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Friday, March 9, 2012 ![]() Yesterday we passed this one room Mennonite schoolhouse. The students were lined up beside the road waiting for a bus to arrive. ![]() "The Joy Of Flowers" "Jonah was very happy about the vine" (Jonah 4:6). ![]() Brooksyne plants many of her flowers from seeds and excitedly watches for the first sign of germination. Early on, she has even checked them at night with a flashlight just to see the first peek of growth. I like the way her plants make her happy! As we walked through the Flower Show I noticed her smile when she was observing the many displays. Jonah found great pleasure in a vine that sprung up overnight! I suppose regarding plant types, vines wouldn’t be among my favorites, but today’s lesson reveals how easy it is to be petty about so many issues in life and, as result of that, misplace our priorities. Consider that so much of what concerns us on a day by day basis is really not a "big deal". Spending several days visiting a loved one in an intensive care unit and seeing the needs of others can sure give you a perspective jolt. ![]() ![]() Amazingly, the secular Ninevites believed God and repented as a result of Jonah's preaching. "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened" (3:10). What a cause for great rejoicing! How many preachers have had an altar call with a 100% response? ![]() God had allowed a worm to destroy the vine that shaded Jonah and Jonah lapsed into incredible pettiness over this and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" Jonah replied, "I do, I am angry enough to die." These are the final words spoken by Jonah in an interesting detail regarding one of the more famous Bible characters! But God has the final word and it's been described as among the greatest missionary expressions of the whole Bible, "But the LORD said, 'You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?'" (Jonah 4:10,11). This verse comes to mind whenever I visit a great city like Philadelphia. What about us today? What are we so concerned about? Although I've never been as upset as Jonah about a vine I sure realize how often I slip into petty attitudes and misplaced priorities. Today, I want to concentrate on what really matters. As I do so I am aware of all the enticements that seek to lure me from the central focus of fervently serving the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord help us all! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber ![]() Several more Philadelphia Flower Show photos ![]() They had a large display of tiny Bonsai trees ![]() This cactus is interesting and rather pretty! ![]() The displays were elaborate and there were so many that it was, in a sense, somewhat overwhelming. ![]() We like this one since it is native plants to our area. Closer to home: ![]() Mollie came into our home one year ago yesterday. She was a two month puppy Ester selected for her birthday present. (Here's a photo of Ester holding her on the way home from the Humane League.) Now Mollie enjoys showing off her athletic agility hour after hour after hour as long as someone will play with her! And Ester loves to take great action photos such as the two we posted today. ![]() We've suggested that Ester stick to getting the colorful fence backdrop, rather than the shabby summer paraphernalia that we had "discreetly" hidden behind our shed. That's like opening up a messy closet, shooting a photo of the hidden mess, and then posting it for all to see! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "I Surrender All" Video Oslo Gospel Choir "Lord, I Offer My Life To You" Video Ester's Note: I recently wrote my testimony and want to share it with Daily Encouragement readers today on my 23rd birthday. I hope it will be a blessing! ![]() 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 2012 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |