✝ Daily Encouragement (8/7/23) "Faithful Then, Faithful Now, Faithful Forever"
Published: Mon, 08/07/23
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.
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Monday, August 7, 2023
The Howard Tunnel on the Heritage Rail Trail was built in 1838, the 2nd
oldest railroad tunnel in the USA and the oldest continually operating.
(Click on photo to enlarge) "Faithful Then,
Faithful Now, Faithful Forever"
Message
summary:
A.W. Tozer states, "Upon God’s faithfulness rests our whole hope of future blessedness. Only as He is faithful will His covenants stand and His promises be honored. Only as we have complete assurance that He is faithful may we live in peace and look forward with assurance to the life to
come."
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in
them - the Lord, who remains faithful forever" (Psalm 146:5,6).
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They sell overstocked and damaged type items at a deep discount. In fact the motto on their paper bags state "bents, bumps and bunch of
bargains" (the exact phrase on the bag). However many of these items are also past the bb (best by) date, some way past, so you've got to take extra time to read the dates to decide if it will make a significant difference in the finished product. It has a large walk-in freezer, and some of the cheese may be over a year past the expiration date but we are told that it should still be safe to eat because it has been frozen the entire time. Brooksyne is careful of some
items!
When you think about it everything we see has an expiration date of some sort. Certainly we, as part of the human race, have one as well. Scripture
plainly states that "outwardly we are wasting away" (2 Corinthians 4:16) and "it is appointed unto men once to die" (Hebrews 9:27). The apostle Peter declared, "The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men" (2 Peter
3:7).
Today let's meditate on one of the most assuring truths of God's Word,
the explicit declaration found in Scripture that His glorious
attributes have no expiration date. Notice the phrase the daily passage ends with, "…the LORD, who remains faithful forever". In our lives we are confronted with expiration dates, limited time offers, partial warranties, etc. but in God we find One who has declared, "I the LORD do not change" (Malachi
3:6).
We hear and sing a song that really blesses us titled "Faithful
Now".
You make mountains move, You make giants
fall
You use songs of praise to shake prison walls I will speak to my fear, I will preach to my doubt You were faithful then, you’ll be faithful now
One of the great sources of encouragement for the believer, especially when going through a trial, is the assurance of God's
faithfulness.
Today we consider two verses from the ancient Israelite hymnal, the Psalms, specifically Psalm 146:5,6.
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them - the Lord, who remains faithful forever"
. Let us consider this powerful text phrase by phrase.
1) "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob"
.
Amongst all the problems and
worries you may be facing today where is your ultimate help? The Psalmist declares a blessing on the one whose help is the God of Jacob. In Psalm 121 we read these familiar words, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" (vv
1,2).
2) "Whose hope is in the Lord his God".
Here we have a Hebrew parallelism, which is a
repetition with slightly different wording to make an emphasis. Where is your hope today? May we declare with the hymnist, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and
righteousness"!
3)
"
The Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in
them"
. All through the Bible the foundational doctrine of God as our Creator is emphasized and
reinforced.
That's why the attack on origins is at the heart of Satan's
strategy.
4) "The Lord, who remains faithful forever".
What a vital truth to remember
during trying times when God's ways just may not make sense to us.
These verses point to the source of our help and the scope of our hope; the Maker of all who is the Lord and who remains faithful forever. When we, as believers, faithfully read the Word it becomes much more than just a record of history or teachings to be read once and then stored on a shelf. No, the Scripture dwells within our hearts and is expressed through us in our day to day activities, in our thought life, in our outlook on earth and in preparation for our life after death. We establish our confidence in the God of Hope and we find help in our hour of need; we learn to have victory in trust instead of cowering in fear. A.W. Tozer states, "Upon God’s faithfulness rests our whole hope of future blessedness. Only as He is faithful will His covenants stand and His promises be honored. Only as we have complete assurance that He is faithful may we live in peace and look forward with assurance to the life to come." Keep this perspective before you today and hide it deep in your heart! Regardless of what earthbound obstacle seems to be blocking your spiritual view, remember this biblical truth today, "Forever God is faithful!" It will renew your hope, brighten your countenance, and steady your Christian walk as the promises from Scripture help to diffuse the temporal obstacles associated with our mortal life.
Be encouraged today, (
Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen & Brooksyne
Weber
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Additional study note: I am also enriched by this Scripture:
"In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and
the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end" (Hebrews
1:10-12).
Indeed God's nature, expressed in His divine attributes, does not change
and neither can it do so. Here's another heavy thought from Theologian A.W. Tozer, "If God is self-existent, He must also be self-sufficient; and if He has power, He, being infinite, must have all power. If He possesses knowledge, His infinitude assures us that He possesses all knowledge. Similarly, His immutability presupposes His faithfulness. If He is unchanging, it follows that He could not be unfaithful, since that would require Him to change. Any failure within the divine
character would argue imperfection and, since God is perfect, it could not occur. Thus the attributes explain each other and prove that they are but glimpses the mind enjoys of the absolutely perfect Godhead."
The Word declares that His love, righteousness and Name endures forever. (Psalm 106:1, 2 Corinthians 9:9, Psalm 135:13.) Today as you face the inevitable frustrations of life, remember, the unchangeable God of the universe reigns and will reign forever. His attributes have no expiration date. There is no variableness in His nature, no shadow of turning. Why don't you join me this morning and lift up your heart and voice and sing (or quietly hum depending on your surroundings) this great chorus based on Lamentations 3:22, 23. I am sure many of you have sung it.
The steadfast love of the Lord never
ceases.
His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning, Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord. Great is Thy faithfulness. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Great Is His Faithfulness"
Click to watch on YouTube
Collingsworth
Family
"This Is Our God"
Click to watch on YouTube
Phil
Wickham
Heritage Rail Trail, York County,
PA
Saturday I rode on the
Heritage Rail Trail
in York, County, PA. It begins north of the city of York and goes 27 miles all the way to the
Maryland state line, although I didn't ride the entire
trail.
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The trail shares the right of way with active train tracks beginning in the city of York all the way to the Maryland state
line.
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The trail goes through the heart of the city of York, which served for a short time as our nation's
capital.
These rail bikes are a new feature on the trail from when we last rode it 8 years
ago.
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The people riding said it was fun but I think I'll stick with my two wheel mode of
transportation.
If interested:
AMERICAN RAIL BIKE
ADVENTURES
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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."
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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