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Weber
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Monday,
September 25, 2023
"Rich
In Christ"
Message
summary:
Today,
wherever you
live and
whatever
degree of
earthly riches
you may have,
rejoice that
all who have
been redeemed
are rich
in Christ!
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Ester
just
celebrated her
fifth year
work
anniversary at
Fuddruckers, a
hamburger
restaurant.
She's always
happy to see
people she
recognizes but
last Friday
evening she
had a
more
interesting
exchange of
conversation
than usual
with a guest.
She writes the
following
story:
Friday
evening was
like any other
workday for
me. I was on
the floor
making sure
the tables
were clean and
I noticed this
guy who looked
very familiar.
I walked
around, trying
not to
be
a stalker,
while I was
racking my
brain trying
to remember
where I had
seen him
before. After
a few minutes
I considered
that he might
have been in a
movie I've
seen. After I
went back to
the dish room
to do some of
the dishes,
and do some
more thinking,
it finally
occurred to me
where I
thought I had
seen him
before.
After
a few more
minutes I got
the courage to
go back on the
floor, walk up
to him and
ask, "You
wouldn’t have
been in the
movie
"COURAGEOUS"
would you?" He
replied, "Well
yes, I was!"
Then I
excitedly
blurted out,
"JAVIER, the
snake king!"
(My favorite
scene in the
movie.) After
finally
figuring out
who he was and
where I had
seen him we
had a friendly
conversation.
He recently
moved his
family to this
area (Hershey,
I think). I
also met his
two daughters
and I told him
how much I
loved that
movie. And of
course I had
to get a
selfie with
him!
"Courageous"
is a movie
from 2011 that
features four
police
officers who
struggle with
their faith
and their
roles as
husbands and
fathers.
Together they
make a
decision to
sign a
resolution to
following the
Scriptural
teachings.Javier
comes on the
scene as a
down on his
luck day
laborer whom
the four
policeman
befriend and
include in
their group.
Ester alluded
to a scene
where Javier
shares about a
gang he had
been in called
the Snake
Kings which
really just
amounted to
him and his
brothers. A
link is
provided below
to the
humorous
scene.
Javier
who is
struggling to
provide for
his family and
wants to be a
good husband
and father so
he joins the
police
officers in
their
resolution. He
has a loving,
supportive
wife and two
kids who adore
him. Above all
he has faith
in God. In
preparing for
the resolution
signing
ceremony he
gets a new
suit and tries
it on as his
wife, Carmen,
looks on
admiringly. He
looks in the
mirror and
says, "I feel
like a rich
man". Carmen
hugs him and
responds, "You
are a rich
man"!Now
that's a great
message
regarding a
perspective of
what really
comprises true
wealth. (See
the scene in a
video link
below.) The
film is a
timely message
so desperately
needed in our
time. In fact
in my
chaplaincy
ministry I
have had
occasions to
especially
recommend it
when
challenging
men to be good
husbands and
fathers.
But
today I want
to consider a
richness we
all have in
Christ. "For
you know the
grace of our
Lord Jesus
Christ, that
though He was
rich, yet for
your sake He
became poor,
so that you
through His
poverty might
become rich" (2
Corinthians
8:9).
What a
powerful
description of
the Gospel.
Henry
Morris writes,
"He
was the
Creator of the
entire cosmos
(Colossians
1:16ff), with
all its
infinite
riches, yet He
left it all to
die a cruel
death, utterly
impoverished,
with even His
meager
garments
stripped away
as He was
spiked to the
Cross. See
also the even
more graphic
testimony in
Philippians
2:5-8. This
great gift of
grace is the
standard
against which
our own
practice of
the grace of
giving must
always be
compared."
(Defender's
Study Bible)
"Become
rich" is used
here
figuratively
of our
spiritual
riches in
Christ. David
Guzik writes,
"Because
of Jesus’
poverty and
all that was
related to it,
we can become
rich. We have
a share in
Jesus’
eternal,
heavenly
wealth because
He came and
had a share in
our poverty."
Today,
wherever you
live and what
ever degree of
earthly riches
you may have,
rejoice that
all who have
been redeemed
are rich
in Christ!
Yesterday
we sang a song
in church
titled "Christ
Is Enough" and
it's a
reminder that
the riches of
this world can
never satisfy
our spiritual
needs, Only
Christ can
meet that need
and He is
enough, for He
is everything
I need.
Christ
is enough for
me
Christ is enough for me
Everything I need is in You
Everything I need
Christ is enough for me
Everything I need is in You
Everything I need
Be
encouraged
today,
(Hebrews
3:13)
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Father,
Your abundant
grace is
poured out on
us like
showers of
blessings,
both for
believer and
unbeliever
alike. Yet it
is only as we
appropriate
Your saving
grace that we
experience the
true richness
of Your
provided
salvation. We
are “richly
blessed” when
we call upon
You to save us
from our sins
because You
share richly
with the
redeemed.
Though You
were rich, yet
for our sake
You became
poor, so that
we through
Your poverty
might become
rich. Praise
God!
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Christ
is Enough"
Watch
video on
YouTube
Shane
and Shane
"Courageous" Watch video on YouTube Casting Crowns The theme song to the movie.
"As For Me And My House" Watch video on YouTube John Waller Another outstanding song from the movie.
Here
are the words
to the
Courageous
resolution:
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
- I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
- I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
- I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
- I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
- I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
- I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
- I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
- I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
- I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
- I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
- I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
"As
for me and my
house, we will
serve the
Lord." –
Joshua 24:15
In
the course of
preparing for
this message I
came across
these thoughts
likely written
many years
ago.
John
Butler -
WAR ON POVERTY
2 Corinthians
8:9
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
A few decades ago our government launched into what was widely hailed as the ‘War on poverty.’ A better program against a poverty the news media will not talk about is God’s program to eliminate spiritual poverty.
FIRST—THE PROMPTER OF THE PROGRAM
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Divine grace is the motivator of this poverty program. God was not seeking votes for a political office when He put the Gospel program in action. His grace was trying to save people from the damnation of hell fire. Grace is that which brings about our salvation. We cannot buy it, earn it, or merit it, but grace alone seeks us out to save us. “For by grace are ye saved” (Ephesians 2:8) says the Scripture.
SECOND—THE PRICE OF THE PROGRAM
“Though He was rich yet for your sakes He became poor.” We talk a lot about salvation being free and it is to man. But it cost God a bundle. It cost God the death of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and our text says it cost Jesus His wealth. He willingly gave up His wealth so that we might be rich spiritually. I have never heard of any politician becoming poor in order to support the government’s poverty program, but there is so much fraud in the program that many rascals (politicians and others) have become rich at the expense of the poor.
THIRD—THE PLACE OF THE PROGRAM
“That ye through his poverty might be rich.” This program is to help people spirituality. An unsaved person is broke spiritually. He is bankrupt and hopelessly in debt. The Gospel message, however, is to make the spiritually poor the spiritually rich. The world is not interested in such a program. They live for the material and the only poverty they see is materially. How tragic. In order to get into heaven you need spiritual wealth. Material wealth will do you no good but Christ has provided spiritual wealth for your impoverished soul.
FOURTH —THE PRODUCT OF THE PROGRAM
“Ye through His poverty might be rich.” There is no richness like being saved. That is the greatest wealth ever. You can have millions and even billions of dollars in the bank materially and not have the greatest wealth of all. Poverty of the soul is the greatest peril you can have. If you have poverty of the soul when you die you will to straight to hell for eternity. But with Christ you can be spiritually wealthy and only the spiritual wealthy will have heaven for their eternal abode.
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
A few decades ago our government launched into what was widely hailed as the ‘War on poverty.’ A better program against a poverty the news media will not talk about is God’s program to eliminate spiritual poverty.
FIRST—THE PROMPTER OF THE PROGRAM
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Divine grace is the motivator of this poverty program. God was not seeking votes for a political office when He put the Gospel program in action. His grace was trying to save people from the damnation of hell fire. Grace is that which brings about our salvation. We cannot buy it, earn it, or merit it, but grace alone seeks us out to save us. “For by grace are ye saved” (Ephesians 2:8) says the Scripture.
SECOND—THE PRICE OF THE PROGRAM
“Though He was rich yet for your sakes He became poor.” We talk a lot about salvation being free and it is to man. But it cost God a bundle. It cost God the death of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and our text says it cost Jesus His wealth. He willingly gave up His wealth so that we might be rich spiritually. I have never heard of any politician becoming poor in order to support the government’s poverty program, but there is so much fraud in the program that many rascals (politicians and others) have become rich at the expense of the poor.
THIRD—THE PLACE OF THE PROGRAM
“That ye through his poverty might be rich.” This program is to help people spirituality. An unsaved person is broke spiritually. He is bankrupt and hopelessly in debt. The Gospel message, however, is to make the spiritually poor the spiritually rich. The world is not interested in such a program. They live for the material and the only poverty they see is materially. How tragic. In order to get into heaven you need spiritual wealth. Material wealth will do you no good but Christ has provided spiritual wealth for your impoverished soul.
FOURTH —THE PRODUCT OF THE PROGRAM
“Ye through His poverty might be rich.” There is no richness like being saved. That is the greatest wealth ever. You can have millions and even billions of dollars in the bank materially and not have the greatest wealth of all. Poverty of the soul is the greatest peril you can have. If you have poverty of the soul when you die you will to straight to hell for eternity. But with Christ you can be spiritually wealthy and only the spiritual wealthy will have heaven for their eternal abode.
Finally
today:
Each
morning we
receive a
message from
Richard
Dresselhaus, a
retired pastor
friend from
San Diego.
Today's
message hits
the spot:
What
is happening?
That is a
question many
are asking.
With gender identity a matter of choice…unborn children denied the opportunity to live…marriage no longer exclusive to male and female -- what is happening?
Common sense is trivialized…rules of decency ignored…long-held traditional ridiculed – what is happening?
It is as if there is an invasion of demons – sent from hell itself to pervert and destroy all that is honorable and decent.
What was once thought unthinkable is now celebrated.
So…what should godly people do? Pray – ask God to send a wave of conviction. Take a stand – resist what is evil. Accept opposition – know that godliness comes with a price.
“…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
With gender identity a matter of choice…unborn children denied the opportunity to live…marriage no longer exclusive to male and female -- what is happening?
Common sense is trivialized…rules of decency ignored…long-held traditional ridiculed – what is happening?
It is as if there is an invasion of demons – sent from hell itself to pervert and destroy all that is honorable and decent.
What was once thought unthinkable is now celebrated.
So…what should godly people do? Pray – ask God to send a wave of conviction. Take a stand – resist what is evil. Accept opposition – know that godliness comes with a price.
“…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
His
blog is titled
"One
For The Road"
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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
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to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
If
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Weber". We
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and for those
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need an
official
receipt. You
can also set
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recurring
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Thank
you,
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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