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Monday, February 25, 2013
Listen to this message on your
audio player.
"The Precious Blood Of Christ"
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18,19).
Yesterday
when we shared Communion in our worship service we joined the early church, the
church throughout the ages and the faithful church of our day in
proclaiming our faith in the broken body and shed blood of our Savior
Jesus Christ as God's atoning sacrifice for our sins. Indeed
Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed His own blood for
my soul.
Since
our college days nearly 40 years ago Brooksyne and I have donated blood at the blood bank. For many years we gave whole
blood but have also used a more recent procedure whereby they remove the red
blood cells and recirculate the remainder back into the blood stream.
Haemonetics Corporation, a Boston area company along Rt 128 that we used to pass on our
way to Boston, developed the technology and makes the very
hi-tech machine that processes the blood. I understand this procedure
takes the component in my blood most needed to help others in critical need of healthy blood. We hope
that our blood donation will help extend a life.
When we have Communion in our church we remember the One who gave His blood on our behalf. There are those who want to remove or de-emphasize the blood from the Christian faith. They say, "We are too modern for that."
But to do so strikes at the very heart of God's redemption plan. Peter speaks of "the precious blood of Christ" in our daily verse. I find it interesting that the unusual name of the company is based upon the Greek word "haima", the very word used in our text for blood.
Today I am so
thankful to Jesus Christ who is described as, "a lamb without blemish or defect." I'm grateful that He willingly and lovingly shed His blood for my sins. In
donating our blood Brooksyne and I subject ourselves to the minor
discomfort of a needle and a very slight weakening of our body until our red
blood cells recover. Jesus shed His blood and died for those He saves.
Jesus agonized on the Cross in indescribable pain prior to His atoning
death. Today let us live for the One who shed His precious blood and
died for us!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
I thank You for
the spotless Lamb of God who is without blemish or defect. It is I who
deserved to die for my sins were many, but Jesus, Your Son, died in my
place. You have
washed me with Your sinless blood and now I am whiter than snow, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which You prepared beforehand, that we should walk
in them. Keep us faithful and ever grateful for the blessing of having
our sins forgiven. In Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.
Each major section of the New Testament has ample references to the blood of Christ:
"And He said to them, 'This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.'" (Mark 14:24 when Jesus instituted the Communion service)
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28 Paul's sermon to the Ephesian elders)
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).
"Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord" (Hebrews 13:20 Benediction).
"But with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19).
"But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
"And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood" (Revelation 1:5).
For several years our church in northern Pennsylvania hosted the Red Cross blood drive for our community during the week. As a pastor I always enjoyed that day and meeting the Red Cross staff and donors. John Wiseman, a friend of ours in Springfield, Missouri, worked for many years at the community blood bank. He told me that in his area they are now having blood collection drives in churches on Sundays. The collection period generally follows the service but in some instances in conjunction with the service.
Yesterday we stopped by to visit with John and Florence Zimmerman on her 73rd birthday. They've been going through a long season of trial and she was rejoicing that John was back home after being in a rehab for over a month. They each were sitting in their recliners when she looked toward him with a smile and said, "It sure is good to have him sitting in his chair again. I missed him." We highly esteem them as part of the faithful older generation. I took this photo several years ago when they were married for fifty years.
This weekend our community had a "Fire and Ice" festival which included ice sculptures all along our main street. We watched the men begin the work on a sculpture using these blocks of ice.
Here's an example of a finished sculpture. They were beautiful but sure didn't last long since temperatures rose over the weekend. When we drove through town yesterday afternoon they were pretty much melted!
It's a beautiful day here with a bright blue sky and warming up into the forties. We are looking forward to Spring! I suppose Ester and I got a little too excited several days ago when I decided to fire up the lawn tractor and take her and the pets for a ride down our walking trail. The real adventure began when we got stuck. I suppose if our dogs were Alaskan Huskies they might have been able to pull us out.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" Video Selah
"It's Still The Cross" Video "Voices" of the University Of Mobile
"I Should Have Been Crucified" Video Stamps Quartet
"O the Blood" Video Kari Jobe
"Nothing But The Blood/O The Blood Of Jesus" Video Sarah Hart Pearsons
"There is Power In the Blood" Video Fernando Ortega
Connie
is a fifty-one year old with Downs Syndrome who attends our church we
look forward to seeing each week. It feels like she's been waiting just
to see us, though she expresses her excitement to others in the same
way. On our birthdays she held up a handwritten greeting on note paper
as we entered the foyer and excitedly wished us a Happy Birthday. What
a joy to know her and experience her specialness! Her
devoted parents give her a loving home and provide for her needs. I
spoke to them
yesterday referring to this photo and article I had read.
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.
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. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
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 I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Monday, February 25, 2013
Listen to this message on your
audio player."The Precious Blood Of Christ"
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18,19).
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Yesterday
when we shared Communion in our worship service we joined the early church, the
church throughout the ages and the faithful church of our day in
proclaiming our faith in the broken body and shed blood of our Savior
Jesus Christ as God's atoning sacrifice for our sins. Indeed
Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed His own blood for
my soul.Since
our college days nearly 40 years ago Brooksyne and I have donated blood at the blood bank. For many years we gave whole
blood but have also used a more recent procedure whereby they remove the red
blood cells and recirculate the remainder back into the blood stream.
Haemonetics Corporation, a Boston area company along Rt 128 that we used to pass on our
way to Boston, developed the technology and makes the very
hi-tech machine that processes the blood. I understand this procedure
takes the component in my blood most needed to help others in critical need of healthy blood. We hope
that our blood donation will help extend a life.When we have Communion in our church we remember the One who gave His blood on our behalf. There are those who want to remove or de-emphasize the blood from the Christian faith. They say, "We are too modern for that."
But to do so strikes at the very heart of God's redemption plan. Peter speaks of "the precious blood of Christ" in our daily verse. I find it interesting that the unusual name of the company is based upon the Greek word "haima", the very word used in our text for blood.
Today I am so
thankful to Jesus Christ who is described as, "a lamb without blemish or defect." I'm grateful that He willingly and lovingly shed His blood for my sins. In
donating our blood Brooksyne and I subject ourselves to the minor
discomfort of a needle and a very slight weakening of our body until our red
blood cells recover. Jesus shed His blood and died for those He saves.
Jesus agonized on the Cross in indescribable pain prior to His atoning
death. Today let us live for the One who shed His precious blood and
died for us!Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
I thank You for
the spotless Lamb of God who is without blemish or defect. It is I who
deserved to die for my sins were many, but Jesus, Your Son, died in my
place. You have
washed me with Your sinless blood and now I am whiter than snow, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which You prepared beforehand, that we should walk
in them. Keep us faithful and ever grateful for the blessing of having
our sins forgiven. In Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.Each major section of the New Testament has ample references to the blood of Christ:
"And He said to them, 'This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.'" (Mark 14:24 when Jesus instituted the Communion service)
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28 Paul's sermon to the Ephesian elders)
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).
"Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord" (Hebrews 13:20 Benediction).
"But with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19).
"But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
"And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood" (Revelation 1:5).
For several years our church in northern Pennsylvania hosted the Red Cross blood drive for our community during the week. As a pastor I always enjoyed that day and meeting the Red Cross staff and donors. John Wiseman, a friend of ours in Springfield, Missouri, worked for many years at the community blood bank. He told me that in his area they are now having blood collection drives in churches on Sundays. The collection period generally follows the service but in some instances in conjunction with the service.
Yesterday we stopped by to visit with John and Florence Zimmerman on her 73rd birthday. They've been going through a long season of trial and she was rejoicing that John was back home after being in a rehab for over a month. They each were sitting in their recliners when she looked toward him with a smile and said, "It sure is good to have him sitting in his chair again. I missed him." We highly esteem them as part of the faithful older generation. I took this photo several years ago when they were married for fifty years.
This weekend our community had a "Fire and Ice" festival which included ice sculptures all along our main street. We watched the men begin the work on a sculpture using these blocks of ice.
Here's an example of a finished sculpture. They were beautiful but sure didn't last long since temperatures rose over the weekend. When we drove through town yesterday afternoon they were pretty much melted!
It's a beautiful day here with a bright blue sky and warming up into the forties. We are looking forward to Spring! I suppose Ester and I got a little too excited several days ago when I decided to fire up the lawn tractor and take her and the pets for a ride down our walking trail. The real adventure began when we got stuck. I suppose if our dogs were Alaskan Huskies they might have been able to pull us out.
Tomorrow
we will share a series of photos of Brooksyne's spring fever, a canning
project using her Victorio Steam Canner!
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" Video Selah
"It's Still The Cross" Video "Voices" of the University Of Mobile
"I Should Have Been Crucified" Video Stamps Quartet
"O the Blood" Video Kari Jobe
"Nothing But The Blood/O The Blood Of Jesus" Video Sarah Hart Pearsons
"There is Power In the Blood" Video Fernando Ortega
Connie
is a fifty-one year old with Downs Syndrome who attends our church we
look forward to seeing each week. It feels like she's been waiting just
to see us, though she expresses her excitement to others in the same
way. On our birthdays she held up a handwritten greeting on note paper
as we entered the foyer and excitedly wished us a Happy Birthday. What
a joy to know her and experience her specialness! Her
devoted parents give her a loving home and provide for her needs. I
spoke to them
yesterday referring to this photo and article I had read.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.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. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
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 I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA