 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Wednesday, January 5, 2011  Farm scene at the end of our road.  Listen to this message on your audio player."I Believe In God" "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:1,6). "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8,9).  There is an increasing boldness and public "witness" among those who espouse there is no God. Last night we watched a program with an avowed atheist who proudly asserted his view that "belief in God is a scam." A recurring theme among modern atheists is a mocking of those of us who do believe in God as foolish and that they have the sole position when using intellect and reason. However the Scriptures have this to say about them in Psalm 14:1.Notice I began by stating "those who believe there is no God". Not believing in God is a belief. As proud and assertive as the atheist may be, he still is expressing a belief, a form of faith, however insistent he may be that faith is not in the equation. Several years ago a book was written with this interesting title, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist." Hebrews 11:1 is a succinct definition of faith. Certainly the overarching theme in this chapter is faith in God, powerfully expressed in v.6, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." The life in Christ has always been a faith walk. This has been especially true since Jesus ascended back to the Father in Acts 1. Since that time His followers have not been able to see Him in a physical sense. During a very special period about 2,000 years ago some people had the wonderful privilege of seeing the Word become flesh and dwell among them. However even during that time many did not believe in who He was or what He stood for. Seeing does not necessarily mean believing. The Apostle Peter, an eyewitness and close friend of Christ during His earthly ministry, wrote our third daily verse to those who "believed in Him" some 30 years after Jesus had ascended. These believers had not physically seen Christ in His earthly ministry but, like us, they believed. O, how we thank God for this belief that fills us with "inexpressible and glorious joy!" I want to note a very significant verb tense in the text this morning. Notice Peter says, "You are receiving" (not "you have received" or "you will receive") "the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." I believe this is a vital ongoing truth in the believer's faith life. While living, these fellow believers were receiving this goal. At their deaths they received it fully. The process is true for us today, fellow believer. Hold tight, for the best is yet to come! This new year let us continue in our faith walk and remember the timeless perspective of the Apostle Paul as we "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). This takes a conscientious, purposeful, ongoing effort and spiritual perspective as we walk the narrow path laid out for us. Let us stay faithful to God today, throughout our journey in 2011, and for the remaining time God has allotted us on this earth! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily Prayer: Father, help me to walk faithfully with You day by day. As I earnestly seek You I will receive the reward You promise to those who do so. Daily temptations, recurring doubts, and fleeting distractions seek my heart's affection but I remain faithfully committed to You, my Lord and Savior. Though I've not seen You physically Your Spirit indwells me and I am filled with Your glorious and inexpressible joy. No matter the mocking and undermining of my faith by the unbelieving world, I believe in You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Amen.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 Lenny LeBlanc "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary" Video Gaither Vocal Band I have been blessed by this song since I was a young Christian in the seventies. "Blessed Be Your Holy Name & I Believe" Video Vineyard Singers "Living By Faith" Video Gaither Homecoming Series  Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/10)  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 to Daily Encouragement Net through 12/31/10 $19,494.00 Note: A final accounting for 2010 offerings to our ministry will not be available for several days until we receive a final report from our chaplaincy account of offerings given directly online. We want to thank all who have supported our ministry!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 2011 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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