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"I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2). "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed" (Acts 13:36).
Today I (Stephen) reach three scores of age. We don't often reckon years that way so I may have a few quessing my age. Probably the most famous referral to this measurement is included in Lincon's Gettysburg address. Allen C. Guelzo, the director of Civil War Era studies at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, suggested that Lincoln's formulation "four score and seven" was an allusion to the King James Version of the Bible's Psalms 90:10, in which man's lifespan is given as "threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years."
Our life is a part of the overall fulfillment of God's purpose. Psalm 57 was written during a very low period in David's life. David cried out to the Lord and expressed confidence that ultimately God would fulfill His purpose in his life.
In the historical books we have a lot of information on David. Apart from Moses, we may have more biographical information on David than any other Old Testament personality. But the apostle Paul, preaching in a Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, makes a simple statement concerning David's life, essentially a summation, "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation."
God places us all on this earth for a season, a period of time known as our "own generation”. The amount of time we have varies; some die young, others in their middle ages and yet others at a "ripe old age", one of the most colorful descriptions of age in the Scriptures! (See Genesis 25:8.) But like David, all of us (except the final generation) will eventually fall asleep (die) and our physical bodies will decay though our spirits will soar.
God knows what is good for us better than we ourselves. Let us not make the mistake of judging God's overall plan for our lives by that portion which may be our current experience. God has all eternity in which to bring His plans to fulfillment for our lives. Think not in terms of today, but in terms of eternity. After all, that's where we'll spend most of our existence.
We can live our life for self or in consecration to God's purpose. Many have heard the quote, “Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.” Today, let us, like David, seek to serve God’s purpose in our generation! I ask you, how are you impacting others for Christ and eternity?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
we're grateful for those throughout history who chose to be men and
women of faith, whose hearts were fashioned in Your image, for those
who served Your purpose in their generation. We also want to serve Your
purpose in our generation. Help us to remain steadfast and strong
as we press on in this race set before us. Thankfully, in this race,
we're not in competition to be the only prizewinner. Instead we take
hold of the hands of those who run with us and invite those on the
sidelines to join us. We want to cross the finish line together
so that we will all receive the grand prize of life eternal with
You. May we never give up! Amen.
Stephen's Birthday Party
Some of the group was transported by tractor and hay wagon.
We were so blessed that Stephen's brother Pat and his wife Laverne came down from the Lehigh Valley (about 100 miles away) to join us and enjoyed the hayride, as seen in this photo.
It wasn't your normal hayride with Galen taking us over a hilly field for a roller coaster type ride. Mark's expression looks like, "Hold on for your life!"
Galen suggested that everyone needed a dunking and backed the wagon back up to the edge of a farm pond. This got the attention of a few including Mike! Galen was having lots of fun, but so were we!
Our neighbors, Doug and Marion, joined us for the gathering. Doug is looking at a large group of steers that had gathered at the fence to see what was going on.
Our final gathering place was in a bank barn built in 1832 with three grade level entances. Galen fired up the old FarmAll and I jumped on for a photo op. Lots of faces in the wagon didn't show up due to the darkness in the barn.
Obviously Stephen enjoyed the hayride and entire evening. I insisted that he put this photo up as a reference point of how young 60 will look ten years from now! We prayed together thanking God for the multitude of blessings he's enjoyed over his 60 years of life, in addition to God's protection making it possible for us to celebrate his major milestone.
Finally today, Stephen's younger sister Genelle tends to keep the family photos and yesterday we came across this on Facebook. Even as a small child Stephen was easily distracted (notice the man far away in the background while he is ignoring the photographer right in front of him)! Some things never change.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"On The Other Side" Video Dailey and Vincent
"When It's All Been Said And Done" Video Don Moen
"You Hold Me Now" Video
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 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player."Three Score"
"I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2). "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed" (Acts 13:36).
Today I (Stephen) reach three scores of age. We don't often reckon years that way so I may have a few quessing my age. Probably the most famous referral to this measurement is included in Lincon's Gettysburg address. Allen C. Guelzo, the director of Civil War Era studies at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, suggested that Lincoln's formulation "four score and seven" was an allusion to the King James Version of the Bible's Psalms 90:10, in which man's lifespan is given as "threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years."
Our life is a part of the overall fulfillment of God's purpose. Psalm 57 was written during a very low period in David's life. David cried out to the Lord and expressed confidence that ultimately God would fulfill His purpose in his life.
In the historical books we have a lot of information on David. Apart from Moses, we may have more biographical information on David than any other Old Testament personality. But the apostle Paul, preaching in a Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, makes a simple statement concerning David's life, essentially a summation, "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation."
God places us all on this earth for a season, a period of time known as our "own generation”. The amount of time we have varies; some die young, others in their middle ages and yet others at a "ripe old age", one of the most colorful descriptions of age in the Scriptures! (See Genesis 25:8.) But like David, all of us (except the final generation) will eventually fall asleep (die) and our physical bodies will decay though our spirits will soar.
God knows what is good for us better than we ourselves. Let us not make the mistake of judging God's overall plan for our lives by that portion which may be our current experience. God has all eternity in which to bring His plans to fulfillment for our lives. Think not in terms of today, but in terms of eternity. After all, that's where we'll spend most of our existence.
We can live our life for self or in consecration to God's purpose. Many have heard the quote, “Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.” Today, let us, like David, seek to serve God’s purpose in our generation! I ask you, how are you impacting others for Christ and eternity?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
we're grateful for those throughout history who chose to be men and
women of faith, whose hearts were fashioned in Your image, for those
who served Your purpose in their generation. We also want to serve Your
purpose in our generation. Help us to remain steadfast and strong
as we press on in this race set before us. Thankfully, in this race,
we're not in competition to be the only prizewinner. Instead we take
hold of the hands of those who run with us and invite those on the
sidelines to join us. We want to cross the finish line together
so that we will all receive the grand prize of life eternal with
You. May we never give up! Amen.Stephen's Birthday Party
Brooksyne's note:
Today I share some notes and photos from a (sort of surprise) birthday
party we had for Stephen Sunday evening. The gathering had essentially
three parts; a hay ride, meal and then a time of games and fellowship
in the barn.
Some of the group was transported by tractor and hay wagon.
We were so blessed that Stephen's brother Pat and his wife Laverne came down from the Lehigh Valley (about 100 miles away) to join us and enjoyed the hayride, as seen in this photo.
It wasn't your normal hayride with Galen taking us over a hilly field for a roller coaster type ride. Mark's expression looks like, "Hold on for your life!"
Galen suggested that everyone needed a dunking and backed the wagon back up to the edge of a farm pond. This got the attention of a few including Mike! Galen was having lots of fun, but so were we!
Our neighbors, Doug and Marion, joined us for the gathering. Doug is looking at a large group of steers that had gathered at the fence to see what was going on.
Our final gathering place was in a bank barn built in 1832 with three grade level entances. Galen fired up the old FarmAll and I jumped on for a photo op. Lots of faces in the wagon didn't show up due to the darkness in the barn.
Obviously Stephen enjoyed the hayride and entire evening. I insisted that he put this photo up as a reference point of how young 60 will look ten years from now! We prayed together thanking God for the multitude of blessings he's enjoyed over his 60 years of life, in addition to God's protection making it possible for us to celebrate his major milestone.
Finally today, Stephen's younger sister Genelle tends to keep the family photos and yesterday we came across this on Facebook. Even as a small child Stephen was easily distracted (notice the man far away in the background while he is ignoring the photographer right in front of him)! Some things never change.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"On The Other Side" Video Dailey and Vincent
"When It's All Been Said And Done" Video Don Moen
"You Hold Me Now" Video
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 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA