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Listen to this
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"You, O LORD, reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generation" (Lamentations 5:19). “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns" (Revelation 19:6).
It
was a blessing to receive many birthday greetings yesterday from
friends, family and readers. For those who may not have understood the code
in the title "Three Score" is 60 years! Brooksyne and Ester had a cake for me that
said, "Over The Hill" so today I think I want to consider another
perspective.
David Penley, a friend from Texas shared this perspective, "May the Lord bless you with many more (birthdays) - and then there's eternity with Him!"
In
the last several years Duck Dynasty has been an immensely popular
"reality" show here in America. It has many avid followers and already
this autumn I am noticing a number of men growing their beards similar
to the way they are worn in the show (Brooksyne is groaning in the background). Tom (photo to left) is a friend
who works in one of our companies and had quite a Duck Dynasty beard
last year. But like anything popular in this world the Duck Dynasty
show will soon fade. It certainly won't last forever.
About 50 years ago John Lennon, of the "Beatles", made an extremely
boastful statement about the popularity of his band being greater than
that of
Jesus Christ. We know how that turned out and his final accounting will
be given to the Lord Jesus. The
"Beatles" and all others who are reckoned as "famous" by this world's
standards will eventually be likened to a tiny grain of sand in
recorded history, let alone throughout eternity.
As God's children we are heirs to a kingdom that will last forever. Jeremiah proclaimed in our daily verse that, "You, O LORD, reign forever." What tremendous assurance this should bring to every believer reading this message today.
Jeremiah didn't make this proclamation of praise in the setting of an edifying worship service where people were excitedly lifting their voices in praise and thanksgiving. Instead he spoke these words as he was acknowledging the desperation of his people and confessed that they had turned their backs against God. They were spoken during a time of social and spiritual chaos, as Judah's captivity to Babylon was imminent. The period leading up to the fall of Judah is instructive. During this time the nation slipped deeper and deeper into apostasy with this descriptive phrase:
"The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against His people and there was no remedy" (2 Chronicles 36:15,16).
2 Chronicles 36 is a solemn record of the fall of Judah and the onset of the Babylonian Captivity. It records the final three Kings in Judah who were each described as doing "evil in the eyes of the Lord." It is not a pretty picture and without a doubt the people of the land endured grave consequences as a result of having wicked rulers that likely endorsed their own personal wickedness.
The passage ends with a phrase that greatly intrigues me, "and there was no remedy." There came a point when it's as if God essentially said, "Enough is enough." We see this at other times in the Bible such as the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We also witness this wrath unfolding as temporal earthly kingdoms fell (Daniel 5). We will one day all see it at the culmination of the age.
Where is America or any other country for that matter as it is being weighed in the balance of God's holy vindication? When will it be determined by God as it was for ancient Israel, that there is no remedy? Only God knows, but those of us who seek to faithfully follow the Lord and walk in His ways must all be numbered among those the Scripture calls a "remnant." The remnant are those whose hearts remain true to God no matter the cost. At the time of this writing, the remnant of true followers would have included Jeremiah, Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego and others whose names are not recorded in the Bible.
In our daily text God gave Jeremiah spiritual eyes to see the eternal perspective that "You, O LORD, reign forever". Now 2,600 years later all around the world we sing "Our God Reigns." We will be making this proclamation throughout eternity and we will be living it out. In a glimpse behind the veil in John's vision, recorded in the book of Revelation, we read: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever" (11:15). The King of kings will turn our days of mourning into eons of joy and dancing. Let us keep this extremely important perspective before us today!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, You were King of
the heavens before there was time and You will be King for all
eternity. What joy and assurance that truth brings to our spirits
today in light of the increasing evil of our day. Our temporal burdens are lightened when we transport our hearts
to the New Jerusalem where there is no temple in the City because You,
Lord God Almighty are the City's temple. The City won't need the sun
or the moon to shine on it, because Your glory is its light, and the
Lamb is the City's lamp. Nothing unclean and no one who does shameful
things or
tells lies will ever go into it. Only those whose names are written in
the Lamb's book of life will enter the City. We want to walk
earnestly with you on this earth and snatch the unredeemed from the
flames of hell and eternal separation from You, Father. Keep us fervent
in our witness and faithful in our service. In the blessed
name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Yesterday Ester accompanied me to the Shady Maple for my free birthday meal.
From the back seat Ester captured our on the fly photography of the colorful scenes we encounter as we drive through the Lancaster area.
Here's the photo Brooksyne took of an older Mennonite lady driving a wagon full of pumpkins (click on photo for larger view)
Near the Shady Maple is the Good's Store, a huge locally run business that has ample evidence of its Christian roots. We saw this sign as we entered the store yesterday. Extra credit for anyone who may be able to identify the reference.
Yesterday we stopped by to visit Val-Co, a company where we serve as chaplains. Geral and Jeff are diligently making live animal traps but stopped for a chat and photo.
Many of the oriental people do not speak much English but we still try to connect with them with the universally appreciate cheerful outlook. Looks like Brooksyne is commenting on a company newsletter where this employee's photo was included.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"We Bow Down" Video Twila Paris
"Our God Reigns" Video Studio musicians
"The Family of God" Video Bill Gaither and homecoming singers
This next video would have gone very well with our message Monday on "Rescue From The Fire" We adapted it for our one minute radio message on WDAC 94.5. Brooksyne came across this video and describes it in our radio message.
Here's our radio message: A dramatic rescue took place years ago in New York when a fireman rescued a small baby from a raging fire on the second floor of her house. From the ground one could only see billowing fire and smoke, but then a fireman emerged with the black suet covered Baby Chelsea. Through the window he handed her to a second fireman who gave mouth to mouth resuscitation even as he walked her down the ladder.
Baby Chelsea was saved for this life, but a more powerful and dramatic rescue takes place each time a person's soul is redeemed from the eternal flames of hell. Fanny Crosby wrote, "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave." Jude tells us "to rescue any who need to be saved, as you would rescue someone from a fire." We're all rescuers when we snatch those singed from sin and lead them to salvation. For more encouragement visit dailyencouragement.net.
This live video of a dramatic rescue of Baby Chelsea will stay with you long after you view it! "Mighty To Save" Video Laura Story This is a production by the Faircreek Church (I believe in Fairborn Ohio) and a great attempt to witness for our Lord.
"More popular than Jesus" Here's an article about the statement Jon Lennon made referred to in today's 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 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player."The Forever Dynasty"
"You, O LORD, reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generation" (Lamentations 5:19). “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns" (Revelation 19:6).
It
was a blessing to receive many birthday greetings yesterday from
friends, family and readers. For those who may not have understood the code
in the title "Three Score" is 60 years! Brooksyne and Ester had a cake for me that
said, "Over The Hill" so today I think I want to consider another
perspective.David Penley, a friend from Texas shared this perspective, "May the Lord bless you with many more (birthdays) - and then there's eternity with Him!"
In
the last several years Duck Dynasty has been an immensely popular
"reality" show here in America. It has many avid followers and already
this autumn I am noticing a number of men growing their beards similar
to the way they are worn in the show (Brooksyne is groaning in the background). Tom (photo to left) is a friend
who works in one of our companies and had quite a Duck Dynasty beard
last year. But like anything popular in this world the Duck Dynasty
show will soon fade. It certainly won't last forever.About 50 years ago John Lennon, of the "Beatles", made an extremely
boastful statement about the popularity of his band being greater than
that of
Jesus Christ. We know how that turned out and his final accounting will
be given to the Lord Jesus. The
"Beatles" and all others who are reckoned as "famous" by this world's
standards will eventually be likened to a tiny grain of sand in
recorded history, let alone throughout eternity.As God's children we are heirs to a kingdom that will last forever. Jeremiah proclaimed in our daily verse that, "You, O LORD, reign forever." What tremendous assurance this should bring to every believer reading this message today.
Jeremiah didn't make this proclamation of praise in the setting of an edifying worship service where people were excitedly lifting their voices in praise and thanksgiving. Instead he spoke these words as he was acknowledging the desperation of his people and confessed that they had turned their backs against God. They were spoken during a time of social and spiritual chaos, as Judah's captivity to Babylon was imminent. The period leading up to the fall of Judah is instructive. During this time the nation slipped deeper and deeper into apostasy with this descriptive phrase:
"The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against His people and there was no remedy" (2 Chronicles 36:15,16).
2 Chronicles 36 is a solemn record of the fall of Judah and the onset of the Babylonian Captivity. It records the final three Kings in Judah who were each described as doing "evil in the eyes of the Lord." It is not a pretty picture and without a doubt the people of the land endured grave consequences as a result of having wicked rulers that likely endorsed their own personal wickedness.
The passage ends with a phrase that greatly intrigues me, "and there was no remedy." There came a point when it's as if God essentially said, "Enough is enough." We see this at other times in the Bible such as the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We also witness this wrath unfolding as temporal earthly kingdoms fell (Daniel 5). We will one day all see it at the culmination of the age.
Where is America or any other country for that matter as it is being weighed in the balance of God's holy vindication? When will it be determined by God as it was for ancient Israel, that there is no remedy? Only God knows, but those of us who seek to faithfully follow the Lord and walk in His ways must all be numbered among those the Scripture calls a "remnant." The remnant are those whose hearts remain true to God no matter the cost. At the time of this writing, the remnant of true followers would have included Jeremiah, Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego and others whose names are not recorded in the Bible.
In our daily text God gave Jeremiah spiritual eyes to see the eternal perspective that "You, O LORD, reign forever". Now 2,600 years later all around the world we sing "Our God Reigns." We will be making this proclamation throughout eternity and we will be living it out. In a glimpse behind the veil in John's vision, recorded in the book of Revelation, we read: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever" (11:15). The King of kings will turn our days of mourning into eons of joy and dancing. Let us keep this extremely important perspective before us today!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, You were King of
the heavens before there was time and You will be King for all
eternity. What joy and assurance that truth brings to our spirits
today in light of the increasing evil of our day. Our temporal burdens are lightened when we transport our hearts
to the New Jerusalem where there is no temple in the City because You,
Lord God Almighty are the City's temple. The City won't need the sun
or the moon to shine on it, because Your glory is its light, and the
Lamb is the City's lamp. Nothing unclean and no one who does shameful
things or
tells lies will ever go into it. Only those whose names are written in
the Lamb's book of life will enter the City. We want to walk
earnestly with you on this earth and snatch the unredeemed from the
flames of hell and eternal separation from You, Father. Keep us fervent
in our witness and faithful in our service. In the blessed
name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
(See Revelation 21 for further encouragement)
Yesterday Ester accompanied me to the Shady Maple for my free birthday meal.
From the back seat Ester captured our on the fly photography of the colorful scenes we encounter as we drive through the Lancaster area.
Here's the photo Brooksyne took of an older Mennonite lady driving a wagon full of pumpkins (click on photo for larger view)
Near the Shady Maple is the Good's Store, a huge locally run business that has ample evidence of its Christian roots. We saw this sign as we entered the store yesterday. Extra credit for anyone who may be able to identify the reference.
Yesterday we stopped by to visit Val-Co, a company where we serve as chaplains. Geral and Jeff are diligently making live animal traps but stopped for a chat and photo.
Many of the oriental people do not speak much English but we still try to connect with them with the universally appreciate cheerful outlook. Looks like Brooksyne is commenting on a company newsletter where this employee's photo was included.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"We Bow Down" Video Twila Paris
"Our God Reigns" Video Studio musicians
"The Family of God" Video Bill Gaither and homecoming singers
This next video would have gone very well with our message Monday on "Rescue From The Fire" We adapted it for our one minute radio message on WDAC 94.5. Brooksyne came across this video and describes it in our radio message.
Here's our radio message: A dramatic rescue took place years ago in New York when a fireman rescued a small baby from a raging fire on the second floor of her house. From the ground one could only see billowing fire and smoke, but then a fireman emerged with the black suet covered Baby Chelsea. Through the window he handed her to a second fireman who gave mouth to mouth resuscitation even as he walked her down the ladder.
Baby Chelsea was saved for this life, but a more powerful and dramatic rescue takes place each time a person's soul is redeemed from the eternal flames of hell. Fanny Crosby wrote, "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave." Jude tells us "to rescue any who need to be saved, as you would rescue someone from a fire." We're all rescuers when we snatch those singed from sin and lead them to salvation. For more encouragement visit dailyencouragement.net.
This live video of a dramatic rescue of Baby Chelsea will stay with you long after you view it! "Mighty To Save" Video Laura Story This is a production by the Faircreek Church (I believe in Fairborn Ohio) and a great attempt to witness for our Lord.
"More popular than Jesus" Here's an article about the statement Jon Lennon made referred to in today's 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 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA