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Springs Of Living Water
2008-05-29 11:03:00
"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water" (Revelation 7:17).
We have a small fish pond in a flower garden setting behind our house. We've photographed many of our visitors with the colorful flowers and pond in the background. The previous owner had put it in and at the present time we have two small goldfish that seem to enjoy living at our place.
One of the challenges in maintaining a small fish pond is keeping the water clear.The algae are persistent and, if you don't stay with it, it soon turns the pond into a thick soupy green which is not at all appealing. I pump the water through a filter and ultraviolet light. Several days ago I changed the configuration in order to get more water movement and now the filtered water discharges back into the pond at a rather forceful rate. So far this has improved the clarity and the fish seem to like it, being drawn to the specific churning spot where the water pours into the pond directly from the filter.
It was then that Brooksyne and I observed a neat sight. We saw the small 4 inch goldfish jump out of the pond straight up into the stream of water nearly a foot from the pond surface! Initially the stream was discharged close to the side of the pond and I was afraid the fish would jump all the way out so I moved the stream out further into the pond. The little fish just seem to exhilarate in the churning water as the stream enters. I suppose they like the movement or perhaps the oxygenation. I wish I could capture the scene in a photo but, of course, they're just too quick and I don’t have the patience that good photographers need for such a shot.
As we watched the fish an old hymn came to mind that I rarely hear anymore called "Springs of Living Water." In fact as I hear the words of the song play in my mind I think of Pastor Howard and the little church I went to as a young Christian back in Independence, Missouri.
The daily Scripture verse gives us a glimpse of heaven.
The Lamb (Jesus Christ) is at the center of the throne. This part of the verse really blesses me in my study. I don't recall noticing it before. The Lamb who died for our sins on the center cross is now at the center of the throne!
He is the Eternal Shepherd. The first reference to God being our Shepherd is in Genesis where Jacob blesses his son, Joseph, with this testimony: "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my Shepherd all my life to this day…" (48:15). It's a consistent theme through Scripture ending with the daily verse.
He leads to springs of living water. Although this is a scene in heaven the living water is available right now to all who believe. Jesus taught, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:38).
Even as our goldfish seem to enjoy the living water from the stream flowing into our garden pond, so we will be refreshed and reinvigorated as we stay focused on the One at the center of the throne. Let us remain in the stream of God's living water and keep the Eternal Shepherd at the center of our attention!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, I confess that there are times when my spirit becomes stagnant after I veer off course and am pulled into the murky waters. Draw me to the cleansing fountain of Your saving blood which flows from the cross of Calvary. It is there that springs of living water quench my thirst and invigorate my spirit so that I am refreshed in the Holy Spirit and renewed in my resolve to follow You all the days of my life.
Tags: daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Living By Faith
2008-05-28 11:56:00
“But the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
Have you found yourself earnestly seeking God about a weighty matter over an extended period of time and yet it seems that He is silent. I recall a line from a song that Brooksyne used to sing that honestly expresses, “sometimes we wonder why.” Whether it be on our own personal level or concerning the state of the world we certainly do have questions, some of those unanswered till the other side.
Our daily verse is from the prophet Habakkuk, who served God by providing comfort and hope during one of the darkest periods of Judah’s history; a time during which she suffered the deserved punishment for her sins. Judah had just experienced the exhilaration of the glorious days of King Josiah, marked by freedom, prosperity, and a great religious revival. The Assyrians, once the scourge of the Middle East, were phasing out as a world power. In their place, however, stood the Babylonians, (whom Habakkuk calls the Chaldeans, named for the region from which their rulers came.) The Babylonian armies were led by the ambitious Nebuchadnezzar, who would soon succeed his father as king.
Habakkuk asked God questions and God eventually answered. He revealed that He was at work sending the Chaldeans as the instrument of His judgment (1:5-11). The prophet shrank from such an idea and posed another question which essentially asks: “Lord, how can you use someone more sinful than we are to punish us?” (1:12-17).
When the answer was not forthcoming immediately, he took his stand in the watchtower to wait for it. It was worth the wait: “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright– but the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). God contrasts the proud and ungodly whose lives are not upright with the righteous who in the end will emerge victorious. Here the term “faith” has the sense of faithfulness or conviction that results in action.
Habakkuk, in his experience of waiting, bluntly asked the Lord, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen?” When God finally answered, it certainly wasn’t the answer Habakkuk expected or longed for.
You see, the Israelites had a “recurring cycle of sin, sorrow, supplication, salvation, and then sin again. The continuous repetition of this cycle obviously weakened the people’s love for God and respect for His authority.”* The godly remnant would emerge victorious as the wicked would undergo punishment. The Babylonians would eventually receive their just punishment in God’s timing.
Some 650 years later this phrase was taken by Paul as a central element in his theology (Romans 1:17 & Galatians 3:11). Some 1500 years after Paul’s writings this passage came alive for an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther, setting off the Protestant Reformation, one of history’s greatest and most significant religious upheavals. Thus a so-called “Minor” prophet had a major influence on those who followed him!
Today we are all enriched and indebted to a relatively obscure but faithful man who served God. Are you living by faith today? Is your hope and confidence completely in the Lord? In over 2600 years the equation has not changed. Actually the equation was fundamentally clear to Adam and Eve but willfully broken in the garden. It was also very clearly understood by Abraham in Genesis 15:6: “Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” The righteous continue to live by faith, during the good times but also during times of judgment!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we know that without a fresh manifestation of Your Holy Spirit power in our lives, our faith will not prevail when evil abounds in our day. Just as Habakkuk pleaded for You to manifest Yourself to Him, we also pray for renewal in our spirit so that we remain a faithful remnant fully committed to You. We choose to rejoice in the Lord our God who enables us to hold tightly to our godly faith in the midst of enemy invasion. We pray for deliverance and sustaining power so that we emerge victorious during the battle. Amen.
*Myrna Alexander “With Him in Life’s Struggles”
Tags: daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Understanding God's Statutes
2008-05-27 09:36:00
"I am Your servant; give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes" (Psalm 119:125).
Among the issues our daughter, Ester, has to overcome is hearing loss. We are told her hearing loss is a result of medication she received as a baby for her heart condition that was later determined to cause hearing problems when given to infants. She has profound hearing loss in the high frequency range which means, although she hears volume at a normal level, she misses a part of the range that is necessary to understand properly. Thus, her speech can become unclear at times.
I really came to understand this when we consulted with an audiologist at Children's Hospital in Boston several years ago. She explained that certain speech sounds in the upper frequencies are confused with other sounds to her. For instance we may say "they", but she might hear it as "day". You can imagine how confusing this can be in certain instances! She wore hear aids as a child but they were of only minimal help. Thankfully, as she's gotten older, she is able to process more and more due to lip reading, gestures, context and her ability to read. But it is among the issues that has slowed her development.
There is certainly a spiritual parallel to this physical condition.
Psalm 119 is well-known as the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. What is not quite as familiar is that each verse, in one way or another, has a reference to God's Word; His laws and statutes, etc. I believe the various Scriptural expressions are used synonymously and all reveal the heart's desire of the writer; to live according to God's revelation.
Another interesting feature in this long Psalm is that it consists of 22 parts, according to the number of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet, with the names of which these letters stand for between each part. Each part consists of eight verses, all of which begin with the same letter in the Hebrew: thus, for instance, the first eight verses begin with the letter a, "aleph," and the second eight verses begin with the letter b, "beth," and so on throughout; hence the Masorah calls this Psalm the Great Alphabet. *
In today's Scripture the Psalmist prays in humility: "I am your servant." I find blessing in the Psalmist's humble approach to God. We must always remember who's in control; Who is the Master and who is the servant.
The nature of his request is so needed by those who live by faith today. "Give me discernment that I may understand your statutes." The Hebrew word for discernment means "to separate mentally." We need to be clear-minded in properly discerning God's Word.
The specific request is to "understand Your statutes." God's statutes; His laws and precepts are good and we need to understand them clearly.
We are barraged with information. The "information superhighway" provides an abundance of information that can be helpful but also much that can confuse or sidetrack the more important message. Not only life-giving truths but disastrous errors also crowd the superhighway.
We do well to often repeat the Psalmist's prayer; "Give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes." May we not only read about God's statutes but understand their meaning and then implement them into our lives.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, I ask for discernment that I may understand Your statutes. I pray for understanding that I might know how to implement these truths into my life. I also pray that I will grow to love and embrace Your laws so that it becomes a natural outflow of my commitment to following You. Amen.
*from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
Tags: daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Making Known His Faithfulness
2008-05-26 14:34:00
“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1). “One generation will commend Your works to another” (Psalm 145:4).
In the USA today we celebrate Memorial Day. Its origin dates back to the period following our Civil War in the 1860’s and was primarily a remembrance of those who died in that war and other previous wars. But it has expanded to be a day when many tend to remember all who have gone before us. Later today I’ll push Brooksyne in the wheelchair up the road to Kraybill Cemetery where fresh flowers will decorate the graves as loved ones remember and honor their deceased family and friends.
Certainly today we will be remembering those in our own family, as Brooksyne and I have each seen our parents pass on to their eternal reward over the last ten years. Last year Brooksyne’s sister died reminding us of the quick progression of life and how that our own transition is growing closer as the years quickly pass.
Today we will also be remembering those who have impacted us on our journey of faith but are now with the Lord. Allow me to honor them with a partial list using their first names only: Joe, Tracy, Beulah, Karin Joy, Ines, John, Gene, Bill, Earl, Al & Thata, my very first pastor as a Christian, Bro. Howard and many, many others. Why don’t you take a moment to personally reflect by making a similar list and remembering those people who’ve touched your life?
Yesterday we had a special time in our church service where four generations of the Martin family helped lead us in a couple of older children’s choruses. Four generations faithfully serving Christ is a very inspirational sight, but the additional blessing of each of these families attending the same church brought spiritual refreshing as well. It’s rare these days that the grandparent(s) in their 80’s would have grown up singing the same songs that are taught to our children today such as “Deep & Wide” and “He’s Got the Whole world in His Hand.”
Moses, in his final message prior to his death, hearkens the people to “Consider the generations long past.” A powerful oral history had been maintained about the creation and origin of their national identity (children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.) That was about 3,500 years ago and I believe his words are still very appropriate for the people of God. We need to remember those who have gone to be with the Lord before and during our lifetime.
The writer of Hebrews speaks of these men and women as “a great cloud of witnesses.” They indeed witness and testify to the power of faith and of the faithfulness of God. This great cloud is surely comprised of all the Biblical greats that are mentioned in Hebrews 11 and others in the Bible period.
But I believe it also includes all those throughout the ages of the church who have died in faith; people such as great men and women of church history like Evangelist D.L Moody and Songwriter Fannie Crosby. Today, I am thankful for the impact in my generation of nationally (and perhaps internationally) known people like D. James Kennedy, Bill Bright and Larry Burkett, who have in recent years gone on to their reward.
It surely also includes the many, many throughout the ages who have lived their lives for Christ in relative obscurity, serving Him faithfully in their work settings, homes, churches, and communities. They loved their family, sought to raise their children right, worked hard, served as Sunday School teachers, janitors, prayer leaders, nursery workers and in other ways. These are the people whom I have personally known and observed over time. I believe God has ordained that we are to live in close community with those whom He has placed in our lives, giving and receiving. Our friend, Doris High, has a thought-provoking saying on her blog: “There is no way of belonging to Jesus Christ except by belonging gladly and irrevocably to the glorious ragbag of saints who make up the Church!”
I’m certain that You have a number of people to remember today who are with the Lord. If they’re now in the great cloud of heavenly witnesses thank God for them! And let us all continue to sing of the mercies of the LORD forever. With our mouths and with our lives let us make known His faithfulness to all generations!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we give thanks for the men and women of great valor who have given their lives for our freedoms over the centuries. We also give thanks for those who have impacted our spiritual lives as we seek to live faithfully for You; the Biblical saints, the early church fathers, the martyrs of the faith, the evangelists, preachers, and teachers of Your Holy Word, our family members who showed us the way and we thank You for those extraordinary believers who not only lived for You but lived as an example of faith to those of us who were watching and learning along the way. Above all, we thank You for the person of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life to our eternal Home in heaven. Amen.
Tags: blog,archive,daily encouragement
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The Path Of Life
2008-05-23 14:36:00
“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11).
Since Brooksyne’s ankle injury two weeks ago we’ve been missing our customary walks together. (So has our dog Roxie!) On a couple occasions Ester and I pushed her in the wheelchair alongside our country road but it doesn’t compare to walking on an old well-worn path. But the uneven terrain is not suitable for a wheelchair, especially for one with a tender ankle.
Today’s photo [click link below for more daily encouragement to see photo] is my favorite part of our walking path across from our house, an old road between tree lines with farm fields on each side. It’s actually a long abandoned public road still deeded to the township that ends right across from our house where a church meeting house once stood. It can still seen on maps as “Meeting House Run Road”. Presently it’s accessible only with a tractor or four-wheel drive vehicle and that’s just fine with us since we enjoy the solitude of the quiet country setting!
Roxie really loves this part of the walk and often gets very distracted with all the smells of critters buried in the ground or she chases squirrels up the trees. She runs rabbits ragged as she sets about chasing them in and out of burrows, rock piles, and other accessible hiding places.
Scripture in numerous places speaks of the “path of life” with today’s passage being the first. It’s from a Psalm of David, written some 3,000 years ago. In addressing God he asserts, “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
God continues to make known the path of life to those who earnestly seek Him. Today the path of life is the road less travelled since many by default follow the broad road where the majority travel.
There are several references to the path of life in the Proverbs such as “He is on the path of life who heeds instruction” and “The path of life leads upward for the wise.”
But the final reference to the “path of life” in Scripture may surprise you. Peter quotes several verses from Psalm 16 in his sermon on the day of Pentecost concluding with the daily verse, “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” (Acts 2:28). He makes it clear that ultimately in this Psalm David was referring to Jesus Christ as the path of life! Of course Jesus Himself tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I thank God for making known to me the path of life through the person of Jesus Christ, His Son! What a great joy and blessing to follow Him. And that’s something we all can do regardless of where we live. Please join us!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, I consider today the path of life laid out for those who are wise. It certainly isn’t the shortest, most traveled, or least difficult trail. There are times when the incline may be so steep it forces me on all fours, but that’s a posture in which I’m most humbled. It forces me to kneel down before You, the Lord my Maker. Your strength is perfect when my strength is fleeting. It is a place where I realize it is no longer my strength but it is in Your perfect strength that I walk. It is no longer my plan but Your perfect plan that I follow. It is no longer my wisdom but Your perfect wisdom that instructs me. You give perfect direction and adequate strength to walk the upward path that leads to life everlasting. Thank You that I will never walk the path of life alone, for You lead the way as You make my feet like hind’s feet on high places. Amen.
Tags: blog,archive,daily encouragement
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Still Changing Lives
2008-05-22 10:45:00
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I enjoy hearing testimonies of faith in Christ. Some are dramatic and full of suspense such as one who has overcome tremendous adversity in the process of finding Christ. Others may have less “colorful” pre-conversion stories, but all of us who have placed our faith in Christ have a powerful testimony in one way or another. For every conversion is a miracle of the new birth we have in Christ Jesus.
You may have a story that focuses on God’s delivering grace while others have stories that focus more on God’s preserving grace. God’s preserving grace is especially seen in those who were spared the ravages of a sin-filled life because they came to faith at an early age.Galatians 6:7ff speaks of the harvest that comes from what we plant.If we have planted to satisfy our sinful selves it will bring us ruin, but if we plant to please the Spirit we receive eternal life from the Spirit.
Yesterday a friend of mine, Ed Herr, shared his testimony with a group of businessmen here in Lancaster County, PA. Since Ed was raised in a godly home and came to the Lord as a child his testimony reflects the preserving grace of God’s work in his life.But he told a pre-conversion story that reveals both the power of conviction and the lasting impact godly parents have in a young child’s life.
Ed’s mother had requested that he go to the corner grocery store on his bike for some groceries and gave him a detailed list of the items she wanted.So Ed went to the store and the couple who owned the store filled the order based on the grocery list as he waited. Well little Eddie really liked Peanut Butter Cups so, while the order was being filled and the store owners were out of sight, he stashed a couple of them for himself. The store owners then brought Ed the bag of groceries his mother had ordered.
Preparing for his trip home he placed the two peanut butter cups on top of the bag and cleverly devised a plan. He would park his bike, take out the two peanut butter cups and set them aside, and then take the groceries into the house for his mom. He would come back later to enjoy the candy while no one was watching.
Well, his plan was thwarted as his mother, in a hurry for an item needed for the evening meal, met him as he drove up. She took the bag from him before he could remove the candy.He quickly devised “plan B.”
When Mom came out and inquired about the two peanut butter cups he said, “Since I’m helping you out I thought I deserved them so I just added them to the order.” But Mom reached into the bag for the receipt and of course the peanut butter cups weren’t listed. (He was caught in the act of both stealing and lying! It was the same sinful plot that Adam and Eve fell for.)
Ed’s mother insisted that he immediately go back and tell both the store owner and his wife what he had done and ask their forgiveness.Ed is my age but this infraction was a formative moment in his life as he experienced earnest conviction of sin and, in a short time, he trusted Christ for salvation.
In the daily text the Apostle Paul describes the wonderful transformation that Christ brings, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).When a person turns to Christ a wonderful transformation takes place. In one sense it’s instantaneous, but in another sense it’s a life-long process.
Romans 12:2 instructs: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." In 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read about the process of “being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory.”
Paul himself experienced this same life-transforming conversion on the road to Damascus and went on to be the greatest missionary in the history of the church. Slave trader John Newton experienced a dramatic conversion to Christ and went on to write “Amazing Grace”. Nixon’s hatchet man, Chuck Colson, experienced this change and went on to found “Prison Fellowship” and continues to have a fruitful ministry for Christ.
And the list of changed lives goes on and on and is being added to every day. Are you on this list? Today consider your life. Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your life by asking Him to be your Lord and Savior? Have you sought Him for forgiveness of your sins? If so, then you are a child of God!
Christ continues to change lives today and He is either changing yours or waiting for you to call on His Name so your life can be changed. Please do so today!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, as Your new creation we have crucified our sinful selves and found new life through Your indwelling Holy Spirit. We have given up our old selfish desires and sin no longer masters our thoughts and actions. We deny our sinful nature so that Your will may be accomplished in our lives as we reflect Your glory day by day. Your deliverance power gives us the strength we need to deal with the ongoing temptation to yield to our old sinful nature. In our power struggle between good and evil we gratefully proclaim: “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." Amen.
Tags: daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Saved and Sound
2008-05-20 12:25:00
“Your brother has come, “he replied, “and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound” (Luke 15:27).
I believe most familiar with the English language understand the meaning of the phrase, “safe and sound.” It’s likely that this common phrase originated from its use here in the daily text in the King James Bible, which was translated nearly 400 years ago. Of course the phrase refers to the return of the prodigal son in this instance. It’s interesting that all the standard Bible translations I typically study from use this exact phrase.
One night I returned from an out of town trip very late and quietly went to bed where Brooksyne was sleeping soundly. As I snuggled up beside her around 3:00AM she mumbled in her half awake voice, “Safe and sound?” I wasn’t quite ready to nod off so I thought on the expression for awhile and, with a little tweaking, came up with a slightly different expression. I began to rejoice in my spirit that I am truly “saved and sound.” It was a nice peace-filled thought that flooded my heart before finally falling asleep.
I’m saved. What indescribable peace comes deep to the soul when a believer has the assurance of salvation. Many years ago I memorized this selection from Scripture: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7). The words of the hymn, “Saved”, come to mind: ”I’m saved by His power divine, I’m saved to new life sublime, life now is sweet and my joy is complete for I’m saved, saved, saved!” Praise God I’m saved!
I’m sound. OK, I admit some of you reading this may think, “Well, that’s not for you to say.” Others, based upon their world outlook might not see me sound at all! My greatest aspiration though is to be sound in God’s reckoning, not man’s and that is altogether different! The apostle Paul wrote, “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away” (1 Corinthians 2:6).
I’m committed to:
“Having a sound mind” - “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“Holding fast to sound teaching” - “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
“Enduring sound doctrine” - “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3).
“Being sound in the faith” - “Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13).
The word translated “sound” means to “to have sound health, to be well in body; to be uncorrupt (true in doctrine): — be in health, be safe and sound, be whole(-some).
It’s interesting to me that this word is used only twelve times in the Scriptures and nine of them are in the Pastoral Epistles. It’s interesting also that the expression “safe and sound” in our daily text translates the same identical word in the Greek.
Let us thank God that we are saved and sound!
How marvelous, how wonderful and my song shall ever be,
How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, nothing brings abiding peace more than knowing that we are saved from the penalty of sin and that we are firmly grounded in Your holy precepts. It makes us feel safe in a struggling world that continues to search for knowledge from all the wrong sources. We are sound in our outlook when we align our understanding and convictions with the teachings of Christ, His disciples and the prophets of old. We speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor from the authority of this world that changes from year to year. Our wisdom is based upon our knowledge and understanding of You, our eternal Father, the One who changes not. In You we are saved and we are sound. Praise Your matchless, holy name. Amen.
Tags: daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Genuine Disciples
2008-05-19 11:23:00
“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Christianity is often maligned and ridiculed in many parts of our world, certainly including here in the US. The secular media and arts often mock our faith in Jesus Christ. Blaspheme my Lord, call it “art”, and you just might get a huge government grant. Sadly, many of the programs on the “Christian” TV stations are not representative of what I believe or practice as a follower of Christ. But genuine disciples of Christ are planted all over the world today living out their faith in relative obscurity, usually seen only by God and those in their small area of influence.
Jerel Book is a retired pastor who attends our rural church. He and his wife, Fran, also attend the same small Bible Study group as Brooksyne and I. We received a call from our small group co-leader letting us know they wanted to help the Weber family with some meals during Brooksyne’s surgery and recovery. Saturday night the Books stopped by, along with their son Mike, and brought us a delicious lasagna meal.
Jerel and Fran have both had some severe physical setbacks the last several years but are trusting God for each day of good health. They both use canes to get around and yet they walked up both flights of stairs to Brooksyne’s recovery room (formerly, our bedroom) and spent some time visiting. Mike, who is a faithful deacon in our church, then prayed for Brooksyne and our family. We were strengthened and encouraged by these dear folks and others who have stopped in as well!
Now there’s not one reader who would have any idea this happened unless I told you. There weren’t any TV cameras zooming in on our little room and the paparazzi has zero interest in our family. What happened in our home early Saturday evening happened scores of times at that very moment all over the world. Acts of compassion are continually happening as we “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Genuine disciples lovingly serving others in the name of Jesus Christ is modeled in the Bible and carried out in the lives of believers day after day. In many cases these are brothers and sisters who reach out to others in Christian compassion but have never personally met the recipients of their kind acts or generous gifts.
Before Jesus went to the Cross he gave a lengthy teaching recorded in John’s gospel that includes chapter 14. In our first daily text He teaches a distinguishing mark of the true disciple: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Coming out of Bible College this verse and a small booklet titled “The Mark Of The Christian” by Francis Schaeffer heavily influenced my understanding of Christianity. As many believers already know, the word “love” in this verse comes from the Greek word “agape” which speaks of an “in spite of” type of love. Brooksyne and I were so impressed with this Greek word that we named the church we established in St. Marys, Pennsylvania “AGAPE” in 1977. It took a few years for the community to learn that the name of our church was not speaking of “agape” as in “mouth open” but as in “the love of Christ.”
The second daily text somewhat intrigues me, for surely there is an appropriate use for verbally expressing love. I believe John is saying, “let us not love with words or tongue” only, for there is plenty of talk about love and merely saying it is not enough. Genuine disciples expressing genuine love need to back their verbal expressions with loving actions in accordance to God’s Word. Today let us indeed love one another in words and in deed as we demonstrate genuine discipleship!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, may we be people who are quick to notice the ways in which we can be of special blessing to others. It seems quite easy when it comes to those whom we befriend. We often recognize their need before they express it and find genuine fulfillment in being Your hand extended to them. But You challenge us to go even further in making ourselves available to our enemies with whom it is not natural to provide for their needs. In expressing agape love to those around us we love in spite of what we see or have experienced. May all that we do, on behalf of others, be an expression of Your divine touch in the form of Christian service. It is in Your strength and compassion that we can do that which is unnatural to our human nature, but natural to our redeemed spirit. Amen.
Tags: disciples,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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A Firm Foundation
2008-05-16 09:00:00
"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3). "He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand" (Psalm 40:2b).
A sign in front of a stately stone farmhouse here in Lancaster County proclaims this simple, assuring truth: "When your world is shaking run to the Rock."
Our area is dotted with old stone farmhouses and bank barns, many of them dating back to the 1700's. They are very well built and have stood the test of time, weathering many a storm. Of great concern to the construction team was building on a solid foundation. They built these structures to last for many generations. To draw a comparison, a building constructed today would need to last till 2270 and beyond!
When we first moved to Lancaster County seven years ago we lived near Risser Mill, an old stone mill similar to the one pictured above. I recall Don Pickell, descendant of the original builder and the present owner of the mill, taking Brooksyne and me on a personal tour at that time. We were amazed when he told us the original builders had dug down 17 feet for the foundation!
Our world is certainly shaking. We realize as we prepare this message that many of you are being shaken with trials and burdens. In our chaplain work we regularly share with troubled souls and of course with Brooksyne's recent ankle break we are experiencing a temporal shaking in our own family!
But the focus of today's message is the basic foundational shaking on the societal level as we see the continued rejection of God and His ways in so many elements of our society. Especially on my heart today is the institution of marriage, which is being battered and redefined at a dizzying rate.
The God-ordained institution of marriage was established at Creation before the Fall and is foundational to society. Jesus reinforces the creation mandate when He taught: "At the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matthew 19:4-6).
In the great old hymn "The Solid Rock" the phrase, "All other ground is sinking sand" is repeated twice in the refrain. At times the "other ground" can be appealing and may even appear steady and firm, for Satan is a master deceiver. But seen in its proper context it really does seem like sinking sound. The reality is that all other ground, apart from the solid foundation of Christ and His Word, is sinking sand whether or not I perceive it to be so or I am experiencing it as such. Truly, Christ alone is the Solid Rock!
In the first verse the Psalmist asks a probing question: "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" He then describes a place of security that can only be found in God: "He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." We need to be reminded of our position in Christ and the unchanging stability we have as we cling to His promises and uphold His truths.
Today, I urge you to continue to faithfully serve the Lord. Our immutable God continues to set our feet on the rock so that we have a firm place to stand. As we live out our lives under the lordship of Jesus Christ, and in obedience to His Word, may we have this deep-settled assurance; He is establishing our way and keeping our path firm and secure!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Brooksyne's prayer: Lord, it is so helpful and encouraging to read of Your miraculous intervention time after time in the life of the Psalmist and other warriors of the faith throughout the Bible. We parallel their experiences to our own knowing that You provide deliverance from the alluring entrapments that cause us to sink in life's mire. The foundations of this world are temporal and often conflict with the firm foundation of Your Holy Word. We do not want to be pulled down by the sinking foundations of this world, but instead we want to be lifted up by Your timeless truths.
Tags: blog,archive,daily encouragement,foundation
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Dealing With Worry
2008-05-14 10:14:00
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them” (Matthew 6:31,32).
“Worry is the darkroom where negatives are developed.”
Worry is the result of failing to practice active faith in God’s constant care over us. Our faith must be active and constant, for when there’s a lapse worry can wrap its tentacles around our heart. And we know that can lead to negativity and fear.
The source of worry for our Lord’s initial hearers in the Sermon on the Mount are objects familiar to us: food, drink, and clothing. However the issue was not “What shall we eat or drink or wear?” in the sense of choosing between a variety of abundant food choices or what style of clothing to wear from many choices in a large wardrobe.
No, much of the world has no idea of what it’s like to have a large wardrobe or an abundant food pantry. Jesus is speaking of basic necessities, not luxuries. Thus He is speaking of legitimate concerns His initial hearers had. But much of our anxiety is prompted from the desire that things should happen as we wish and for our pleasure and comfort rather than fundamentally as God wills for our growth and maturity.
Worry leads to fear and doubt, but trust leads to peace and confidence. “Worry” translates a Greek word (merimnao) that has the sense of turning over and over in the mind, or being divided. It seems to me that the division in our minds that precedes worry is fundamentally this: “Will God take care of my needs or will He be negligent in His promises?”
But Jesus said that our heavenly Father knows what we need and the Apostle Paul wrote: “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Is that true or not?
Is God ever exasperated? Does He ever throw up His hands at a situation and proclaim: “O my, what am I going to do now?” Of course not! He’s always in complete control even though we, in our finite understanding, are not always able to comprehend His ways or timing. When I read of events such as the huge earthquake in China and the scores of deaths and suffering souls I pray and really wonder how it all works out.
But faith ultimately requires that we trust God and wait to see how it will all work out for good. And we just may not understand until we get to heaven.
What are you worried about today? What is robbing you of “the peace that passeth all understanding”? Oswald Chambers wrote: “Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us.” Today, let us rest in the assurance that it’s His nature to love and care for His own, ultimately expressed in His provision of salvation. “The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made” (Psalm 145:13).
“So why should I worry?
Why should I fret?
‘Cause I’ve got a Mansion Builder
Who ain’t through with me yet.” *
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, You are the Great Provider who meets all our needs. We turn to worry when we consider ourselves to be the source of our provisions rather than Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. There is nothing we lack when we commit our ways to You and ask You to provide for our needs. You know what we have need of before we ask it, but You are pleased that we acknowledge You to be our Heavenly Benefactor who provides all our natural, physical, and spiritual resources. When our hearts are secure in You, we have no fear and, in the end, we will look in triumph on our foes. That’s because we serve a caring and generous God who faithfully watches over us especially during times of testing. Amen.
* “Mansion Builder” by Anne Herring. This song was sung by a group called “The Second Chapter of Acts” and takes us back to our early days in the faith!
Chaplain Stephen and Brooksyne Weber serve with Transport for Christ. Click here to contact the Webers.
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Tags: worry,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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The Surpassing Greatness
2008-05-12 13:18:00
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first" (Matthew 19:29,30).
An interesting event of Lancaster County is the benefit auction held annually for many Christian schools in our area. Though we usually attend the one that's just up the street from us we were unable to do so on Saturday due to Brooksyne's recent accident. But we watched the cars go by as many folks attend and support this worthy cause every year. Our rural lane has its greatest usage during the yearly Kraybill School Auction. Items in the auction are generally donated by local businesses and auctioned off to the highest bidder to benefit the school. Auctioneers are generally very colorful people, who apart from their distinctive "call", use humor to keep things moving.
During a sale I attended an auctioneer was trying to auction off a package from a local car wash and it wasn't moving very well. He broke the silence by telling a story: "Now I heard of a fella that didn't wanna wash his car because he reckoned the dirt was all that was holding it together." Following a few seconds of laughter the car wash package then sold at a good price!
It occurred to me that there is a spiritual lesson here. I have met people reluctant to come to Christ for fear that their only identity is the "dirt." Perhaps they feel that it is the only thing holding them together. An example of this is a heroin addict whose familiarity of addiction is like dirt gripping them from the freedom that Christ wants to give. This is also true of people associations. Many of us have heard the mocking line: "I don't care if I go to hell. I'll have plenty of friends to keep me company."
The daily Scripture portion has long intrigued me though I don't believe I ever preached from it. It describes a price for following Christ that very few reading this have ever had to pay. Yet throughout history and even in our modern day many have made such a sacrifice. (Consider the tremendous price paid by converts to Christ from the Islam religion.)
The point of the verse is not that we will necessarily have to leave that which we cherish so much on this earth but, comparatively speaking if we are called to do so, it will definitely be worth the price.
So today I urge you to place your faith in Christ and hold firmly to the Word of God. Whatever temporal vices you might choose to hold you together pales in comparison to the eternal benefits of following Christ. I end with the Apostle Paul's powerful perspective: "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, forgive us when we seek after temporal solutions to meet the deep yearnings of our heart. Your eternal solution was to send Jesus, Your Son, to give us life – a life that is no longer empty or imprisoned by sin's chains. Thank You for Jesus who came that we might have abundant life through His substitutionary death on our behalf. Nothing on earth and no person dear to our hearts deserves our allegiance more than our Savior. Thank You for coming; thank You for giving and thank You for saving us from ourselves. Amen.
Tags: worth the price,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Foundational Honor
2008-05-09 12:29:00
"Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12). "Her children arise and call her blessed" (Proverbs 31:28).
"Mother's Day" will be celebrated here in the United States on Sunday. This is a day when our country acknowledges the sacrificial contributions mothers make in the lives of their children. The theme of honoring our mothers also resonates in the pulpits across our land on Sunday. I am not aware if other countries have such a day designated but wherever you live, today's message is pertinent. I hope each mother reading this will be honored by the expression of the daily verses; her children rise up and call her "blessed."
My Mom was gloriously promoted to heaven in November 2005 and Brooksyne's in October 2002, so we both write from that perspective. Today in this message we want to rise up and call our mothers "blessed."
The command to honor our father and mother is a timeless one. I believe it is applicable all through childhood. We quoted Ephesians 6:1 often during Ester's childhood years: "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." But honor toward our parents is applicable after we reach adulthood and the attitude of this command still pertains even though our parents may now be deceased.
Today I urge each reader to rise up and call your mother blessed and to express honor toward her in your words and in your actions. For most of our readers this comes very naturally out of your gratitude for a loving and caring mother. But some of you have great pain from your upbringing and your relationship is far less than God's ideal. Perhaps even now there is an underlying heartache in your present relationship with your mother. But God's command to honor our father and mother has no exclusionary clause. I'm confident that He will give you the necessary grace to convey that honor, starting with the very fact that God breathed life into you as He knit you together in your mother's womb.
If your parents are living be sure to express your love and appreciation to them. Honor expressed toward them serves as a solid foundational base for all human honor.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, each spring as we see tiny featherless fledglings pressed against their mothers in the hollow of their family nest, we're reminded of the human love children experience from their parents' safekeeping. We thank You for the love and care You extend to us through the preordained parents who've cared for us from birth to independence. Thank You for their model of love, sacrifice, duty, protection, and many other virtuous qualities needed to properly raise their families. Their example greatly influenced the way we raise our own children.
We also pray for those whose relationship with their parent is a role reversal where they must act as the parent when their own parent behaves as a needy or defiant child. May Your multiplied mercies sustain these caregivers in their ongoing difficult role so that, above all, You are honored and they find deep peace in the midst of the turmoil. Thank You, Father, for our human family, our spiritual family, and for our heavenly family that awaits our arrival. In the name of Christ Jesus Your Son we pray, amen.
Tags: mother’s day,honoring parents,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Today I Choose
2008-05-08 10:52:00
"Choose you this day whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15).
Thirty-two years ago today Brooksyne and I stood before the altar in a little church in the Indian town of Sapulpa Oklahoma and pledged our love to each other in holy marriage. It's worked out very well and for that we are most grateful. Also on this date 29 years ago I was ordained to gospel ministry in York, PA.
Thank God by His grace I have stayed faithful to my wife and she to me and both of us in our call to serve Jesus Christ. We've had our disappointments, tears and sorrows. Like anyone running the spiritual race we've had trials (see news flash below for an update). In our 25 years of pastoral ministry we've been bitten a few times by the sheep. But we've also met lots and lots of people along the way who have blessed us greatly, including quite a few who are on this "Daily Encouragement" list.
When our family prays together we often conclude by reciting the daily verse. Joshua first uttered these words some 3,300 years ago after leading God's people into the Promised Land. His final sermon was a challenge to faithfulness and included this solemn affirmation of his own faith. "Choose you this day whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
I am struck by the significance of the words "this day" in the text. Certainly on the one hand it conveys a momentous decision to serve the Lord such as that decision made the day we were born again.
However in another sense it's an ongoing, regular, habitual choice to "this day" serve the Lord. After all, Joshua had chosen to follow the Lord many years before he made this call to the people. He surely wasn't making the choice for the first time!
I believe it's that way in our walk with the Lord and our walk with our spouse. Thirty-two years ago I made a public declaration of my love and commitment to Brooksyne as my "lawfully wedded wife". That was a big day for me. But daily since then (all 11,689 days) we have committed our love to one another and to the Lord. And by God's grace we will continue to do so until He calls us home. We welcome you all to join us this day.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: This is our prayer today and I encourage you to make it yours as well!
Come and fill our home with Your presence,
You alone are worthy of our rev'rence.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
We will serve the Lord.
Lord we vow to live holy, bowing our knees to You only.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,
We will serve the Lord.
Staying together, praying together,
Any storm we can weather trusting in God's Word.
We need each other, fathers and mothers,
Sisters and brothers in harmony and love. *
* "The Family Prayer Song" by Morris Chapman
Tags: blog,archive,daily encouragement,serving God,Wedding anniversary
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Circular Impact
2008-05-07 13:48:00
“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety” (Philippians 2:25-28).
Many years ago Stephen encouraged our congregation to make contact with the person who most influenced us in our spiritual walk. I considered my Sunday School teacher, Agatha Wise, from Tulsa, OK whom I hadn’t seen since I was a child. She had taught me during my Elementary years with great enthusiasm. Every Sunday she was well prepared, a great story teller, and her love for Jesus was evident in and outside of the classroom.
I called expecting to talk to a woman of great faith who was flourishing in the ways of the Lord. But instead she told me that she had been caring for her bedridden mother for a number of years and had gotten out of the practice of going to church. She still had faith but was not currently experiencing a vibrant walk with God.
Initially I was quite devastated by the conversation as I had always thought her to be a spiritual giant. As I recall, I prayed with her over the phone and followed up with a card of encouragement. In my personal devotions I asked God to renew her walk with Him. I saw her a few years later when I visited my folks in Tulsa. She told me that she had started back to church and was once again refreshed in her spiritual journey. I’m glad that I was able to encourage her in the ways of the Lord as she had encouraged me many times as a child. I realized from that experience that there are times when we are called to spiritually influence those who, in the past, have influenced us.
