we were helpless -- will He not also give us some of these trivial, piddling little things that we need?"

Peter puts it this way, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). What is God's provision through His divine power? EVERYTHING we need to live godly! Everything in simple terms means everything without exception. Believers have all they need to grow in grace to enable them to daily imitate the life of Christ. But everything does not mean everything pertaining to the world's offerings. It's actually a blessing that God doesn't give us everything we want!

The late Bible teacher Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) comments,

"CHRIST is enough to satisfy the hearts of all who confide in Him and who leave everything in His hands. Such need never be cast down by seeming misfortunes. A Christian asked another how he was getting along. Dolefully his friend replied, "Oh, fairly well, under the circumstances." "I am sorry," exclaimed the other, "that you are under the circumstances. The LORD would have us living above all circumstances, where He Himself can satisfy our hearts and meet our every need for time and eternity."

Let us live with the assurance today that Christ is enough and provides everything we have need of. May that assuring truth help us to be content and joyful.


Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying man Daily prayer: Father, we are deeply grateful that You did not spare Your own Son, but gave Him up for us so that we might have salvation. Not only is our salvation provided but You provide graciously for everything we need. Help us to learn the difference between wants and needs. In the process may we learn to be content, thankful and joyful in times of plenty and in times of want, in the easy and hard times trusting You to provide for our needs, often for our comforts, and most of all for that which matures us in the faith. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Commentator Matthew Henry reflects:  “As the happiness of heaven with Christ is enough to make up for the loss of life itself for Him, so the gain of all the world in sin, will not make up for the ruin of the soul by sin. And there is a day coming, when the cause of Christ will appear as glorious, as some now think it mean and contemptible. May we think of that season, and view every earthly object as we shall do at that great day."



Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

Calvary Church choir
The choir is back!
(Click on photo for larger image)

Yesterday our choir resumed after an 18 month hiatus due to you know what. What a joy to hear the choir and orchestra lead our worship! After singing in three services and getting started with their warm up at 7 am Brooksyne came home from church just a little weary.

"Christ Is Enough"   Video   Calvary Church choir and orchestra with our worship pastor's intro and prayer from our service yesterday. Brooksyne's Note: This video continues with the hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus", a German hymn first appearing in manuscript back 1662 emphasizing the beauty and wonder of Christ. I believe this great hymn will bless you as it did our choir and congregation.

"Christ Is Enough"   Video  The Worship Initiative and Shane & Shane

"Godliness With Contentment Is Great Gain" (1 Timothy 6:6)  Video  Mike Book is a longtime friend of ours.  We recorded this song he wrote based on the text in our home "studio" many years ago.

"Enough"  Video  Chris Tomlin

"Enough"  Video  Sara Groves

"Sing Wherever I God"/"This Is Amazing Grace" Video  The first two songs from yesterday's service.

Frank
With nearly twenty-five years of service in business chaplaincy (including several years when we also pastored in New England) we have met a lot of people, including many we no longer see regularly in the companies where we first met them. A former NYPD police officer, we met Frank when he served as a service tech in an HVAC company.  It was great to see him back in church yesterday!

Moonrise
Last night's harvest moon behind our house. Unbeknownst to both of us we were so taken with the brilliant moon we were both taking images. This was mine.
(Click on photo for larger image)

Moonrise
Unbeknownst to me Brooksyne, in returning from a walk with the dogs, caught the harvest moon over our barn!
(Click on photo for larger image)

Fair is the sunshine,
fairer still the moonlight,
and all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
than all the angels heaven can boast.

Since Ester likes to take moon photos I challenged her to listen for the words, "fairer still the moonlight and all the sprinkling starry host" in one of our songs. I didn't tell her which song, but sure enough when we sang the "moonlight" stanza in V. 3 she gave me a thumbs up from where she was seated. This is one of the most descriptive hymns of God's creative power manifested as "Ruler of all nature".

Finally today:

Farm equipment
This unusual looking piece of farm equipment is parked in the field across from our house and signals the next step in field prep. We expect to show in action the next several days and will explain its function
(Click on photo for larger image)



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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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