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"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:3).
As we move further into the Spring season the days are getting longer, something we longed for over the dreary winter months. Another blessing we especially enjoy is awakening to bright sunlight as we did early this morning. We look beyond our back yard to farm fields being prepped for spring planting and out our office window to a large green field. The sun is brilliantly shining this virtually cloudless morning and temps are forecast to be in the high seventies. We are ready for that!
Yesterday
we both had an eye exam. One of the tests involved a very bright light
that the doctor uses to see the back of the eye. He warns you, prior to
the test, that the light will be very bright and may even cause some pain. Bright light
can do that both physically and spiritually.
Today let us consider a text that has a Proverb-like quality from Daniel who was among the captives taken when Jerusalem was
conquered. Early on, his resolute decision to live according to His Jewish upbringing was expressed by the phrase,
"He purposed in his heart" (1:8). He
is best known for his victorious deliverance in the lion's den and his
steadfast resolve to live for God during the Babylonian exile.
The latter part of the book (chapters 7-12), written during Daniel's senior years, is a series of remarkable prophecies that looked far into the future, way beyond that which is visible to the naked eye, and could only be interpreted by a prophet with keen spiritual foresight. The daily verse is one of those little gems found among these prophesies.
It is a description of "Those who are wise." This is the wisdom not of the world but that which comes from a close, abiding walk with God and through the study of His Word. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).
The wise will "shine like the brightness of the heavens". Consider the accumulative light of hundreds of millions of true believers living out their lives for Jesus Christ, who said, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
The apostle Paul might also have been alluding to this verse when he wrote, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (Philippians 2:14-16a).
Let
us go back to the illustration we shared concerning the bright light in
the eye exam and the doctor's warning that "This may hurt a bit." Can
you imagine my foolishness if I were to say to the doctor, "Well, I won't just won't do it
if it's gonna hurt." Or imagine the captain of a wandering ship navigating his crew safely into a
foggy harbor, and then complaining about the piercing light that beamed from the
lighthouse over the dark waters.
As the world grows darker and darker the everlasting light of God's Word, implanted in His people, shines forth eternal truth which increases the pain and discomfort of those who've acclimated themselves to their dark surroundings. Nevertheless we don't evolve*, compromise, or dim our light, but we must proclaim the pure message God wants us to declare to those in our surroundings. We must also remain resolute in our purpose to "lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
Won't you shine a beaming light toward those engulfed in darkness!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
You sent Jesus to be the Light of the world, and He now sends us out as
redeemed messengers in the places where we live. Some of those places
are very dark and we're afraid to share the message of light and truth
because we feel inadequate, unworthy, and unprepared to convey such a
wondrous message. But in holding back we fail to introduce others
to You whose searchlight from the Holy Spirit guides us into all
truths, delivers us from the evil one, and sets our feet upon a rock to
stay. We know that it is not by our might or power that we are able to
shine like stars in the universe, but it is through Your Spirit that we
can lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Amen.
* "Evolved" The term used by many politicians for abandoning God's standards.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Let The Lower Lights Be Burning"
Video Haven Quartet
Video J. Ashley Milne
In this song we are represented as the "lower lights". It was written by Philip P. Bliss. Hymn history is here.
"Shine On Us" Video Philips, Craig and Dean
"Here I am To Worship" Video Chris Tomlin "Light of the world You stepped down into darkness"
"This Little Light Of Mine" Video Addison Road Newer version with additional verses.
"This Little Light of Mine" Video Dalton Mountain Gang (Blue grass style)
"This Little Light of Mine" Video Cedarmont Kids (The way most of us probably learned the song!)
To receive the "Daily
Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this
page
to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed
or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
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."
© Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Interior of a Lancaster PA Covered Bridge
(Photo by Nick Nichols)
Interior of a Lancaster PA Covered Bridge
(Photo by Nick Nichols)
Listen to this message on your
audio player."Shine Brightly!"
"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:3).
As we move further into the Spring season the days are getting longer, something we longed for over the dreary winter months. Another blessing we especially enjoy is awakening to bright sunlight as we did early this morning. We look beyond our back yard to farm fields being prepped for spring planting and out our office window to a large green field. The sun is brilliantly shining this virtually cloudless morning and temps are forecast to be in the high seventies. We are ready for that!
Yesterday
we both had an eye exam. One of the tests involved a very bright light
that the doctor uses to see the back of the eye. He warns you, prior to
the test, that the light will be very bright and may even cause some pain. Bright light
can do that both physically and spiritually.Today let us consider a text that has a Proverb-like quality from Daniel who was among the captives taken when Jerusalem was
conquered. Early on, his resolute decision to live according to His Jewish upbringing was expressed by the phrase,
"He purposed in his heart" (1:8). He
is best known for his victorious deliverance in the lion's den and his
steadfast resolve to live for God during the Babylonian exile. The latter part of the book (chapters 7-12), written during Daniel's senior years, is a series of remarkable prophecies that looked far into the future, way beyond that which is visible to the naked eye, and could only be interpreted by a prophet with keen spiritual foresight. The daily verse is one of those little gems found among these prophesies.
It is a description of "Those who are wise." This is the wisdom not of the world but that which comes from a close, abiding walk with God and through the study of His Word. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).
The wise will "shine like the brightness of the heavens". Consider the accumulative light of hundreds of millions of true believers living out their lives for Jesus Christ, who said, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
The apostle Paul might also have been alluding to this verse when he wrote, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (Philippians 2:14-16a).
Let
us go back to the illustration we shared concerning the bright light in
the eye exam and the doctor's warning that "This may hurt a bit." Can
you imagine my foolishness if I were to say to the doctor, "Well, I won't just won't do it
if it's gonna hurt." Or imagine the captain of a wandering ship navigating his crew safely into a
foggy harbor, and then complaining about the piercing light that beamed from the
lighthouse over the dark waters.As the world grows darker and darker the everlasting light of God's Word, implanted in His people, shines forth eternal truth which increases the pain and discomfort of those who've acclimated themselves to their dark surroundings. Nevertheless we don't evolve*, compromise, or dim our light, but we must proclaim the pure message God wants us to declare to those in our surroundings. We must also remain resolute in our purpose to "lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
Won't you shine a beaming light toward those engulfed in darkness!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
You sent Jesus to be the Light of the world, and He now sends us out as
redeemed messengers in the places where we live. Some of those places
are very dark and we're afraid to share the message of light and truth
because we feel inadequate, unworthy, and unprepared to convey such a
wondrous message. But in holding back we fail to introduce others
to You whose searchlight from the Holy Spirit guides us into all
truths, delivers us from the evil one, and sets our feet upon a rock to
stay. We know that it is not by our might or power that we are able to
shine like stars in the universe, but it is through Your Spirit that we
can lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Amen.* "Evolved" The term used by many politicians for abandoning God's standards.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Let The Lower Lights Be Burning"
Video Haven Quartet
Video J. Ashley Milne
In this song we are represented as the "lower lights". It was written by Philip P. Bliss. Hymn history is here.
"Shine On Us" Video Philips, Craig and Dean
"Here I am To Worship" Video Chris Tomlin "Light of the world You stepped down into darkness"
"This Little Light Of Mine" Video Addison Road Newer version with additional verses.
"This Little Light of Mine" Video Dalton Mountain Gang (Blue grass style)
"This Little Light of Mine" Video Cedarmont Kids (The way most of us probably learned the song!)
Send
a message
to Stephen &
Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily
Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this
page
to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed
or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)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."
© Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA