A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
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Monday,
December 30,
2019
Lititz PA
Main Street
"For
This Reason"
Message summary: Paying attention is a practiced discipline of the heart and mind and is essential to staying on course in life.
Note: We were both not feeling well on Friday and thus did not prepare a podcast. Thank you for the get well notes and prayers! Today we are both a bit better. I injured my knee several weeks ago and it is slow to recover and i especially feel it in the damp cold rainy weather we are having today!
"God, after He
spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in
many portions and in many ways, in these last
days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He
appointed heir of all things, through whom also
He made the world. For this reason we must pay
much closer attention to what we have heard, so
that we do not drift away from it" (Hebrews 1:1,
2:1).
Yesterday I shared a message in a chapel service at a local nursing home (although they are rarely called that anymore). As I stood up to speak I realized I have been sharing God's Word in nursing homes since very early in ministry. In fact nursing homes were a place we practiced preaching in Bible College. When we served churches in a pastoral role we developed nursing home ministries.
Well, the years have gone by and as I looked out among them I realized I was preaching to my peers although they're still a few years beyond my age! I shared a message based on today's text that, like all of God's Word, is appropriate for all ages.
In life it's important to know why we do what we do and at times we need to be reminded of that. The second text begins with "For this reason" which is based on the fundamental teaching in chapter 1 concerning Christ.
"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it."
Paying attention is a practiced discipline of the heart and mind. There are so many distractions in life and they seem to increase practically daily. In our electronic age there's more than ever. Electronic gadgets continue to appear that supposedly make us more efficient with our time, but in reality they tend to clutter our schedules and distract us even more than the pre-computer age.
Yesterday I shared a message in a chapel service at a local nursing home (although they are rarely called that anymore). As I stood up to speak I realized I have been sharing God's Word in nursing homes since very early in ministry. In fact nursing homes were a place we practiced preaching in Bible College. When we served churches in a pastoral role we developed nursing home ministries.
Well, the years have gone by and as I looked out among them I realized I was preaching to my peers although they're still a few years beyond my age! I shared a message based on today's text that, like all of God's Word, is appropriate for all ages.
In life it's important to know why we do what we do and at times we need to be reminded of that. The second text begins with "For this reason" which is based on the fundamental teaching in chapter 1 concerning Christ.
"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it."
Paying attention is a practiced discipline of the heart and mind. There are so many distractions in life and they seem to increase practically daily. In our electronic age there's more than ever. Electronic gadgets continue to appear that supposedly make us more efficient with our time, but in reality they tend to clutter our schedules and distract us even more than the pre-computer age.
I came
across this illustrative photo many years ago in a
minister's magazine. Thankfully in my preaching I have
never encountered inattentiveness as extreme as this,
at least that which was visible to the eye, but it
does illustrate the many distracting elements in
modern life.
The Holy Spirit-inspired writer of Hebrews addresses distractions and states concerning our attention to spiritual things, "We must pay much closer attention."
The focus of our attention is to be on "what we have heard". Of course in context this refers to spiritual truths. The Amplified Bible states, "the truths that we have heard". Prior to the printing press and certainly at the time of the New Testament having one's own personal Bible was not possible. But they gathered and heard the Word. Today, most all of our readers can do both; gather with other believers to hear the Word expounded and also individually study the Scriptures on our own.
This warning from the book of Hebrews is so pertinent today. Paying attention is increasingly difficult no matter what age you might be. Those who know me know I am easily distracted. I'm not alone. I'm sure as a child I would have been quickly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, a relatively recently discovered psychological ailment. It's popular now to assign this "disorder" to every problem child. I sure was hyperactive as they called it back then in the sixties. I needed to recognize the challenge and discipline myself to pay attention and overcome.
Since people like names for problems I've devised one that I believe is very common today even among believers. Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder (SADD). Not paying attention affects every area of our life, but often neglected is spiritual attention. We believe one of the greatest marks of the revival described in Nehemiah's time was the attention people gave to the public reading of God's Word and their heartfelt response that followed.
The answer was not a medication or a therapist but a call of Scripture. I like the way the writer uses the 1st person plural; "We must pay much closer attention." That speaks of both the will and discipline. SADD is a sad excuse. God has called and equipped us to be overcomers. Depending on the issue some people have more overcoming than others but God is able. Today let us heed the clear warning of Scripture and let us "pay much closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away" (Hebrews 2:1).
As we grow older there may be a tendency to pay less and less attention to that which is familiar. But giving our undivided attention to spiritual truth, both basic and more advanced, really needs to increase throughout life if we are to be mature and faithful believers.
