A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Monday, November 8, 2010  Autumn morning scene in Lancaster County PA (Photo by Doris High)  Listen to this message on your audio player."Guarding the Good Deposit" "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received" (1 Corinthians 15:3). "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care" (1 Timothy 6:20). "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us" (2 Timothy 1:14). "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2). "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). Brooksyne received an interesting phone call recently. An elderly friend, although healthy at the present time and having no reason to believe her death is imminent, is wisely making preparations for her funeral. She wanted the lyrics to a familiar Christian song by John Mohr titled, "Find Us Faithful". It has a recurring line that states "May all who come behind us find us faithful." Well, that is certainly prudent foresight and provides an opportunity for witness much like the ongoing testimony of Abel, of whom it is written, "Though he is dead, he still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4).  When I was in High School I participated in track and ran on a relay team. In our practices our coach stressed the importance of passing the baton (the metal cylinder used in the relay). A critical part of an effective relay race is the passing of the baton and we would actually practice this over and over.In a relay race there is a small designated relay zone where the pass can take place, not before and not after. It was critically important that we didn't drop the baton during the pass. And I certainly recall an emphasis on the obvious – during my leg of the relay I was to carefully hold on to the baton and not let it slip from my grip! In our first text Paul is writing to the Corinthian believers and states the essence of how the Gospel is transmitted, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received." The pattern is this: We receive, then we pass on. In the two Biblical epistles to Timothy the apostle Paul was passing the torch (or baton, if you will) of the faith to the succeeding generation. Paul calls this the "good deposit". Although the direct recipient of these letters was Timothy, each believer in every generation does well to heed the charge in the daily Scripture portions. Perhaps you will do so as well. It's interesting that in the Greek Paul adds further solemnity to this charge by placing the exclamation "O" before it (as seen in the King James Version). Thus it reads, "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust." I preached from this text yesterday to our congregation. Coincidentally, we had a visitor by the name of Timothy. He told me later that when I emphasized, "O Timothy…" it shook him up a little, as he thought, "Oh no, the preacher's trying to get my attention." He was doubly attentive after that point! Today I place my name into this charge that Paul so solemnly gave to Timothy and encourage you to do so as well. In my case the passage would read, "O Stephen, guard what has been entrusted to your care." Each generation has a responsibility in guarding the deposit of faith passed on by the preceding generation and in turn passing it on unchanged to the succeeding one. That's at the very heart of what Biblical Christian faith and ministry is all about. We must vigilantly continue to, "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). Paul set forth the pattern to Timothy, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2). In a sense I am both receiving the baton and passing it on simultaneously. As I study the Bible I'm still reaching back and receiving. I also benefit from many believers in past generations who have guarded the good deposit as well as my elders who are still living. And I'm passing it on as well. Brooksyne and I view this online writing ministry as a part of our passing on truth.  However I am considering the present baton pass of truth during the pass zone which is my generation and specifically my life. I consider this both individually and for the church at large. In my heart I believe there are significant ways the modern, visible church is slipping in this regard and it brings grief to my spirit.And yet I am convinced that there will always be a remnant church, faithfully holding to the truths of Holy Scripture until our Lord returns. Christ has stated that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18). This true church may very well be hated by the world, for as it contends for the truth and the faith once for all entrusted to the saints, it will be labeled stupid, ignorant, intolerant, mean-spirited, hateful and even dangerous. In fact it already is. May the Lord help us to be faithful in holding onto the Living Word, not compromising its message through our speech or lifestyle. As we pass it on to the next generation in our present passing zone, may we do so without changing or watering down the truths and commands God sets forth in His Word. Let us not customize or interpret God's timeless truths to more comfortably adjust our viewpoints to the trends of our society. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, the commandments that You give are to be impressed upon our hearts. Your love motivates us to obey Your commands and Your holiness teaches us to align our desires with Your own. Help us to be extremely cautious about new teachings that are pleasing to the ear and popular with our present generation, but do not bear witness with our spirit or Scripture. As we study Your Holy Word, from cover to cover, and meditate upon Your principles we will hold on to that which is of most importance and pass on to those who come behind the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints of all generations. Amen. Selected portions of verses implemented into our daily prayer: Deuteronomy 6:6, Colossians 1:13,14 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.) "Find Us Faithful" Video Steve Green This is the song referred to in the message. "Ancient Words" Video "Speak, O Lord" Video "Word Of God Speak" Video This has absolutely nothing to do with today's message but was a humorous experience personally observed by us. We intentionally withhold the name of the church and town, but it's located somewhere out there in North America: TMI: Second Opinion. I place this story on my humor blog "A Little Foolishness" which I rarely have time to post to. Our friend Doris High's "Signs of Fall In Our Neighborhood" photo collection. |
  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.2010 YTD financial offerings as of 11/07/10 $11,914.00 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 by us 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 or as an email subscription through feedburner.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. 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. 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! "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. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.  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 2010 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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