“Every Kindred, Every Tribe”
March 7, 2014
Oregon shoreline
Photo by Howard J. Blichfeldt (used by permission)
Note: Podcast not available with this message.
Note: We have been studying through Romans 1 but will take a break to share an experience from last night. We expect to have several more messages from Romans next week.
“And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
Recently we’ve been enjoying and sharing music from a Romanian Youth Choir. (We place links to several songs below today’s message.) This last Sunday we met Gabi (short for Gabriel) & Mihaela Visan, a young couple with their three children, who are here in the states promoting, “My Brother’s Keeper”, a mission in Romania. In speaking with them I learned that they were familiar with the choir I’ve been enjoying online. Last night we had them over for dinner along with Pastor John and Faithe Keefer. It’s interesting and heartening to hear reports of God’s Spirit moving all over the world. Both Gabi and Mihaela recall living under the brutal Communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu and witnessing the fall of the Iron Curtain.
We enjoy visiting with people from various “tribes and languages and peoples and nations”. We have different experiences in life. We were talking about our recent skunk ordeal on Tuesday night when Mollie got sprayed (illustration leading Wednesday’s message) and learned that they don’t have skunks in Romania. It was interesting watching them interpret the story in Romanian to their curious young daughters. I would have thought skunks were everywhere! (Photo is Mollie standing in the bath awaiting the next scrubbing. She got a full strength wet spray on her face and in her eyes – one sad and traumatized dog for awhile. Her eyes were closed for about ten minutes but the continuous water spray relieved her and finally she opened them again.)
As the families were leaving for the evening they had the “pleasure” of breathing in the fresh aroma from our neighborhood skunk(s) that were back again. I understand it’s mating time so I guess our neighborhood is the hangout for skunk courtships. The Visan’s can now return to Romania and boast that though they may not have seen a skunk they sure know what one smells like. My brother Mike claims he likes the smell but most of us exclaim “Pee-ew”.
Our church in New England was multi-ethnic and multi-racial having “red and yellow, black and white” as the old children’s song goes.
Now we have this multi-ethnic impact in regard to our chaplain work and certainly through daily encouragement where we hear from readers all over the world. Yesterday in the course of my chaplain duties I visited with Huey (though I’m quite sure it wouldn’t be spelled this way), who emigrated from Vietnam about twenty-five years ago. Our ability to communicate is somewhat limited but I always enjoy greeting him and the other southeastern Asians who work in his area. He regularly inquires about my family. He has worked hard and done well as a newer resident of America and is now a supervisor in his department. He has been with the same company practically since he moved over.
So many have amazing stories to share when the right opportunity is given for them to feel comfortable sharing with us. I don’t know Huey’s background but have visited with Vietnamese people who were among the boat people escaping Communism in packed boats with much loss of life. Another Bosnian friend recalls cowering in his home as bombs went off all around his city back in the nineties. Years ago we had two Sudanese young men over to our house who were among the “Lost Boys Of Sudan”, one of the most tragic stories we’ve ever heard. However bot had placed their faith in Christ and will be among the great multitude in heaven. Last night Gabi shared of the strict rationing he experienced as a child in communist Romania as we sat around our table of abundance.
We really enjoy music in multi-cultural type settings. For one thing it always gives us a sense of what heaven will be like. What a joy to see the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and this company of the redeemed sing together with one heart and one voice! Since Brooklyn is a real melting pot it has members from many races, ethnicities, and varied backgrounds. Many years ago now we were able to attend a service but mostly listen to their music.
Our daily Scripture portion gives a glimpse of what heaven will be like.
“And they sang a new song.” There are special occasions here on earth where a gifted songwriter takes on the assignment of writing an original song to reflect a particular theme. We might hear these new songs in movies, at conventions or in seasonal musicals.
The “new song” offered in today’s Scripture context is one that could not be sung until the Lamb had taken the book. It’s an original composition that will surely reverberate praise to God for those from all over the world who were redeemed from the curse of sin, finished their life’s course, and endured to the very end. As I read this text I wonder who will compose it and if it’s a perpetual new song!
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain.” In heaven we will forever recognize, celebrate, and fully understand the total significance of Christ’s redemptive death on the Cross and declare His worth. Elsewhere in Revelation one of the great praise expressions states, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelations 4:11)
“With Your blood You purchased men for God.” “Jesus paid it all”, the great old hymn states and Christ’s blood never loses its power to redeem!
“From every tribe and language and people and nation.” This is the diversity of heaven! I wonder to what degree we will maintain features that distinguish our ethnicity on earth as we gather with the redeemed from “every tribe and language and people and nation.” What a privilege it will be to take my place among the redeemed of every tribe and race as we together worship Him who sits on the throne!
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all;
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:Father, we’re so glad for the revelation You have gave to the apostle John. As he was permitted to see worship circles in heaven he gave us a glimpse of the unending praise that surrounds Your throne. Though we continue to travail here on earth, we already join our spirits with those of every tribe, tongue and nation, who will be standing around the throne declaring with one voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Amen.
Today’s Suggested Musicand Supplemental Resources
The last several weeks I’ve been sharing music from this outstanding Romanian Youth Choir and orchestra mentioned in today’s message.
“Vrednic Esti Tu” (Revelation Song) Video Romanian Youth Choir
English version by Phillips, Craig and Dean and Kari Jobe Video
Holy, holy is He
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat
“Glorie Mielului” (Glory To The Lamb) Video
“Hai Vino Acum Sa-L Lauzi” (Come, Now Is The Time To Worship) Video
“Jesus Paid It All “ Video Fernando Ortega
“Crown Him With Many Crowns” Video Musicians not identified
“Worthy Is The Lamb” Video Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
“I’m Amazed” Video Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
So now you know: Skunks indeed are not native to Europe (see this article and map.)
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“The Deadly Peril Of Degrading Passions”
March 6, 2014
David and Sabra Penley are friends from Texas who visited us several years ago. We took them over to our Amish friends’ farm and snapped this photo in the dairy barn. They’re holding these new mixed beagle/bulldog pups who just couldn’t get enough loving. As a professor at SWBTS David has a photo standing in front of shelves of books so this should add to his variety!
Note: Today’s message is very politically incorrect, that is, it goes against the grain of what many have come to accept and approve of about sexuality and morals. One of the benefits to aging is perspective. Through all of church history until the last several years there would have been virtually no controversy regarding the meaning of today’s passage; it’s plain enough. Even the church and world were essentially in agreement regarding this understanding of immorality up to the last twenty-five years. Now, increasingly those of us who stand firm in our faithfulness to the Bible and traditional view are described as hateful, mean-spirited and on “the wrong side of history”, a phrase that is patent generational snobbery. (See note below.) This message is written with a passion for faithfulness to Biblical truth.
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“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Romans 1:24,26,27). (Verse 25 was studied in Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s messages.)In the last several years we have seen a massive abandonment of societal moral standards as people are exchanging the truth of God for the lie. Of course all through history there have been violations of sexual morality but these were not perceived as normal, nor were they condoned or approved by authority figures and certainly were not written into the law of the land. They were recognized as being destructive on the personal and societal level as well. All through history a signal marker of a society’s decay is a breakdown in sexual morality. Our bodies are created to be a temple of the Holy Spirit and we are called to honor God not only with our heart, soul, and mind but also with our bodies (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-20).
“For this reason” (v.26) The reason(s) is seen in the previous verses that describe the people who “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God” (v. 23) and “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (v.25). These tragic exchanges led to a downfall of epic proportions.
“God also gave them up” (v. 24), “God gave them over” (verse 26). These are some of the most hopeless and grievous phrases in the entire Bible. The people, in their ungodly mindset, rejected light and embraced darkness. Consequently God gave them over to the power of darkness. In the same context as the well-known John 3:16 Jesus gives the verdict for those who choose darkness over light, “This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:19-21).
This “gave them over” is likely an extension of Romans 1:18 where “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven“. In this case God revealed His wrath, not by sending fire from heaven, but by abandoning sinful men to their lustful ways.
Paul may have had Psalm 81:11-13 in mind, concerning the concept of God “giving over”. “But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices. Oh that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!”
This solemn phrase (Greek word paradidomi) is used three times in Romans 1. It is is a very strong Greek verb meaning “to hand someone over to the power and authority of another”. It is that act of God whereby He hands over the entire human race for judgment because of their sins. The restraint of God that might have kept people living in pure relationships with Him and with one another is now removed. The Scripture frequently links idolatry as leading to immorality. Idolatrous worship of Baal in the Old Testament was inevitably accompanied by immorality. When man invents a god or gods (usually plural) of his own making, he is then free to “rewrite” the rules of human conduct or at least he is deceived into thinking he can do so and that there will be no consequences. The fate of Sodom stands as a powerful testimony that God will judge sin! (Precept study Bible)
For more comment on the graphic language used in this passage I encourage you to study an online commentary that I use (see below for link) or you can go to your own library, commentaries and study Bibles. But the text is unambiguous.
I have a Bible
(The Fire Study Bible) with notes written by Donald Stamps, a studious man who died over twenty years ago with much of his research taking place over 25 years ago. At the time he prepared the notes for this passage the massive departure from Biblical moral standards was in its infancy. I wonder if he could have even imagined at that time the extent to which our country and world would turn a deaf ear or close their eyes to this Biblical teaching! He makes this solemn point in regard to today’s text, “Any nation that justifies homosexuality or lesbianism as an acceptable lifestyle is in its final stages of moral corruption.”
We must decide one way or another and I choose to contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 1:3). Interestingly this familiar passage is followed by a statement that could have been written today concerning present conditions and those who claim to speak for God. (Jude 1:3-7)
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude’s doxology 1:24,25)
Be encouraged today and stay faithful,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:Father, we choose to contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints throughout Scripture and to all generations that follow. We love You with our heart, soul, mind and strength so we choose to live according to Your pattern established in Scripture. We choose to align our desires with Your design for our lives and refuse to “exchange the truth of God for a lie”. Your truths bring light and life; Satan’s lies bring darkness and death. Those who follow the lie claim to be wise, yet they become fools as they exchange glory reserved only for You, the Creator, for that which You created. So we choose to give our full allegiance to You, our Creator and Father, who is forever praised. Amen.
For further study on today’s passage: Precept Austin study notes on Romans 1:26,27
I don’t know how long this phrase has been around but now it seems like you hear it all the time, applied to a variety of progressive causes. I recently heard a leader apply the phrase to still another issue.
Assert that life begins at conception and is precious to God – you will be called “on the wrong side of history.”
Assert that the traditional understanding of sexual morality as taught in the Bible and understood for thousands of years is correct and you will called “on the wrong side of history.”
Assert that marriage is between a man and a woman and you will be told you’re “on the wrong side of history.”
This view arrogantly presumes that the current generation knows it all and has finally got it right after millenniums of generations getting it wrong. I suppose future generations (as long as the earth endures, see Genesis 8:22) will look back and state “that generation finally got it right!”
Let’s look back and consider others who may very well have been told they were on the wrong side of history by their contemporaries.
- Prior to the destruction of Sodom might the majority have informed Lot that he was on the wrong side of history?
- Jeremiah was one of many prophets who stood for God’s truth in a decadent age. Even many of the religious leaders were going along with the politically correct views of that age. I wonder if they told others, Jeremiah is on the wrong side of history?
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood faithful to God against the Nazi regime in Germany. Many clergy went along with Hitler. I wonder how many at the time reckoned that Bonhoeffer, who was martyred for his stand, was on the wrong side of history?
Ultimately what matters is being on the right side in eternity and hearing this commendation from our Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.
Today’s Suggested Musicand Supplemental Resources
“This Little Child” Video Scott Wesley Brown
“Heal Our Land” Video Wayne Watson
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Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation 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.
“The Blessed Creator”
March 5, 2014
Foggy morning drive through the Middle Creek Wildlife Area
in northern Lancaster County.
Photo by Doris High
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Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
“I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28). “….The Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:25b).
For several evenings we’ve had the faint smell associated with a neighborhood skunk. At 10:00 last night Brooksyne let the dogs out for their bathroom duties and like a streak of lightning Mollie darted into the dark night outside of the boundaries she is allowed. Though Brooksyne and Ester yelled for her to come back she stayed out for about 10 minutes. Finally she came running back with her eyes squeezed shut and her head soaking wet with the foul pungency of pervasive full concentrate skunk spray. We surmise that she was checking out the skunk as animals tend to do (if you know what we mean) when she had her surprise. Of course she passed it onto us and throughout our home.
We immediately got her in the bath tub where Brooksyne bathed her using a skunk smell abatement recipe we have used when Roxie got into similar encounters. Having that concentrated smell inside was far worse than Roxie’s summer outdoor and more distant encounters! Today we have Yankee Candles burning throughout our house and even an open window in our bathroom in hopes of dissipating the odor. Thankfully within a few minutes after Brooksyne sprayed lots of water over her face and eyes Mollie opened them and had no damaging effect from the sulfurous spray.
Are we upset at the skunk? Of course not. He (or she) was just acting like the Creator designed though Mollie was clueless as she was checking out the strange visitor! We could choose to moan and groan over the sleepless night we endured as the invisible yet pungent odor filled the air in our otherwise very comfortable home. Our agitated spirit might respond to the sleepless night by whining, “Woe is me!” Or we can choose to recognize this to be another day that God has given us to rejoice and be glad and bless His name (Psalm 118:24).
Do you find yourself giving spontaneous praise to God, even when things aren’t the way you prefer? For some the answer is yes. For others it’s only when things are going well. And yet there are those, when circumstances are at their worst, who offer a sacrifice of praise. Consider Job’s powerful praise in the deepest time of his affliction, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
Sometimes it’s just a simple phrase like, “Praise The Lord”, that is deep from within the heart. The Psalmist wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (34:1). “I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (146:2).
In this section of Romans (1:18ff) Paul is writing some of the most sobering material in the Bible explaining mankind’s sinful condition and the awful consequences that follow. I expect we will have several more days studying this material and frankly I can hear some readers muttering, “Well this sure isn’t very encouraging!” Indeed it’s not but the glorious cure God offers is all the more wonderful and absolutely encouraging when we recognize and acknowledge our wretched sin condition. As we read through the book this is made more clear.
In Romans 1:25, Paul inserts what seems like a spontaneous praise, following a very troubling indictment of the people “who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen“
A major emphasis on Paul’s teaching early in Romans is contrasting the created (creature) with the Creator. In 1:20 he refers to the creation of the world, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
Of course many modernists mock the notion of creation and a Creator. Science, they reason, fully explains the origins of the natural order. Big bang, evolution, billions of years of chance; it can all be explained without the need for a Creator they proudly proclaim, seeing those of us who believe in the Biblical Creation account as simpletons. I can’t help but refer again to a verse we used last week, “Professing to be wise they became fools” (Romans 1:22).
Sadly far too many seek to accommodate the Bible to the fickle views of science. Many tell us we must disregard the first chapters in Genesis regarding Creation. But the teaching of Creation and a Creator is not limited to the first several chapters in Genesis but is heavily sprinkled all through the Bible. Denying the Creation account is not merely making the Genesis account a myth. You can’t stop there!
Taking an expository scalpel to the entirety of God’s Word in seeking to diminish the Creation account makes for a very messy, and in my view, deadly operation. For instance Jesus said, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6). In this text Jesus affirms that there was “the beginning of creation” and proceeds to quote from Genesis 1:27, “male and female He created them”.
Today let us join Paul as we proclaim our praises for “the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen”.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:Father, we offer thanks to You that we do know and we have heard that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. Yet there are those who have never heard this message and there are still others who have exchanged the truth of God for the lie, choosing to worship and serve created things rather than the Creator which makes their thinking futile and their foolish hearts darkened. In ourselves we are nothing but as we walk in the light of Your inspired Holy Word we live in truth and walk in righteousness. So we give praise to You, the Creator, who is forever blessed. Amen.
A short sampling of Scripture texts throughout the Bible that affirm creation and the Creator:
- “Indeed, ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it?” (Deuteronomy 4:32).
- “Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created” (Psalm 148:5)
- “It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it” (Isaiah 45:12).
- Jesus said, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6). Jesus recognized a that there was a “the beginning of creation”. and proceeds to quote from Genesis 1:27, “male and female He created them”.
- “To bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things” (Ephesians 3:9).
- “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:13).
- “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).
- “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” (Revelation 4:11).
Furthermore the ancient church creeds and catechisms affirm a belief in Creation:
Apostle’s Creed: “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.”
Nicene Creed: “We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.“
(Question nine of the Westminster Shorter Catechism) What is the work of creation? “The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.”
Today’s Suggested Musicand Supplemental Resources
“Creation Calls – Are You Listening?” Video Brian Doerksen
“The New Doxology” Video Gateway Worship
“Behold Our God” Video Sovereign Grace Worship
“Blessed Redeemer” Video Casting Crowns
“Inviat” (We Will Rise) Video Corul si Orchestra Nationala BBSO (Romanian Youth Choir)
After two encounters Roxie (our other dog) hopefully learned from her skunk experiences. Photo taken in our backyard in the summer of 2007. Roxie is troubled at her strange smell and Brooksyne is trying to reassure her while she scrubs her down with the skunk smell remover solution. See here. Because we want to be helpful in any way we can here’s the skunk smell abatement recipe!
Skunk Smell Remover
1 quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup Baking Soda
2 tbsp dishwashing liquid (Dawn works well).
Mix the ingredients in a large bowl. Wash the dog with this while it is still foaming, because it is the oxygen which reacts with the oils in the skunk stink to neutralize the odor. If it sits around, it will lose its efficacy because the oxygen boils off. Don’t try to store it in an airtight container, because it will blow up. The brew also works for clothes, humans and unlucky cats. (We pulled this recipe from the internet.)
To be honest, there is still a very faint smell of skunk that I’m sure will fade away completely in the next day or so.
Today’s photo of the foggy morning was taken by our friend Doris High and is a part of her photo collection taken at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in northern Lancaster County. During this season thousands and thousands of Snow Geese stop by the mountain lake during their migration north.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the “Daily Encouragement” each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the WordPress rss feed or through a WordPress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation 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.
“Exchanging The Truth Of God For The Lie”
March 4, 2014
Amish couple on their way to a youth meeting
along Elizabethtown Road in Lancaster County PA.
Listen to this message on your audio player.
Nor dare Thy least commandment slight;
Yet pierced by sin, the serpent’s tooth,
I mourn the anguish of the bite.
“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:24,25).
Yesterday I had an interesting experience which was distressing and took awhile to sort out. I received an email from my credit card company informing me that my email address they had on file had been changed. A few minutes later I got a call from the card company informing me that someone had taken over my account and changed my contact info with a new email address and no telling what else. Thankfully the email was also sent to my legitimate address (which I had not changed). I learned the fraudster was from Texas and had changed it to an email address that deceptively sounded like my name. We verified that, up to the point of our conversation, there had not yet been any unauthorized usage and I immediately closed the account. I then called the card company using the number on the website just to make sure the person calling me was not part of the fraud! (She wasn’t.)
We are daily subjected to lies, lying, and liars. In our lifetime we’ve observed that lying is dramatically increasing, although it has been a daily part of life as we know it since the fall. There are big lies and little lies; lies in business, advertising, media, politics, among family members, etc. With many politicians we’ve just come to expect that they are lying. There are lies in personal relationships and so many lies over the internet. And it will only worsen as mankind drifts farther and farther from the ancient, firm foundation of God’s laws revealed to us in the Bible and specifically through the Ten Commandments.
But today’s text refers to the most consequential lie of all, one that impacts every one of us. This simple, specific phrase that describes the consequences of rejecting God’s revelation and truth goes right to the heart of the matter. They“exchanged the truth of God for the lie“.
This is the second of three times Paul uses the word “exchanged” in Romans 1. Last Friday’s message dealt with the first based on verse 23, “Exchanging The Glory Of The Immortal God for Idolatry” and on Thursday we will examine the third use of the word in verses 26,27. (Exchanging the Creator’s Design for Sexuality for Perversions)
In the early chapters of Romans we have a panoramic view of the human fallen condition. I find it interesting how various versions describe the section beginning with verse 18:
- Phillips: The fearful consequence of deliberate atheism
- ESV: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
- NASV: Unbelief and Its Consequences
- NIV: God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
- New Century Version: All People Have Done Wrong
- RSV: The Guilt of Mankind
“The truth of God.” Three times the Greek words “ta alatheia” is used in these first two chapters (verse 18, today’s text, and 2:8), which translates specifically “the truth” (the definite article is very important). The Bible Knowledge Commentary states, “The truth of God is not only the truth concerning God but also God’s truth concerning all things, including mankind. This truth is that people are creatures of God and can find true lasting fulfillment only in worshiping and obediently serving God the Creator.” That has been God’s plan from the beginning.
“The lie” (the Greek “ta pseudei” has the definite article “the” which again is very significant). The Full Life Study Bible has this note concerning this passage, “The lie is the word of Satan, the father of lies.” This lie is that the creature can exist independent of God, self-sufficient, self-directing, and self-fulfilling. Mankind made himself his god in place of the true God. That was Satan’s lie in the Garden, “You will be like God”.
Mark Pulliam, a thoughtful friend, and I were discussing this series from Romans last week. He shared an insightful quote, “The taproot of evil is hatred of the truth.” Don’t we see a dramatic increase in hatred of the truth and for those who proclaim it!
The world hates this truth and the increasing craziness we observe is a result of rejecting God’s truth. This predictable unraveling of our society is happening at a frenzied pace. This simple phrase “The taproot of evil is hatred of the truth” very much explains why. Men hate the truth. Amos 5:10 states, “They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.”
We need to stand our ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness to defend ourselves against the ever-increasing onslaught of cunning lies. They’re so cunning that many believers are being swept up in the frenzy as well. We seek to live with God’s perspective and want to see the human condition through the filter of what is written in the Scriptures, not by the ever-changing opinion polls or expert advice of our day.
There is a parallel passage I am also drawn to as I study this concept of exchanging the truth for the lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11 refers to the great apostasy (falling away) and the coming of the lawless one. It ends with this statement, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.”
Today we want to conclude with a call to all who earnestly seek to live by God’s truth. Rather than be as those who “perish because they refused to love the truth” let us full-heartedly love the truth so that we will live in the light here and now and dwell in the light of His glory for all eternity!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:Father, I pray for a discerning spirit to help me recognize truth from falsehood. Help me to know when others are lying and help me also to recognize the lies I tell myself. You always speak the truth and You declare that which is right from that which is wrong. When the world describes a lifestyle or belief system to be good when You declare it to be evil, help me to stand firm upon Your holy truths as I faithfully read them in the Scriptures. Give me bold conviction to stand firm for truth even when it seems as though no one stands with me. The “truths” as purported by this world shift like the changing winds but Your Truth stands for all eternity! I stand firm as I tighten the belt of truth about me. And I protect my heart and mind with the shield of righteousness through Christ Jesus my Lord in whose name I pray. Amen.
For some reason most versions do not use the definite article before lie in Romans 1:25 but rather state “a lie”. However the Greek has the definite article which I believe is very significant. Here’s an online interlinear Bible for serious Bible students. Romans 1 (Note for some reason you may need to hit enter following the url after this link opens)
Note: The first part of today’s message (verse 24) “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves” will be treated as part of tomorrow’s message.
An absolutely essential key to determine who is lying and who is telling the truth is practicing discernment. John MacArthur states “In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think Biblically.”
We become wise in our discernment through prayer, biblical understanding, and by observing the character of one who is either telling the truth or lying. When confronted with two opposing stories by a youngster at school, the teacher will lean toward the one who has an honest reputation from day to day.
For some time now I have been drawn to a study of Romans 1 and 2 Thessalonians 2 and specifically the blunt words “the lie” as found in our daily verses. *
Today as you are confronted with lying in the workplace, in the political arena, or in your own family, observe how this takes place and be on guard. When we first hear a lie it takes little discernment, for we quickly recognize it to be false. But when that same lie is repeated often, given a different spin, dressed up or promoted by well-known personalities or someone who is asserted to be “smart” or “educated” we can gradually become desensitized or indifferent to the truth. It’s one of Satan’s strategies in making our world more and more decadent. It’s also the reason why we must be vigilant in reading God’s Word so that our continual exposure to God’s truths keeps us guarded against error.
Isaiah 45:19 is a majestic statement from the one true God. Although written in Scripture some 2,700 years ago it is always a present tense statement, for God does not change: “I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.”
Today’s Suggested Musicand Supplemental Resources
“The Voice Of Truth” Video Casting Crowns
“We Limit Not The Truth Of God” Video (Musician not identified)
To our poor reach of mind,
By notions of our day and sect,
Crude, partial, and confined.
No, let a new and better hope
Within our hearts be stirred.
