A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Friday,
November 12,
2021
"Jesus
Cares For Me"
Message
summary: What a tremendous
blessing and relief that we can all confidently declare, Jesus
cares for me!
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He
cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
We have been serving in ministry for over 45
years since we first got married in May 1996. For 25
years I served as pastor in several local churches
with Brooksyne working right alongside me, often
working longer and harder in her various roles! For
twenty years now we have both been serving in
chaplaincy, both to the workplace and through this
internet ministry. Really though, all three ministry
types dovetail together; our mission is to express
the love and care of Jesus.
Yesterday we received an email from a caring
mother whom we have never personally met. For many
years we visited with her son who works in one of the
companies we have served as chaplains. The connection
point is daily encouragement, which her son told her
about. She wrote to share a burden on her heart,
requesting prayer.
One of the great needs we all have is to
know we are cared about. We often take for granted or
expect that others care about us, but for so many this
is not the case. Knowing you are cared for by others
is a great blessing, but knowing you are cared for by
God is an even greater blessing.
Today let's try to reconstruct a New
Testament church service in present day Turkey
identified as "God’s elect, strangers in the
world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1,2).
These were regions rather than cities so this was
likely written to a group of local churches separated
by many miles.
They were undergoing persecution like so many are today. The esteemed apostle Peter wrote them a letter that was circulated and read verbally to the individual congregations.
Wouldn't it have been interesting to be present in one of those services? Like our church services today they likely sang, prayed, and heard a sermon presented by a pastor or church leader. Then the room grew especially quiet as a letter from Peter was read. People in that age surely had a lot better attention span and didn't have many of the distractions we have today, though a group of mixed ages will surely present some distractions and possible interruptions.
They were undergoing persecution like so many are today. The esteemed apostle Peter wrote them a letter that was circulated and read verbally to the individual congregations.
Wouldn't it have been interesting to be present in one of those services? Like our church services today they likely sang, prayed, and heard a sermon presented by a pastor or church leader. Then the room grew especially quiet as a letter from Peter was read. People in that age surely had a lot better attention span and didn't have many of the distractions we have today, though a group of mixed ages will surely present some distractions and possible interruptions.
But they came to church with many of the
same burdens that people bear from every generation
including our own; medical problems, financial
challenges, marriage and family strife, loss of loved
ones, people tempted to return to the world's patterns
and struggling with sin, etc, etc.
Read 1 Peter in their shoes. Some content that may seem rather academic to us was quite personal to them. It takes about 16 minutes to read 1 Peter in English presumably similar to the original so it really wasn't a long message. Having less modern day distractions than we have today helped fixed on the elder reading the letter.
Read 1 Peter in their shoes. Some content that may seem rather academic to us was quite personal to them. It takes about 16 minutes to read 1 Peter in English presumably similar to the original so it really wasn't a long message. Having less modern day distractions than we have today helped fixed on the elder reading the letter.
I think when he got to this part of the
message it must have deeply touched the people. "πᾶσαν
τὴν μέριμναν ὑμῶν ἐπιρίψαντες ἐπ' αὐτόν, ὅτι αὐτῷ
μέλει περὶ ὑμῶν." That's the actual Greek text the NT
was written in. Thank the Lord for translators so that
we can understand Peter's message: "Cast all
your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1
Peter 5:7).
Consider the blessing of being cared for today. Think of people you know who care about you and think of those you especially care about. The act of caring for one another provides so many opportunities for us to develop and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives as we put into practice these spiritual virtues such as love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.
Yet sadly there are many in every community, workplace and even in our churches who wonder if anyone does indeed care. We talk with those in the workplace who are very lonely and even being around other people does not always keep one from being lonely. Broken relationships abound, children who don't have the love and support from their parents, or vice versa, and discord is experienced in many settings.
Today we are so happy to report that God provides a constant source of care. Rejoice in this simple statement of truth in the latter part of the daily text. "He cares for you". These are powerful words. You can personalize this statement on the veracity of God's reassuring words, "Jesus cares for me".
Today, right now, Jesus cares for you. He knows when your heart is pained, when burdens press and cares distress. He knows when your day is weary and your long night is dreary. He knows the sources of anxiety you are dealing with. When it seems no one else wants to help carry our load we are invited, or even implored, to cast our burdens upon our Lord!
What a tremendous blessing and relief that we can confidently declare, Jesus cares for me!
Consider the blessing of being cared for today. Think of people you know who care about you and think of those you especially care about. The act of caring for one another provides so many opportunities for us to develop and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives as we put into practice these spiritual virtues such as love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.
Yet sadly there are many in every community, workplace and even in our churches who wonder if anyone does indeed care. We talk with those in the workplace who are very lonely and even being around other people does not always keep one from being lonely. Broken relationships abound, children who don't have the love and support from their parents, or vice versa, and discord is experienced in many settings.
Today we are so happy to report that God provides a constant source of care. Rejoice in this simple statement of truth in the latter part of the daily text. "He cares for you". These are powerful words. You can personalize this statement on the veracity of God's reassuring words, "Jesus cares for me".
Today, right now, Jesus cares for you. He knows when your heart is pained, when burdens press and cares distress. He knows when your day is weary and your long night is dreary. He knows the sources of anxiety you are dealing with. When it seems no one else wants to help carry our load we are invited, or even implored, to cast our burdens upon our Lord!
What a tremendous blessing and relief that we can confidently declare, Jesus cares for me!
Jesus cares for me
It seems too good to be
All my worries and doubts released
Jesus cares for me
It seems too good to be
All my worries and doubts released
Jesus cares for me
Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, though
we feel at times no one cares about our needs or
even notices that we are in need, we are assured
that You take notice and You do care for us. We are
invited to pour out the contents of our heart to
You. We are not silenced because You're too
preoccupied with other matters or unable to meet our
need. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that Your arm is
not too weak to save us nor is your ear too deaf to
hear us when we call upon You. You never weary of
hearing from us, for Your heart is touched by our
grief, our perplexities, our weaknesses and our
loneliness. We thank You that we can cast our cares
upon You because You really do care for us. The best
of what You have for us is yet to come in the life
eternal when that which contributes to our
heartaches of this life will no longer exist. We
thank You for being the best Caregiver we will ever
have. Amen.Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Jesus
Cares For Me" Video Bart
Millard This song really
blesses us!!!
"Does
Jesus Care" Video Canton
Junction We dedicate this song today to a
special friend who is going through a hard time.
May Jesus give him a deep assurance that Yes, He
cares!
"Lay
Your Burdens Down" Video Chuck Girard
Yesterday we walked the path alongside
Donegal Creek and saw these ducks near Colebrook
Road. We had another beautiful and warmer day
though the colder temps are projected, though
nothing like the Northerns Plains predicted to
get blizzard like weather early in the week.
Brooksyne's follow-up: On
September 27th I had surgery, followed by six
weeks of restrictions such as not lifting items
weighing more than 5 to 10# (sorry, Sadie), and
the worst restriction was not bending over.
Using the "Reach" tool became a daily necessity
many times over, along with Stephen and Ester
doing some extra bending for me (they were
overall very good to come to my aid). Have you
ever considered how many things you drop in a
day's time? I went back for my six week follow
up and the doctor lifted both restrictions for
which I felt like a FREE woman. Finally I can do
chores that have been put off during the six
week recovery. But even more importantly I want
to thank our readers for your prayers lifted for
me during my recovery period. It really does
feel so good being cared for not only by
immediate family members but also by my
spiritual family members who are spread out from
all across the globe.
Finally today:
Mark Pulliam is a longtime friend
who sang the national anthem yesterday at
Veteran's Day service in King Of Prussia, PA
off this Mission BBQ truck as a platform!
Send
a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
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Weber".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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