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Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"King of Kings " Video A powerful reading by S.M. Lockridge
"Sweet Little Jesus Boy" Video Charles Haugabrooks
"The King Is Coming" Video Gaither Vocal Band
"Jesus, King Of Angels" Video Fernando Ortega
"Computerizing people may be next step in tech" (Article) This is not related to today's message but a friend sent it to us and we thought our readers might find this interesting.
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
<Previous Message Next Message>
Friday, December 27, 2013
A side view from our home after our snow storm.
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player.
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. 'Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him'" (Matthew 2:1,2). "Above His head they placed the written charge against Him: 'this is Jesus, the King of the Jews'" (Matthew 27:37). "God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15).
A popular folk song heard at Christmas
is "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" written by Robert MacGimsey as a result of
witnessing the crowds of people who saw Christmas as nothing more than
a time to drink and party.
It was Christmas Eve in 1932 when he attended a midnight church service in New York City and then headed back to his one-room apartment. As he walked the final blocks, he passed the open doors of private clubs where people were shouting and swearing and singing. Others were so drunk they had passed out on the sidewalk.
MacGimsey was grieved to see the lack of respect and awe toward the birth of the most perfect Person who ever lived on earth. He thought to himself, "We seem to have missed the whole significance of His life." That night he wrote his thoughts on the back of an envelope. These words, which were written like the spirituals he had loved growing up in the southern United States, flowed out of his heart:
Consider the line, "They made You be born in a manger." Certainly this was no place for the King of Heaven to make His entry to planet earth. It's not the royalty or pageantry due a king.
Today let us take a few moments to consider the phrase, "born King of the Jews". The wise men from the east ask the question in our daily text, "Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
As we shared in yesterday's message little is known about the identity of these wise men (also know as Magi). These wise men came to Jerusalem to make inquiry about a special birth. King Herod heard about it and was greatly disturbed. He was threatened by the prospect of another King. The rest of his response is well known. “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” He feigned interest and sent the wise men to find the child so he might also worship Him (although this was clearly not his motive).
But the wise men's interest was earnest and after their worshipful
encounter and offering of gifts to the baby King, they were warned in a
dream to depart by another route (not reporting to Herod). Joseph was also directed in a
dream to take his little family to Egypt. Herod, furious when the wise men did not report back to him, came down to
Bethlehem and we have the record of the horrible carnage from the
slaughter of all the infant boys two years old and under.
The wise men's designation "King of the Jews" is not used at all during Christ's ministry again until the period of His trial and crucifixion. It was placed on an inscription above the Cross as a means of mocking Him.
The remainder of the New Testament powerfully asserts that Jesus Christ is not only the King of the Jews but is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The contrasting attitude between these wise men and Herod is representative of the contrasting attitudes of the world, even 2000 years later toward the King of kings. Some will make great effort to worship and bring their very best gifts. Others are furious and will go to any means to silence the King. We hear new stories every year regarding those who want to do away with the nativity displays which would prompt viewers to think of the original Christmas setting. What about you today? What is your response to the birth of the King? The truly wise still seek and worship Him!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we worship You, the Lord of lords and King of
kings. We travel back in time to that original Christmas when You
sent forth Your One and only Son to redeem the world from sin. We
are grateful for the amazing sacrifice You made on our behalf as we
receive You into our heart, King of kings. May we never have a ho-hum
attitude toward the greatest event that ever took place when You came
to be our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
We
want to thank all who have financially supported our ministry this past
year. We typically see a spike in giving at the end of the year for
which we are most thankful. We realize there are many fine ministries
and causes requesting support at this time but if the Lord would lead
you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners. Our ministry is comprised of half our time to
Daily
Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies (of course, this varies week by week). Each of these
ministries essentially is the same as a
part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many
years is that each phase would provide half of our ministry expenses
and
income. If you would like to make a donation see here
for more information or donate directly online here. Thank you!
A side view from our home after our snow storm.
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player."King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords"
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. 'Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him'" (Matthew 2:1,2). "Above His head they placed the written charge against Him: 'this is Jesus, the King of the Jews'" (Matthew 27:37). "God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15).
A popular folk song heard at Christmas
is "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" written by Robert MacGimsey as a result of
witnessing the crowds of people who saw Christmas as nothing more than
a time to drink and party. It was Christmas Eve in 1932 when he attended a midnight church service in New York City and then headed back to his one-room apartment. As he walked the final blocks, he passed the open doors of private clubs where people were shouting and swearing and singing. Others were so drunk they had passed out on the sidewalk.
MacGimsey was grieved to see the lack of respect and awe toward the birth of the most perfect Person who ever lived on earth. He thought to himself, "We seem to have missed the whole significance of His life." That night he wrote his thoughts on the back of an envelope. These words, which were written like the spirituals he had loved growing up in the southern United States, flowed out of his heart:
Sweet little Jesus Boy,
They made You be born in a manger.
Sweet little Holy Child, they didn't know who You was.
Didn't know You'd come to save us, Lord,
To take our sins away.
Our eyes was blind, we couldn't see,
We didn't know who You was.
They made You be born in a manger.
Sweet little Holy Child, they didn't know who You was.
Didn't know You'd come to save us, Lord,
To take our sins away.
Our eyes was blind, we couldn't see,
We didn't know who You was.
Consider the line, "They made You be born in a manger." Certainly this was no place for the King of Heaven to make His entry to planet earth. It's not the royalty or pageantry due a king.
Today let us take a few moments to consider the phrase, "born King of the Jews". The wise men from the east ask the question in our daily text, "Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
As we shared in yesterday's message little is known about the identity of these wise men (also know as Magi). These wise men came to Jerusalem to make inquiry about a special birth. King Herod heard about it and was greatly disturbed. He was threatened by the prospect of another King. The rest of his response is well known. “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” He feigned interest and sent the wise men to find the child so he might also worship Him (although this was clearly not his motive).
But the wise men's interest was earnest and after their worshipful
encounter and offering of gifts to the baby King, they were warned in a
dream to depart by another route (not reporting to Herod). Joseph was also directed in a
dream to take his little family to Egypt. Herod, furious when the wise men did not report back to him, came down to
Bethlehem and we have the record of the horrible carnage from the
slaughter of all the infant boys two years old and under.The wise men's designation "King of the Jews" is not used at all during Christ's ministry again until the period of His trial and crucifixion. It was placed on an inscription above the Cross as a means of mocking Him.
The remainder of the New Testament powerfully asserts that Jesus Christ is not only the King of the Jews but is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The contrasting attitude between these wise men and Herod is representative of the contrasting attitudes of the world, even 2000 years later toward the King of kings. Some will make great effort to worship and bring their very best gifts. Others are furious and will go to any means to silence the King. We hear new stories every year regarding those who want to do away with the nativity displays which would prompt viewers to think of the original Christmas setting. What about you today? What is your response to the birth of the King? The truly wise still seek and worship Him!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we worship You, the Lord of lords and King of
kings. We travel back in time to that original Christmas when You
sent forth Your One and only Son to redeem the world from sin. We
are grateful for the amazing sacrifice You made on our behalf as we
receive You into our heart, King of kings. May we never have a ho-hum
attitude toward the greatest event that ever took place when You came
to be our Saviour and Lord. Amen.We
want to thank all who have financially supported our ministry this past
year. We typically see a spike in giving at the end of the year for
which we are most thankful. We realize there are many fine ministries
and causes requesting support at this time but if the Lord would lead
you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners. Our ministry is comprised of half our time to
Daily
Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies (of course, this varies week by week). Each of these
ministries essentially is the same as a
part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many
years is that each phase would provide half of our ministry expenses
and
income. If you would like to make a donation see here
for more information or donate directly online here. Thank you!Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"King of Kings " Video A powerful reading by S.M. Lockridge
"Sweet Little Jesus Boy" Video Charles Haugabrooks
Sweet little Jesus boy
They made you be born in a manger
Sweet little holy child
We didn't know who you were
Didn't know you'd come to save us Lord
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind, we could not see
We didn't know who you were
Long time ago
You were born
Born in a manger Lord
Sweet little Jesus boy
The world treats you mean Lord
Treats me mean too
But that's how things are down here
We don't know who you are
You have told us how
We are trying
Master you have shown us how
Even when you were dying
Just seems like we can't do right
Look how we treated you
But please Sir forgive us Lord
We didn't know it was you
Sweet little Jesus boy
Born a long time ago
Sweet little holy child
We didn't know who you were
They made you be born in a manger
Sweet little holy child
We didn't know who you were
Didn't know you'd come to save us Lord
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind, we could not see
We didn't know who you were
Long time ago
You were born
Born in a manger Lord
Sweet little Jesus boy
The world treats you mean Lord
Treats me mean too
But that's how things are down here
We don't know who you are
You have told us how
We are trying
Master you have shown us how
Even when you were dying
Just seems like we can't do right
Look how we treated you
But please Sir forgive us Lord
We didn't know it was you
Sweet little Jesus boy
Born a long time ago
Sweet little holy child
We didn't know who you were
"The King Is Coming" Video Gaither Vocal Band
"Jesus, King Of Angels" Video Fernando Ortega
"Computerizing people may be next step in tech" (Article) This is not related to today's message but a friend sent it to us and we thought our readers might find this interesting.
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