The Lord hath yet more light and truth
To break forth from His Word.
In the course of preparing today’s message we discovered the old hymn “Holy Lord God! I Love Thy Truth” partially quoted from today at the top of our message. We do not recall ever hearing it but it has such rich lyrics. We unsurprisingly were unable to find a version on YouTube. Here are the other verses:
Hope bids me still with patience wait;
Till death shall set me free from sin,
Free from the only thing I hate.
Had I a throne above the rest,
Where angels and archangels dwell;
One sin, unslain, within my breast,
Would make that Heav’n as dark as hell.
The prisoner, sent to breathe fresh air,
And blessed with liberty again,
Would mourn, were he condemned to wear
One link of all his former chain.
But O! no foe invades the bliss,
When glory crowns the Christian’s head;
One view of Jesus as He is,
Will strike all sin forever dead.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the “Daily Encouragement” each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the WordPress rss feed or through a WordPress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation 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.
“Coming To The End Of Life’s Journey”
March 3, 2014
This weekend our community had a Fire and Ice Weekend. We’ve sure had lots of ice and the weather remains cold with more snow overnight. We are expecting Spring soon and more than ready for it!
Note to regular readers: We have been studying Romans 1 in this series but interrupt today so we can pay tribute to a friend whose life’s journey ended last week. We expect to resume our study on Romans 1 tomorrow.
Listen to this message on your audio player.
And I’ll meet the one who gave His life for me;
I want to thank Him for the love that He gave me;
And ten thousand years, and more, I’ll praise His name.
“Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8). When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed” (Acts 13:36). For the time of my departure has come” (2 Timothy 4:6).
Saturday morning we attended a filled to capacity funeral service celebrating the life of Pastor Jerel L. Book. We became friends with his son, Mike, shortly after moving to this area. At that time Jerel was pastoring a church in Indiana, prior to his retirement. About eight years ago they moved back to this area and we appreciated getting to know Jerel and Fran at church and even more so in a small group Bible Study we held in our home. Over the last several years Jerel’s health declined which added special burdens upon the family. We, along with many of you, have experienced the emotional and physical upheavel this places upon a family. Seeking to encourage people through this winter season of their family’s life is a common theme in our chaplaincy and even in this writing ministry.
There are a number of reasons we might attend services for someone who has died. We may desire to show respect for the deceased and lend our support for those left behind. Truth be told there might be times we feel obliged to attend. However we also attend these services for our own benefit since they remind us of our own physical mortality and the main event in life that really does matter. These services can be a powerful witness to the community of the importance of having one’s spiritual affairs in order. Not only did Pastor John put forth this challenge, but Mike (pictured with his wife, Kay) did so as well with passion and conviction evident in the challenge he put forth while also giving tribute to his father and the godly path he laid out for his family.
Fulfilling God’s purpose is the major calling in each of our lives. Consider the daily text. In the historical books we have a lot of information on David. In fact perhaps apart from Moses, we have more biographical information on David than any other Old Testament personality. But the apostle Paul, preaching in a Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, makes a simple statement concerning David’s life, “When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation.”
God places us all on this earth for a season, a period of time known as our “own generation.” It’s a journey beginning with our conception till our time of death. The amount of time we have varies; some die young, others middle-aged, and yet others at a “ripe old age” (one of the most colorful descriptions of aging in the Scriptures! See Genesis 25:8.) But like David, all of us (except the final generation) will eventually fall asleep (die) and our physical bodies will decay but in great contrast our spirits will soar.
We can live our life for self or in consecration to God’s purpose. Recall the old saying, “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” How are you impacting others for Christ and eternity? Let us choose, like David and Pastor Jerel Book, to serve God’s purpose in our generation!
Ten thousand years and we’ve just begun;
The battle’s over, and the victory is won;
Ten thousand years and we’ve just begun.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we’re grateful for those throughout history who chose to be men and women of faith, whose hearts were fashioned in Your image, and who served Your purpose in their generation. We also want to serve Your purpose in our generation. Help us to stay steadfast and strong as we run this race set before us. Thankfully, in this race, we’re not in competition to be the only prizewinner. Instead we take hold of the hands of those who run with us, those who’ve fallen and struggle to get up, and we invite others on the sidelines to join us in this great lifelong journey. As we cross the finish line we will receive the grand prize of life eternal with You. And it’s only possible because of Jesus’ shed blood on our behalf. We thank You for it. Amen.
