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Lancaster County Amish farm taken from a hot air balloon.
Photo by Debra Zimmerman (Used by permission)
Click here for a larger size suitable for computer desktop.
Listen to
us share this message on your
audio player.
(Note: I forgot to bring a microphone on my trip and thus can't prepare a podcast message!)
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Click on the link to open and play.
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness" Video by Fernando Ortega
"All Your Promises Are True" Video A faith-building song by Shannon Wexelburg.
Today's photo was taken by Debra Zimmerman, daughter of our friends Cerwin and Doris High.
Wednesday,
October 21, 2009
Lancaster County Amish farm taken from a hot air balloon.
Photo by Debra Zimmerman (Used by permission)
Click here for a larger size suitable for computer desktop.
Listen to
us share this message on your
audio player.(Note: I forgot to bring a microphone on my trip and thus can't prepare a podcast message!)
"The
Reason For Daily Encouragement!"
"But encourage one another
daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be
hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews 3:13).
Today is a special day for us. First of all it's Brooksyne birthday so that's real special to our family! Rarely, if ever, have we been apart on our birthdays since our first date on her 18th birthday in 1973 and throughout our thirty-three years of marriage. But today I am in the Kansas City area for my aunt's funeral tomorrow in Lincoln, Nebraska. I know Ester will give Brooksyne lots of attention since she is always excited about people's birthdays, especially family members!
Today is also the day the Daily Encouragement Ministry was launched thirteen years ago in 1996 with a very brief email I sent to two people in our church. I had preached a sermon the night before on encouraging one another, based on today's text, and the Holy Spirit led me to encourage people in this way. Little did I know that as I continued day by day God would grow this ministry to encourage believers all over the world.
"Encourage one another daily." It's a simple command for every believer. The specific way we express our encouragement to others will vary greatly; whether it is spoken, written, or a deed we carry out on their behalf.
We are called to encourage one another "as long as it is called Today." Well, this Wednesday, October 21, 2009 is still called "Today" so here goes again!
Perhaps the writer of Hebrews focused on the word "Today" because there is a tendency for most all of us to procrastinate doing something good in exchange for making deadlines, keeping appointments and completing our daily duties. Expressing encouragement to others is generally viewed as optional which leads us to prioritize our day this way; obligatory vs. optional. The obligatory duties of our day often win out over the optional duties.
We then delay expressions of encouragement to others until tomorrow. When tomorrow becomes "today" the vicious cycle repeats itself all over again and we completely forget about our plan to specifically encourage or circumstances change making it difficult or even impossible to carry out our good intentions from days earlier.
Commentator Matthew Henry put it this way, "Since to-morrow is not ours, we must make the best improvement of this day. And there are none, even the strongest of the flock, who do not need help of other Christians…the care of their standing in the faith, and of their safety, belongs to all."
The specific reason given by the writer of hebrews for this daily dose of encouragement is "so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Sin is deceitful and has been so since Adam and Eve were deceived in the garden of Eden.
I want to consider the word "hardened" in the text. This translates the Greek word "skleruno" which is the very same word from which we get the word sclerosis in English. You may be most familiar with this word in the description of a disease called arteriosclerosis, which is the hardening and thickening of the arteries.
We all know people who have become hardened by sin's deceitfulness. The warning in the daily text is every bit as needed today as it was when the Hebrew believers received it in the First Century. Satan is a crafty, creative, and persistent foe causing sin to appear good when it is vile, presenting sin as pleasant when it is destructive, promising much but performing nothing. Except that it contributes to deadly habits, ungodly attitudes and the hardening of hearts causing people to turn away from the faith.
Today, I urge you to look for someone to encourage. Add this to your daily requirements list just like brushing your teeth and eating your food. Just as vitamins are vital in our daily intake of food so are expressions of encouragement vital to the soul.
