A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home About Us Archives Free email subscription
Listen
to these
messages
Text only
for
printing
See here
for more info.
<Previous Message Next Message>
Friday, March 22, 2013
In Lancaster County we have a lot of barns. They are usually white or red but I saw this photo of a gray barn in our friend Nick Nichols collection. We like that because it's the same color as our utility barn!
Listen to this message on your
audio player.
"The Right Path"
"The heart is deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9). "Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path" (Proverbs 23:19).
Today
we are in northern New York where we are visiting our long-time friends
Jeff and Lois and their children. Jeff was in our church in
northern Pennsylvania before we each moved from that area in the early
nineties. He is a forester and today we hope to participate in the
Lewis County Maple sap harvest. Of course this sap is used to make
genuine maple syrup!
This weekend we also hope to take a nice walk along a path in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains or perhaps along the shores of Lake Ontario or the Saint Lawrence Seaway. We understand they still have snow on the ground up that way so we were reminded to bring boots and winter woolens! We generally have mild winters here in Lancaster County and don't have the winter clothing we used when we lived in northern Pennsylvania.
As the weather warms up we will be making our local walks along
our favorite walking path that begins on a tractor trail right
across from our home. We enjoy having a variety of walking trails.
There are many paths in life that beckon us. But spiritually there is only one path that leads to spiritual and eternal life; the path of righteousness. There are many other paths that ultimately lead to death, however pleasant they may temporarily be along the way.
An example of sin's deceitfulness is the way it takes hold of our lives when we're guided by our feelings rather than the absolute truths of God's Word. The writer of Proverbs 14:12 put it this way: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." The Lord Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
"Listen, my son, and be wise." The writer of Proverbs is referring to listening to God's truth, that which will make us truly wise. This wisdom speaks not only of head knowledge but also heart knowledge or godly understanding. This wisdom is not a result of any degree of innate intelligence or formal education as the world reckons it. In fact there may be no correlation between these characteristics and attaining godly wisdom. As Romans 1:22 states, "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools."
"Keep your heart on the right path." For all of us who earnestly seek to follow Christ this is a simple seven word phrase to keep before us each day. There are so many distractions and disturbances that seek to get us off the right path. We need to listen intently and obey the Voice of Truth. We can hear this voice through the Holy Scriptures which are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (see 2 Timothy 3:15).
I will conclude the message with one more Scripture verse that supports today's emphasis, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, even as a spring lake bubbles forth with fresh, clear water may
my heart be like a wellspring bubbling forth with light and
life. May the choices I make today reflect the Voice of Truth that
points me in the way of life everlasting. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Among the verses we considered using today is this one: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Proverbs 4:18).
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Voice Of Truth" Video Casting Crowns
"Show Me Your Ways" Video
"This Is My Desire" Video Michael W Smith
Mike is a friend from one of our companies who uses a whiteboard at his work station to share a spiritual perspective. Every couple of weeks he puts up a new message!
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>
Friday, March 22, 2013
In Lancaster County we have a lot of barns. They are usually white or red but I saw this photo of a gray barn in our friend Nick Nichols collection. We like that because it's the same color as our utility barn!
Listen to this message on your
audio player."The Right Path"
"The heart is deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9). "Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path" (Proverbs 23:19).
Today
we are in northern New York where we are visiting our long-time friends
Jeff and Lois and their children. Jeff was in our church in
northern Pennsylvania before we each moved from that area in the early
nineties. He is a forester and today we hope to participate in the
Lewis County Maple sap harvest. Of course this sap is used to make
genuine maple syrup!This weekend we also hope to take a nice walk along a path in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains or perhaps along the shores of Lake Ontario or the Saint Lawrence Seaway. We understand they still have snow on the ground up that way so we were reminded to bring boots and winter woolens! We generally have mild winters here in Lancaster County and don't have the winter clothing we used when we lived in northern Pennsylvania.
As the weather warms up we will be making our local walks along
our favorite walking path that begins on a tractor trail right
across from our home. We enjoy having a variety of walking trails.There are many paths in life that beckon us. But spiritually there is only one path that leads to spiritual and eternal life; the path of righteousness. There are many other paths that ultimately lead to death, however pleasant they may temporarily be along the way.
An example of sin's deceitfulness is the way it takes hold of our lives when we're guided by our feelings rather than the absolute truths of God's Word. The writer of Proverbs 14:12 put it this way: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." The Lord Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
"Listen, my son, and be wise." The writer of Proverbs is referring to listening to God's truth, that which will make us truly wise. This wisdom speaks not only of head knowledge but also heart knowledge or godly understanding. This wisdom is not a result of any degree of innate intelligence or formal education as the world reckons it. In fact there may be no correlation between these characteristics and attaining godly wisdom. As Romans 1:22 states, "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools."
"Keep your heart on the right path." For all of us who earnestly seek to follow Christ this is a simple seven word phrase to keep before us each day. There are so many distractions and disturbances that seek to get us off the right path. We need to listen intently and obey the Voice of Truth. We can hear this voice through the Holy Scriptures which are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (see 2 Timothy 3:15).
I will conclude the message with one more Scripture verse that supports today's emphasis, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
"But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story.
The Voice of Truth says 'Do not be afraid'.
And the Voice of Truth says 'This is for My glory'.
Out of all the voices calling out to me.
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth."
The Voice of Truth says 'Do not be afraid'.
And the Voice of Truth says 'This is for My glory'.
Out of all the voices calling out to me.
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, even as a spring lake bubbles forth with fresh, clear water may
my heart be like a wellspring bubbling forth with light and
life. May the choices I make today reflect the Voice of Truth that
points me in the way of life everlasting. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.Among the verses we considered using today is this one: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Proverbs 4:18).
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Voice Of Truth" Video Casting Crowns
"Show Me Your Ways" Video
"This Is My Desire" Video Michael W Smith
Mike is a friend from one of our companies who uses a whiteboard at his work station to share a spiritual perspective. Every couple of weeks he puts up a new message!
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