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"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3).
Our travels take us through some beautiful and interesting areas which we often share in our photos. We drive through covered bridges, such as the Schenk's Mill bridge seen above, pass colorful flower stands and observe the many interesting distinctives of the Amish culture. The other day we passed an Amish one room schoolhouse with a large tour bus parked beside it. We were observing the senior tourists who were walking out of the school heading back to the bus, and then we noticed the children that were lined up along the windows. They were waving to their visitors, likely pleased to have some special guests that day!
Covered bridges are usually one lane (although last year we went through one in Indiana that was two lanes entering into a large state park). Once I approached a covered bridge here in Lancaster County and just as I was preparing to enter another car approached from the opposite side. With no means to communicate, we both backed up to yield and waited for the other to proceed. Finally I passed through as it was evident that the other driver was insisting on being the more considerate one! I rolled down my window as I passed, waved and mouthed "Thank You" as he smiled and responded, "You're welcome". It occurred to me that this is a small microcosm of what our attitudes should be toward one another.
However there is plenty of inconsideration to report as well. In my illustration files is a front page story from the Lancaster New Era several years ago about a problem with noise in the city. It began: A Lancaster police officer was on patrol one hot April day when he approached a Jeep Grand Cherokee. He reported: "We could hear the bass a block away. It wasn't hard to find the vehicle. But no one was in the car. So we were going to take the keys." As they were doing so a man in his 20's walked out of a barbershop across the intersection and told the officers, "I was listening to my music while I got my hair cut." He, along with everyone else, like it or not!
The golden rule as stated by our Lord is "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31). Consideration is the practice of the golden rule in the small details of life; beginning in the home and extending to all relationships. What if the billions of personal interactions that take place all over the globe today were truly characterized by this rule? Well, that would certainly bring about world peace but in reality that just isn't going to happen until the return of the Prince of Peace.
I like the way Oswald Chambers describes the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts as we mature in the faith: "We don't deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standards, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live acording to His standard without even realizing it. The nature of God in us is discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past."
By God's transforming grace you and I can do something in our little corner of the world. Today in your speech, in your body language, and in your actions keep this attitude foremost in your heart: "In humility consider others better than yourselves." When you do so, the Golden Rule will play itself out in your actions without your even giving conscious thought to it.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, in our human nature we want the best seat, the first choice,
the biggest piece, to be first in line, and on and on it goes.
The desire to serve self before serving others is an ongoing
battle. Thank you for those who walk in humility, giving
preference to others, rather than choosing to please themselves
first. They serve as human examples of the attitude Jesus
exemplified when He, being in Your very nature did not consider
equality with You something to hold onto. Instead Jesus took on the
very nature of a servant and became God in the flesh. In His
human role He showed us the greatest example of humility as He
related to people from day to day and ultimately when He laid down
His life for us. We're thankful for Jesus and His greatest act of
humility. It is in His name that we pray. Amen.
For Further Thought: I recall a story a pastor friend told which relates to today's topic. It took place in Germany during the Cold War. East Berlin was Communist controlled and West Berlin was a free country. One day some people in East Berlin took a truckload of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin side. The people of West Berlin could have done the same thing. But instead they took a truckload of canned goods, bread, and milk . . . and neatly stacked it on the East Berlin side. On top of this stack they placed the sign: "EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS." (Wow, was that a subtle yet powerful message!)
Brooksyne's Recollection: Today's message takes me back to a time about 25 years ago when I was in a terrible hurry at the "Bi-Lo" supermarket in St. Marys, PA. I needed to pick up only a couple of items for a Christmas dinner on a Wednesday evening so I thought I could make a quick stop on the way. I was in charge so I needed to arrive before others got there.
I parked in the closest parking spot and ran into the store. I quickly got a cart and hurriedly steered my way through the aisles (when I use the word, "steered" it's the kind of steering that leads even the biggest man to scurry out of my path - they see the large cart, my intense look and rapid footwork). I was making good time until I got into a traffic jam with shoppers in an aisle that blocked me both ways, kind of like a freeway when you can't turn your car around and you can't inch forward either. It was so slow I felt like I was crawling. My anxiety grew and my frustration worsened making the situation far worse than it really was. Seconds seemed like minutes. I could see ahead that it was two "old women" and I was only about 30 years old at the time, so I had no time for being thoughtful about the aging situation.
FINALLY, I was able to pass these very slow shoppers and decided to look back to figure out why they were so terribly slow. You can imagine how utterly humiliated I was when I realized that the one woman holding onto the shopping cart was blind. The other lady was guiding the cart as she loaded items for the blind woman. It is an experience that I will never forget in feeling that my time was more important than anyone else shopping in the store.
Two-lane covered bridge in Brown County, Indiana
This is the only two-lane covered bridge I've ever seen!
It is at the entrance to Brown County State Park in southern Indiana.
In
the message we shared about passing an Amish school with a tourist bus.
The Amish are generally quite reticent opening their schools to
outsiders, especially tourists. However we found out that they do on
occasion allow outsiders such as a tour bus! Last Spring we were
invited to an authentic Amish School where the children of some friends
of ours attend and we served them lunch. It was quite an experience and
we tell the story here.
Some humor from a blog called "The Sacred Sandwich" (used by permission)
The comments are as funny as the cartoon!
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.
Tuesday, May 3,
2011
Canada Geese family on Donegal Creek
I passed this "feathered family" on my walk early this morning along Donegal Springs Creek.
Canada Geese family on Donegal Creek
I passed this "feathered family" on my walk early this morning along Donegal Springs Creek.
40 Day New Testament
Reading/Listening Plan: We began a 40 day New Testament reading plan on April 3. If
you
want to participate and have not been following the reading schedule up
to this point we suggest starting with today's reading and
reading previous portions after this reading period ends. Here's the
entire 40 day schedule. The
links below will open to the selection to be read along with a built-in
listening
device.
- Today's reading (May 3): Philippians 2 - 1 Thessalonians 2 beginning here.
"Considering Others"
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3).
Our travels take us through some beautiful and interesting areas which we often share in our photos. We drive through covered bridges, such as the Schenk's Mill bridge seen above, pass colorful flower stands and observe the many interesting distinctives of the Amish culture. The other day we passed an Amish one room schoolhouse with a large tour bus parked beside it. We were observing the senior tourists who were walking out of the school heading back to the bus, and then we noticed the children that were lined up along the windows. They were waving to their visitors, likely pleased to have some special guests that day!
Covered bridges are usually one lane (although last year we went through one in Indiana that was two lanes entering into a large state park). Once I approached a covered bridge here in Lancaster County and just as I was preparing to enter another car approached from the opposite side. With no means to communicate, we both backed up to yield and waited for the other to proceed. Finally I passed through as it was evident that the other driver was insisting on being the more considerate one! I rolled down my window as I passed, waved and mouthed "Thank You" as he smiled and responded, "You're welcome". It occurred to me that this is a small microcosm of what our attitudes should be toward one another.
However there is plenty of inconsideration to report as well. In my illustration files is a front page story from the Lancaster New Era several years ago about a problem with noise in the city. It began: A Lancaster police officer was on patrol one hot April day when he approached a Jeep Grand Cherokee. He reported: "We could hear the bass a block away. It wasn't hard to find the vehicle. But no one was in the car. So we were going to take the keys." As they were doing so a man in his 20's walked out of a barbershop across the intersection and told the officers, "I was listening to my music while I got my hair cut." He, along with everyone else, like it or not!
The golden rule as stated by our Lord is "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31). Consideration is the practice of the golden rule in the small details of life; beginning in the home and extending to all relationships. What if the billions of personal interactions that take place all over the globe today were truly characterized by this rule? Well, that would certainly bring about world peace but in reality that just isn't going to happen until the return of the Prince of Peace.
I like the way Oswald Chambers describes the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts as we mature in the faith: "We don't deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standards, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live acording to His standard without even realizing it. The nature of God in us is discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past."
