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Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Listen to this
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"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save" (Zephaniah 3:17). "But when he (Joseph) had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet" (Matthew 21:20-22). "Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him" (Hebrews 7:25 Amplified)
At this season, along with Easter, it's predictable that national news magazines will do a feature story about Jesus Christ. However so often these articles are slanted away from the Biblical and historical teachings about Jesus Christ and espouse the faddish views of various "scholars" that the writer selectively cites.
Critics have often tried to distinguish between what they perceive as the harsh, judgmental God of the Old Testament with the kind, loving God of the New Testament. Of course God is God and He does not change. In Malachi 3:6 He declares "I the LORD do not change". The feeble attempts by critics to "package" God merely reveals that we are finite humans. We are called to belief and obedience. Understanding comes as we "trust and obey".
Today's first verse is a reminder to us of a powerful, loving God who is ever present. "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save."
You may have present circumstances in your life that make this verse hard
to grasp. But consider the great truth that God is with you and He is
mighty to save! I would sure take this to primarily mean in regard to
our greatest need of salvation from sin, but I also believe He is "mighty to
save" in regard to a specific situation we are dealing with as
well.
Matthew 1:20-22 contains the angel's announcement to Joseph
concerning Mary. The message of the angel in verse 21 is an assurance
to Joseph that Mary’s baby would be a "Son" whose name would be
"Jesus." The Greek name "Jesus" comes from the Hebrew name Joshua which
literally means "Jehovah saves," or "God is salvation." Even before
Christ was born the angel revealed to Joseph the unique nature of His
reason for coming, "He will save His people from their sins". The
Gospels and Apostolic teaching reveal this was accomplished by His
sinless life, atoning death, and resurrection from the dead. The term
“His people” should be understood to include both believing Jews and
Gentiles (see Gal. 3:13,14; Romans 3:21-25; Titus 2:13,14; 1 Peter
2:4-10) whom Christ would save "from their sins" by means of His
perfect life and substitutionary sacrifice. (from "Explore the Bible")
Two thousand years after His first coming and mission accomplished we are among those who experience the wonder of His love. "Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, the wonder of
Your love is that You sent Your beloved Son, Jesus, the Holy Child of
Bethlehem, in answer to our need for salvation. And in answer to our
prayer You cast out our sin and entered in to be born in us, making all
things new in our spiritual transformation. Because we come to You
through Christ we are saved completely to the uttermost: perfectly,
finally, for all time and for all eternity. All we have need of You
provide through Christ Jesus our Lord. And we are forever grateful! Amen.
Special Year-end appeal:
We
want to thank all who have financially supported our ministry this past
year. We realize there are many fine ministries
and causes requesting support at this time but if the Lord would lead
you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners. We
typically see a spike in giving at the end of the year for
which we are most thankful. Our ministry labor is comprised of half our
time to Daily
Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies for which we receive a fee (of course this percentage of time varies
week by week). Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a
part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many
years is that each phase would provide half of our ministry expenses
and
income. If you would like to make a donation to our ministry see here for more information or donate directly online through my chaplain account here. Thank you!
Please Note: Our chaplain agency is unable to provide a receipt
if the donation is made through PayPal. However we provide this option
due to the convenience, international supporters, and for those who
may not be concerned regarding receiving an official receipt. Click here to donate using PayPal.
Rural Wisconsin
In our lead photo of Brooksyne playing at the piano at Costco we mentioned a cousin who is a concert pianist. Actually Joy is my cousin George's wife (my "cousin-in-law". There is such a word BTW, see here) Georgia, who took this photo in Wisconsin, is my cousin Doug's wife. I had fifteen cousins on my Mom's side and we all stay connected (although one has passed on) and over the years their spouses are also very close to us. Although our common grandparents passed away over 40 years ago and all our parents have gone on we still meet annually at a family reunion.
"Glorious Day (Living He loved me)" Video Casting Crowns
"Aililiú na Gamnha" Video The Pembroke Hill Upper School Combined Choirs with my cousin Joy as pianist!
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.)
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 make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2015 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
One
of the little known extended family facts is that we have a cousin who
is a concert pianist and formerly played at a Nordstrom department store in the Kansas City area. Here's Brooksyne as pianist at Costco blessing the busy shoppers with Christmas carols!
"Mighty To Save"
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player."The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save" (Zephaniah 3:17). "But when he (Joseph) had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet" (Matthew 21:20-22). "Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him" (Hebrews 7:25 Amplified)
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He!
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—oh, glorious day!
At this season, along with Easter, it's predictable that national news magazines will do a feature story about Jesus Christ. However so often these articles are slanted away from the Biblical and historical teachings about Jesus Christ and espouse the faddish views of various "scholars" that the writer selectively cites.
Critics have often tried to distinguish between what they perceive as the harsh, judgmental God of the Old Testament with the kind, loving God of the New Testament. Of course God is God and He does not change. In Malachi 3:6 He declares "I the LORD do not change". The feeble attempts by critics to "package" God merely reveals that we are finite humans. We are called to belief and obedience. Understanding comes as we "trust and obey".
Today's first verse is a reminder to us of a powerful, loving God who is ever present. "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save."
You may have present circumstances in your life that make this verse hard
to grasp. But consider the great truth that God is with you and He is
mighty to save! I would sure take this to primarily mean in regard to
our greatest need of salvation from sin, but I also believe He is "mighty to
save" in regard to a specific situation we are dealing with as
well.
Matthew 1:20-22 contains the angel's announcement to Joseph
concerning Mary. The message of the angel in verse 21 is an assurance
to Joseph that Mary’s baby would be a "Son" whose name would be
"Jesus." The Greek name "Jesus" comes from the Hebrew name Joshua which
literally means "Jehovah saves," or "God is salvation." Even before
Christ was born the angel revealed to Joseph the unique nature of His
reason for coming, "He will save His people from their sins". The
Gospels and Apostolic teaching reveal this was accomplished by His
sinless life, atoning death, and resurrection from the dead. The term
“His people” should be understood to include both believing Jews and
Gentiles (see Gal. 3:13,14; Romans 3:21-25; Titus 2:13,14; 1 Peter
2:4-10) whom Christ would save "from their sins" by means of His
perfect life and substitutionary sacrifice. (from "Explore the Bible")
Two thousand years after His first coming and mission accomplished we are among those who experience the wonder of His love. "Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him."O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, the wonder of
Your love is that You sent Your beloved Son, Jesus, the Holy Child of
Bethlehem, in answer to our need for salvation. And in answer to our
prayer You cast out our sin and entered in to be born in us, making all
things new in our spiritual transformation. Because we come to You
through Christ we are saved completely to the uttermost: perfectly,
finally, for all time and for all eternity. All we have need of You
provide through Christ Jesus our Lord. And we are forever grateful! Amen.Special Year-end appeal:
We
want to thank all who have financially supported our ministry this past
year. We realize there are many fine ministries
and causes requesting support at this time but if the Lord would lead
you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners. We
typically see a spike in giving at the end of the year for
which we are most thankful. Our ministry labor is comprised of half our
time to Daily
Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies for which we receive a fee (of course this percentage of time varies
week by week). Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a
part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many
years is that each phase would provide half of our ministry expenses
and
income. If you would like to make a donation to our ministry see here for more information or donate directly online through my chaplain account here. Thank you!Please Note: Our chaplain agency is unable to provide a receipt
if the donation is made through PayPal. However we provide this option
due to the convenience, international supporters, and for those who
may not be concerned regarding receiving an official receipt. Click here to donate using PayPal.
Rural Wisconsin
In our lead photo of Brooksyne playing at the piano at Costco we mentioned a cousin who is a concert pianist. Actually Joy is my cousin George's wife (my "cousin-in-law". There is such a word BTW, see here) Georgia, who took this photo in Wisconsin, is my cousin Doug's wife. I had fifteen cousins on my Mom's side and we all stay connected (although one has passed on) and over the years their spouses are also very close to us. Although our common grandparents passed away over 40 years ago and all our parents have gone on we still meet annually at a family reunion.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Glorious Day (Living He loved me)" Video Casting Crowns
"Aililiú na Gamnha" Video The Pembroke Hill Upper School Combined Choirs with my cousin Joy as pianist!
Resources
for Christmas Celebrations
(We will leave these resources posted below our daily messages through Christmas)
Each year we share several online resources that we have used over the years and that may be a blessing to
families and
churches during this Christmas season.
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" Video Outstanding presentation with background story and touching photos (Artist not identified), but appears to be produced by a local church. This would be a powerful video to use in a Christmas Eve service.
"In Remembrance of Me" pdf This is a passion-filled Scripture reading for two adults. Brooksyne and I have used this reading with great receptivity during Christmas Eve services over the years. We suggest, if possible, a musical background as the message is read. It is also a great lead-in to a Communion service. It should be thoroughly practiced and read with great feeling.
"When Christ Was Born" pdf This is an adaptation to the tune of "How Great Thou Art". It's a great song to sing as a congregation since most are familiar with and love the tune.
Responsive Christmas Scripture readings for church or family:
John 1:1-18 pdf
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" pdf
My First Christmas In Heaven This is a blessed reminder for all who lost a loved one this year. This is the poem that Brooksyne read and wrote about in this message. This year we dedicate this to my Aunt Mary, who happens to me my last surviving aunt or Uncle on either side. Her husband, my Uncle Don, passed away early this year.
Christmas Knowledge Test
We have also posted two Christmas carol quizzes here (scroll down on this archived message)
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" Video Outstanding presentation with background story and touching photos (Artist not identified), but appears to be produced by a local church. This would be a powerful video to use in a Christmas Eve service.
"In Remembrance of Me" pdf This is a passion-filled Scripture reading for two adults. Brooksyne and I have used this reading with great receptivity during Christmas Eve services over the years. We suggest, if possible, a musical background as the message is read. It is also a great lead-in to a Communion service. It should be thoroughly practiced and read with great feeling.
"When Christ Was Born" pdf This is an adaptation to the tune of "How Great Thou Art". It's a great song to sing as a congregation since most are familiar with and love the tune.
Responsive Christmas Scripture readings for church or family:
John 1:1-18 pdf
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" pdf
My First Christmas In Heaven This is a blessed reminder for all who lost a loved one this year. This is the poem that Brooksyne read and wrote about in this message. This year we dedicate this to my Aunt Mary, who happens to me my last surviving aunt or Uncle on either side. Her husband, my Uncle Don, passed away early this year.
Christmas Knowledge Test
We have also posted two Christmas carol quizzes here (scroll down on this archived message)
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.)
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 make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2015 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA