A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home About Us Archives Free email subscription
Listen
to these
messages
Text only
for
printing
See here
for more info.
<Previous Message Next Message
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A photo of our new Donegal Creek geese family taken this morning on our walk. The gosslings were born sometime Saturday or Sunday. We'd been waiting for the big day when I took this photo Saturday morning.
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player.
"The Start"
(Lessons from Life's Marathon Part 2)
"For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
This
week we are studying lessons we can learn from the marathon since in
many ways the Christian race is like a marathon. The study is prompted
by the running of the 116th Boston Marathon yesterday.
Last night Ester spoke to Nikki, a young lady in the right forefront of this photo, who grew up in the church we served in New England. She ran the marathon yesterday and finished the race which is the goal for all competitors. But only a tiny fraction of those who start have any reasonable chance of actually winning the race. Her twin sister Jackie took this photo. Ester reported that Nikki was very tired, and her body ached right down to her toenails.
Today I want to consider the start of the race. The Boston Marathon
begins in Hopkinton, MA. Over the next several days we will
share some of our experiences witnessing the Marathon at different
points along the race course but we never were there for the start,
although many thousands view this part of the race and all the
excitement that precedes the start.
This
morning I called Bill and Pat Preston, friends from New Jersey. They
recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary and demonstrate a
committed
walk with the Lord, both turning to Christ early in their marriage.
Bill is a
longtime college cross country and track coach (retiring this year). He has run in many marathons
including the Boston Marathon. At 74 years of age he remains in
excellent fitness and is a beloved coach to many.
When he ran in the Boston Marathon in 1982 he was in a
group of some 7,000 starters and it took him two minutes after the
starting gun went off to get to the official starting line! In tomorrow's
lesson I will share some points he made about the training that goes
into running a Marathon.
Beginnings
are exciting. My brother Pat is expecting a new grandson as his
daughter will give birth any day now. That's an exciting time for the
whole family!
Spiritual beginnings are also exciting and we all have one. Jesus called it being "born again" (see John 3).
For many the spiritual new birth experience is a memorable event, especially if the believer rejected Christ prior to his or her conversion. The apostle Paul certainly had a memorable and demonstrative salvation experience!
For others the specific memory of their salvation start may be rather foggy, especially if they first believed at a young age. I have seen some in this category who deal with some questions regarding the validity of their salvation experience. The real issue is present belief and a desire to follow the Lord and walk in His ways.
Life's most important decision is whether you have made your spiritual beginning by believing in Christ, confessing your sin and choosing to follow Him. We encourage you to do that today. Our daily prayer will be a common format for this "starting the race" prayer.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father I acknowledge that I am a sinner. There is nothing good in me, and there is nothing in You but good. I choose to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ who died for my sins so that I can receive forgiveness. I confess
my sins, for they are many. How thankful I am that Your blood covers
all my sins, for Your Word indicates that even the foulest of sinners
who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives. I
have determined
that I will walk with the Lord and follow His Word all the days of my
life. I pray this in faith through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
I developed this prayer as the ABC's of my salvation prayer.
This week our series will be on lessons from life's marathon:
Yesterday's message: "Running In The Path Of His Commands"
Today: "The Start of Life's Marathon"
Wednesday: "The Disciplines of Life's Marathon"
Thursday: "The Trials of Life's Marathon"
Friday: "The Finish of Life's Marathon"
Many have read stories regarding the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. I read an article
about the final ten course meal served, which included watercress. This
morning we picked some fresh watercress from Donegal Creek and had a
watercress sandwich! In the past two days we talked with three
couples who raved about fresh watercress on a mayonnaise sandwich.
So Brooksyne put together melted cheese, red pepper, onion,
boiled egg, watercress, and mayonnaise on toasted panera bread.
And it was goooood!!
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Hour I First Believed" Video Karen Peck and New River
"He Who Began A Good Work In You" Video Steve Green
"A New Name In Glory" Video Gaither Homecoming singers
"Find Us Faithful" Video Let There be Praise Singers
I chose this song recalling these lines,
"It Will Be Worth It All" Video A group of Canadian young adults at a camp in Nova Scotia. This song has a line I recalled in the message that states, "So bravely run the race till we see Christ".
