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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. doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God
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 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Conestoga River in Lancaster County, PA
Taken by our friend Mike Book
(Click on photo to enlarge)
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"And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left" (2 Chronicles 34:2). "While he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father" (2 Chronicles 34:3) "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). "All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever" (Micah 4:5).
Today I have on my heart a well-known preacher who I will not mention by name. He is speaking in our area this spring and I expect he will draw a large crowd. He is most famous for a moving sermon he preached many years ago but through the years he has done more and more accommodating to the ways of the world to the point I wonder if he has departed from the faith. Of course God is the final judge but we must be on our guard and use discernment lest we also be led astray.
A couple days ago we shared about King Hezekiah who was diligent in his work throughout Judah. He sought after God, worked wholeheartedly, and was remembered as a righteous king who did "what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God" (II Chronicles 31:30). He set the standard rather than follow "false and empty teaching that is only human, which comes from the ruling spirits of this world, and not from Christ" (Colossians 2:8).
There surely had to be temptation for the king to follow after human teaching as he had access to all the "experts" of his day. Under his rule he could seek counsel without concern about payment and would surely appear to be among the bright and elite in doing so. Aren't "experts" deemed the same way today?
Our current culture, what the Bible calls "this present world" (see 2 Timothy 4:10) can very much influence our beliefs and the way in which we live. So much so that we may forget the way of God and adapt to the philosophies and practices of our increasingly godless culture.You say, "How can one simply forget?" Because the verbiage and images thrust before us day after day in the public square, through the media, the educational system, government and many other information sources give little to no thought about the Kingdom of God.
We must be dutiful and intentional in giving time, thought and application to God's plan for our lives. We must also be passionate about seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. Otherwise we'll adapt to the trends and philosophies of our generation. This is true for rulers, politicians, employers, teachers, parents and right on down to everyday people like you and me. We must be on our constant guard that we do not "depart from the faith" (see 1 Timothy 6:20,21).
I am studying the period of the final kings who lived prior to the captivity (2 Chronicles 33-36). The final good king was Josiah who had a notoriously evil father, Amon, and evil grandfather, Manasseh. Josiah lived in a period destined for destruction. Yet his life was different as he led his people in the ways of the Lord. Tragically, his own sons and immediate descendants forsook the righteous path of their father and once again fell into the ways of Manasseh and Amon.
Josiah's life is summed up, "And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." A key to his life is that, "while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father" (2 Chronicles 34:3),
Today's final verse draws a sharp contrast. Indeed, "All the nations (peoples) may walk in the name of their gods." When written this referred to the specific false gods of the nations that surrounded Israel at that time such as Baal and Molech. But it still applies broadly to each generation, people and nation whether they are monotheistic, polytheistic (more than one god), atheistic, or materialistic.
Today join us in making this great declaration of faith from Micah, "We will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever." What a powerful statement of steadfast commitment! We must not dilute nor deter the exclusive truth that comes forth from God's Holy Word. And we must not "update" by taking away, adding to or reconsidering the eternal truths of God according to our present culture's way of thinking. To do so would be to present a false gospel.
Let us be lovers of the truth today and for all eternity!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Jesus, when I chose to surrender my life to You it was not simply an
emotional response that would last for a short season. I asked You to
be my Lord and Master and to rule my heart forever. Though
there have been trials galore that would test my faith and countless
remarks that would attack the truths presented in the Scriptures I choose to walk in Your name
forever and ever. In the good and bad of life You will always remain my
only Lord and Master.
Conestoga River in Lancaster County, PA
Taken by our friend Mike Book
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"How We Will Walk"
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player."And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left" (2 Chronicles 34:2). "While he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father" (2 Chronicles 34:3) "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). "All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever" (Micah 4:5).
Today I have on my heart a well-known preacher who I will not mention by name. He is speaking in our area this spring and I expect he will draw a large crowd. He is most famous for a moving sermon he preached many years ago but through the years he has done more and more accommodating to the ways of the world to the point I wonder if he has departed from the faith. Of course God is the final judge but we must be on our guard and use discernment lest we also be led astray.
A couple days ago we shared about King Hezekiah who was diligent in his work throughout Judah. He sought after God, worked wholeheartedly, and was remembered as a righteous king who did "what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God" (II Chronicles 31:30). He set the standard rather than follow "false and empty teaching that is only human, which comes from the ruling spirits of this world, and not from Christ" (Colossians 2:8).
There surely had to be temptation for the king to follow after human teaching as he had access to all the "experts" of his day. Under his rule he could seek counsel without concern about payment and would surely appear to be among the bright and elite in doing so. Aren't "experts" deemed the same way today?
Our current culture, what the Bible calls "this present world" (see 2 Timothy 4:10) can very much influence our beliefs and the way in which we live. So much so that we may forget the way of God and adapt to the philosophies and practices of our increasingly godless culture.You say, "How can one simply forget?" Because the verbiage and images thrust before us day after day in the public square, through the media, the educational system, government and many other information sources give little to no thought about the Kingdom of God.
We must be dutiful and intentional in giving time, thought and application to God's plan for our lives. We must also be passionate about seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. Otherwise we'll adapt to the trends and philosophies of our generation. This is true for rulers, politicians, employers, teachers, parents and right on down to everyday people like you and me. We must be on our constant guard that we do not "depart from the faith" (see 1 Timothy 6:20,21).
I am studying the period of the final kings who lived prior to the captivity (2 Chronicles 33-36). The final good king was Josiah who had a notoriously evil father, Amon, and evil grandfather, Manasseh. Josiah lived in a period destined for destruction. Yet his life was different as he led his people in the ways of the Lord. Tragically, his own sons and immediate descendants forsook the righteous path of their father and once again fell into the ways of Manasseh and Amon.
Josiah's life is summed up, "And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." A key to his life is that, "while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father" (2 Chronicles 34:3),
Today's final verse draws a sharp contrast. Indeed, "All the nations (peoples) may walk in the name of their gods." When written this referred to the specific false gods of the nations that surrounded Israel at that time such as Baal and Molech. But it still applies broadly to each generation, people and nation whether they are monotheistic, polytheistic (more than one god), atheistic, or materialistic.
Today join us in making this great declaration of faith from Micah, "We will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever." What a powerful statement of steadfast commitment! We must not dilute nor deter the exclusive truth that comes forth from God's Holy Word. And we must not "update" by taking away, adding to or reconsidering the eternal truths of God according to our present culture's way of thinking. To do so would be to present a false gospel.
Let us be lovers of the truth today and for all eternity!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Jesus, when I chose to surrender my life to You it was not simply an
emotional response that would last for a short season. I asked You to
be my Lord and Master and to rule my heart forever. Though
there have been trials galore that would test my faith and countless
remarks that would attack the truths presented in the Scriptures I choose to walk in Your name
forever and ever. In the good and bad of life You will always remain my
only Lord and Master.Today's
Suggested Music and
Supplemental Resources
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. doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God
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 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA