A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Monday, April 8,
2019
This
blooming purple spring bulb was taken by our friend
Doris High.
"Mephibosheth"
Message
summary: We
rightly despair at our
hopeless condition
apart from Christ's
redemption. But
what glorious hope
we have in Christ!
Listen to our
message on your audio
player.
"David asked, 'Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?'" (2 Samuel 9:1). Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" (2 Samuel 9:8). "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'" (Matthew 25:40).
"David asked, 'Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?'" (2 Samuel 9:1). Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" (2 Samuel 9:8). "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'" (Matthew 25:40).
Ester
received a new puppy on
her birthday, a tiny Shih Tzu / Lhasa Apso mix
she named Sadie Willow.
Sadie was a gift from
our friends at the Old
Windmill Farm. Ester had
chosen Sadie from a
litter of seven and
several times had played
with her on their farm
until we brought her
home March 1st. Like
most puppies she has a
colorful petality and
has quickly become a
loving part of our home.Nine days ago we noticed a protruding red spot in Sadie's eye which is called "cherry eye". It's not uncommon in small dogs including Shih Tzus, as we've learned from our new experience. When the Lapps learned about Sadie's condition they were very disappointed like us as this was the first encountered in any of their adorable puppy litters. They very kindly told Ester she could bring Sadie back to the farm and get another puppy, since this was a disappointing turn of events. Ester took no time to think about her answer. Kind as their offer was she would hear nothing of it. "Perfect" or not she was now Ester's puppy! She went on to remind us that people adopt pets with special needs and love them just the same.*
Ester came into our lives in 1989 at three months of age, barely surviving the flight up from Guatemala due to her critical heart condition. After much prayer, medical intervention and years of TLC she survived her many operations and recently celebrated her 30th birthday.
When she was 18 months old Brooksyne and I visited Guatemala to see some other children we had cared for. Our hosts were a wealthy Guatemalan couple. The wife had a burden for the orphans including Ester for whom she arranged the trip to America to get medical intervention. Her husband, an MIT educated leader in the country, did not feel the same way.
During a
conversation with him,
knowing of Ester's
health matters, he
strongly discouraged us
from proceeding with her
adoption, not only due
to her health problems
but also because of her
ethnicity. She is of
Mayan Indian descent
which was looked down
upon by our host. I
still recall his words,
"You don't want to adopt
her. We can get you a
child that has a perfect
heart." I suppose he
meant well and made his
suggestion with our
interest in mind, but to
us it reflected a
devaluing of life, both
of her ethnicity and
fragile health. His
frankness took us back
and certainly did not
deter our plans of
adopting Ester.
Today let's explore the story of a boy that would be described in our day as one with special needs. Mephibosheth is among our favorite lesser known Bible characters. Dropped as a very small child he was "lame in both feet". His story is told in 2 Samuel 9 and, if you're not familiar with his life, you may need to read this entire chapter and some study material about him. Today's message is a summary.
He had a lot more than his share of problems and was now the sole surviving member of Saul's family with David as the king. His personal esteem couldn’t sink any lower as he saw the importance of his life to be no more than that of a "dead dog". Since dogs were not valued by the Hebrew culture (in the sense we do as pets) this self-description packs a double whammy, kind of like me referring to myself as "a dead skunk".
But
David models the love of
God when he sought
Mephibosheth out and
made a place at the
King's table for him, "like
one of the king's
sons", not just
for the evening but for
the rest of his life. He
gave him land and
appointed servants that
provided for his needs.
This is an excellent
illustration of
generosity and grace
exhibited in the Old
Testament.
Many of you may not be able to identify with Mephibosheth at all. Life for you has been pretty good. Most importantly you have an assurance of God's love and a network of family and caring people around you.
We encourage you to consider others who may need a lift today by your expression of personal interest or your gesture of kindness and generosity. David so powerfully illustrates God's grace in the fact that he didn't wait for Mephibosheth to cross his path, but actually made the necessary effort to locate him and then chose to personally bless him. How can you demonstrate that grace today to one who might be regarded as among "the least of these"?
There are others of you who readily identify with Mephibosheth. Life's always been hard and you’ve wondered when and if things will ever flow smoothly. It's been one hard blow after another and you could reckon the value of your own life as that of a "dead dog". You question in your mind, "Does anyone love me? Does anyone really care?" And here you are reading this message. God wants you to hold onto this unchanging truth that is filled with eternal hope: God loves you and He cares about you.
The fact is, apart from the love and mercy of God, every one of us are as "dead dogs". John Newton put it this way, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!" Or as the hymn "I Stand Amazed In The Presence" expresses it, "a sinner, condemned, unclean". "At The Cross" has these words, "Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?" We rightly despair at our hopeless condition apart from Christ's redemption. But what glorious hope we have in Christ!
He calls us to endure the temporal difficulties while living our lives here on earth, but He’s invited us to enjoy the eternal delights of living our lives in heaven. He has saved the best for last, but that’s OK because that’s where we’ll be forever and always, long after the troubles of this life have faded from view! I'm sure glad it's not the other way around, though, for those who choose not to enter the kingdom of God, it surely is!
Today let's explore the story of a boy that would be described in our day as one with special needs. Mephibosheth is among our favorite lesser known Bible characters. Dropped as a very small child he was "lame in both feet". His story is told in 2 Samuel 9 and, if you're not familiar with his life, you may need to read this entire chapter and some study material about him. Today's message is a summary.
He had a lot more than his share of problems and was now the sole surviving member of Saul's family with David as the king. His personal esteem couldn’t sink any lower as he saw the importance of his life to be no more than that of a "dead dog". Since dogs were not valued by the Hebrew culture (in the sense we do as pets) this self-description packs a double whammy, kind of like me referring to myself as "a dead skunk".
But
David models the love of
God when he sought
Mephibosheth out and
made a place at the
King's table for him, "like
one of the king's
sons", not just
for the evening but for
the rest of his life. He
gave him land and
appointed servants that
provided for his needs.
This is an excellent
illustration of
generosity and grace
exhibited in the Old
Testament.Many of you may not be able to identify with Mephibosheth at all. Life for you has been pretty good. Most importantly you have an assurance of God's love and a network of family and caring people around you.
We encourage you to consider others who may need a lift today by your expression of personal interest or your gesture of kindness and generosity. David so powerfully illustrates God's grace in the fact that he didn't wait for Mephibosheth to cross his path, but actually made the necessary effort to locate him and then chose to personally bless him. How can you demonstrate that grace today to one who might be regarded as among "the least of these"?
There are others of you who readily identify with Mephibosheth. Life's always been hard and you’ve wondered when and if things will ever flow smoothly. It's been one hard blow after another and you could reckon the value of your own life as that of a "dead dog". You question in your mind, "Does anyone love me? Does anyone really care?" And here you are reading this message. God wants you to hold onto this unchanging truth that is filled with eternal hope: God loves you and He cares about you.
The fact is, apart from the love and mercy of God, every one of us are as "dead dogs". John Newton put it this way, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!" Or as the hymn "I Stand Amazed In The Presence" expresses it, "a sinner, condemned, unclean". "At The Cross" has these words, "Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?" We rightly despair at our hopeless condition apart from Christ's redemption. But what glorious hope we have in Christ!
He calls us to endure the temporal difficulties while living our lives here on earth, but He’s invited us to enjoy the eternal delights of living our lives in heaven. He has saved the best for last, but that’s OK because that’s where we’ll be forever and always, long after the troubles of this life have faded from view! I'm sure glad it's not the other way around, though, for those who choose not to enter the kingdom of God, it surely is!
Be encouraged
today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father,
there is much
that we don’t
understand on
this side; why
some go through
life seemingly
with ease and
little trouble,
and others seem
to be born with
trouble that
never goes away.
It is not for us
to understand
Your ways for
You are a God of
mystery with
greater purpose
than we can
comprehend, and
yet You have
made clear to us
through
Scripture that
which we are to
understand. Some
of the very
trouble we seek
to avoid is what
brings us to
faith and causes
us to live a
life that is
honoring to You
and purposeful
to others. Keep
our hearts
sensitive and
compassionate
toward those who
are undervalued
by the world’s
standards. When
we put ourselves
in their place,
we identify with
their struggles
and feel the
deep hurt they
experience when
looked down upon
and rejected by
others. May we
be Your tender
arm of
compassion and
Your gentle
voice of
acceptance and
unconditional
love. In the
name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father,
there is much
that we don’t
understand on
this side; why
some go through
life seemingly
with ease and
little trouble,
and others seem
to be born with
trouble that
never goes away.
It is not for us
to understand
Your ways for
You are a God of
mystery with
greater purpose
than we can
comprehend, and
yet You have
made clear to us
through
Scripture that
which we are to
understand. Some
of the very
trouble we seek
to avoid is what
brings us to
faith and causes
us to live a
life that is
honoring to You
and purposeful
to others. Keep
our hearts
sensitive and
compassionate
toward those who
are undervalued
by the world’s
standards. When
we put ourselves
in their place,
we identify with
their struggles
and feel the
deep hurt they
experience when
looked down upon
and rejected by
others. May we
be Your tender
arm of
compassion and
Your gentle
voice of
acceptance and
unconditional
love. In the
name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.
Context of
today's
passage: 2
Samuel 9
*
When Ester and
Brooksyne took
Sadie Willow
on Monday to
Dr. Albright
for her
distemper shot
and wellness
check up as a
puppy, she
recommended
that when she
is spayed at
six months
they will also
suture the cherry
eye back
into its
proper place.
In the
meantime
Brooksyne is
rubbing a
steroid cream
into her eye
hoping that
her condition
might reverse.
The vet
prescribed the
cream and said
occasionally
it is
successful in
reversing the
condition.
Friday
morning we ate
breakfast with
our long-time
friends, Larry
and Tina Kester,
who were
visiting from
the Lehigh
Valley. Later we
stopped by the
Old Windmill
Farm so Tina
could see the
new goat,
Curious George.
George is
still the size
of a small dog
and still
willing to be
held, stroked
and cuddled.
In fact it
seems he
thrives on
such TLC.
Yesterday
church
was held at the
Old Windmill
Farm. This bench
wagon is used to
transport
benches from
house to house
where services
are held.
Throughout
Lancaster County
there are many
small businesses
such as Dutch
Country
Pretzels.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Carried To The Table" Video Leeland A song based upon the story of Mephibosheth and applying it to our redemption in Christ! Includes musician's intro.
"Build
My Life/"I Stand Amazed In The
Presence" Video
Calvary Church worship team. I,
Brooksyne, sure enjoy singing this
song. The tune stays with you long
after you sing the words. But, of
course, it's the text that really
conveys the Biblical message of
building our lives on Christ the
solid foundation; great words and
great tune, followed by a timeless
hymn.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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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."
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