Friday, February 28, 2014

Daily Encouragement (02/28/14) "Exchanging The Glory Of The Immortal God"

Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement. Having trouble reading this message? 
Read mobile edition online
Daily Encouragement Net Header
The on line Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home   About Us  Archives   Free email subscription   ListenListen to these messages
Contact Us
  Print Text only for printing
  Bookmark and Share  

Make A Donation
 See here for more info.

<Previous Message       ·       Archive edition

Friday, February 28, 2014

Jutiapa Guatamala
Lake Atescatempa and Chingo Volcano Jutiapa, Guatemala
(photo by Marvin Culajay)

"Exchanging The Glory Of The Immortal God"

Note: We've been studying a hard portion from Romans all week and I expected we will have several more messages from this passage next week. These messages, which describe the awful consequences to humanity when the knowledge of God is rejected, will end with a reminder that our gracious God has provided a means of redemption!

ListenListen to this message on your audio player.


"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles" (Romans 1:22,23).

Yesterday's message discussed the phrase,
"Professing to be wise, they became fools" in the first part of today's Scripture selection. Today we want to consider the word "exchanged" which is used three times in this portion of Romans beginning with this verse to describe the tragic results of rejecting the knowledge of God.

In Romans 1 we see three tragic and deadly exchanges beginning with idolatry:

1) Exchanging the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1:23)
2)
Exchanging the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. (Romans 1:25)
3)
Exchanging natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones" (Romans 1:26).

When I study and contemplate this first exchange I wonder if Paul was alluding to other verses in the Bible concerning this exchange of worshiping the one true immortal God for worshiping idols.

"They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass" (
Psalm 106:20).

"Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols" (
Jeremiah 2:11).

"The more priests there were, the more they sinned against Me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful" (
Hosea 4:7).

Bible commentator Harry Ironside writes concerning our daily verse (Romans 1:23), "Observe the downward steps on the toboggan-slide of idolatry: God was first thought of as an idealized (but mortal) man, then likened to the birds that soar into the heavens, next to the beasts that prowl over the earth, and finally to serpents and other detestable creeping things."

Notice that in this exchange man is not progressing but regressing, going backwards, not forward. The direction is not man going up, up up, but it is man going down, down, down. Man is not man getting better and better but getting worse and worse. Man is not man reaching the heights, but is plummeting to the depths. As his concept of deity degenerates, his morals degenerate also. If his god is a reptile, then he feels free to live as he pleases.

Remember too that a worshiper generally considers himself inferior to the object of worship. Created in the image and after the likeness of God, man here takes a place lower than that of serpents! When man worships idols, he worships demons. Paul states clearly that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice to idols they sacrifice to demons and not to God.

This section of Romans is essential to understanding the depraved human condition but let us end on a victorious note. God has provided a divine Redeemer!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber


Thankful manDaily prayer: Father, those who sacrifice their time, affections, and finances to idols are doing so at their own peril. We want to offer our lives as living sacrifices, making them holy and acceptable to You. When we exchange that which is best from You for that which is appealing from the devil we regress. We fall back rather than move forward. We want to be led of Your Spirit step by step, day by day, moment by moment. Whenever we're tempted to compromise remind us of the tragic exchange that will result and the awful consequences that follow. We want to stay on the straight and narrow, not going one step off the right way. Help us to do so, in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.



Alex and Dennis at Val-Co 2/28/14
One of the blessings in our chaplaincy is meeting people from all over the world. Dennis (left) and Alex work at Val-Co, a company that makes equipment for the livestock feeding industry. Both are immigrants, Dennis from Cuba and Alex from Puerto Rico who have become friends working together. It's a joy to encourage these young men.

Cody and Tim at White Oak 2/27/14
Cody and Tim work at White Oak Display, a company that makes point of sale displays for the retail industry. Most of our readers have probably seen a a display made by this company since they do a lot of work for Lowes, Home Depot, Bass Pro Shops, Cabellas and other national companies. Tim (right in photo) is over thirty years older that Cody but it's great to see such good team work as they coordinate their labors.

Home show flower display 2/28/14
Today following our chaplain visitation we stopped by to walk through a large home show. We wanted to visit a friend who was hosting a booth. Many displays reminded us that spring will come such as the cyclamen plants above. We still have snow on the ground (lots of it) and expect another snow storm this weekend.