A 2008 home Bible Study picnic with Jerel and Fran to the far left.
(Click to enlarge)
Left to right: Jerel (now with the Lord) and Fran Book, Jim and Eva Ketner, Jesse and Wilma Dourte, along with our current pastor and his wife, John and Faithe Keefer.
Today’s Suggested Musicand Supplemental Resources
“Ten Thousand Years” Video Ernie Haas and homecoming singers (Song beginning with “Soon I’ll come to the end of life’s journey.”)
“My Life Is An Offering” (Video) Sovereign Grace Great song based on Romans 12:1,2!
“Offering” (Video) Paul Baloche
“You Hold Me Now” Video
“When It’s All Been Said And Done” Video Don Moen
“The Law Of Rewards” (A thoughtful article on living a life of purpose.) Here’s a quote by Randy Alcorn. “Gather your family and go visit a junkyard or a dump. Look at all the piles of “treasures” that were formerly Christmas and birthday presents. Point out things that people worked long hours to buy and paid hundreds of dollars for, that children quarreled about, friendships were lost over, honesty was sacrificed for, and marriages broke up over. Look at the remnants of gadgets and furnishings that now lie useless after their brief life span. Remind yourself that most of what you own will one day end up in a junkyard like this. And even if it survives on earth for a while, you won’t. . . . When you examine the junkyard, ask yourself this question: ‘When all that I ever owned lies abandoned, broken, useless, and forgotten, what will I have done with my life that will last for eternity?”
Personal note: Mike wrote a poem when his dad went into the hospital that has given him assurance and he gave me permission to share with our readers as well. We believe it will bless many!
There are times when the trail is so lonely;
There are times when the way is so steep.
But Jesus is walking beside me
And His strong hand in mine I will keep.
I can’t see what path lies before me;
I don’t know what’s ’round the next bend.
But as long as my Savior is with me,
He’s guiding, on that I can surely depend.
For He’s hiked up the hill of Mount Calvary
And He bore the sin cross on His own.
So He knows all about my life’s struggles
And He makes heaven’s victory known.
Our trials are not for our evil;
He uses them making weak strong.
He exercises our faith on the pathway;
He trades in our grief for a song.
So when I am hiking and stumble,
Or slip near the edge as to fall,
I trust in the grasp of my Savior.
I love him and make Him my all.
My future eternal is with Him;
He knows all my days to the end,
He loves me and cares for my needs now,
He my soul does completely defend.
And here’s the best part of my story.
My friend Jesus can also be yours.
You can trust Him to hike with you also;
His love, He freely out-pours.
His hand can grip yours and guide you,
In your journey rough as it is.
He’s The Master, The Expert, The Climber,
And the power and glory are His.
He created us, loves and protects us,
His grace He freely extends.
He paid for it through His own life’s blood.
His counsel and wisdom He lends.
So come all you hikers of life,
Whether flat paths or high mountains steep.
Join me with my Savior sojourning.
When with Him, don’t doubt; take the leap.
Our faith is assurance of the unseen.
Inspiration strengthened with hope.
Our carabiner* is locked on God’s harness;
He is at the end of our rope.
Written by Mike Book
1/13/14.
With Dad in hospital during the night
* When I read Mike’s poem I didn’t recognize what a carabiner is till I looked it up and saw a photo (left).
“Exchanging The Glory Of The Immortal God”
February 28, 2014
Lake Atescatempa and Chingo Volcano Jutiapa, Guatemala
(photo by Marvin Culajay)
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!
Listen to this message on your audio player.
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) Exchangingnatural 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
Daily 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.
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 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.
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.
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 Musicand Supplemental Resources
“God And God Alone” Video Unidentified choir
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
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the “Daily Encouragement” each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the WordPress rss feed or through a WordPress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation 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.
“Professing To Be Wise, They Became Fools”
February 27, 2014
I saw this large mural at a church I visited last night.
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.”
Listen 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).
“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.
Man 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
Daily 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.
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 Musicand 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)
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!
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the “Daily Encouragement” each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the WordPress rss feed or through a WordPress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation 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.
