DIVINE ENCOURAGEMENT

“Thus says the LORD: refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy!” (Jer. 31:16 NKJV).

While the encouragement in this verse is primarily for Israel and their eventual restoration to the land, the principle can be applied to all of God’s people. Thus we want to note two important truths: the precept from God and the promise from God.

Precept from God – “Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears.” Here we see that God orders the discouraged to stop crying. It is most instructive that this precept came before the promise. Under normal circumstances, we would think it best to first tell the discouraged about the promise of better things ahead and this would stop their crying. However, God often gives the precept before the promise in order to help our faith grow. Obedience to the command will bring comfort to the soul. Comfort is inseparably connected with obedience. So if we want to realize the promises, we need to pay attention to the precepts.

Promise from God - “Your work shall be rewarded.” We often become discouraged because we think that our serving and living for God has been in vain. There are least three reasons why we become discouraged. First, rewards do not come early. We often have to go a long time before we see any fruit from serving and living for God. Second, rewards do not come easily. Great effort is necessary to gain Divine rewards. It is not easy to serve and live for God. But difficulty does not deter the reward; it enhances the reward. Third, rewards do not come esteemed. Few value the rewards of heaven. Most folks prefer the cheap and inferior rewards of the world which can be obtained quickly, easily, and with the praise of men. But God’s rewards are the best rewards. Let’s hold out for the best.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God has infinite attention to spare for each one of us. You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created!”

Clive Staple (C.S.) Lewis (1898 – 1963)

Novelist, Lay Theologian, and Christian Apologist

Word Study

Divine

In 2 Peter 1:3 we read, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” (NKJV).

Divine is the Greek word theios (θεῖος = thi'-os). It describes an attribute of God such as His power and not His character in its essence and totality. In classical Greek theios means divine, pertaining to a god. In the New Testament, theios only occurs in three instances – Acts 17:29, 2 Peter 1:3, and in 2 Peter 1: 4.

Theios pertains to having the nature of God or as related to God by nature. In 2 Peter 1:4, the word is used to refer to believers being “partakers of the divine nature.” The verse is not teaching, as some falsely claim that we are now “little gods.” We are complete in Christ but we are not little gods. God alone is God.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be glorified by God (Isa. 55:5)

New Testament Fulfillment – Acts 3:13

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that the Lord Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven (John 14:1-4).

Bible Quiz

According to Proverbs, what is “like apples of gold in settings of silver?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What was the name of the prostitute that harbored the two Israelite spies? Rahab (Josh. 2:1).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Messenger of the Covenant”

"Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts!” (Mal. 3:1 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus is God's final Messenger.

2. Insights – Messenger and angel are the same words in both the Old and New Testaments. The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate Messenger of the New Covenant of God’s grace, and head of God’s angelic armies.

3. Related Titles – Angel of the Lord (Ex. 3:2); Commander of the Army of the Lord / Captain of the Lord’s Host (Josh. 5:14).

Did You Know – Christian History

Philip Embury was born September 21, 1729 in Limerick, Ireland. He was a Methodist preacher and leader of one of the earliest Methodist congregations in the United States.

Embury was educated in Ireland, and became a carpenter. He was converted on Christmas day, 1752, becoming a local preacher in 1758. In 1760, Embury moved to New York City and worked as a school teacher.

Like most of his fellow emigrants, Embury lost interest in religious matters and did not preach a sermon in New York for about six years. In 1766, he was confronted and rebuked by his cousin Barbara Heck, sometimes called the “foundress of American Methodism.” Barbara had returned home from an errand only to find a game of cards in progress in her home. This was too much for her as she considered card playing frivolous and sinful. She scolded the players, flung the pack of cards into the fireplace, and fell on her knees in prayer. Then she told Embury that he must preach. “Preach in your own house first, and to our own company,” said Barbara.

Embury gave in and preached his first sermon, to five people, in his own rented house. This is believed to be the first Methodist sermon preached in America. Embury then held services every Thursday evening and twice on Sunday. The five people increased. Soon the congregation had to rent a large room. Rumors about the Methodists began to spread and the little Methodist society began to grow. Eventually it built a church.

One of the members wrote a letter to John Wesley, describing the situation and asked for legal advice on how to deed the land. Noting that Embury and other local leaders lacked training, the writer added, “We want an able and experienced preacher; one who has both gifts and grace necessary for the work.” This prompted Wesley to send his first Methodist missionaries to America in 1769.

In 1770 Embury moved to what is now Washington County, New York, where some of his countrymen from New York City had preceded him. Here he lived on the farm of his brother-in-law, working at his trade, preaching, and acting as civil magistrate.

Embury died suddenly in August 1775 as a result of a mowing accident, and was buried on a neighboring farm. In 1832 his remains were removed to Ashgrove churchyard, and in 1866 to Woodland cemetery, Cambridge, New York. A monument was erected there in his honor in 1873.

A Little Humor

A mother mouse and a baby mouse are walking along when suddenly a cat attacks them. The mother mouse shouts “BARK!” and the cat runs away. “See?” the mother mouse says to her baby. “Now do you see why it’s important to learn a foreign language?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“One leak will sink a ship and one sin will destroy a sinner!”