Paul had established the Philippian church and had a rather rough time while there, being beaten and imprisoned during his short ministry tenure. He was then essentially run out of town; however he made an impact. (God’s Word does not return void and any labor for the Lord is not in vain.) He wrote to encourage these young believers while he himself was imprisoned. Do you sense his earnestness in the daily text? Scroll back to the text and re-read it to get a fuller sense of the Biblical message today.
The Philippian believers were so troubled by Paul’s imprisonment that they sent their dear friend, Epaphroditis, to care for his needs. Paul was very appreciative and indicates his sincere love for Epaphroditis by writing that he would have had sorrow upon sorrow if Epaphroditus had died from his near death experience. He is anxious to send Epaphroditus back to his own people “so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.”
In our present world so much of what we do is motivated by the following attitudes: “What’s in it for me?” “How do I get ahead?” “You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours.” Paul, Epaphroditis, and the Philippian believers’ attitude is in stark contrast to the mindset of our own generation. Paul’s eagerness to care for the needs of the Philippian believers exceeded his own personal needs to have a comforting, believing friend by his side in a prison cell where he was surrounded by discomfort and godlessness.
There are many who have made a spiritual impact on our lives, so much so, that our lives are greatly improved because of it. It has resulted in our making a spiritual impact on others as well. But perhaps we may also need to make a circular impact by giving back to those who initially invested in our lives. If possible let’s tend to their needs (spiritual, emotional, physical, or otherwise). It may be that they have a need and God has commissioned you to meet it.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, help us to look not only to our own interests but also to the interest of others. May our attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being equal to You, did not consider this unique privilege to be more important than taking on human flesh to meet our spiritual needs. May we follow Christ’s supreme example of meeting the needs of others when You have commissioned us to do so. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray, amen.
Tags: giving back,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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The Fruit Of Deception
2008-05-06 15:48:00
"But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception" (Hosea 10:13).
F. E. Smith was a capable lawyer with a quick wit. He cross-examined a young man who was claiming damages for an arm injury caused by the negligence of a bus driver.
"Will you please show us how high you can lift your arm now as a result of the accident?" asked Smith. The young man slowly raised his arm to shoulder level, his face distorted with pain. "Thank you," said Smith. "And now, could you show us how high you could lift it before the accident?" The young man eagerly shot his arm up above his head. He lost the case!
Several weeks ago I sent a message with a photo of our neighbor's peacock and Tom, a friend from Arizona, sent me a stunning albino peacock photo... He thought I would enjoy it and wrote: "From everything I could find it's a real photo."
I know what he means. New photo and video techniques can doctor photos and videos in astoundingly realistic ways. A satire on a political figure can be ever so realistic. Some can mimic voices that sound so authentic the ear cannot tell the difference.
I noticed today's Scripture text several weeks ago when I shared a message from the verse preceding it: "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you" (Hosea 10:12).
This verse is immediately followed with the daily text and seems to present a contrast: "But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception." I was very intrigued by its timely message and at the time knew it was something I wanted to eventually write on. This passage concerns the northern Kingdom just prior to its destruction by the Assyrians about 2700 years ago.
Notice the parallelism in these two verses:
God's will is that His children: Sow for themselves righteousness.
But instead: They planted (sowed) wickedness.
God's will is that His children: Reap the fruit of unfailing love.
But instead: They reaped evil.
But it's the final phrase that particularly grips my attention: "You have eaten the fruit of deception."
Deception is misrepresentation and misleading falsehood and it abounds like never before. I firmly believe deception will increase as mankind continues to mock and shrug off God's commands. One of the final warnings from Jesus to His disciples was: "Let no one deceive you." Paul has a solemn warning concerning deception in Colossians 2:8: "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."
Today we need to be on our guard against the many forms of deception that we encounter, particularly spiritual deception that can lead us astray.
I believe this requires several disciplines:
• A personal relationship with Christ.
• A firm and growing knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make us wise unto salvation.
• A sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
• A solid foundational knowledge in church history and theology.
• An accountability to others in the body of Christ, particularly our elders.
• A discerning wariness of the "new".*
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, I pray that You will help me to sow for myself righteousness, so that I will reap the fruit of Your unfailing love. Break up the unplowed ground of my heart that is stony and hard so that I acknowledge my sins, receive Your forgiveness, and look to You for guidance. May I thoroughly discern the vain philosophies and empty deception that pervades our society. I want to seek Your will above man's agenda so that You shower Your blessings upon me. Amen.
Tags: deception,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Faulty Assumptions
2008-05-05 09:18:00
"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)
David Fisher is a sports chaplain and fellow encourager friend of ours from Canada. Several years ago we met after he stopped by our home and joined us for dinner. He was here for a game when the Toronto Blue Jays played Baltimore. Today I want to share an illustrative experience that David sent us regarding a visit to a Canadian Drive Thru restaurant:
Recently I was with several family members and we stopped for a coffee at Canada's favorite watering hole, "Tim Hortons". We didn't go into the coffee shop; we went through the famous Drive Thru.
We paused to give the attendant our order and waited for what seemed like an eternity, but nobody was coming on the intercom to take our order. One of us began to murmur and complain using phrases like: "They are awfully slow here." "I've had trouble here before." "There's nobody else in line." "What's the problem?" I added that I had experienced a few "slow" attendants at this particular Tims. The driver was getting very exasperated.
It was then that I observed and realized, much to our chagrin that we had stopped at the menu board, not at the place with the microphone and speaker where you place your order. We were "barking up the wrong tree" so to speak. We drove ahead a few feet, placed our order and were on our way in moments. Great service and quick, once we got to the right spot!"
The above illustration indicates that there was some misunderstanding among David's family members. They had drawn the wrong conclusion regarding where to place their order. I have to admit I've made the same mistake at drive through windows, but caught on just a bit quicker than his party! We can so easily draw the wrong conclusions and make faulty assumptions in life.
Chapter 32 of Numbers has some interesting thoughts about misunderstandings and assumptions in human relationships. Let's consider the historical background: the new generation of Israelites is camped east of the Jordan. Leaders from the tribes of Reuben and Gad made a request to Moses to settle and consider as their inheritance the lands east of the Jordan, which were suitable for livestock. Moses initially misunderstood their request, assuming they were attempting to dodge their responsibilities in the conquest of Canaan.
However, the leaders further clarified their proposal indicating that they would indeed be sending their fighting men to assist the other tribes and pledging that they would not return until the conquest was complete. Moses' tone changed with the clarification and he accepted their proposal, but reminded them of the consequences of failing to keep their word in our daily verse. Tracking through the history of the conquest we see they did indeed keep their word and were commended by Joshua for their faithfulness in Joshua 22.
There's a lot of good teaching in this chapter but let me just focus on the initial faulty assumption and reaction by Moses. I believe it typifies situations that occur frequently in life which leads to strife-filled relationships in the home, church, work and elsewhere. When the tribal leaders approached Moses he drew the wrong conclusion, assuming they were not going to do their part. (Perhaps the tribal leaders also erred in not being clearer in their initial proposal.)
Have you ever been like Moses and come to the wrong conclusion? I sure have. Communication and clarification can do a lot to bring healing and understanding in relationships. May God help us today to listen to one another and clarify as needed. And be careful with assumptions, you just may be "barking up the wrong tree!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, help us to be slow to speak, quick to listen, and eager to give the benefit of the doubt to others. We often jump to conclusions that are erroneous due to our own preconceived ideas or based on our past experiences. Give each of us an understanding heart and discerning spirit in our relations with others we intersect with on our daily paths. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
Tags: assumptions,strife,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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When We Wonder Why
2008-05-02 08:39:00
"After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah" (2 Chronicles 32:1).
I consider a friend of mine whom I've known for many years. Throughout his life he sought to serve God faithfully but in the last several years he has been dealing with a severe trial of lasting consequences. I speak to him periodically and hope to visit him soon but rejoice that he is staying faithful to the Lord through the trial. When he shared his story with me it was one of those stories that makes me shake my head and wonder, "Why?"
We often kid about Hezekiah being a book in the Bible (it isn't). Hezekiah was one of Judah’s greatest kings. When he became king the nation was in great apostasy (falling away from God's ways). His father Ahaz "had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD." Yet in spite of this example Hezekiah chose to follow the Lord.
2 Chronicles 29-31 records the major reforms made during Hezekiah’s time of leadership, ending with this statement: "This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD His God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered" (2 Chronicles 31:20, 21). That's a neat summary but the text doesn't stop there.
The statement in our daily verse immediately follows this and illustrates a powerful spiritual principle: “After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah.”
That principle is this: A time of greater testing often follows obedience and blessing. The remainder of chapter 32 records Hezekiah’s response to this invasion.
We desire to live our lives with a clear, sensible cause and effect relationship regarding what we face. But it doesn’t always work that way, does it? Hezekiah was faithfully serving God at the time of the enemy’s attack.
Today many of you are dealing with difficult situations in your life. You’ve sought to honor God and faithfully serve Him and you too may wonder, “Why?”
Many of these questions will not be answered till we get to the other side but here's a Scripture to meditate upon: "The Lord disciplines those He loves" (Hebrews 12:6). He is with us in the midst of His discipline and He provides soothing medicine for our wounded hearts through His Holy Scriptures. Rejoice in God’s faithfulness and steadfast love in the midst of His discipline!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we are but clay in Your hands. May You break down the hardened walls of our heart and reshape us into a useful vessel that is fully yielded to Your workmanship. As we are crafted by the Master Potter, painful as it may be, let our confidence be founded upon the Rock of Ages rather than the shifting sands of our circumstances. May we be faithful and obedient so that You pour out Your glory and honor through us, Your yielded vessels. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.
Tags: why,daily encouragement,archive,blog
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Prayer
2008-05-01 14:01:00
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
Last night I watched a few minutes of a broadcasted committee hearing held in our state capitol in Harrisburg. A group was presenting their case for a very sensible moral position, one which would have not been an issue less than 10 years ago. The lead spokesperson was a mild-mannered lady who thoughtfully and graciously presented her case.
One of the state senators, a vile man who is "retiring" due to his involvement with corruption, lashed out at her in a vicious and cynical verbal attack that I found extremely difficult to watch. I felt for this lady and scores of others who seek to do good in a culture that is in a deep and rapid moral decline. It's easy to become discouraged and weary under these circumstances.
Today is "National Day of Prayer" here in the USA. Daily Encouragement is sent to believers in many different countries all around the world and is written for the spiritual edification of all true believers regardless of where they live. I am unaware if other countries have official national days of prayer, but I hope that they do. I genuinely believe this is a very important day in our country where God has providentially ordained that I should live out my life here on this earth.
Organized efforts for prayer are held in large and small communities throughout the U.S. Here in Lancaster County we have a very well organized and focused prayer task force. The event began last night with a countywide youth rally and all through today there will be Bible reading and intercessory prayer at a large city park. Of course many communities have events as well all through the county and country.
Is it worth it? I'm sure I am not the only one who turns that question over in my mind at times. After all, the moral and spiritual state of our country continues to decline.
I believe the daily verse, although not specifically related to prayer addresses this question: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9). In prayer (as in other acts of obedience to God) we are "sowing" in a manner ordained by the Lord.
When we pray earnestly to the true God of heaven, through His Son Jesus Christ in faith and humility we are "doing good." Prayer does not always result in an immediate harvest but we have a wonderful promise that "we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." This harvest (reaping) will take place in the "proper time" ordained by God.
The "we" in the text are the people of God. The harvest is ultimately spiritual and eternal. The moral decline may very well continue and judgment will most certainly come. The people of God in past generations saw their countries experience God's judgment as a result of their sins. Consider the godly remnant who lived at the time of the fall of Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah. They lived through horrendous conditions yet in this very context Jeremiah declared "Great is Thy faithfulness."
So let me encourage you today, wherever you live, to continue to call out to the one true God. Whatever your circumstances, however serious your situation, regardless of how long you've waited; keep believing and obeying. Keep praying, for we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we ask you to be merciful to our land because You are a loving, forgiving God. You have called on us, Your children, to be a people of prayer and devotion. We pray for our land to repent of neglect and defiance of Your commands. We come against the powers of darkness that seek to extinguish the light of Your salvation that brings help and hope to weary souls in this life and secures their eternal place in heaven. Help us not to grow weary in our intercession, for we want to be faithful in prayer so that, at a future date, we will witness the harvest of souls. We pray for Your will to be accomplished in the name of Jesus, amen.
Chaplain Stephen and Brooksyne Weber serve with Transport for Christ. Click here to contact the Webers.
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