Daily Encouragement

The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
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Friday, May 10, 2024

A farm scene off the Buffalo Valley rail trail.
Click on photo to enlarge

_{^{"The
Danger Of}}

_{^{Spiritual
Disorientation"}}

Message summary: Be careful and stay focused to keep your spiritual orientation today.

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"Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight" (Isaiah 5:21).

Brooksyne and I are very similar in many ways but one distinct difference we have is in regard to our interest in geography. Whenever I travel by car, plane or boat I need to know just where I am in relation to the rest of the planet. In the past I liked to have a map on hand to know the direction of where I'm headed. Now I use a map on my phone and have a compulsion to know whether I am going north, south, east or west at all times.

Brooksyne, on the other hand, generally just rides along and apart from knowing where we're headed is content to just go along oblivious to where we currently are. She doesn't worry about getting lost since it's my job to get us to our planned destination. She just takes in the sights and takes many of the photos we share here on DE.

This week we were up in central Pennsylvania in a beautiful farming area. We headed back late Wednesday afternoon from a quaint town called Mifflinburg. Traveling back we took a scenic route through the ridge and valley province down to the Susquehanna River where the road followed the winding river for awhile. While traveling through this region there are many winding roads due to the mountains. By taking the road back home it was 82 miles but a straight path would be only 62 miles. When winding through the mountains and along the river it's easy to get spatially disoriented (losing your sense of direction), a term that is especially applicable to flying.

Many of you may recall the plane accident that killed John F. Kennedy Jr. and two passengers twenty-five years ago. At that time we lived in New England, not far from the crash site in the Atlantic Ocean off Martha's Vineyard. Most aviation experts feel it was likely that Kennedy experienced a phenomenon known as "spatial disorientation". In flight a pilot can become so confused in haze or darkness without landmarks that he has absolutely no sense of direction. This is very serious for pilots who do not have an instrument rating. A pilot may feel he is going straight ahead when in fact he is diving down!

But there's a much more serious form of disorientation, which affects all of mankind in the spiritual realm. Rather than spatial disorientation let us call it "spiritual disorientation". Amazingly though, most are not even aware of its effect or even that they are disoriented. Worse yet they give little consideration to the eventual consequences of this disorientation. What a serious "Woe" is expressed in our daily text. "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight".

Other Scripture verses describe this disorientation. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 16:25).

Circumstances in our world seem to be ever more confusing and the earnest believer must be vigilant in keeping the proper spiritual orientation. As believers we must cry out daily with the Psalmist, "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). We trust in the One of whom it is written, "He will be the sure foundation for your times" (Isaiah 33:6). And "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19).

Be careful and stay focused to keep your spiritual orientation today.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Jesus, You are the Solid Rock that keeps us anchored in this vast landscape of shifting sands. Our unfading hope is secured in Your finished work on the cross and our guide map is the inspired Holy Scriptures that make us wise unto salvation. Help us to resist the temptation to look at anything the god of this age offers seeking to blind the minds of unbelievers. Instead we steadfastly follow Your clearly prescribed plan for living a life that pleases You. We offer to You our lives as living sacrifices. May they be holy and pleasing to You. Amen.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Firm Foundation (He Won't)" Watch on YouTube Maranatha! Music

Today we will share some photos from our brief anniversary trip to north central PA this week.

Tuesday we rode on the Roaring Creek trail which is not a rail trail but rather a relatively flat logging road through a narrow valley passing three lakes used for municipal water. It's a scenic route but a bit too rough for Brooksyne's liking so we probably won't ride it again.

We enjoy walking through a farmer's market. This one is in Lewisburg each Wednesday.
Click on photo to enlarge

Local, home grown produce. When spending time in a rural area like this and being around so many friendly, "salt of the earth" type people, it is such a contrast to the news coming out of our cities and college campuses.
Click on photo to enlarge

Another interest we have (mostly Brooksyne) is perusing through greenhouses, especially at this time of year. This the Reiff's Nursery & Greenhouses near Vicksburg, PA, owned by a Mennonite family and thus will be closed Ascension Day next week.
Click on photo to enlarge

Another farm scene off the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail.
Click on photo to enlarge

Yesterday we were treated to an anniversary meal with a group of friends at the Infusion Restaurant in Mount Joy. Not sure how they came up with that name which Ester points out sounds like a medical term but it is actually a training restaurant for teaching young people culinary and service skills by our Career and Technology Center (known as Vo-tech when we were young.) One amazing lady among us turned 101 years old on January 1st of this year!

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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 and a variety of other versions.

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