"I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds (2 Corinthians 7:4).

Last night we had a delightful evening that brings a smile even as I write this morning.  We had around our dining room table a family visiting this week from Ecuador.  Veronica arrived last summer from Ecuador as a foreign exchange student in her junior year.  She has made her home with the Martin family and is involved in the youth group at church. 


Ester has enjoyed a close relationship with Veronica so we invited Veronica's family and the Martins to dinner last night.  Veronica and Roanna often interpreted, but sometimes our conversation included confused expressions and a lot of polite smiles when we couldn't understand one another. Still there was a lot of laughter in our midst as we all extended ourselves to each other trying to express the love of the Lord even in our body language.

A great joy in ministry is observing our impact upon others for Christ.  So often we don't see this impact or we wait for the seeds we have sown to come to harvest.  But thank God for the times we see the Lord working through us in the life of others when we reach out to them with His love. 

The apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthian believers in the daily text.  His first letter was full of rebuke and correction.  Apparently he noted spiritual progress when he sat down to write the second letter and expresses this in the daily text.  Whatever he heard about them prompted encouragement and boundless joy even in the midst of his own ongoing troubles. 

Today fellow servant of Christ, I hope you will see the beautiful sight of your spiritual impact to those in your sphere of influence. May it bring you the same great joy it did to us while enjoying fellowship with our new friends last night!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen C. Weber

Brooksyne's prayer: Jesus, only in serving You can we know the joy of spiritual impact.  You enable us to reach out to others and in an amazing way You bless and enrich our lives because of it.  Make us a blessing to those You bring into our lives and help us to enlarge our circle so that we can glorify You.

What a friend! This medley will surely bless you. (mp3)  Living Proof Ministries This ministry couple went to the same Bible College that Brooksyne and I attended (about 20 years later!) and have a godly heritage of 27 ministers throughout their respective family trees.