<Previous Message Next Message
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A photo of our new Donegal Creek geese family taken this morning on our walk. The gosslings were born sometime Saturday or Sunday. We'd been waiting for the big day when I took this photo Saturday morning.
Listen
to this
message on
your
audio player."The Start"
(Lessons from Life's Marathon Part 2)
"For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
The hour I first believed!
This
week we are studying lessons we can learn from the marathon since in
many ways the Christian race is like a marathon. The study is prompted
by the running of the 116th Boston Marathon yesterday. Last night Ester spoke to Nikki, a young lady in the right forefront of this photo, who grew up in the church we served in New England. She ran the marathon yesterday and finished the race which is the goal for all competitors. But only a tiny fraction of those who start have any reasonable chance of actually winning the race. Her twin sister Jackie took this photo. Ester reported that Nikki was very tired, and her body ached right down to her toenails.
Today I want to consider the start of the race. The Boston Marathon
begins in Hopkinton, MA. Over the next several days we will
share some of our experiences witnessing the Marathon at different
points along the race course but we never were there for the start,
although many thousands view this part of the race and all the
excitement that precedes the start.This
morning I called Bill and Pat Preston, friends from New Jersey. They
recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary and demonstrate a
committed
walk with the Lord, both turning to Christ early in their marriage.
Bill is a
longtime college cross country and track coach (retiring this year). He has run in many marathons
including the Boston Marathon. At 74 years of age he remains in
excellent fitness and is a beloved coach to many.When he ran in the Boston Marathon in 1982 he was in a
group of some 7,000 starters and it took him two minutes after the
starting gun went off to get to the official starting line! In tomorrow's
lesson I will share some points he made about the training that goes
into running a Marathon.Beginnings
are exciting. My brother Pat is expecting a new grandson as his
daughter will give birth any day now. That's an exciting time for the
whole family!Spiritual beginnings are also exciting and we all have one. Jesus called it being "born again" (see John 3).
For many the spiritual new birth experience is a memorable event, especially if the believer rejected Christ prior to his or her conversion. The apostle Paul certainly had a memorable and demonstrative salvation experience!
For others the specific memory of their salvation start may be rather foggy, especially if they first believed at a young age. I have seen some in this category who deal with some questions regarding the validity of their salvation experience. The real issue is present belief and a desire to follow the Lord and walk in His ways.
Life's most important decision is whether you have made your spiritual beginning by believing in Christ, confessing your sin and choosing to follow Him. We encourage you to do that today. Our daily prayer will be a common format for this "starting the race" prayer.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father I acknowledge that I am a sinner. There is nothing good in me, and there is nothing in You but good. I choose to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ who died for my sins so that I can receive forgiveness. I confess
my sins, for they are many. How thankful I am that Your blood covers
all my sins, for Your Word indicates that even the foulest of sinners
who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives. I
have determined
that I will walk with the Lord and follow His Word all the days of my
life. I pray this in faith through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.I developed this prayer as the ABC's of my salvation prayer.
This week our series will be on lessons from life's marathon:
Yesterday's message: "Running In The Path Of His Commands"
Today: "The Start of Life's Marathon"
Wednesday: "The Disciplines of Life's Marathon"
Thursday: "The Trials of Life's Marathon"
Friday: "The Finish of Life's Marathon"
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Hour I First Believed" Video Karen Peck and New River
"He Who Began A Good Work In You" Video Steve Green
"A New Name In Glory" Video Gaither Homecoming singers
"Find Us Faithful" Video Let There be Praise Singers
I chose this song recalling these lines,
We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives
"It Will Be Worth It All" Video A group of Canadian young adults at a camp in Nova Scotia. This song has a line I recalled in the message that states, "So bravely run the race till we see Christ".
Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation to Daily
Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this
daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all
over the world. Daily
Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support
of its readers and
podcast listeners. See here
for more information on
supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.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