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Monday, January 13, 2025

Old Windmill Farm sleigh ride
A horse-drawn sleigh ride on the Old Windmill Farm.

"Christ Is Enough"

Message summary: May the Lord give us all overcoming faith both in times of normalcy and in times when we especially face the heat of trial. May the Lord fill us with the assurance that, "Christ is enough".

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"This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).

Yesterday in our church service we sang a song titled "Christ Is Enough" (link below), a song of assurance that whatever we are facing in life Christ is enough. We sang it from a comfortable position in our church's sanctuary.

Christ is my reward and all of my devotion
Now there's nothing in this world that could ever satisfy
Through every trial my soul will sing
No turning back I've been set free

Christ is enough for me
Christ is enough for me
Everything I need is in You
Everything I need

But today we consider those who are not in a comfortable place such as so many out in the fire-ravaged areas of southern California. About ten years ago we visited this area and drove through the Pacific Palisades on our way back to Los Angeles from a visit to the Reagan Library. In fact retracing my route on Google maps* I see I was on a highway (Rt 27) that appears to go right through the heart of what is now a devastated area. My impression at that time was just how rustic and mountainous the area was and yet so close to a major city.

A pastor whose church had burned down was featured on the news expressing the kind of assurance God can give in the very midst of what is being called an apocalyptic situation. He didn't speak in a desperate tone but rather he gave the assurance that God is still present. He reminded those who listened that the building is gone, but the church is not gone. The church is the people who worship God. And God can be found anywhere so they can continue to worship God as before. As believers, we know that to be a fact but it sure is good to be reminded when our surroundings that are familiar and cherished has completely collapsed. Yet still, Christ is enough!

The late Bible teacher Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) comments,

"CHRIST is enough to satisfy the hearts of all who confide in Him and who leave everything in His hands. Such need never be cast down by seeming misfortunes. A Christian asked another how he was getting along. Dolefully his friend replied, "Oh, fairly well, under the circumstances." "I am sorry," exclaimed the other, "that you are under the circumstances. The LORD would have us living above all circumstances, where He Himself can satisfy our hearts and meet our every need for time and eternity."

Life is really a sequence of overcomings. Most of the time life rolls along rather smoothly and predictably. We call that normalcy or routine, a blessing we often take for granted. When our lives are disrupted a return to this normalcy is especially a blessing. It's kind of like how you feel after you've had the flu, instead of feeling good you feel extra good!

At other times the issues we deal with are more intense and out of the ordinary, but overcoming faith is always the "modus operandi" of the believer's life. In fact the purpose of these daily encouragement messages is to encourage fellow overcomers who, in the words of an old hymn, are "overcoming daily by the Spirit's sword". In this real time perspective we periodically share with you from our own overcomings.

The daily text is a great source of encouragement. "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). Interestingly the same root Greek word is used for both victory and overcome. It's the word "nike" from which the popular athletic shoe company derives its name. For those who have some knowledge of the Greek the phrase "victory that has overcome the world" translates "νίκηνικήσασα τὸν κόσμον". Even those who do not know the Greek can see the similarity!

Our faith enables us to overcome the world. Our confidence is in the One of whom it is said, "He (Jesus) doeth all things well".

Bible teacher Alan Redpath, who is also with the Lord, wrote,

"There is no circumstance, no trouble, no testing, that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart."

You might want to print out the above thought and post it on your fridge or another visible location. It's a stirring thought and may just help you to consider the bigger picture during times of testing. May the Lord give us all overcoming faith both in times of normalcy and in times when we especially face the heat of trial. May the Lord fill us with assurance that, "Christ is enough".


Be encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily prayer: Father, we treasure the intercessory prayers of faithful believers when we undergo testing periods. Because we deal with the visible, we can easily forget that Jesus, invisible to the naked eye, is interceding for us in the heavenly realms, faithfully presenting our needs to You. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, realizing the eternal purpose in all that we must deal with. Help us to trust You even when we don't understand Your plan, knowing in our hearts, that You do all things well for Your intended purpose and for our eternal good. Help us to look beyond our immediate need to see the spiritual fruit You are developing in our lives as we remain faithful trusting You to work out that which concerns us. Amen.


Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Christ Is Enough”  Watch on YouTube  Calvary Church worship team  Dave, our worship leader, does a great job of introducing the song.

"Never Once”  Watch on YouTube  Matt Redman

* I have a trait, probably peculiar to many, that I can recall what routes I took from trips many years ago. On that particular trip going over what was to me a surprisingly high mountain range between the Simi Valley and coast I was going to fast on the mountain road when I came to a very sharp turn (see here for road route and examples of these turns) and skidded off the road before a steep drop off. One of many closer calls in life!

Our friends Jesse and Anna at the Old Windmill Farm meet many people from all over the world in the course of operating their agritourism business. Saturday they had a group of Hispanic people down from New York for a farmhouse experience and tour which included the sleigh ride. There was just enough snow to make it seem semi-authentic although Jesse does have wheels on the sleigh as well!

Tomorrow I will tell a story about a Chinese student who I met Saturday through Jesse.

Finally today:

Abandoned Costco carts
Several months ago our pastor used an illustration describing the inconsideration of people who don't take their shopping carts back to the shopping cart corral in store parking lots. We thought of this as we parked our car at Costco this weekend. These "thoughtful" shoppers not only abandoned their carts but also left the empty box!

On The other hand:

Wrong coat
I saw this considerate note written by a coat on a church coat rack yesterday. Has this ever happened to you? My problem is I tend to leave my coat since the temps may have warmed up. I still have a coat I left in Lincoln Nebraska. Now at Brooksyne's wise suggestion I try to put my keys in my coat pocket or in my hat so I can't get too far!


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Our ministry in daily encouragement is primarily for those who have placed their faith in Christ but we are aware there may be those who come across these messages who may not know or understand the plan of salvation. Here's a site with a good explanation. How to become a Christian: https://twowaystolive.com/ 



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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.



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