John Bucher 2/28/14
One of the reasons we enjoy large local exhibitions like the home show is that we inevitably see some of the many friends we've met since we moved to this area 13 years ago along with readers in this series. John Bucher is a long time reader who has a wonderful bread making ministry as a means of reaching out to others. He has been making bread for others for some thirty years and makes 36 loaves a week. That comes up to some 47,000 loaves of bread!!! We can testify that it is delicious as he has shared with us in the past.  He recognized us from a distance from our height difference  - Stephen, the higher, and Brooksyne, the lower as he put it (we're about 12" difference).



Today's Suggested Music
and Supplemental Resources

"God And God Alone"
  Video  Unidentified choir


God and God alone
created all these things we call our own
From the mighty to the small
the Glory in them all
is God's and God's alone

God and God alone
is fit to take the universe's throne
Let everything that lives
reserve it's truest praise
for God and God alone

God and God alone
reveals the truth of all we call unknown
and the best and worst of man
wont change the Master's plan
it's God's and God's alone

God and God alone
will be the joy of our eternal home
He will be our one desire
Our hearts will never tire
of God's and God's alone

"Let The Worshipers Arise"  Video  Phillips, Craig & Dean

"Indescribable"  Video  Laura Story

"Vrednic Esti Tu"  (Revelation Song)  Video  Corul si Orchestra Nationala BBSO (Romanian Young People choir and orchestra.  Even though I can't understand the words what  blessing to hear these young people sing and worship the Lord. I just wonder if this might be like the music in heaven!

Today's photo of the lake and mountain in the background was taken in Jutiapa, Guatemala by Marvin, a young man who lived with us when he was a little boy in the late eighties while he was up from Guatemala for medical treatment. Several years ago we reconnected through daily encouragement and we are so pleased to hear that he is doing well, is married, has a family and is serving the Lord!

In this series especially I have find much richness in using the Precept Austin Online commentary. (This commentary has become one of my first "go to" resources the last several years. Essentially it is a compendium of many commentaries. It is also a work in progress. I use several thoughts from the commentary today. Romans 1:23

Contact Us
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

Stephen and Brooksyne WeberStephen and Brooksyne Weber
(Click on photo to enlarge)

About Us

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update  (Revised 10/21/13)

Make a donation to Dailly Encouragement MinistriesAre our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages andDonate online distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider an offering to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.

2014 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $2,180.00

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Free email subscriptionIf this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.
These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription.
(See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) Cancel: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.)

Weekly Version:
The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address.


Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:

Daily Encouragement on Facebook
The daily message and prayer on Facebook.
Daily Encouragement on Twitter
 The daily message and prayer on Twitter.

Reader Survey:
 Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here.

Please feel free to pass these messages on!

Our other blogs:
"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!) (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. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.

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."

Four Spiritual Laws

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.
Other versions are also occasionally used.

© Copyright 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

Daily Encouragement Net
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552

Contact Us

Chaplaincy logo
Endorsed chaplain
"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"

www.dailyencouragement.net



Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

 

You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com
Add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your email address book to ensure delivery.
Forward to a Friend  |  Manage Subscription  |   Subscribe  |   Unsubscribe
Net Atlantic

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Daily Encouragement (02/27/14) "Professing To Be Wise, They Became Fools"

Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement. Having trouble reading this message? 
Read mobile edition online
Daily Encouragement Net Header
The on line Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home   About Us  Archives   Free email subscription   ListenListen to these messages
Contact Us
  Print Text only for printing
  Bookmark and Share  

Make A Donation
 See here for more info.

<Previous Message       ·       Archive edition

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Matthew 5:16 mural
I saw this large mural at a church I visited last night.

"Professing To Be Wise, They Became Fools"

Note: Today we continue our study from Romans 1 which we began Monday with the message, "The Wrath Of God". It is challenging material but so needed in seeking to understand the times in which we live, the mess our country (and world) is in, and the blunt reality that things will only worsen without a transforming revival. Today's message is focused on the simple phrase, "Professing to be wise, they became fools."

ListenListen to this message on your audio player.


"Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures" (Romans 1:22,23).

Romans 1:22

"Professing to be wise, they became fools."
Regardless of translation used, this verse is rendered very similarly (see here).

