 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Tuesday, December 28, 2010  Lone Sentinel (Photo by Howard J. Blichfeldt) So far this season we have had very little snow and that's one of the features we both enjoy living in a four season area. The big storm this last weekend that hit the eastern seaboard missed our area and today it is clear, cold but no snow on the ground.  Listen to this message on your audio player."Life's Dominant Question" "A Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11b). "What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:22).  Today we all deal with a lot of questions. Many are minor and routine. Some questions are verbalized by other. Some we are working through on our own. "Do you want sugar and cream?" "Paper or plastic?" "Do you want fries with that?" And the list goes on and on. But there are huge questions that can easily be overlooked amidst the hustle and bustle of life. But today let us consider life's dominant question. The biggest one of all.  The first daily text is the announcement made to the shepherds by the angel. We dealt with this powerful statement in last Friday's message and the significance of the three titles used for Jesus; Savior, Christ, Lord. The second text is a question that Pilate asked the crowd at the time of the Lord's trial some 33 years later. Pilate had seen the flimsy evidence. He had heard the cautions of his wife. In examining the text one can detect a wavering in Pilate's own personal convictions. But rather than act on principle he polled the crowd (politicians haven't changed much have they?) and the majority cried out, "Crucify Him!"  I consider Pilate's question and see it as a fitting expression of a question every single individual must deal with. It’s life's dominant question. It's already worded in the first person singular so everyone merely needs to personalize it and make it their own question: "What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate was confronted face to face with the divine Son of God. In one way or another all reading this are being confronted and probably have been many times. We will simply be unable to use the excuse, "But I didn't know." Responses to this question, "What shall I do?" vary from outright rejection to ignoring, to procrastinating, to compartmentalized religious lip service. Do you relate to any of these responses? The only acceptable answer that pleases God is to express the essence of Peter's great confession of faith concerning who Jesus is, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." This genuine heartfelt confession will lead to a daily submission to the Lordship of Jesus. Jesus came into the world "to seek and to save that which was lost" but was violently rejected by many and He continues to be rejected today, often violently. This is also true of His followers including some who are reading this today. The apostle John wrote, "He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11). And for the last 2,000 years men and women continue to be confronted with the choice whether to receive or reject. Pilate's question, "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" is also the most important question each of us will answer. In one sense this question is dealt with when we receive Christ as our Savior, but there's another sense that it's an ongoing daily question. Today we have a choice whether or not to submit to the Lordship and Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We pray that each reader will choose to do so. We proclaim again today, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!" Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, unlike typical birth announcements that announce to others the birth of a child to its mother and father, the glorious pronouncement heralded by the angels was that the Christ Child was born to all people for all generations. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” We have been given the gift of salvation through the birth, death and resurrection of our Savior. Thank You for the free will given to us that allows us to reject or receive this "Jesus, who is called Christ." When given the choice we like Peter respond, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." We go to the Rock of our salvation, our hope for all eternity. Amen. Note for further study: The way people responded to Christ at the time of His birth and the way they respond concerning His birth and life in our own day are instructive regarding this question. Negative responses to Christ which are fundamentally unbelief: 1st) Disinterest and Ambivalence – Demonstrated at the birth of Christ and all through history by many who are uncaring toward Jesus, only interested in their own life and unconcerned with the miraculous story of Jesus’ birth and life. 2nd) Offense and Hatred – Demonstrated by King Herod in Matthew 2:16 3rd) A sentimental compartmentalization – This has developed through the centuries and is now demonstrated by many who get a syrupy type of spiritual interest during Christmas but otherwise show no interest in spiritual things or living for the Lord. Positive responses to Christ which are fundamentally belief: 1st) Worship – Demonstrated by the Magi, “the wise men” of the Bible. Matthew 2:11 2nd) Treasure and Ponder – Demonstrated by Mary in Luke 2:19 3rd) Obedience And Service - Demonstrated by Joseph in Matthew 1:24, 2:13,14 4th) Witness to others – Demonstrated by Shepherds in Luke 2:17 5th) Waiting and Perseverance - Demonstrated by all who at that time waited in faith for some 30 years before Christ began His ministry. Demonstrated through the ages and in our day by those who by faith wait and persevere in the things of Christ. 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.) "Still My Soul" Video Keith and Kristyn Getty "What Grace Is Mine" Video Keith and Kristyn Getty Today's photo of the solitary tree and winter scene was taken in Michigan by our friend Howard Blichfeldt and is used with his permission. Howard is a professional photographer who seeks to incorporate a witness for Christ into his work. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 10/21/10)  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 12/27/10 $18,434.00.We thank all who support our online ministry. You may contribute online or through mail. Note: In order to receive 2010 giving credit gifts must be received by December 31 so I can account to my chaplaincy credentialling agency by that date. (They issue the official receipt.) 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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