✝ Daily Encouragement (6/15/23) "Grace Alone"

Published: Thu, 06/15/23

A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.

You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive our Daily Encouragement messages or it was forwarded to you. Don't forget to add [email protected] to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.

Home Archives About Us Listen

Listen to these messages

<Previous Message Web version of this message

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Yesterday's sunset on Route 283 West

"Grace Alone"

Message summary: Today we consider the utter impossibility of attaining salvation by our good works apart from God's grace.

Listen to our message on your audio player.

"We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Last night we were on our way home heading west on 283 when we saw the brilliant sunset aligned straight ahead of us on the highway. The picture is not nearly as stunning as seeing it "live" but Brooksyne still snapped our lead photo from the passenger side. Of course any time the sun is on the horizon it seems to go down very quickly.

Brooksyne jokingly suggested, "Let's get closer so I can get a better picture". I informed her the sun is 93 million miles away so "getting closer" would not make any difference!

The concept of getting closer for a photo makes sense in many cases. If we see an interesting barn or a particular landscape during our travels it's often a better photo if taken up close. Many photographic settings we see after passing them, so I often turn the car around while Brooksyne steps out to get a closer shot.

However in other cases "getting closer" has noreal value. When we visited the Grand Canyon we'd see people standing on the edge and reaching out with their camera to take a photo across the canyon. Being 18 miles in width the extra few feet surely makes no difference apart from giving those with Cremnophobia*¹ like me the heebie jeebies*²

Through the years I have sought illustrative material on the utter impossibility of attaining salvation by our good works apart from God's grace.

A few examples I have used:

a long distance swimmer may get a bit farther in swimming across the ocean than a non-swimmer would but would still fail miserably short.
A long jumper attempting to jump across the Grand Canyon versus a person in a wheelchair. He would get a little farther but would still fail miserably short!

Phil Wickham, in his outstanding song "Living Hope", begins the song by describing our hopeless condition apart from Christ:

How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night

Our daily texts will be familiar to many readers, perhaps you've memorized them. The first two describe our sinfulness from God's perspective summed up in Romans 3:23: "fall short of the glory of God".

Ephesians 2:8,9 is a verse that all Christians would do well to memorize: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast”.

Jerry Bridges notes, “God’s grace does not supplement our good works. Instead His grace overcomes our bad works, which are our sins.” Writer Erwin Lutzer observes, “when the mask of self-righteousness has been torn from us and we stand stripped of all our accustomed defenses, we are candidates for God’s generous grace.”

Good works are a result and outflow of God’s amazing grace. Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them".

Accept God’s generous grace today and proclaim with the Palmist, “But with You there is forgiveness” (Psalm 130:4).

Be encouraged today, ( Hebrews 3:13)

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, nothing we receive on this side of heaven, whether it be of great monetary value or an achievement extraordinaire' they can't come close to the gift of Your salvation poured out for us through the death of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Your marvelous, infinite grace exceeds our sin and guilt and thereby You rescue us from the dominion of darkness and transfer us into the kingdom of Your beloved Son, our precious Lord and Savior. We are saved, satisfied and forever grateful. Amen.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Living Hope" Click to listen on YouTube Calvary Church

"Grace Alone" Click to listen on YouTube

Grace alone, which God supplies;
Strength unknown He will provide;
Christ in us, our cornerstone –
We will go forth in grace alone.

*¹ Cremnophobia is the fear of cliffs and precipices.

*² Heeby Jeebies is a state of nervous fear or anxiety.

I'm glad the traffic police weren't out to give each Canada goose a ticket for jaywalking smack dab in center of a major intersection. It's not uncommon to see cars stopped on this stretch of Oregon Pike waiting for the goose family to waddle their way across the highway.

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see here to sign up for 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.)

About Us

Ministry Update

Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.

We want to thank all who financially supported our ministry. We realize there are many fine ministries and causes requesting support but if you would like information about making a donation to our ministry see here.

In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.

To donate directly online click here. (This will open to a page that designates the offering to: STEPHEN & BROOKSYNE WEBER - 700001-237376 SERVING IN SPECIALIZED CHAPLAINCY)

I f you desire you can also donate directly through PayPal using this link . This will open to a page that states "Brooksyne Weber". We keep this option available due to the familiarity, convenience, for international supporters, and for those who may not need an official receipt. You can also set up for recurring donations.

Thank you,

Stephen & Brooksyne

2023 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: 10,538.00

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.

Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"

Thanks for reading our message!

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
717-823-0592
Daily Encouragement Net
https://www.dailyencouragement.net

Mail service provider is aweber.com

495 Kraybill Church Rd
Mount Joy PA 17552
USA

Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options