✝ Daily Encouragement (12/28/23) "A Joyful Hope"
Published: Thu, 12/28/23
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.
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Home Archives About Us Listen to these messages Thursday, December 28, 2023
"A Joyful
Hope"
Message summary:
Today we encourage you to focus on the joyful hope we have in Christ and with a
thought-provoking saying I really like: “Man’s way leads to a hopeless end, but God’s way leads to an endless hope.” Amen!!!
Note:
Podcast not prepared for this message due to a painter spraying the ceiling on our new bedroom right beside our
office!
“Be joyful in hope” (Romans 12:12). “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not
appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2,3).
I don’t know about
tomorrow;
I just live from day to day. I don’t borrow from its sunshine For its skies may turn to gray. When Brooksyne and I got married in 1976 our first home was in a parsonage about twenty miles due north of Springfield, MO where I pastored our first church called Sunnyvale, way out in the country.* It was near a small village named Pleasant Hope. In fact our very first joint checking account was opened at the Pleasant Hope Bank. I don’t know the basis of this name, Pleasant Hope, but the names of many geographical locations have a religious significance, as they were settled by devout people of faith. An interesting village name here in Lancaster County is Mount Hope. Since devoted religious immigrants settled this area in the 18th century it likely represents an expression of faith.
Hymn writer Ira Stanphill, who was a pastor here in Lancaster County from 1962-1968, wrote the great gospel
classic, "I know who holds tomorrow". The entire song is an expression of the fixed hope we have in Christ and throughout our message today we want to share the lyrics.
Wouldn’t it be great if all our problems from 2023 disappeared as we turned the calendar page from
December 2023 to January 2024? Well, you and I know it doesn’t work that way. Some things will improve; others will worsen.
I don’t worry o’er the
future,
For I know what Jesus said. And today I’ll walk beside Him, For He knows what is ahead. I don’t know about
tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty. But the one who feeds the sparrow, Is the one who stands by me. Hope is one of the greatest of God’s gifts to us. Our relationship with God always involves faith, and active faith in God always leads to hope. When our faith in God is weak, inactive or non-existent we have either no hope or a misplaced hope. But a joyful hope is the heritage of all true followers of Christ. We are included in the “beloved” when John writes to those who are “now (present tense) the children of God". As children of God there’s a lot about our future, both the immediate and distant, much of which we don’t understand. I believe this is expressed in our text, “it has not appeared as yet what we will be". But the aged apostle John writes with much certainty about the future, “We know that when He appears...” His future appearance, although mocked and scorned by the world, is a fixed reality. At that time “We will be like Him, and we will see Him just as He is!” Elsewhere the Scriptures refer to the return of Christ as the “Blessed Hope” and it truly is. As we prepare for a new year I am incentivized and challenged by the last phrase in our daily text, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure". This hope is not a mere wish but an absolute certainty and leads to an unshakable confidence concerning the future promises of God. It's a fixed hope. As a result of this we, as God’s children, will purify ourselves because our Lord is absolutely pure. The Precept commentary notes,
“The Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Christ. This process will not be
complete until we see Christ face to face, but knowing that this is our ultimate destiny should motivate us to purify ourselves. To purify means to keep morally straight, free from the corruption of sin. God also purifies us, but there is action we must take to remain morally fit.”
This action, I believe, is staying true to the pure doctrine of Scripture, not just reading it but living it. We must be vigilant in keeping God’s standards as our rule book, rather than the ever changing standards of this world that reflect the fallen human nature rather than the spiritual nature that has been redeemed and refined by the inerrant Holy Word of God. Genuine Christ-directed faith leads to a fixed hope and that leads to an amazing, unexplainable ability to rejoice no matter the circumstances, to "be joyful in hope". Surely some of you are facing very trying circumstances even as you read this.
Today we encourage you to focus on the joyful hope we have in Christ. A thought-provoking saying I really
like: “Man’s way leads to a hopeless end, but God’s way leads to an endless hope.” Amen!!!
Many things about
tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand But I know who holds tomorrow And I know who holds my hand.
Be encouraged
today,
Hebrews
3:13
Stephen & Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we share the sentiment Paul expressed when he wrote, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men". Our hope is not limited to our earthly existence, but rather it flourishes and yields growing anticipation as we contemplate the blessed future event of our Lord’s soon return. Being aware of our unworthiness and inclination to sin gives us all the more motivation to
fix our hope on You. We want to set our affections on things above, not on things of this earth, for we are dead to the world and our life is hidden with Christ through You, Father. Purify our thoughts, our actions, and our conversation as we with renewed determination fix our hope on the Everlasting One. We pray this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"I Know Who Holds Tomorrow"
Watch on YouTube
The Petersens (young people singing an old
song!)
"He Sees What We Don't"
Watch on YouTube
Bowling
Sisters
There are times in this life when fear is so heavy
And burdens weigh on your mind You are weak in the knees and no strength can you find Just hold on, helps right on time, my Jesus is always on time. Chorus:
And though you may see a
valley
He sees the mountain you'll be standing on When all you can see are the tears falling down I'm so glad He sees what we don't. I've seen His children walk thru the darkest of midnight I've witnessed faith put to the test And I have watched as the storms flew in with the thunder But in each trial He knows what's best And I am so glad He knows what's best Chorus again
Bridge:
He knows the end from the beginning He looks ahead past the hurt and the pain To a place where the peace passes all understanding He sees the sun thru the rain
* I found the location of our first home as a married couple on Google maps
. The church has long been closed and it looks like the property is a mess. But we have wonderful memories of the year we spent there
as
newlyweds
our senior year of
college.
Tip:
Have you ever located on Google maps the various places you have lived? In many cases you can also get a street view such as this photo
. The church building is on the left with the piano on the porch and the small home we lived when
we first got married is on the right. That year I did farm work for local farmers and Brooksyne worked at the Assemblies of God Headquarters in Springfield,
MO.
Two of the long-time devoted members of the little country church were Tracy and Beulah Sutherland with a very young 21 year old Brooksyne (during
the "big hair" perm days.) The Sutherlands were in their 90's at this time. Beulah went on to live past 100. Tracy was a lifelong
farmer.
Yesterday we visited with our friends Rick and Rachel in their home in York County. We have served as chaplains at Rick's company, White Oak Display and Design, since
2008.
White Oak makes displays for retailers. If you've been in a store such as Bass Pro Shop, Cabelas, Lowes, Walmart, etc. you've probably seen a display they have
made.
Each year they demonstrate their work with a small gift to their customers (or vendors, I can't recall). This year it is a wireless phone charger with the charging gizmo
sandwiched between plywood. He gave us one and it works great!
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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