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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 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."
Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com
© Copyright 2011 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center, NYC
"Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the LORD has set a king over you. If you fear the Lord and serve and obey Him and do not rebel against His commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good!" But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against His commands, His hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers" (1 Samuel 12:13-15).
I
appreciate good leadership in whatever form it may be expressed,
whether it’s in the church, the corporate world, or at times even
in politics! A singular example of taking charge and providing good
leadership took place on a January afternoon nearly three years ago,
when Captain Chesley Sullenberger (also known as Sully) safely
"ditched" a plane in the Hudson River saving all 155 passengers on
board, Sully being the last one to safely exit the aircraft. (Photo of
plane in water. Note: I did not take this photo!)
Last night, as we were riding a tour bus exiting New York City, our driver took us through the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River and then pulled over to show us this spectacular view of the city at night. As we looked at the dark still waters with the magnificent skyline we considered the grim outcome had the Captain’s strategy and heroic efforts not taken place in 2009.
God has raised up good, solid leaders since the beginning of time; their portfolios differing greatly depending on their giftings, skills, and interests. Our Scripture text gives us a glimpse of Samuel’s leadership skills as he formally speaks to the Israelites about the choice they had to make in following after God and His commands. He also informs them that the hand of God will be against those who rebel against God’s commands, just as their fathers experienced.
Following Joshua's death, Israel went into a long cycle of apostasy and revival in the period of the Judges. Samuel was a godly leader who served as the final Judge and transitioned the nation into a monarchial kingdom. He was very reluctant to do this, but the people clamored for a king so they could be like the nations around them. Reluctantly Samuel oversaw the selection of Saul as king and provided the powerful words of counsel in the daily verse.
These words have great meaning for us today. Samuel gave the people a promise and a warning at the introduction of Saul as their king. It's a call to personal responsibility to each listener, but notice the phrase that indicates the importance of leadership also obeying these commands: "If both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good!"
The remainder of Israel's history recorded in the Old Testament until the Exile essentially is a biography of these kings, most of whom did not follow the Lord. I am sure that during the reign of even the most wicked kings there was a godly remnant who feared the Lord, serving and obeying Him, choosing not to rebel against His commands. They nevertheless lived under the consequences of the king's wickedness. An example of this is the great prophet Jeremiah who faithfully served during the destruction of the land, but endured cruel treatment due to his godly convictions. Of course desolation covered the entire land which was a consequence even for those who chose to follow after the Lord.
The apostle Paul instructed, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1,2). So today, we are all called to faithfully follow God and pray that our leadership will reflect that major decision.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
Prayer: Father, we pray for our
leaders that they will look to You for guidance and follow Your
commands as recorded by the prophets long ago. We want to be a blessed
nation and will be so if men and women in positions of authority live
godly lives as commanded in Scripture, and those who follow respond in
like manner. Help us to be faithful in doing our part. In Jesus’ name
we pray. Amen.
"Silent Night" Video Sung by and dedicated to our friend Herb Basso, who went to be with the Lord several weeks ago. Herb was a part of the church we served in New England. Violin by Elizabeth Silvia, the daugther of a pastor friend of ours, who now serves in Wyoming.
Daily
Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders
placed
to
Christian Book Distributers using this link
or any specific product link to
a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our
Daily
Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank
you for considering using these links when purchasing online through
CBD! Tip:
If you are regular CBD customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you
shop. This Christmas
many of our readers will be shopping for gifts that have
spiritual and lasting value as well as a means of witness and encouraging others.
"Leadership"
"Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the LORD has set a king over you. If you fear the Lord and serve and obey Him and do not rebel against His commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good!" But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against His commands, His hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers" (1 Samuel 12:13-15).
Last night, as we were riding a tour bus exiting New York City, our driver took us through the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River and then pulled over to show us this spectacular view of the city at night. As we looked at the dark still waters with the magnificent skyline we considered the grim outcome had the Captain’s strategy and heroic efforts not taken place in 2009.
God has raised up good, solid leaders since the beginning of time; their portfolios differing greatly depending on their giftings, skills, and interests. Our Scripture text gives us a glimpse of Samuel’s leadership skills as he formally speaks to the Israelites about the choice they had to make in following after God and His commands. He also informs them that the hand of God will be against those who rebel against God’s commands, just as their fathers experienced.
Following Joshua's death, Israel went into a long cycle of apostasy and revival in the period of the Judges. Samuel was a godly leader who served as the final Judge and transitioned the nation into a monarchial kingdom. He was very reluctant to do this, but the people clamored for a king so they could be like the nations around them. Reluctantly Samuel oversaw the selection of Saul as king and provided the powerful words of counsel in the daily verse.
These words have great meaning for us today. Samuel gave the people a promise and a warning at the introduction of Saul as their king. It's a call to personal responsibility to each listener, but notice the phrase that indicates the importance of leadership also obeying these commands: "If both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good!"
The remainder of Israel's history recorded in the Old Testament until the Exile essentially is a biography of these kings, most of whom did not follow the Lord. I am sure that during the reign of even the most wicked kings there was a godly remnant who feared the Lord, serving and obeying Him, choosing not to rebel against His commands. They nevertheless lived under the consequences of the king's wickedness. An example of this is the great prophet Jeremiah who faithfully served during the destruction of the land, but endured cruel treatment due to his godly convictions. Of course desolation covered the entire land which was a consequence even for those who chose to follow after the Lord.
The apostle Paul instructed, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1,2). So today, we are all called to faithfully follow God and pray that our leadership will reflect that major decision.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
Prayer: Father, we pray for our
leaders that they will look to You for guidance and follow Your
commands as recorded by the prophets long ago. We want to be a blessed
nation and will be so if men and women in positions of authority live
godly lives as commanded in Scripture, and those who follow respond in
like manner. Help us to be faithful in doing our part. In Jesus’ name
we pray. Amen.Yesterday
we had the opportunity to travel into New York City along with the
employees of a company we serve as chaplains. Today we will provide
some variety to our normal rural selection of photos with several from
the big city!
The
Mac-It Company is celebrating 100 years of being in business this year
and provided the trip as a special Christmas gift to their employees.
This photo was taken at Central Park.
A
highlight of our trip was the Christmas Spectacular at the Radio City
Music Hall. We were very pleased that the show included the Christmas
story along with Scripture readings and traditional Christmas
hymns. This is a photo I took of the Living Nativity.
We
did a lot of walking all through the city. Here we are in front of the
Rockefeller Center in the morning. In the background is the same
tree we walked by early last night and featured it all lit up at the
top of our message.
We didn't go skating but enjoyed watching from above!
A stunning experience was our visit to the World Trade Center Memorial. Two large fountain pools representing the two towers are ringed with the names of those who died. It is very moving.
Look
up and you will see some interesting sights rarely considered by
most passersby. This is over the main entrance to NBC which most would
not realize is also a Scripture text.
See here.
Gene riding on the bus home late last night.
Gene is among the many interesting people we meet in the course of our chaplaincy. He is 87 years old but still works 4 hours a day, five days a week, because he wants to keep moving! Yesterday he kept up with the group and I think by the end of the day we were more tired than he was! At one point he ran and looked as nimble as a twenty year old!
We were all pleased and thankful to return to Lancaster County around 11:00 last night, safe, sound, and tired!
See here.
Gene is among the many interesting people we meet in the course of our chaplaincy. He is 87 years old but still works 4 hours a day, five days a week, because he wants to keep moving! Yesterday he kept up with the group and I think by the end of the day we were more tired than he was! At one point he ran and looked as nimble as a twenty year old!
We were all pleased and thankful to return to Lancaster County around 11:00 last night, safe, sound, and tired!
Today's
Suggested Music
and Supplemental
Resources
"Silent Night" Video Sung by and dedicated to our friend Herb Basso, who went to be with the Lord several weeks ago. Herb was a part of the church we served in New England. Violin by Elizabeth Silvia, the daugther of a pastor friend of ours, who now serves in Wyoming.
Are
you Christmas
shopping online?
Daily
Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders
placed
to
Christian Book Distributers using this link
or any specific product link to
a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our
Daily
Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank
you for considering using these links when purchasing online through
CBD! Tip:
If you are regular CBD customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you
shop. This Christmas
many of our readers will be shopping for gifts that have
spiritual and lasting value as well as a means of witness and encouraging others.Please
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Sign up here for the free daily email encouragement.
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
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Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
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."
Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com
© Copyright 2011 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA