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Bible teaching
ministry of
Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Tuesday,
February 27, 2024
Yesterday's
sunset on our
house
showcasing our
new white
picket fence.
"Conformed
Or
Transformed?"
Note:
Today's
message is an
expansion on
our message
yesterday, "A
Delete Key For
The Mind".
Message
summary:
We must daily
come before
the throne of
God, confess
our sins,
acknowledge
our
weaknesses,
and ask His
help to keep
us from
conforming to
this world.
Are you being
conformed or
are you being
transformed?
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"Therefore,
I urge you,
brothers, in
view of God's
mercy, to
offer your
bodies as
living
sacrifices,
holy and
pleasing to
God--this is
your spiritual
act of
worship. Do
not conform
any longer to
the pattern of
this world,
but be
transformed by
the renewing
of your mind.
Then you will
be able to
test and
approve what
God's will is
- His good,
pleasing and
perfect will"
(Romans
12:1,2).
Our
daily text is
one of the
very first
Scriptures I
put to memory
in my early
days of
walking with
Christ over 50
years ago,
way, way back
in the early
seventies.
When I was at
Truman High
School in
Independence,
MO we had a
ministry group
of Campus
Crusade for
Christ. An
older mentor
named Dave sat
down with me
at King's
restaurant on
Noland Road.
He taught from
this verse
using a paper
napkin with
the outline of
a head. Dave
described how
in our sinful
nature we had
been conformed
to the pattern
of this world
with an image
written on a
napkin showing
a variety of
sinful clutter
that fills our
minds.
Bible teacher J.C. Philpot who lived in the 1800's writes,
"In
proportion as
we are
conformed to
the spirit of
this world,
our
understanding
becomes dull
in the things
of God, our
affections
cold and
torpid, and
our
consciences
less tender
and
sensitive".
My
friend Dave
stressed how
we need to be
transformed
by the
renewing of
our minds
and the
various means
by which our
mind is
renewed by
replacing the
sins
conforming to
this world
with Godly
input.
Bible
teacher Paul
Fritz
observes,
We have a responsibility in not conforming any longer to the pattern of this world and in renewing our minds. This transformation is not for a season, but a lifelong commission. We are being transformed and it seems that this phase will not be complete until the next stage of our existence, when we go to heaven.
"There is
always a
danger of
giving in to
the
temptations of
the world to
just feel like
being “normal”
in our modern
society. Today
it is easier
to try to fit
in, blend in
and give in to
the popular
trends in the
world rather
than to live
by Biblical
principles. We
are faced with
a choice
today. We can
either decide
to give in to
the patterns
of
self-indulgence,
carnality and
selfishness or
we choose to
prosper by
obeying God’s
Word."
We have a responsibility in not conforming any longer to the pattern of this world and in renewing our minds. This transformation is not for a season, but a lifelong commission. We are being transformed and it seems that this phase will not be complete until the next stage of our existence, when we go to heaven.
The struggle is ever before us as the tempter never fully leaves us alone no matter how much transformation takes place or how long we've walked with God. Bad habits visible to others may be broken but dealing with inner attitudes can even be more difficult, those attitudes we don't want others to see. Yet the transforming of the Spirit must take place within and without, for "everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13).
We must daily come before the throne of God, confess our sins, acknowledge our weaknesses, and ask His help to keep us from conforming to this world. We can align our desires with His by drawing near to Him daily as James 4:8 tells us, "If we draw near to Him He will draw near to us."
Are
you being
conformed or
are you being
transformed?
Be
encouraged
today,
Hebrews
3:13
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, I am
so grateful
for my
salvation,
that in Christ
I am a new
creation; the
old has gone,
the new has
come! All this
is from You,
who reconciled
me to Yourself
through Christ
Jesus. As
Christ's
ambassador I
want to live
as one who no
longer
conforms to
the pattern of
this world,
but is
transformed by
the renewing
of my heart
and my
mind.
Now I can
prayerfully
test that
which I see,
feel or hear
to find that
which is Your
will for me –
Your good,
pleasing and
perfect will.
(See 2 Cor.
5:17, 20;
Romans 12:2)
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Yet
Not I But
Through Christ
In Me"
Watch
on YouTube
CityAlight
In
the course of
our home
addition
project we
needed to
remove some
fencing
including the
posts to give
access. In
replacing the
old wood
fencing we
found that
much of it had
been decaying
(it was over
25 years old)
and also need
replaced. We
chose a vinyl
picket fence
and were
blessed to
find the fence
panels on
clearance
price at Lowes
for less than
1/4 the
regular price.
Luis, a friend
we met years
ago at a
company he no
longer works
for, is
installing the
fence as our
handyman and
he is indeed
handy in a
wide of
variety of
work skills.
Today he
expects to
finish the
back side of
our fence
which will
serve us
greatly as it
keeps our four
dogs
contained. And
that sure is
handy when
they need to
go "potty".
"My
addiction
finally caught
up with me, on
March 13, 2021
- My wife
found me
Unresponsive
on the floor.
She did CPR. I
ended up in
the hospital.
Blood Alcohol
level .32
mixed with
other
prescription
pills. When
you hit rock
bottom, the
only choice is
to climb to
the light of
freedom or
stay in the
dark abyss of
addiction".
He
was converted
to Christ at
that time and
notes the date
with a post-it
note
indicating the
number of
days, recently
passing 1000
days of no
alcohol! He
now has a
ministry
online:
Steve, an
Iowan reader
and engineer
who had worked
with John
Deere,
responded to
our message
last Thursday
about George
Washington
Carver with an
interesting
detail I had
never heard of
before:
It
reminded me of
a story shared
by Harold
Brock, a
former
apprentice to
Henry Ford who
would rise to
executive
leadership in
Ford, and
later to John
Deere where I
worked. Carver
and Ford had
become friends
in the early
30s and shared
a common
interest in
using
agricultural
products for
industrial
purposes.
Carver
first visited
Ford’s
laboratory
complex in
1937 and
eventually
moved into a
building
dedicated to
Carver’s
research. It
was during
this time that
Mr. Brock
observed an
enthusiastic
Mr. Carver
coaxing Ford
and his
accomplices to
eat homemade
grass
sandwiches,
presumably
harvested from
the manicured
factory lawn!
Hopefully the
landscaping
crew hadn’t
applied any
weed killer to
the turf.
David
elaborates on
his
relationship
with Harold
Brock in this
story, "The
Apprentice"
Finally
today:
This
morning we had
farm work
across the
road.
Any
idea what this
is?
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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.
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Weber
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Joy, PA 17552
To
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(This will
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Stephen and
Brooksyne
Weber -
700001-237376
serving in
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Encouragement
is our
endorsed
special
chaplaincy
ministry).Thank
you,
Stephen & Brooksyne
Stephen & Brooksyne
2024
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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 and a variety of other versions.
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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