It seems to me from reading the text the act of encouraging is beneficial both to the encourager as well as the one being encouraged. Be vigilant in the fight against spiritual arteriosclerosis caused by the cholesterol of sin. Let us encourage one another daily!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Jesus, when it comes to my heart, I need it to remain soft and pliable so that I do not lose my spiritual sensitivity to hear and obey Your voice like those whose hearts hardened over the years and became dull of their spiritual senses. They no longer hear You or feel Your presence in their life. Their spiritual vision darkened. Help me, Lord, once again to taste and see that You are good. You are the Bread of Life which satisfies my hunger. From You flows the springs of living water that forever quench my thirst. Satan has only temporary substitutes that can entrap me and draw me away from Your eternal pleasures. May I remain vigilant and not turn a deaf ear to Your voice which will only lead to the build up of sin in my life that eventually hardens my heart toward You. Just as I pray this for myself I also pray for others whom I can encourage through my prayer support, by words of hope and through my specific expressions of kindness toward them. I want to obey the Holy Spirit's leading who prompts me to encourage daily those whom He lays upon my heart. Amen."
Note: Even though I am away from home and here in the Midwest to attend my Aunt's funeral this does indeed remain a collaborative effort. After preparing the message I sent it to Brooksyne via email for her revisions, additions, prayer and note. She emailed it back to me this morning for final posting!
Not certain of the funeral details when I made my plans I am in KC a day earlier than I needed but that's OK since it's the area I was raised in and I have friends and family in the area. Today I also expect to enjoy some famous Kansas City BBQ, specifically a delicacy known as "burnt ends" Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
Brooksyne's Note: Yesterday, after a 2 week delay, I finally carried out a prompting I received from the Lord to reach out to a couple. They're retired and keep to themselves in our neighborhood but I learned they were involved in a car accident. She broke her right wrist and is unable to carry out the usual duties required of most women in the kitchen. I took a meal, flowers, and a Card CD to hopefully brighten their day. It did and it also brightened my day. As always, when we encourage others we also encourage ourselves in this delightful command from Scripture. "Give and it shall be given unto you." "Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." It should not be our primary goal to give so that we receive, but somehow it almost always seems to work that way! When we make our daily list of duties let's include that of encouraging. It's not a dreaded chore but a delightful command from our Lord.
Ministry Update We periodically like to share an update regarding God's dealings in our lives, and feel this anniversary of our Daily Encouragement ministry is a good time to do so.
Today is a special day for us. First of all it's Brooksyne birthday so that's real special to our family! Rarely, if ever, have we been apart on our birthdays since our first date on her 18th birthday in 1973 and throughout our thirty-three years of marriage. But today I am in the Kansas City area for my aunt's funeral tomorrow in Lincoln, Nebraska. I know Ester will give Brooksyne lots of attention since she is always excited about people's birthdays, especially family members!
Today is also the day the Daily Encouragement Ministry was launched thirteen years ago in 1996 with a very brief email I sent to two people in our church. I had preached a sermon the night before on encouraging one another, based on today's text, and the Holy Spirit led me to encourage people in this way. Little did I know that as I continued day by day God would grow this ministry to encourage believers all over the world.
"Encourage one another daily." It's a simple command for every believer. The specific way we express our encouragement to others will vary greatly; whether it is spoken, written, or a deed we carry out on their behalf.
We are called to encourage one another "as long as it is called Today." Well, this Wednesday, October 21, 2009 is still called "Today" so here goes again!
Perhaps the writer of Hebrews focused on the word "Today" because there is a tendency for most all of us to procrastinate doing something good in exchange for making deadlines, keeping appointments and completing our daily duties. Expressing encouragement to others is generally viewed as optional which leads us to prioritize our day this way; obligatory vs. optional. The obligatory duties of our day often win out over the optional duties.
We then delay expressions of encouragement to others until tomorrow. When tomorrow becomes "today" the vicious cycle repeats itself all over again and we completely forget about our plan to specifically encourage or circumstances change making it difficult or even impossible to carry out our good intentions from days earlier.
Commentator Matthew Henry put it this way, "Since to-morrow is not ours, we must make the best improvement of this day. And there are none, even the strongest of the flock, who do not need help of other Christians…the care of their standing in the faith, and of their safety, belongs to all."
The specific reason given by the writer of hebrews for this daily dose of encouragement is "so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Sin is deceitful and has been so since Adam and Eve were deceived in the garden of Eden.
I want to consider the word "hardened" in the text. This translates the Greek word "skleruno" which is the very same word from which we get the word sclerosis in English. You may be most familiar with this word in the description of a disease called arteriosclerosis, which is the hardening and thickening of the arteries.
We all know people who have become hardened by sin's deceitfulness. The warning in the daily text is every bit as needed today as it was when the Hebrew believers received it in the First Century. Satan is a crafty, creative, and persistent foe causing sin to appear good when it is vile, presenting sin as pleasant when it is destructive, promising much but performing nothing. Except that it contributes to deadly habits, ungodly attitudes and the hardening of hearts causing people to turn away from the faith.
Today, I urge you to look for someone to encourage. Add this to your daily requirements list just like brushing your teeth and eating your food. Just as vitamins are vital in our daily intake of food so are expressions of encouragement vital to the soul.
It seems to me from reading the text the act of encouraging is beneficial both to the encourager as well as the one being encouraged. Be vigilant in the fight against spiritual arteriosclerosis caused by the cholesterol of sin. Let us encourage one another daily!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Jesus, when it comes to my heart, I need it to remain soft and pliable so that I do not lose my spiritual sensitivity to hear and obey Your voice like those whose hearts hardened over the years and became dull of their spiritual senses. They no longer hear You or feel Your presence in their life. Their spiritual vision darkened. Help me, Lord, once again to taste and see that You are good. You are the Bread of Life which satisfies my hunger. From You flows the springs of living water that forever quench my thirst. Satan has only temporary substitutes that can entrap me and draw me away from Your eternal pleasures. May I remain vigilant and not turn a deaf ear to Your voice which will only lead to the build up of sin in my life that eventually hardens my heart toward You. Just as I pray this for myself I also pray for others whom I can encourage through my prayer support, by words of hope and through my specific expressions of kindness toward them. I want to obey the Holy Spirit's leading who prompts me to encourage daily those whom He lays upon my heart. Amen."
Note: Even though I am away from home and here in the Midwest to attend my Aunt's funeral this does indeed remain a collaborative effort. After preparing the message I sent it to Brooksyne via email for her revisions, additions, prayer and note. She emailed it back to me this morning for final posting!
Not certain of the funeral details when I made my plans I am in KC a day earlier than I needed but that's OK since it's the area I was raised in and I have friends and family in the area. Today I also expect to enjoy some famous Kansas City BBQ, specifically a delicacy known as "burnt ends" Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
Brooksyne's Note: Yesterday, after a 2 week delay, I finally carried out a prompting I received from the Lord to reach out to a couple. They're retired and keep to themselves in our neighborhood but I learned they were involved in a car accident. She broke her right wrist and is unable to carry out the usual duties required of most women in the kitchen. I took a meal, flowers, and a Card CD to hopefully brighten their day. It did and it also brightened my day. As always, when we encourage others we also encourage ourselves in this delightful command from Scripture. "Give and it shall be given unto you." "Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." It should not be our primary goal to give so that we receive, but somehow it almost always seems to work that way! When we make our daily list of duties let's include that of encouraging. It's not a dreaded chore but a delightful command from our Lord.
Ministry Update We periodically like to share an update regarding God's dealings in our lives, and feel this anniversary of our Daily Encouragement ministry is a good time to do so.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Click on the link to open and play.
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness" Video by Fernando Ortega
"All Your Promises Are True" Video A faith-building song by Shannon Wexelburg.
Today's photo was taken by Debra Zimmerman, daughter of our friends Cerwin and Doris High.
I
got into Kansas City in the late afternoon yesterday and could see that
many of the fall foliage was beautiful.
Here's a small tree right out my hotel window!
Here's a small tree right out my hotel window!
Send
a message to Stephen &
Brooksyne.
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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
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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."
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Copyright 2009
Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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