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&
Brooksyne Weber
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Thursday,
December 15, 2022
"Gabriel's
Understatement"
Message
summary: This
day we
unashamedly
declare
ourselves to
be two of
Christ’s
followers.
Christianity
is alive
because Jesus
Christ, its
Founder is
alive! Jesus
Christ is the
central
figure. He is
great and He
is the famous
One in a class
that stands
way, way above
any human
classification.
Join us in
praising and
serving Him
today!
“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30-33).
Mary, who had not yet conceived, heard this startling message from the angel Gabriel concerning Christ: "He will be great". Now that's of course true but seems to be an understatement considering the many ways we assess greatness today and how often the word is overused or misused. Here we are over 2000 years later affirming His ultimate greatness! As we prepare this message our hearts are full of exaltation to the ultimate Greatest Of All Time who is exclusively worthy of all praise.
Some have a
greatness that
lasts over
time and
others for
only fifteen
minutes. Some
are great for
specific
reasons or in
a specific
area but
little beyond
that. Some are
famous for
their evil
acts and
others for
doing good. In
addition to
heroes there
are actors,
musicians,
athletes and
politicians
who have
worldwide fame
with many
devoted
followers. All
of this is
"fame" by
human
standards.
About 50 years ago John Lennon of the “Beatles” made an extremely boastful statement about the popularity of his band being greater than that of Jesus Christ.* We know how that turned out and His final accounting will be given to the Lord Jesus. The “Beatles” and all others who are reckoned as “great” by this world’s standards will eventually be likened to a tiny grain of sand in recorded history, let alone throughout eternity.
About 50 years ago John Lennon of the “Beatles” made an extremely boastful statement about the popularity of his band being greater than that of Jesus Christ.* We know how that turned out and His final accounting will be given to the Lord Jesus. The “Beatles” and all others who are reckoned as “great” by this world’s standards will eventually be likened to a tiny grain of sand in recorded history, let alone throughout eternity.
An
acronym has
been used a
lot,
especially in
my observation
to describe
athletes such
as Tom Brady
the "GOAT",
meaning
"Greatest Of
All Time". I
had considered
titling this
message "The
Ultimate GOAT"
but realized
if readers
were unable to
see my
intention that
it would seem
sacrilegious.
I absolutely
want them to
understand
that Jesus
Christ is the
greatest of
all time and
eternity!
At the close
of the last
century
historian Paul
Johnson wrote
of the lasting
and increasing
impact of
Jesus Christ.
But he noted
that 100 years
earlier as the
year 1900
approached,
many leading
secular
thinkers
believed that
the progress
of science
would cause a
decline in
religious
faith and the
dawning of the
twentieth
century would
mark the close
of history’s
religious
phase. “But
here we are”
Johnson wrote,
“at the
threshold of a
new
millennium,
and
Christianity
is alive and
well in the
minds and
hearts of
countless
believers.”
Twenty
plus years
into the new
millennium and
we see the
continued
efforts of our
ancient foe to
minimize and
defeat the
cause of
Christ. Today
many leading
secularists
continue to
believe that
the progress
of science
will cause a
decline in
religious
faith. And to
some degree
that is
happening.
There's an
increasing
barrage of
unbelief being
unbridled and
applauded by
our secular
society.
However we
place our
faith in the
One who said,
“Heaven and
earth will
pass away, but
My words will
not pass away”
(Matthew
24:35)
and who
forthrightly
states, "The
gates of hell
shall not
prevail" (Matthew
16:18).
This day we unashamedly declare ourselves to be two of Christ’s followers. Christianity is alive because Jesus Christ, its Founder is alive! Jesus Christ is the central figure. He is great and He is the famous One in a class that stands way, way above any human classification. Join us in praising and serving Him today!
Then
sings my soul,
my Savior God
to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Be
encouraged
today, (Hebrews
3:13)
Stephen
and Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, You
are exalted
over all the
nations and
Your glory
fills the
heavens. You
are great and
greatly to be
praised. There
is no other
One who sits
enthroned in
the heavens
and yet whose
Spirit hears
the very sigh
of my heart.
You hear my
prayer before
it is even
whispered on
my lips. You
know my need
even before I
am aware of it
and yet Your
greatness
never keeps me
at a distance.
Instead You
invite me to
approach the
throne of
grace and have
audience with
the King of
kings and Lord
of lords, both
in seasons of
rejoicing and
in times of
need. Thank
You, Almighty
One who exists
from eternity
to eternity.
It is through
Jesus that we
approach You,
our heavenly
Father in
prayer. Amen.
Daily
prayer:
Father, You
are exalted
over all the
nations and
Your glory
fills the
heavens. You
are great and
greatly to be
praised. There
is no other
One who sits
enthroned in
the heavens
and yet whose
Spirit hears
the very sigh
of my heart.
You hear my
prayer before
it is even
whispered on
my lips. You
know my need
even before I
am aware of it
and yet Your
greatness
never keeps me
at a distance.
Instead You
invite me to
approach the
throne of
grace and have
audience with
the King of
kings and Lord
of lords, both
in seasons of
rejoicing and
in times of
need. Thank
You, Almighty
One who exists
from eternity
to eternity.
It is through
Jesus that we
approach You,
our heavenly
Father in
prayer. Amen.*
Here’s John
Lennon’s quote
referred to
above:
“Christianity
will go. It
will vanish
and shrink. I
needn’t argue
about that;
I’m right and
I’ll be proved
right. We’re
more popular
than Jesus
now; I don’t
know which
will go
first—rock ‘n’
roll or
Christianity.
Jesus was all
right but his
disciples were
thick and
ordinary. It’s
them twisting
it that ruins
it for me."
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental
Resources
"How
Great Thou
Art"
Video
Shane &
Shane
Technical
note:
Yesterday we
had two major
technical
issues that
took quite a
while to
resolve
(hopefully
they are
resolved!). I
am self taught
and a plodder
when it comes
to this.
Mid
morning our
dailyencouragement.net
email went
down and I had
to scramble to
find and set
up a new email
server for the
dailyencouragement.net
addresses.
Thus we may
have missed
emails coming
in through the
day that are
lost in
cyberspace.
Last
night the
dailyencouragement.net
website went
down for
several hours
due to a
security issue
(possibly
related to
setting up the
new email
earlier in the
day). I
finally got it
resolved with
tech support around
midnight and
it seems to be
working fine
this morning.
Winter
storm: We
awoke this
morning to icy
conditions
with a very
slippery
driveway. The
temp is still
just 32
degrees
mid-morning.
Light snow is
forecast for
tomorrow.
Special
Year-end
Financial
Appeal
We
want to thank
all who have
financially
supported our
ministry this
past year (and
some for many
years!). Like
most
ministries, we
typically see
a spike in
giving at the
end of the
year for which
we are most
thankful. We
realize there
are many fine
ministries and
causes
requesting
support at
this time but
if you would
like
information
about making a
donation to
our ministry
see here.
In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
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offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
To
donate
directly
online
click here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
If
you desire you
can also
donate
directly
through PayPal
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Weber". We
keep this
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available due
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international
supporters,
and for those
who may not
need an
official
receipt. You
can also set
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donations.
Thank
you,
Stephen & Brooksyne
Stephen & Brooksyne
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radioPermissions: 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."
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