A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Monday,
November 22,
2021
Friday evening sunset photo taken across Speedwell Lake near Lititz, PA
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"Three Apples That
Changed The World"
Message
summary: Today we urge all
our readers to accept the divinely appointed means that
God provided in Christ to deal with the problem we all
have due to Adam's "apple". As we
begin this Thanksgiving week
especially let us thank God for His indescribably gift!
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"For as
in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1
Corinthians 15:22). "Thanks be to God for His
indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
We saw a man
wearing a T-shirt that inadvertently was a witness for
Biblical truth, although he might have had no idea how.
The shirt stated "3 Apples That Changed The World". Below
the images of apples were these words; Adam's, Isaac's,
Steve's.Isaac's
apple refers to Isaac Newton and the discovery of gravity.
Legend has it that a young Isaac Newton was sitting under
an apple tree when he was bonked on the head by a falling
apple, a 17th-century “aha moment” that prompted him to
suddenly come up with his law of gravity. That knowledge
has certainly changed the world.
I
surmise the t-shirt wearer is an admirer of Apple products
developed by Steve Jobs, thus Steve's Apple, which indeed
has changed the world. How many of you presently have or
previously had an Apple product. We currently use iPhones.But I wonder what the casual, Biblically uninformed reader thinks regarding "Adam's Apple" on the t-shirt? I bet there's more than a few that think it's part of the anatomy that typically protrudes from some men's throats! But we believe that Adam's apple alludes to the disobedience of Adam in partaking of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Now to be sure the Bible doesn't specify that the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was an apple, although for some reason that's what artists usually draw. As a child I recall wondering why we were permitted to eat apples if it was the forbidden fruit.
Adam's apple drastically changed the world and had an impact far, far greater than Isaac Newton or Steve Jobs.
The original record concerning Adam's disobedience is recorded in Genesis 3 but today let us consider a text in 1 Corinthians 15:22, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive". Adam's transgression indeed changed the world!
Bible teacher William Newell writes,
"We
were so connected with the first Adam that we did not have
to wait to be born, or to have a sinful nature; but when
Adam, our representative, acted, we acted… The great truth
of Romans 5:12-21 is that a representative acted,
involving those connected with him (Romans 5)."
Theologians
refer to Adam's fall as "original sin".
But the supreme act of God's love and mercy that Christ died to solve this problem expressed in this verse "so by the one man's (Jesus Christ) obedience the many will be made righteous". The late Stanley Horton, one of my professors in Bible College called this, "The Adam-Christ Parallel."
Pastor David Guzik writes,
But the supreme act of God's love and mercy that Christ died to solve this problem expressed in this verse "so by the one man's (Jesus Christ) obedience the many will be made righteous". The late Stanley Horton, one of my professors in Bible College called this, "The Adam-Christ Parallel."
Pastor David Guzik writes,
"Only a
sinless person acting on our behalf can save us, and it
is fair for Him to act on our behalf because another man
put us in this mess by acting on our behalf… The person
who says, “I don’t want to be represented by Adam or
Jesus; I want to represent myself” doesn’t understand
two things. First, they don’t understand that it really
isn’t up to us. We didn’t write the rules, God did. We
simply must choose to follow or ignore them. Secondly,
they don’t understand that our personal righteousness
before God is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)."
Today we urge all our readers to accept the only divinely appointed means that God provided in Christ to deal with the problem we all have due to Adam's "apple". This Thanksgiving week especially let us thank God for His indescribable gift!
One with
Adam are we all,
One with Adam in his fall;
But another Adam came—
Fallen sinners to reclaim.
D. De Haan
One with Adam in his fall;
But another Adam came—
Fallen sinners to reclaim.
D. De Haan
Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Merciful
Father, we thank You for the love You extend toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. It was necessary for our salvation, so that
we might have abundant life here on earth and a
future inheritance in heaven. Because of Adam's
disobedience we are all born into sin, but because
You gave Your only Son, Jesus, and because He
obediently sacrificed His life on the cross we have
forgiveness of sins and are made righteous through
His divine, loving act. Though we are born into
Adam's race we gratefully receive Your redeeming
grace to be born again in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.Other
verses for consideration: "But God commends
His love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For as
by the one man's disobedience the many were made
sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many
will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19).
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Pennsylvania Apples we enjoy eating!
"Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19,20).
"There
Is A Redeemer" Video Selah
"A
Might Fortress is Our God" (1529) and
"O God Our Help In Ages Past"
(1719) Video These ancient hymns speak of God who
is our firm foundation, our fortress and our
shelter from the stormy blast. It's good to be
reminded of our eternal God and His watchful
eye in these troubling times. The
choir led us in worship yesterday. Since the
choir sings in all three services they arrive
by 6:45 am so Brooksyne goes in on her own.
Ester and I join her for the second
service.
"Yes,
I Will" and "Be Enthroned" Video More
contemporary song set from our service
yesterday at Calvary Church. Both older and
newer songs speak to hearts of believers. The
choir has singers from all ages including a
man who is 94 years old. We enjoy our
inter-generational congregation where people
of all ages worship and serve together.
Pennsylvania Apples we enjoy eating!
Brooksyne
leading a "Name That Song" game at Audrey's
Banquet. She played a single line on the piano
from a Christmas carol and the audience had to
guess the song.
During
the holiday season we attend a number of
banquets for the companies we serve. Friday
night we went to one in Myerstown, PA for
Audrey's, a home decor wholesale company we
serve in Lebanon County. We enjoy these
banquets for a variety of reasons but one is
that we meet the spouses or other family
members of the employees we regularly see.
Sitting
next to us during the banquet was the spouse
of an employee who has a job most readers
have probably given little thought to. When
asked what he does for a living he described
his job as a "bull on wheels". We had to
process that for a minute before he went on
to explain that he visits dairy farms to
artificially inseminate the cows, which is
pretty much standard procedure in modern
farming. He performs the procedure, up to as
many as 40 a day, and works very long hours
since there is a shortage of people willing
to do such hard work. It includes long
hours, demanding time lines, and dangerous
clients.
I
was surprised to learn of the very narrow
window (about 18 hours as I recall) as to
when the cow is ready. That puts a lot of
pressure on his timing.
As we begin Thanksgiving Week let us
consider with an attitude of gratitude the
many contributions people make that we may
have the life we have, especially those who
have what we might call dirty work. Of
course the ultimate focus of our
thanksgiving should be on God, who is the
source of all blessings, "Praise God from
whom all blessings flow".
"Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19,20).
I
(Stephen) enjoy a certain genre of
educational television that features
stories about all the different ways
people work and contribute to society.
"Dirty Jobs" and "How America Works" both
hosted by Mike Rowe are among my
favorites. Another one is "American Built"
in which Stuart Varney interviews renowned
architects, engineers and historians about
engineering marvels.
Finally
today:
The
doorbell rang last night after dark (since
that comes early these days) and we were
greeted by our new neighbors, Jewel and
Burnell. Brooksyne had visited them back in
September when they first moved into our
neighborhood, but this time they came to visit
us along with their young family and brought a
food basket. During Thanksgiving season
members of their church, Muddy Creek Mennonite
Church, collects food items and compile food
baskets for distribution, along with a
thoughtful Thanksgiving tract.
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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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