"Professing to be wise."  Professing means to affirm, allege, pretend, profess. The idea conveyed is that one is speaking with an air of certainty, stating something with a high degree of confidence, even forcefully or aggressively. One may confidently assert his or her view without need for proof or regard for evidence.

Obviously Paul wasn't writing of one specific time period in this text but rather is describing the universal condition of the human race in rejecting the truth of God. Bible commentator Marvin Vincent states, "Thinking they are wise, they have become fools because their own speculations cannot replace the revelation they reject."

This inspired truth that Paul espouses is especially applicable to our own age.
We live when advanced education is rampant and so many consider themselves wise and certainly far wiser than previous generations. I've often referred to these folks as "generational snobs". (C.S. Lewis called this chronological snobbery). Many of these who claim to be wise take their wisdom from this world which leads to foolishness. Sadly, many try to make the Bible say something it doesn't or silences that which it does say.

"They became fools." Those who deny the God of creation become fools and are "without excuse" (Romans 1:20) Yet they come to such a foolish decision in the belief that they are wise and scientific in trying to explain the infinitely complex, majestic, beautiful creation without a Creator.

George Orwell quote on truthMan rationalizes his sin and proves his utter foolishness by devising and believing his own philosophies about God, the universe, and himself. The next stage of downfall consists in asserting as truth its opposite—evil is really good, darkness is really light, futility is really wisdom. (see Isaiah 5:20) George Orwell who wrote 1984 wisely observed, “The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” My, O my, don't we see that happening today!!!

The fact is, once a person rejects the truth of God in Christ, he will fall for anything foolish, and trust far more tenuous and fanciful systems (like evolution) than what he has rejected from God! This futility of thinking, darkening of the heart, and folly must be seen as one manifestation of God's righteous wrath against those who have rejected His revelation.

I want to know the ways of God who is all-wise so that I recognize foolishness, in whatever form it may appear. Most often academia, political, cultural, media, government and even those in particular religious circles are reckoned as the authoritative sources of wisdom for our day.

But I eagerly receive this unchanging age-old word of wisdom from Daniel: "He (God) gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning" (Daniel 2:21). Amen! May God give to each of us wisdom and discernment to navigate our way through this tempest tossed world in which we temporarily reside. The surest way to wisdom and discernment is to be an eager student of the Scriptures and its application in our life's experiences.

I want to continue to grow in my understanding of God's ways. And that begins when I recognize that any wisdom that conflicts with the wisdom of God is foolish and dangerous. Let us resist watering down or explaining away the hard teachings of Scripture to make it fit in better to the world-based wisdom or philosophy of our day. Instead let's align our hearts and minds with the wisdom imparted through the Scriptures. This day join me in seeking to know the Lord and His ways better!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber


Thankful manDaily prayer: Father, when we gave you our heart, we made the willful choice to no longer conform to the trends and philosophies of this world. Instead we ask You to daily renew our minds so that we see this world and its philosophies through the eyes of Christ. We are put to the test daily in deciding what is truth and what is error. May Your Holy Word be our reference point and Your Spirit be our Guide as we are exposed to countless philosophies based on human understanding and the basic principles of this world rather than Your eternal foundational truths. Sharpen our discernment and grant us courage so that we readily know truth from error and are fearless in saying so. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.



Note these two contrasting verses regarding the source of true wisdom: "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6). "From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). It seems to me these two verses contrast the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God expressed in the Word of God.



Regardless of where we live, we encounter the secularized "wisdom" that prevails in our "postmodern" culture.  This "wisdom" that infected elite schools like Harvard many years ago is now rampant in our culture and impacts many Christian colleges and churches who are forsaking the authoritative wisdom of God as taught in the Scriptures.  Sometimes my head spins as I see the rapid decline and the accumulative effect of years of living according to the ever-changing human principles of this world. Perhaps the following history will be of interest:

In 1638 John Harvard, a devout minister of the Gospel, died at 31 years of age. He left some money and about four hundred books to a new college that had just been established two years earlier. This gift established the library at the new school and in 1639 the school was named after him.

The college's “Rules and Precepts” of 1646 reads as though it came out of a devout Bible College handbook: "Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisedome, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seeke it of Him" (Proverbs 2:3). Every one shall so exercise himselfe in reading the Scriptures twice a day, that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein, both in Theoreticall observations of Language and Logick, and in practical and spiritual truths, as his Tutor shall require, according to his ability; seeing the entrance of the word giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130)." (spelling unchanged)

When Harvard was founded, its motto was "Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae" (Truth for Christ and the Church). Its crest showed three books, one face down to symbolize the limitation of human knowledge.

But over time that book has been turned face up to represent the unlimited capacity of the human mind. And the motto has been changed to read simply "Veritas" (Truth) with the reference to Christ and the church removed.  At the present time Harvard is a bastion of secularism, although there is still an active group of Christian students.

From a Harvard page see here.



Mark Espenshade 2/26/14
Last night I had the opportunity to share our ministry with a men's group at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lancaster along with challenging them to shine brightly for Christ. Mark Espenshade is a co-leader of the group and a project manager in one of the companies we serve as chaplains. It was great to see a wide range of ages including several students from Lancaster Bible College with an earnest desire to let their lights shine in the marketplace.



Today's Suggested Music
and Supplemental Resources

I find much richness in using the Precept Austin Online commentary of Romans 1:22 (This commentary has become one of my first "go to" resources the last several years. Essentially it is a compendium of many commentaries. It is also a work in progress. I use several thoughts from the commentary today.

"Jesus Shall Reign"
  What a powerful Isaac Watts hymn to give us perspective today!
Video  Stately organ version
Video (a bit more contemporary but maintaining the melody and rich lyrics)

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
does its successive journeys run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To Jesus endless prayer be made,
and endless praises crown His head;
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
dwell on His love with sweetest song;
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on His name.

Blessings abound where'er He reigns;
all prisoners leap and loose their chains;
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring
honors peculiar to our King;
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen!

"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"  Video  Steve Green

Contact Us
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

Stephen and Brooksyne WeberStephen and Brooksyne Weber
(Click on photo to enlarge)

About Us

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update  (Revised 10/21/13)

Make a donation to Dailly Encouragement MinistriesAre our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages andDonate online distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider an offering to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.

2014 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $2,180.00

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Free email subscriptionIf this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.
These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription.
(See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) Cancel: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.)

Weekly Version:
The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address.


Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:

Daily Encouragement on Facebook
The daily message and prayer on Facebook.
Daily Encouragement on Twitter
 The daily message and prayer on Twitter.

Reader Survey:
 Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here.

Please feel free to pass these messages on!

Our other blogs:
"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!) (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. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.

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."

Four Spiritual Laws

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.
Other versions are also occasionally used.

© Copyright 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

Daily Encouragement Net
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552

Contact Us

Chaplaincy logo
Endorsed chaplain
"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"

www.dailyencouragement.net



Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

 

You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com
Add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your email address book to ensure delivery.
Forward to a Friend  |  Manage Subscription  |   Subscribe  |   Unsubscribe
Net Atlantic

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Daily Encouragement (02/26/14) "The Consequences Of Rejecting The Knowledge Of God"

Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement. Having trouble reading this message? 
Read mobile edition online
Daily Encouragement Net Header
The on line Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home   About Us  Archives   Free email subscription   ListenListen to these messages
Contact Us
  Print Text only for printing
  Bookmark and Share  

Make A Donation
 See here for more info.

<Previous Message       ·       Archive edition

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

48º 26’ 22.87” -114º 21’ 10.65” (photo by Nelson Longenecker)
48º 26’ 22.87” -114º 21’ 10.65”
Photo taken by our friend Nelson Longenecker
(Click on photo for larger size)

"The Consequences Of Rejecting The Knowledge Of God"

ListenListen to this message on your audio player.


Note: Today we continue our study from Romans 1 which we began Monday with the message, "The Wrath Of God". It is challenging material but so needed in seeking to understand the times in which we live, the mess our country (and world) is in, and the blunt reality that things will only worsen without a transforming revival. I also really think we are seeing the beginning stages of the great delusion Paul wrote about in 2 Thessalonians 2.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21).

I once counseled and prayed for a lady whose former husband was deep in sin. Although divorced she still bore a burden for the state of his soul and still had a hope for reconciliation. She told me how his sinful actions had greatly harmed not only their marriage but also their children. He had gone to see a pastor about his spiritual condition and the pastor observed at that time that he was "sitting on the fence" in regard to following Christ. His wandering heart led to full-hearted rebellion against God and the last I knew he was ensnared in various heinous sins.

Spiritual unbelief and unleashed rebellion always bring about consequences. Sometimes immediate, but other times the consequences lag for a season. We might even think that the fall-out from our actions will be inconsequential. Following his adulterous sin with Bathsheba and then having her husband murdered, David thought he had beat the rap but alas, "The thing that David had done displeased the Lord" (2 Samuel 11:27). God
's Word plainly states, "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction" (Galatians 6:8).

Today's verse is from a powerful section in Romans 1 dealing with a panoramic view of man's state of disbelief, disobedience and rebellion against God. Disbelief, disobedience and rebellion against God lead to one's failure to glorify and thank God. This in turn results in the dire consequences described in the remainder of the daily verse (as well as the verses that follow). Although this portion portrays the human race as a whole it also describes the individual.

Romans 1:21-32 describes the awful descent of the human race. They went from a loss of knowledge of the true God, even further downward into idolatry (and polytheism) and then into the gross immorality (as God gives them over) and finally to internal conflict in which, as a result of a depraved mind, they become filled with all unrighteousness.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him." This speaks of the knowledge of God available through general revelation, that men are conscious of God’s existence, power, and divine nature through His Creation (Romans 1:18-20). But they did not glorify or thank God.

"Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Man’s search for meaning and purpose only produces vain, meaningless conclusions. The result of rejecting the truth about God is an empty mind and a darkened heart. What a tragedy! Man the worshiper became man the philosopher, yet his vain wisdom only revealed his foolishness. Paul summarized all of Greek history in one dramatic statement: “the times of ignorance” (Acts 17:30).

This is a portion that is very helpful to me in seeking to understand current events. Increasingly the world is mocking people of faith and labeling them as ignorant and uninformed. Sadly some in the professing church want to be loved and esteemed by the world rather than staying true to God, and they sacrifice their beliefs to accommodate the world's way of thinking. I am appalled at the increase in liberal and "emergent" outlook that is infecting so many of our historic Christian colleges and eventually dilutes the pure message from God's Holy Word in our pulpits.

Today we who follow Christ need to examine this passage and determine that our knowledge of God will result in belief, obedience and submission. This in turn will fill our hearts with a desire to glorify and thank God.  In turn our thinking will be clear and our hearts will be enlightened as we walk in His ways.


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber


Thankful manDaily prayer: Father, Romans 1:21 indicates that those who knew You neither glorified nor gave thanks to You which led to their futile and foolish thinking.  It eventually caused the light of Your Word to be veiled and ineffective in their lives as darkness crept in and covered the radiant light of Your truth.  They sought honor for themselves and lived for self-glory.  Anything good in us is but a reflection of the Spirit of Christ who resides within, so we will glory only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ though mocked and ridiculed by the world.  We are unashamedly children of God whose depth of wisdom comes not from the understanding of the world but the understanding of Your Word. May its truth always be our source of light in the darkened age in which we live.  In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.



Today's Suggested Music
and Supplemental Resources

"Monuments"  Video  Legacy Five  "Don't move the landmarks set up for your children so they can find the way home."

"Heroes Of The Faith"  Video  Legacy Five


"Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart"
  Video 

"Glorify Thy Name"  Video 

"Knowing You"  Video


Contact Us
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

Stephen and Brooksyne WeberStephen and Brooksyne Weber
(Click on photo to enlarge)

About Us

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update  (Revised 10/21/13)

Make a donation to Dailly Encouragement MinistriesAre our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages andDonate online distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider an offering to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.

2014 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $2,155.00

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Free email subscriptionIf this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.
These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription.
(See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) Cancel: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.)

Weekly Version:
The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address.


Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:

Daily Encouragement on Facebook
The daily message and prayer on Facebook.
Daily Encouragement on Twitter
 The daily message and prayer on Twitter.

Reader Survey:
 Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here.

Please feel free to pass these messages on!

Our other blogs:
"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!) (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. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.

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."

Four Spiritual Laws

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.
Other versions are also occasionally used.

© Copyright 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

Daily Encouragement Net
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552

Contact Us

Chaplaincy logo
Endorsed chaplain
"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"

www.dailyencouragement.net



Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

 

You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com
Add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your email address book to ensure delivery.
Forward to a Friend  |  Manage Subscription  |   Subscribe  |   Unsubscribe
Net Atlantic