By God's transforming grace you and I can do something in our little corner of the world. Today in your speech, in your body language, and in your actions keep this attitude foremost in your heart: "In humility consider others better than yourselves." When you do so, the Golden Rule will play itself out in your actions without your even giving conscious thought to it.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, in our human nature we want the best seat, the first choice,
the biggest piece, to be first in line, and on and on it goes.
The desire to serve self before serving others is an ongoing
battle. Thank you for those who walk in humility, giving
preference to others, rather than choosing to please themselves
first. They serve as human examples of the attitude Jesus
exemplified when He, being in Your very nature did not consider
equality with You something to hold onto. Instead Jesus took on the
very nature of a servant and became God in the flesh. In His
human role He showed us the greatest example of humility as He
related to people from day to day and ultimately when He laid down
His life for us. We're thankful for Jesus and His greatest act of
humility. It is in His name that we pray. Amen.(See Philippians 2:5-8 for Scripture basis of prayer)
For Further Thought: I recall a story a pastor friend told which relates to today's topic. It took place in Germany during the Cold War. East Berlin was Communist controlled and West Berlin was a free country. One day some people in East Berlin took a truckload of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin side. The people of West Berlin could have done the same thing. But instead they took a truckload of canned goods, bread, and milk . . . and neatly stacked it on the East Berlin side. On top of this stack they placed the sign: "EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS." (Wow, was that a subtle yet powerful message!)
Brooksyne's Recollection: Today's message takes me back to a time about 25 years ago when I was in a terrible hurry at the "Bi-Lo" supermarket in St. Marys, PA. I needed to pick up only a couple of items for a Christmas dinner on a Wednesday evening so I thought I could make a quick stop on the way. I was in charge so I needed to arrive before others got there.
I parked in the closest parking spot and ran into the store. I quickly got a cart and hurriedly steered my way through the aisles (when I use the word, "steered" it's the kind of steering that leads even the biggest man to scurry out of my path - they see the large cart, my intense look and rapid footwork). I was making good time until I got into a traffic jam with shoppers in an aisle that blocked me both ways, kind of like a freeway when you can't turn your car around and you can't inch forward either. It was so slow I felt like I was crawling. My anxiety grew and my frustration worsened making the situation far worse than it really was. Seconds seemed like minutes. I could see ahead that it was two "old women" and I was only about 30 years old at the time, so I had no time for being thoughtful about the aging situation.
FINALLY, I was able to pass these very slow shoppers and decided to look back to figure out why they were so terribly slow. You can imagine how utterly humiliated I was when I realized that the one woman holding onto the shopping cart was blind. The other lady was guiding the cart as she loaded items for the blind woman. It is an experience that I will never forget in feeling that my time was more important than anyone else shopping in the store.
Two-lane covered bridge in Brown County, Indiana
This is the only two-lane covered bridge I've ever seen!
It is at the entrance to Brown County State Park in southern Indiana.
In
the message we shared about passing an Amish school with a tourist bus.
The Amish are generally quite reticent opening their schools to
outsiders, especially tourists. However we found out that they do on
occasion allow outsiders such as a tour bus! Last Spring we were
invited to an authentic Amish School where the children of some friends
of ours attend and we served them lunch. It was quite an experience and
we tell the story here.Today's
Suggested Music
and Supplemental
Resources
"Make Me A Servant" Video Maranatha Singers
"We Lift Our Hands" Video Oslo Gospel Choir
"Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace" Video Daniel O'Donnell
"Make Me A Blessing" Video Sofia Tsatalbasidis (A young girl with a gifted voice!)
"Make Me A Blessing Today" Video "Ole Friends"
"We Lift Our Hands" Video Oslo Gospel Choir
"Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace" Video Daniel O'Donnell
"Make Me A Blessing" Video Sofia Tsatalbasidis (A young girl with a gifted voice!)
"Make Me A Blessing Today" Video "Ole Friends"
Finally today:
Some humor from a blog called "The Sacred Sandwich" (used by permission)
The comments are as funny as the cartoon!
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.
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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."
Daily
Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com
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Copyright 2011
Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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