The concern of the writer is that they will not "drift away from it" (what they had heard and been taught). The book of Hebrews is full of encouragement to stay faithful. Bible teacher David Guzik writes, "Drifting is something that happens quite automatically when we are not anchored to anything solid. If we are not "anchored" in the superiority of Jesus, we will drift with the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil. One doesn't have to do anything to simply drift away."
As we say farewell to 2019 and greet 2020 let us heed these words!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, Your Word is a lamp unto our feet
and a light unto our path. Without it we would walk
in darkness and be led astray. We acknowledge there
are many distractions that can get us off course. We
want to give attention to Your Word, respect its
message, and follow its instruction so that we will
not drift from the truth. We want to be just like
the people in Jerusalem who listened carefully, gave
reverence, and responded in repentance to the
reading of the Scripture in Nehemiah's time. Amen.
The Holy Spirit-inspired writer of Hebrews addresses distractions and states concerning our attention to spiritual things, "We must pay much closer attention."
The focus of our attention is to be on "what we have heard". Of course in context this refers to spiritual truths. The Amplified Bible states, "the truths that we have heard". Prior to the printing press and certainly at the time of the New Testament having one's own personal Bible was not possible. But they gathered and heard the Word. Today, most all of our readers can do both; gather with other believers to hear the Word expounded and also individually study the Scriptures on our own.
This warning from the book of Hebrews is so pertinent today. Paying attention is increasingly difficult no matter what age you might be. Those who know me know I am easily distracted. I'm not alone. I'm sure as a child I would have been quickly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, a relatively recently discovered psychological ailment. It's popular now to assign this "disorder" to every problem child. I sure was hyperactive as they called it back then in the sixties. I needed to recognize the challenge and discipline myself to pay attention and overcome.
Since people like names for problems I've devised one that I believe is very common today even among believers. Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder (SADD). Not paying attention affects every area of our life, but often neglected is spiritual attention. We believe one of the greatest marks of the revival described in Nehemiah's time was the attention people gave to the public reading of God's Word and their heartfelt response that followed.
The answer was not a medication or a therapist but a call of Scripture. I like the way the writer uses the 1st person plural; "We must pay much closer attention." That speaks of both the will and discipline. SADD is a sad excuse. God has called and equipped us to be overcomers. Depending on the issue some people have more overcoming than others but God is able. Today let us heed the clear warning of Scripture and let us "pay much closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away" (Hebrews 2:1).
As we grow older there may be a tendency to pay less and less attention to that which is familiar. But giving our undivided attention to spiritual truth, both basic and more advanced, really needs to increase throughout life if we are to be mature and faithful believers.
The concern of the writer is that they will not "drift away from it" (what they had heard and been taught). The book of Hebrews is full of encouragement to stay faithful. Bible teacher David Guzik writes, "Drifting is something that happens quite automatically when we are not anchored to anything solid. If we are not "anchored" in the superiority of Jesus, we will drift with the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil. One doesn't have to do anything to simply drift away."
As we say farewell to 2019 and greet 2020 let us heed these words!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, Your Word is a lamp unto our feet
and a light unto our path. Without it we would walk
in darkness and be led astray. We acknowledge there
are many distractions that can get us off course. We
want to give attention to Your Word, respect its
message, and follow its instruction so that we will
not drift from the truth. We want to be just like
the people in Jerusalem who listened carefully, gave
reverence, and responded in repentance to the
reading of the Scripture in Nehemiah's time. Amen.
Special
Year-end Financial Appeal
We want to thank all who have
financially supported our ministry this past
year (and some for many years!). 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.
Like many ministries, 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 approximately half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive compensation. 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 would provide half of our ministry expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Our ministry labor is comprised of approximately half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive compensation. 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 would provide half of our ministry expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note:
We also provide this easy option due to
the convenience, for international
supporters, and for those who may not be
concerned regarding receiving an
official tax deductible receipt. Click
here to send an offering using
PayPal. This will open to a page that
states "Brooksyne Weber"Thank you,
Stephen & Brooksyne
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"You're Never
Too Far Away" Video
The Mike LeFevre Quartet
Teaching note:
Mike is a long-time friend
we first met in 1977. His
education and career was as
an electrical engineer
spending many of his years
working in the carbon
industry. He responded to
Friday's message on carbon
and diamonds with this
application: "It is all
about the 'structure'. The
process (of creating
diamonds) is through extreme
pressure and heat. Similar
to the process that we go
through in our spiritual
growth, not necessarily
pleasant but definitely
worth the end result."
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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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."
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 2019 Stephen C. & Brooksyne
Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA