The online
Bible teaching ministry of Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Free email subscription Listen to these messages Daily Encouragement on Facebook Twitter Wordpress LinkedIn <Previous Message Next Message> Friday, April 28, 2017
Message summary: The apostle Paul wrote, "So you too should be glad and rejoice with me" (Philippians 2:18). It just seems like he's bubbling over with the joy of the Lord. That's an outlook we can all have as we wait eagerly for our transfer to our future home in heaven. Listen to our message on your audio player. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body" (Philippians 3:20,21). This evening we are taking our Amish "grandchildren" on an outing. We all know how excited children can be about going somewhere different or doing something out of their usual routine. Perhaps you've seen a YouTube video where a child is receiving the news they he or she will be going to Disney World. For several weeks the children have been excited about the outing. Due to the family size Jesse is renting a big fifteen passenger van that I'll pick up at 5:00 this evening. They now have 6 kids and another in transit. So with the three of us we've long outgrown the days when we could all fit together in our minivan. (Note: Photo to left is for illustrative purposes and is not our "grandchildren") We will be going to "The Green Dragon", a huge Lancaster County farmer's market and auction, held every Friday near Ephrata, PA. The boys plan to go to the live animal auction and get a hamster and some type of fan-tailed bird. One of the girls told her Mom at breakfast that she is so excited she doesn't even want to think about it since it will seems so far off. What are you excited about today? To be sure there are a lot of possible answers. Some are excited as they plan for marriage, others a new baby. Some may have a new home or vehicle they are going to purchase or a trip they will be making. Maybe you are grandparents and the kids and grandkids are all coming over. This weekend we will attend an anniversary celebration for a couple who have been married 70 years. We are thankful for the occasions in life that prompt the joy of anticipation. Life would be rather bland without anticipation. It's a lifelong blessing but certainly more pronounced in children. But there is an anticipation that should grow as we age. It's expressed in the words "eagerly await" in our daily text. It's an anticipation of our future move to heaven where our true citizenship lies. James Montgomery Boice stated that "the expectation of the Lord’s personal and imminent return gave joy and power to the early Christians and to the Christian communities." What issues are you facing today? What has the potential of robbing you of God's peace and promised abundant life? Today remember Paul's words to the Philippian believers. Chained and imprisoned he nevertheless was able to express and encourage joy more in this short epistle than in any other. He wrote, "So you too should be glad and rejoice with me" (Philippians 2:18). It just seems like he's bubbling over with the joy of the Lord. That's an outlook we can all have as we wait eagerly for our transfer to our future home in heaven. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, anticipation is one of the emotions that excite us regarding a special event or a gift we are about to receive! Children seem to anticipate their next birthday the day after they celebrated their current one. Employees anticipate their long awaited vacation where they can get away from the normal routine and see people and sights that they don't usually see. But the most glorious anticipation believers experience from the moment of their salvation is Christ's return to earth or our arrival in heaven. Walking with You, Lord, gets sweeter day by day as we anticipate our long-awaited union in heaven when we shall behold You in all Your glory and splendor. What a day, glorious day that will be! Amen. So many varieties and colorful choices!! Brooksyne took a photo of this hard working farmer from the passenger side right through my car window as I was driving! We passed several Amish one room schoolhouses with the children eating their lunch outside. Notice the girls sitting on their lunch buckets in place of chairs. And the same for the boys! Brooksyne teasingly photobombed this picture with Anna Mary and DJ Paglia whom we often meet at Costco. DJ is a retired pastor who is nearing 90 and still preaching! They're an amazing couple that we've come to love and appreciate so much since moving to Lancaster County! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "The Green Dragon" Video For further study on today's passage. "Finish Well" Video Karen Peck and New River "Four Essentials to Finishing Well" by Jerry Bridges Video Jerry Bridges finished the race last year. He finished well. "That Day is Coming " Video The Collingsworth Family "I Found it All" Video The Collingsworth Family 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.) We
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