The online
Bible teaching
ministry of
Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Wednesday,
October 18, 2023
This
Lebanon County
farmhouse on
Stracks Dam
Road still has
many summer
flowers! As
Stephen was
driving by I
considered
that this
looks like a
house that
Grandparents
might own; an
inviting
setting for
grandchildren
to visit,
gather
flowers, and
walk around in
the barn yard
which is on
the back side
of this house.
Click
on photo to enlarge
"I'm
Into God Now!"
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I
attended a
luncheon
meeting with a
group of
Christian
businessmen
seeking to
encourage each
other in our
witness for
Christ in the
marketplace.
Following the
meal George
Mobarak,
a friend and
business
leader I had
met in the
course of our
chaplaincy
ministry,
shared a
testimony
about his
faith in the
Lord. He
referred to
brand
awareness and
challenged
listeners with
a spiritual
application as
he asked us, "How
do you
represent your
"brand" as a
Christian?"
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I
attended a
luncheon
meeting with a
group of
Christian
businessmen
seeking to
encourage each
other in our
witness for
Christ in the
marketplace.
Following the
meal George
Mobarak,
a friend and
business
leader I had
met in the
course of our
chaplaincy
ministry,
shared a
testimony
about his
faith in the
Lord. He
referred to
brand
awareness and
challenged
listeners with
a spiritual
application as
he asked us, "How
do you
represent your
"brand" as a
Christian?"Following
college, where
he studied
accounting,
George worked
for a company
in the
Buffalo, New
York area. He
became a
Christian at
this time due
to the witness
of several
devoted
Christians
whose lights
shined at the
workplace.
He
told a
personal story
that goes back
to the time
when he was a
very young
Christian:
An
occasion came
up when he had
to fire an
employee due
to ongoing
substance
abuse
problems. It
was a
difficult
dismissal as
he worked for
a large
company and
several were
involved in
the
termination
process.
Following the
termination
others left
the room and
now he was
alone in the
room with the
employee he
had just
terminated.
Suddenly
George sensed
the Spirit of
God leading
him to pray
for the man.
He of course
initially
resisted but
the compulsion
to pray was
strong. He
wasn't even
sure it was
"legal" but he
asked the man
if he might
pray with him.
The man said
it would be OK
and George
prayed for him
just before
the employee
left.
Changes
were about to
come for
George and his
family as well
which involved
a move from
the Buffalo
area to
Lancaster
County.
Several years
after moving
to Lancaster
George
returned to
the Buffalo
area to visit
his family and
decided to
enjoy a meal
in a local
restaurant.
While he was
eating a man
whom he didn't
initially
recognize
approached his
table. He went
on to identify
himself as the
very employee
George had
fired many
years earlier.
Then he
excitedly told
him, "I'm into
God now" and
then
introduced his
wife and three
children to
George. That
must have been
very
encouraging to
George!
In one sense I chafe a bit at the phrase "I'm into God now." It's sounds somewhat disrespectful and trivializes a relationship with the one true God of the universe, sort of like "I'm into green tea". (However I recall doing and phrasing things in a different manner as a young Christian than I would do or say years later.)
But there's a sense that it's actually a powerful expressive phrase describing our present relationship with the Lord. The daily verse states, "If anyone is in Christ". It's another example of a changed life that is taking place every day all over the world.
I consider George's rather unusual leading to "pray for him" and acting in obedience. George gave no indication that he noted any change in the employee at all when he obeyed and prayed. But in that providential meeting many years later he rejoiced to see how the Lord had worked it all out. It wasn't an instant answer, but it laid foundational groundwork for God to do a complete overhaul in this young man's life over a period of time.
Today we all have a call to obedience in our daily walk. For most of us it probably won't be something big or noticeable to others at all. In many cases we won't see tangible results to our obedience except for the peace that fills our heart as we lay our head on our pillows to sleep at night. I believe in a lot of cases we won't see the results till eternity. Whether the answer to our prayer is revealed in this life or in the life to come God still calls us all, as His new creation, to listen carefully to His voice and obey His commands.
Be
encouraged
today,
(Hebrews
3:13)
Daily prayer:
Father,
I want a
willing
servant's
heart that is
obedient to
Your leading
wherever I am
and in
whatever
setting I am
found. As the
old hymn goes,
"It may not be
on the
mountain's
height, or
over the
stormy sea. It
may not be at
the battle's
front my Lord
will have need
of me. But if
by a still,
small voice
You call to
paths that I
do not know,
I'll answer,
'Dear Lord,
with my hand
in Thine; I'll
go where You
want me to go.
I'll say what
You want me to
say and I'll
be what You
want me to
be'". Help me
not to dismiss
Your still
small voice
simply because
it's an
unconventional
prompting I
sense. Instead
I ask for
courage to be
obedient and
faith to trust
You for the
outcome,
whether or not
it is revealed
in my
lifetime. In
the loving
name of Jesus
I pray, Amen.
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Father,
I want a
willing
servant's
heart that is
obedient to
Your leading
wherever I am
and in
whatever
setting I am
found. As the
old hymn goes,
"It may not be
on the
mountain's
height, or
over the
stormy sea. It
may not be at
the battle's
front my Lord
will have need
of me. But if
by a still,
small voice
You call to
paths that I
do not know,
I'll answer,
'Dear Lord,
with my hand
in Thine; I'll
go where You
want me to go.
I'll say what
You want me to
say and I'll
be what You
want me to
be'". Help me
not to dismiss
Your still
small voice
simply because
it's an
unconventional
prompting I
sense. Instead
I ask for
courage to be
obedient and
faith to trust
You for the
outcome,
whether or not
it is revealed
in my
lifetime. In
the loving
name of Jesus
I pray, Amen.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"I'll
Go Where You
Want Me to Go"
Listen
on YouTube
The Kauffman
Family
"New
Creation"
Listen
on YouTube
Mac Powell
Another
Lebanon County
farmhouse that
gets our
attention
every time we
pass it.
Click
on photo to enlarge
Lebanon
County farm
pond with the
beautiful
ducks (swans,
I'm not sure)
provides a
serene setting
amidst the
deciduous
trees that are
starting to
change.
Click
on photo to enlarge
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want to thank
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WEBER -
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CHAPLAINCY)
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Weber". We
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supporters,
and for those
who may not
need an
official
receipt. You
can also set
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recurring
donations.
In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
To
donate
directly
online
click here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering
to: STEPHEN
&
BROOKSYNE
WEBER -
700001-237376 SERVING
IN SPECIALIZED
CHAPLAINCY)
If
you desire you
can also
donate
directly
through PayPal
using this link.
This will open
to a page that
states
"Brooksyne
Weber". We
keep this
option
available due
to the
familiarity,
convenience,
for
international
supporters,
and for those
who may not
need an
official
receipt. You
can also set
up for
recurring
donations.
Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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Encouragement
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Wordpress
iHeart
radioPermissions: 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. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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."
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Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA