A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home About Us Free email subscription
Listen to these messagesDaily Encouragement on
Facebook 
Twitter 
Wordpress 
LinkedIn<Previous Message Next Message>
Monday, March 20, 2017
Yesterday we passed this stately farmhouse in Lebanon County, PA. So many farm houses sit alongside streams in our area which provides a necessity but serves also as a very natural recreation for children to explore streams and fish. Walking through a stream or just sitting on the bank with your feet in the water, listening to the running water, can be so relaxing for both children and adults.
"He leadeth beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul."
(Click on photo for larger view)
"We Have Everything We Need"
We recommend our readers examine resources available through "The Voice of The Martyrs" and continue to carry a burden for the persecuted church.
Their main website (appropriately named https://www.persecution.com/ )
You can get an app that updates with a daily prayer focus. Yesterday it was Malaysia, today is the Philippines (Mindanao). We like the fact that a photo from that part of the world is included.
Their YouTube channel has many informative videos.
The following songs feature Amy Shreve, the musician at the conference, that we think you will enjoy:
"Be Still My Soul" Video Amy Shreve
"Faraway" Video Amy Shreve I really like this song that Amy wrote. It reminds me of the terrible storm written about in Acts 27 & 28 we wrote about recently. But it especially speaks to believers in this life: "I have sailed these seas, I have held to my course, I've been whipped by the winds and the gales of the North........I can hear His call as the waves crash and fall to the land I love so faraway."
"This Is Our God" Video Amy Shreve
For further study on today's text: (Philippians 4:11-13)
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Yesterday we passed this stately farmhouse in Lebanon County, PA. So many farm houses sit alongside streams in our area which provides a necessity but serves also as a very natural recreation for children to explore streams and fish. Walking through a stream or just sitting on the bank with your feet in the water, listening to the running water, can be so relaxing for both children and adults.
"He leadeth beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul."
(Click on photo for larger view)
Message summary:
Let us live with the assurance today that God is working. If we
believe that with all our hearts then we are trusting and we can also
declare, "We have everything we need."
Listen to our
message on your
audio player.
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:11,12). "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).
As
we expected there were many memorable take aways from the Voice Of The
Martyrs conference we attended on
Saturday in Hershey. ("The Voice of the Martyrs" (VOM) mission is
"serving persecuted Christians through practical and spiritual
assistance and leading other members of the Body of Christ into
fellowship with them.")
The conference had four main speakers. Two speakers from India and China who had experienced or witnessed persecution; Gracia Burnham who, along with her husband Martin were abducted by Islamic terrorists for over a year (Gracia was injured and Martin was murdered); and VOM staff member Todd Nettleton. Each presentation captured our attention and highlighted places in the world where so many of our fellow believers live but we rarely give much thought to their hardships and sufferings. We want to share one of the stories that touched our hearts, a gripping story that Todd shared.
He was visiting a camp for displaced peoples in northern Iraq who had fled from ISIS. The screen showed a photo of an Iraqi family that had converted from Islam to Christianity; a husband, wife and five very young children including a baby. The photo was taken in front of a community tent where they sleep along with other refugees.
Todd walked around the camp and saw how little the family had to eat,
the lack of supplies for the children, the very harsh conditions of
their living quarters. His heart was heavy as he took it all in so he
asked the father in earnest, "How can we help
you? What would you like us to ask others to pray about?" The man
thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "We have everything we need". (Photo on left is
representative but not the actual photo of the family we write about.)
We've been thinking a lot about that. What an amazing perspective. Conditions we would find unbearable were deemed sufficient for this grateful dad. I wonder how comfortable the tent was, shared with so many. Did they each have a bed and separate bedrooms? How tasty were their meals? I wonder if they had cable access to their television or internet for their smart phones and computers, or whatever else we deem necessary for daily life and feel we just have to have. (Of course I say this in thoughtful jest.)
But the father told Todd, "We have everything we need." I want to remember that the next time I complain either outwardly or inwardly about something petty (probably today).
This young Iraqi believer likely has little to no formal training in Bible and theology but he really gets it. He was expressing and experiencing what the apostle Paul wrote, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need.... I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:11,12).
Joe Guglielmo observed, "Some one hundred years ago it was determined that the average American had about 70 wants, things he desired to have. A similar survey was taken of his grandson and he had nearly 500 wants on his list and today, I’m sure that number is even higher. Why? Because people are not content in what they have!"
Contentment is never the result of multiplying riches, increasing
pleasures, or gaining fame. All these only incite discontent, for when
one obtains them, he finds he still is not satisfied. Contentment does
not depend upon things on the outside, but results from attitudes within one's heart and mind!
