 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionWednesday, April 1, 2009  (photo by Doris High)  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."What Fools Say" "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1). I wonder how many of our readers have played a trick on a family member or co-worker already today? Or worse, maybe you were the butt of a joke? I'm the big tease every day of the year, but Brooksyne usually does a little teasing on April Fool's Day and she did so already early this morning.  We are finally at the end of our ten week kitchen renovation. The carpenter was scheduled to come in the late morning to put on the finishing touches. But early this morning Brooksyne called out to me, just as I was stepping out of the shower, to say the carpenter was waiting at the door. His early arrival sent a little shock, the kind that makes your heart race quickly – you know the feeling. She then told me (on the other side of the bathroom door) that she was still in her robe and could not answer the door and that he'd been standing at the door for quite a while. I accused her of teasing me, but she was too serious sounding, so I fell for her joke and assembled myself quickly (though obviously half-dressed) to get to the door. APRIL FOOLS! she yelled from another part of the house after I saw no one at the door. Perhaps you've seen the bumper sticker that states, "April 1, National Atheist's Day". When I first spotted the sticker I was intrigued and a bit annoyed, but not necessarily surprised. Then I moved my car in closer to read the small print. It was actually an attempt to be a witness for the Lord, as it quoted the daily verse (Psalm 14:1). It was then that I made the connection, "O yeah, Fool's Day is April 1"! Now certainly there is a relatively small segment of the population that is avowedly atheist, which has existed at least since the time of David as is conjectured from our verse today. But in my opinion atheism requires a great deal of faith! It's not unbelief but belief in something altogether different. It certainly takes faith. In fact I have a book titled, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist". The daily text is a great passage to use in illustrating the importance of context as we study and interpret the Bible. Ask someone, "Did you know the Bible says there is no God?" They might look at you as though you're crazy or you've lost your faith in God (or if they're an atheist they may smile, assuming you're finally see things their way!) However, of course in context the passage means something entirely different than I conveyed in the earlier question. However a far more common threat to Christ's call to genuine discipleship, particularly here in America, is not atheism but ambivalentism. OK, I admit, I coined this word and it's not in a standard dictionary or spellchecker. But it really describes so many people that I encounter. They are ambivalent toward God. This means they are irresolute, indecisive, weak-willed and wishy-washy. If pressed they would say they believe in God and would deny being an atheist. Many even have some religious affiliation, but God is not a reality in their lives. In fact I feel this is a more accurate description of life's outlook for many people rather than the more common term "agnostic". This coming Passion Week we will especially focus on the cross. Oswald Chambers has observed "All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning". Today let us declare as the wise, "There is a God and I am created bring Him glory. Through His Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, if it takes a fool to say there is no God, then I want to be numbered among the wise who early on said," You are God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other." It is a declaration of faith that's been thoroughly tested throughout the centuries that enables me to confidently pledge my allegiance to You, an invisible God, but a visible power in my life, in the lives of others, and throughout the world. Amen. Note in regard to today's study and topic: In my view it's unfortunate that the debate between those who hold a theistic and atheistic viewpoint is increasingly hostile and subject to name-calling. As one holding to a Biblical and traditional outlook I increasingly sense the scorn of those who see my view as simple or even stupid for believing as I do. It seems this is a part of the template the world uses in viewing Christians. This can be a stumbling block to many who fear being seen as nonintellectual. Knowledge gained from one's degree of formal education does not necessarily make one smart, let alone correct in their worldview, since wisdom, understanding and common sense are not book-learned but gained through one's experience in life. The first paragraph in today's post could appear as though I am reciprocating. I don't intend this and wouldn't use a bumper sticker like this, as in my view, it really is unlikely to win anyone over to a godly outlook. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Click on the link to open and play. In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song. "I Believe" Video A great declaration of fundamental truths sung to music. What a great way to learn and teach good, solid doctrine, which is greatly lacking in many of our Christian circles. In the course of study for today's message I came across this devotional from "Our Daily Bread" with a similar theme.  I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an AtheistBy Norman L. Geisler / Crossway Books & Bibles Norman Geisler and Frank Turek show, first of all, that truth is absolute, exclusive, and knowable. From there, they proceed to demonstrate that the cardinal Christian doctrines are true beyond reasonable doubt, all convincing for you as a Christians to believe, but requiring a leap of negative "faith" if an atheist is to disbelieve them.  Yesterday I had a goldfinch at the feeder in front of our office window. I tried to get a good photo but just don't have the skill and camera capability that Doris has. Here's a current collection of Doris High's bird photos. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 01/20/09  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 3/31/09: $2,850.00)SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who may not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Please feel free to pass these messages on! "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.  Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God 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. © Copyright 2009 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us |
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