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ministry of
Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Thursday,
November 16, 2023
An
Amish
farmer raking
hay and
stirring up a
bit of dust on
Ronks Road,
Lancaster
County
Click on photo to enlarge
Click on photo to enlarge
"Stop
Pouting!"
Message
summary: A
lesson on
grumbling.
We can have an
attitude of
complaining or
that of
thankfulness.
The choice is
ours! Stop
pouting!
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
“Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:9). “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death’” (Exodus 16:2,3). “These people are grumblers and faultfinders” (Jude 16a).
“Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:9). “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death’” (Exodus 16:2,3). “These people are grumblers and faultfinders” (Jude 16a).
In
our ABF class
this last
Sunday a
missionary
spoke through
"Zoom" who
shared about
going to
Niger, a very
poor country
in Africa that
is
experiencing
political
upheaval (they
had a coup
this summer).
He showed a
photo of a
group he had
met with who
were sitting
on the ground.
They told him
they had no
food, no
electricity
and other
destitute
conditions but
they were
still trusting
God with a
faith-filled
outlook.
Are
there people
in your life
who claim to
be believers
who have lost
their shout,
AKA their joy
in the Lord?
Instead of a
joyful outlook
in life
they're prone
to sitting
around and
pouting, and
inviting you
to join them
in doing so.
Whining is
very
contagious but
so is joy! So
we choose as
to whether we
are going to
be grumblers,
faultfinders
or a joyful
people.
Brooksyne
found herself
whining about
not having an
electric
dishwasher in
2001, the year
we moved to
Lancaster. We
rented an old
farmhouse and
enjoyed that
experience for
about 14
months before
purchasing our
own home. When
she saw a plaque
"Thou shalt
not whine" at
a farmer's
market she
purchased it
and hung it
above her
kitchen sink
which really
improved her
outlook. She
also hung it
over the
kitchen sink
after we
bought our new
home and it
remains there
to this day.
Although "Thou
Shalt Not
Whine" is not
included in
the Ten
Commandments
it's certainly
a good
Bible-based
rule to live
by!
The
Babylon Bee is
a satire site
that often has
a way of
hitting the
nail squarely
on the head in
satirizing
current
events!
However
increasingly
it seems what
was satire
only a few
years ago
becomes real!A
Bee article's
headline reads
"Study:
Average
American Now
Complains More
In A Week Than
People Living
Through The
Black Plague
Did Their
Entire Lives".
*
It does seem complaining has increased in our lifetime and the sources become more and more trivial. Just consider the last time you complained, even in your heart?
Complaining (AKA as grumbling, whining, murmuring or pouting) is essentially our reaction to a perceived unfairness. "I don't deserve this" or "It's not fair", we might cry out. But there's a wonderful theological truth expressed early in the Bible by Abraham that we should hide deep within our souls. "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). The answer to that question is always "Yes".
Complaining is not new but it is an ancient affliction. The daily text states, "The whole congregation of the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert". They had just been delivered in a remarkable, miraculous way from Egyptian bondage. It seems they should be immune from complaining, at least for awhile, but it didn't take long.
The source of their complaining in this instance was their hunger which was genuine. In recent years the word "hangry" has been added to the dictionary to describe one's being "bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger". The Israelites recalled a very selective and likely embellished memory from Egypt, "There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted". This is quite a contrast to the description of their living conditions when they actually lived there! (See Exodus 2:23.)
Today, we ask you, are you living with a healthy, non-complaining outlook, expressing God's love and providential care, even during seasons of "difficulty" that may prompt complaining? Or are you, like the Israelites in our text, focusing on the hardships you face? If so, that focus usually leads to complaining, self-pity, or even embellishing comparisons from the past.
William Law, who lived in the early 1700's observed:
It does seem complaining has increased in our lifetime and the sources become more and more trivial. Just consider the last time you complained, even in your heart?
Complaining (AKA as grumbling, whining, murmuring or pouting) is essentially our reaction to a perceived unfairness. "I don't deserve this" or "It's not fair", we might cry out. But there's a wonderful theological truth expressed early in the Bible by Abraham that we should hide deep within our souls. "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). The answer to that question is always "Yes".
Complaining is not new but it is an ancient affliction. The daily text states, "The whole congregation of the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert". They had just been delivered in a remarkable, miraculous way from Egyptian bondage. It seems they should be immune from complaining, at least for awhile, but it didn't take long.
The source of their complaining in this instance was their hunger which was genuine. In recent years the word "hangry" has been added to the dictionary to describe one's being "bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger". The Israelites recalled a very selective and likely embellished memory from Egypt, "There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted". This is quite a contrast to the description of their living conditions when they actually lived there! (See Exodus 2:23.)
Today, we ask you, are you living with a healthy, non-complaining outlook, expressing God's love and providential care, even during seasons of "difficulty" that may prompt complaining? Or are you, like the Israelites in our text, focusing on the hardships you face? If so, that focus usually leads to complaining, self-pity, or even embellishing comparisons from the past.
William Law, who lived in the early 1700's observed:
"Whenever
you find
yourself
disposed to
uneasiness or
murmuring at
anything that
is the effect
of God's
providence,
look upon
yourself as
denying either
the wisdom or
goodness of
God."
Often our concept of fairness is based on how we perceive others are doing, especially if we think they're doing better or they are not enduring a trial like us. If they are doing better or not undergoing a trial we may think, "That's not fair". But we rarely tend to apply this sense of fairness when we are doing better than others!
We have two attitudes we can live with: One is that "We have so much to complain about", although few would be this blunt in wording; they just demonstrate a complaining spirit.
The
preferred
attitude is "We
have so much
to be thankful
for".
Menno, who
lived to be
102, often sat
near us in
church. Long
before we met
him, in his
youth and
prime of life,
he was a
worship
leader, Sunday
School teacher
and very
active in the
kingdom of
God. During
his latter
years he used
a walker and
was nearly
deaf but still
attended every
Sunday and
often greeted
us by saying,
"We have so
much to be
thankful for".
It left a
lasting
example for us
to follow.Do you have a healthy non-complaining outlook? Do you speak often of God's love and providential care, even in seasons of difficulty?
And
all my life
You have been
faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, it
is impossible
for me to give
sincere thanks
to You unless
I have a
grateful
heart. Open my
eyes to see
and verbalize
the little
blessings that
come even when
I'm walking
through dark
clouds of
difficulty. My
daily
blessings, by
far, outnumber
my troubles.
Good health,
comfortable
shelter,
abundant food,
a loving
family, steady
work, caring
friendships
and many other
blessings seem
all too common
so I often
take them for
granted. At
times I even
feel entitled
to these
blessings.
Help me not to
wait until
trouble erupts
before I look
to You.
Instead I want
to be thankful
for Your
goodness
toward me for
past blessings
and to remain
confident that
You will be
just as
faithful in
providing for
my future
needs. And
remind me to
never take
personal
credit but
realize that
all good
things come
from You. In
Your name,
Jesus, I thank
You
today!
Amen.A
memory:
Years ago we
were speaking
at a small
country church
in York
County, PA
where an older
couple sang a
song as he
played his
guitar. Their
style was
Southern
Gospel and
they sang with
such
enthusiasm and
earnestness.
They sang a
locally
written song
Brooksyne and
I had never
heard before
which caught
our attention
due to a line
with a
somewhat
contrived
rhyme, but
with a real
good message I
believe we all
do well to
apply.
"Some
people have
lost their
shout,
All they do is sit around and pout.
Get under the spout,
Where the glory comes out!"
All they do is sit around and pout.
Get under the spout,
Where the glory comes out!"
"Yes
I Will"
Watch
on YouTube
Vertical
Worship
Brooksyne's
Note:
Last night our
choir was
going over our
songs on the
platform that
we will be
leading in our
worship
service on
Sunday. When
we began to
sing "Yes I
Will" I sang
quite
enthusiastically
and
emphatically
the first part
of the song:
"The same God
who never
fails will not
fail me now".
I've sung it
many times but
this time when
I came to the
chorus I had a
check in my
spirit about
the words I
was singing.
Do I really
sing for joy
when my heart
is heavy
especially in
the lowest
valley (see
words below).
I had to pray
about it and
even confessed
to the choir
member next to
me that the
words are
biblical as
James said
"Count it all
joy when you
encounter
various
trials", but I
come short of
doing so more
often than I
like to admit.
She too
expressed the
same feeling.
So how can we
be joyful in
dark trials?
As I was
writing the
prayer for
today I
believe the
Lord gave me
proper
perspective in
how I can have
a thankful
heart in joy
or in sorrow
because of His
overall
provisions and
blessings in
my life. If
you didn't
catch it first
time go back
and see if the
Lord might
speak
personally to
you through
the prayer -
at least, that
is my prayer
for you today.
Yes
I will lift
You high in
the lowest
valley
Yes I will bless Your name
Oh, yes, I will sing for joy when my heart is heavy
All my days
Oh, yes, I will
Yes I will bless Your name
Oh, yes, I will sing for joy when my heart is heavy
All my days
Oh, yes, I will
"Give
Thanks"
Watch
on YouTube
Don Moen
"Goodness
Of God"
Video
Gold
City
(Dedicated to
Tina
Matangelo)
* Study: Average American Now Complains More In A Week Than People Living Through The Black Plague Did Their Entire Lives Babylon Bee article (satire) mentioned in our first paragraph.
Although
our area is
growing
rapidly we
still have
plenty of
reminders we
are in the
country.
Yesterday we
were refueling
when this
tractor drove
in to "spice
up" the area.
Any idea what
is being
hauled?
With
four dogs and
a cat this
plaque
perfectly
describes the
daily
challenge we
have in
keeping up
with stray
hairs finding
their way
especially in
the corners of
three
stairways....well,
just about
anywhere if
you look hard
enough. We
keep our
sweepers
running
constantly
including the
robot sweeper
Brooksyne's
sister sent
last Christmas
(Ester is in
charge of it
since she
really enjoys
anything that
is technology
designed.)
Brooksyne
often says,
"If only we
could make
money from the
pet hair!"
Today
we had our
annual
delivery of
anthracite
coal we burn
in our coal
stove which
keeps our
lower family
room nice and
tasty during
the winter as
well as rising
to help heat
the rest of
our house.
Richard and
Robert, two
very colorful
identical
twins who are
our age run
the coal
company. The
truck bed was
built in 1964.
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WEBER -
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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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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 and a variety of other versions.
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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