Bible teacher Harry A. Ironside comments on this verse, "CHRIST is enough to satisfy the hearts of all who confide in Him and who leave everything in His hands. Such need never be cast down by seeming misfortunes. A Christian asked another how he was getting along. Dolefully his friend replied, "Oh, fairly well, under the circumstances." "I am sorry," exclaimed the other, "that you are under the circumstances. The LORD would have us living above all circumstances, where He Himself can satisfy our hearts and meet our every need for time and eternity."
Finally today let us consider a great verse from Romans. "He who
did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not
also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" God "did not
spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all." This alone should
prompt our deepest eternal gratitude. If this was all God did for
us it would be far more than enough and infinitely more than we deserve.
But the apostle Paul goes on to declare, "How will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" The clearly expected answer to this rhetorical question is, He will! He will fulfill His eternal purpose for our lives and that which brings Him glory. Peter puts it this way, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
Let us live with the assurance today that God is working. If we believe that with all our hearts then we are trusting and we can also declare like that Iraqi father, "We have everything we need."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
help us to look beyond material provisions and recognize that the value
of spiritual blessings far exceed our temporal needs and pleasures. May
our heart’s cry be the same as that of the Apostle Paul who declared, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Physical suffering and persecution, for the sake of Christ, will prove
our faith to be genuine and will gain for us a crown of life. Suffering
and persecution here on earth is temporal, but a crown of life is
eternal! Help us to live not just for the here and now, but set
our affections on that which lasts forever so that we stay the course!
May our faith in You increase as we build treasures in heaven rather
than chasing after fool’s gold here on earth. And may our resolve to
stand firm intensify as we see the day of Your return approaching. Be
with our brothers and sisters held in captivity and those who are being
persecuted daily. We pray for the safety and release of our Malaysian
brother, Pastor Raymond, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
In Friday's message we shared about persecution. A longtime friend from our years of pastoral service in Massachusetts was raised in Malaysia and shared the following message:
Pastor Weber and Brooksyne,
I want to thank you for writing about standing with our persecuted brothers and sisters. The reality of "counting the cost" has hit very close to home recently for me because a Malaysian pastor friend was abducted on February 13 in broad daylight by masked men in what appeared like a professional operation. Till today, we do not know Pastor Raymond's whereabouts or if he is even still on this side of heaven. The Malaysian authorities have not made much progress in this case after over a month even though the abduction was captured by CCTV.
It still gives me a sick feeling inside to recall the string of text messages I received from Raymond's wife telling me that Raymond had been kidnapped. "How am I going to tell my daughters?" was something she said that still haunts me. Prior to this, I'd read accounts of persecution, even heard from people who had been persecuted at a VOM conference, but I was still unprepared for the emotional impact Raymond's situation is having on me. I and others in the U.S. who know Raymond and his family have been praying daily since his abduction.
Malaysian persecution and Pastor Raymond's story is here.
Rich Bushong saw me at the conference and walked over to greet me. I first met him over 15 years ago when I served as a chaplain for the company he still works for. We are blessed by the many fellow believers we meet in the course of our work who encourage us. Although I only visited his company for a year or two we stay connected through Daily Encouragement and of course it's heartening to see his steadfastness as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
Amy Shreve and her husband, Gary, in
the background, were the worship leaders from Marquette, Michigan at
the VOM conference. They had driven about 1000 miles, even through the
night, and upon arrival Gary began having a rapid heart rate of 170
BPM. Even in his distress he played guitar for the first two songs, but
then had to be taken by ambulance to the Hershey Medical Center just
over 2 miles away. When Matt, the VOM director, announced that Gary was
headed to the ER via ambulance, Stephen whispered to me, "You should
offer to take Amy since you're already planning to make a visit there."
(I had planned to spend the lunch hour visiting a patient who recently
had a stroke.) So I ended up taking Amy to meet up with her husband in
the ER. It was such a different perspective since I have escorted Ester
to the ER at HMC probably 10 to 15 times over the years when her heart
rate soars to 222 BPM. It was a blessing to be able to reassure Amy
that Gary was getting good care as we always have over the past 16
years. Before the conference was over Gary was back in the afternoon
playing guitar as Amy led in worship while playing her harp. And
this photo is taken afterwards at their CD table.
Our friends, Jesse and Wilma, joined us for the conference. Both in their nineties they carry a burden for the persecuted church and were so pleased to attend the VOM conference. Following the service we stopped by a Red Robin for dinner. While being seated I mentioned to the hostess that the Dourtes would soon celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. She told our server and the general manager also heard about it and sent word that they could choose a dessert from the menu "on the house"! (I made a note to take them back for their 80th and maybe they'll get the same offer, or maybe their entire meal "on the house".)
Listen to our
message on your
audio player."I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:11,12). "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).
As
we expected there were many memorable take aways from the Voice Of The
Martyrs conference we attended on
Saturday in Hershey. ("The Voice of the Martyrs" (VOM) mission is
"serving persecuted Christians through practical and spiritual
assistance and leading other members of the Body of Christ into
fellowship with them.")The conference had four main speakers. Two speakers from India and China who had experienced or witnessed persecution; Gracia Burnham who, along with her husband Martin were abducted by Islamic terrorists for over a year (Gracia was injured and Martin was murdered); and VOM staff member Todd Nettleton. Each presentation captured our attention and highlighted places in the world where so many of our fellow believers live but we rarely give much thought to their hardships and sufferings. We want to share one of the stories that touched our hearts, a gripping story that Todd shared.
He was visiting a camp for displaced peoples in northern Iraq who had fled from ISIS. The screen showed a photo of an Iraqi family that had converted from Islam to Christianity; a husband, wife and five very young children including a baby. The photo was taken in front of a community tent where they sleep along with other refugees.
Todd walked around the camp and saw how little the family had to eat,
the lack of supplies for the children, the very harsh conditions of
their living quarters. His heart was heavy as he took it all in so he
asked the father in earnest, "How can we help
you? What would you like us to ask others to pray about?" The man
thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "We have everything we need". (Photo on left is
representative but not the actual photo of the family we write about.)We've been thinking a lot about that. What an amazing perspective. Conditions we would find unbearable were deemed sufficient for this grateful dad. I wonder how comfortable the tent was, shared with so many. Did they each have a bed and separate bedrooms? How tasty were their meals? I wonder if they had cable access to their television or internet for their smart phones and computers, or whatever else we deem necessary for daily life and feel we just have to have. (Of course I say this in thoughtful jest.)
But the father told Todd, "We have everything we need." I want to remember that the next time I complain either outwardly or inwardly about something petty (probably today).
This young Iraqi believer likely has little to no formal training in Bible and theology but he really gets it. He was expressing and experiencing what the apostle Paul wrote, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need.... I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:11,12).
Joe Guglielmo observed, "Some one hundred years ago it was determined that the average American had about 70 wants, things he desired to have. A similar survey was taken of his grandson and he had nearly 500 wants on his list and today, I’m sure that number is even higher. Why? Because people are not content in what they have!"
Contentment is never the result of multiplying riches, increasing
pleasures, or gaining fame. All these only incite discontent, for when
one obtains them, he finds he still is not satisfied. Contentment does
not depend upon things on the outside, but results from attitudes within one's heart and mind! Bible teacher Harry A. Ironside comments on this verse, "CHRIST is enough to satisfy the hearts of all who confide in Him and who leave everything in His hands. Such need never be cast down by seeming misfortunes. A Christian asked another how he was getting along. Dolefully his friend replied, "Oh, fairly well, under the circumstances." "I am sorry," exclaimed the other, "that you are under the circumstances. The LORD would have us living above all circumstances, where He Himself can satisfy our hearts and meet our every need for time and eternity."
Finally today let us consider a great verse from Romans. "He who
did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not
also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" God "did not
spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all." This alone should
prompt our deepest eternal gratitude. If this was all God did for
us it would be far more than enough and infinitely more than we deserve.But the apostle Paul goes on to declare, "How will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" The clearly expected answer to this rhetorical question is, He will! He will fulfill His eternal purpose for our lives and that which brings Him glory. Peter puts it this way, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
Let us live with the assurance today that God is working. If we believe that with all our hearts then we are trusting and we can also declare like that Iraqi father, "We have everything we need."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
help us to look beyond material provisions and recognize that the value
of spiritual blessings far exceed our temporal needs and pleasures. May
our heart’s cry be the same as that of the Apostle Paul who declared, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Physical suffering and persecution, for the sake of Christ, will prove
our faith to be genuine and will gain for us a crown of life. Suffering
and persecution here on earth is temporal, but a crown of life is
eternal! Help us to live not just for the here and now, but set
our affections on that which lasts forever so that we stay the course!
May our faith in You increase as we build treasures in heaven rather
than chasing after fool’s gold here on earth. And may our resolve to
stand firm intensify as we see the day of Your return approaching. Be
with our brothers and sisters held in captivity and those who are being
persecuted daily. We pray for the safety and release of our Malaysian
brother, Pastor Raymond, in the name of Jesus. Amen.In Friday's message we shared about persecution. A longtime friend from our years of pastoral service in Massachusetts was raised in Malaysia and shared the following message:
Pastor Weber and Brooksyne,
I want to thank you for writing about standing with our persecuted brothers and sisters. The reality of "counting the cost" has hit very close to home recently for me because a Malaysian pastor friend was abducted on February 13 in broad daylight by masked men in what appeared like a professional operation. Till today, we do not know Pastor Raymond's whereabouts or if he is even still on this side of heaven. The Malaysian authorities have not made much progress in this case after over a month even though the abduction was captured by CCTV.
It still gives me a sick feeling inside to recall the string of text messages I received from Raymond's wife telling me that Raymond had been kidnapped. "How am I going to tell my daughters?" was something she said that still haunts me. Prior to this, I'd read accounts of persecution, even heard from people who had been persecuted at a VOM conference, but I was still unprepared for the emotional impact Raymond's situation is having on me. I and others in the U.S. who know Raymond and his family have been praying daily since his abduction.
Malaysian persecution and Pastor Raymond's story is here.
Rich Bushong saw me at the conference and walked over to greet me. I first met him over 15 years ago when I served as a chaplain for the company he still works for. We are blessed by the many fellow believers we meet in the course of our work who encourage us. Although I only visited his company for a year or two we stay connected through Daily Encouragement and of course it's heartening to see his steadfastness as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
Amy Shreve and her husband, Gary, in
the background, were the worship leaders from Marquette, Michigan at
the VOM conference. They had driven about 1000 miles, even through the
night, and upon arrival Gary began having a rapid heart rate of 170
BPM. Even in his distress he played guitar for the first two songs, but
then had to be taken by ambulance to the Hershey Medical Center just
over 2 miles away. When Matt, the VOM director, announced that Gary was
headed to the ER via ambulance, Stephen whispered to me, "You should
offer to take Amy since you're already planning to make a visit there."
(I had planned to spend the lunch hour visiting a patient who recently
had a stroke.) So I ended up taking Amy to meet up with her husband in
the ER. It was such a different perspective since I have escorted Ester
to the ER at HMC probably 10 to 15 times over the years when her heart
rate soars to 222 BPM. It was a blessing to be able to reassure Amy
that Gary was getting good care as we always have over the past 16
years. Before the conference was over Gary was back in the afternoon
playing guitar as Amy led in worship while playing her harp. And
this photo is taken afterwards at their CD table. Our friends, Jesse and Wilma, joined us for the conference. Both in their nineties they carry a burden for the persecuted church and were so pleased to attend the VOM conference. Following the service we stopped by a Red Robin for dinner. While being seated I mentioned to the hostess that the Dourtes would soon celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. She told our server and the general manager also heard about it and sent word that they could choose a dessert from the menu "on the house"! (I made a note to take them back for their 80th and maybe they'll get the same offer, or maybe their entire meal "on the house".)
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
We recommend our readers examine resources available through "The Voice of The Martyrs" and continue to carry a burden for the persecuted church.
Their main website (appropriately named https://www.persecution.com/ )
You can get an app that updates with a daily prayer focus. Yesterday it was Malaysia, today is the Philippines (Mindanao). We like the fact that a photo from that part of the world is included.
Their YouTube channel has many informative videos.
The following songs feature Amy Shreve, the musician at the conference, that we think you will enjoy:
"Be Still My Soul" Video Amy Shreve
"Faraway" Video Amy Shreve I really like this song that Amy wrote. It reminds me of the terrible storm written about in Acts 27 & 28 we wrote about recently. But it especially speaks to believers in this life: "I have sailed these seas, I have held to my course, I've been whipped by the winds and the gales of the North........I can hear His call as the waves crash and fall to the land I love so faraway."
"This Is Our God" Video Amy Shreve
For further study on today's text: (Philippians 4:11-13)
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.)
We
want to thank all who financially support our ministry. We realize there are many fine
ministries
and causes requesting support but if the Lord would lead
you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners. Our ministry labor is comprised of half our
time to Daily
Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies for which we receive a fee (of course this percentage of time
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 to our ministry see here
for more information. Donations through my chaplaincy endorsing ministry are tax deductible and will
be receipted directly by them. Thank you!
Please Note:
Our chaplain agency is unable to provide a receipt
if the donation is made through PayPal. However we provide this option
due to the convenience, international supporters, and for those who
may not be concerned regarding receiving an official receipt. Click here
to donate using PayPal.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. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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 make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2017 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA