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A new message is updated most
weekdays usually by Noon Eastern Time (USA).
(Click refresh or reload for current message) Friday,
January 27, 2023
This
squirrel is up
to no good,
trying to
steal the
sunflower
seeds in our
birdfeeder
intended for
birds. But, of
course, we
invite the
hungry
squirrel to
eat what falls
to the ground!
"The
Most Important
Knowledge"
Message
summary: Let
us stay
faithful to
God and His
established
plan for our
lives and
pursue our
knowledge of
God above all!
“But
you, Daniel,
close up and
seal the words
of the scroll
until the time
of the end.
Many will go
here and there
to increase
knowledge”
(Daniel 12:4).
"Let us know,
let us pursue
the knowledge
of the LORD”
(Hosea 6:3).
“And so, from
the day we
heard, we have
not ceased to
pray for you,
asking that
you may be
filled with
the knowledge
of His will in
all spiritual
wisdom and
understanding,
so as to walk
in a manner
worthy of the
Lord, fully
pleasing to
Him, bearing
fruit in every
good work and
increasing in
the knowledge
of God”
(Colossians
1:9-10).
In
the news the
last several
days have been
reports about
the advances
made in
artificial
intelligence,
especially
ChatGPT. One
article
reported, "the
limitations of
ChatGPT are
becoming
weaker with
passing time
with the
Artificial
Intelligence
continuing to
put greater
amounts of
data into it,
to improve its
performance up
to the point
of a
viable
performance
generated by
human effort."
*
In
1977, the year
we graduated
from college,
James Martin
wrote a book
titled “The
Wired
Society”. In
what at that
time surely
seemed like
science
fiction, he
predicted a
planet
networked by
personal
computers
foreseeing the
concept of the
internet,
e-commerce,
tele-commuting
and other
technological
breakthroughs
we now take
for granted.
At the time
though many of
his
predictions
surely would
have seemed
bizarre.
Now consider what many of us hold in our hands known as smart phones. We can instantly communicate with people from all over the world, read the latest news often as it happens and instantly research virtually any topic imaginable. Indeed knowledge is increasing! In 2001 Martin wrote another book, “After the Internet: Alien Intelligence” in which he made some stunning predictions about where technology is taking us. If he is as correct in this book as he was in his earlier one we are moving into some frightening territory. He envisions us entering a brave new world in which alien (artificial) intelligence can redesign and reinvent itself at electronic speed and without the control of human engineers. Indeed, alien intelligence will become so complex that humans will not even be able to understand the computers’ processes. Ultimately the question becomes: Will we control the machines, or will they control us? Of
course in
preparing and
sharing these
daily
encouragement
messages we
are using some
of the very
technology
that James
Martin wrote
about to
communicate
Biblical
truth. We are
not doing so
in some state
of the art
news studio,
but from a
typical
computer right
from our own
home in rural
Pennsylvania,
USA.
Technology has
been mightily
used to spread
the Gospel
through the
printing
press, radio,
the Internet
and many other
modern
inventions,
for which we
give thanks to
God.
Most
are probably
familiar with
the first half
of Daniel's
book which
includes the
fiery furnace
and den of
lions.
But
the last half
of Daniel’s
book deals
with
prophecies
that stretch
far beyond his
own day.
Daniel lived
about 600
years before
Christ’s
incarnation or
some 2,600
years ago. Of
course all
through human
history
knowledge has
been
increasing.
However in our
time there has
been an
exponential
increase in
the rate of
new knowledge
and we see
that indeed, “Many
will go here
and there to
increase
knowledge.”
Where is all
this headed?
Daniel
associated
this
particular
increase of
knowledge to
the “time
of the end”.
But
the call to
God’s chosen
people is no
different than
it’s ever
been. We
are, above
all, to grow
in the
knowledge of
the Lord.
Today’s second and third verses are a timeless call regarding our primary pursuit of knowledge. “Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord” and “increasing in the knowledge of God”. Let us stay faithful to God and His established plan for our lives and pursue our knowledge of God above all! Stephen
and Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
we have seen
throughout
Biblical and
modern history
that Your
people perish
due to lack of
knowledge.
Additionally,
nations
crumble due to
disregard and
disrespect
toward Your
teachings that
instruct us in
the manner of
which we
should live
our lives. The
treasures of
wisdom and
knowledge are
dispensed from
Your invisible
realm so we
are confident
that when we
seek the heart
of our Father
we are also
increasing in
spiritual
knowledge that
comes from a
loving
relationship
with You.
Thank You for
the Holy
Spirit, our
Helper, whom
You sent to
teach us and
to bring to
remembrance
all things
that You have
taught us
through
Scripture.
Your knowledge
will preserve
us through the
fiery trials
of this life
and the
unknown future
from which we
will navigate
our spiritual
journey. We
need not fear,
but we must
trust You for
all that comes
our way. As
the Apostle
Paul prayed
for the
Colossians we
pray, that we
may be filled
with the
knowledge of
Your will in
all spiritual
wisdom and
understanding,
so as to walk
in a manner
worthy of the
Lord, fully
pleasing to
Him, bearing
fruit in every
good work and
increasing in
the knowledge
of God. In the
name of Jesus
we pray. Amen.
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Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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