A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Easy read/print edition Tuesday, February 19, 2008  Rose arrangement (photo by Doris High) Tonight Brooksyne and I will be going to a sweetheart banquet with other ministers in our area.  Listen to this message on your audio player. "Chapters Of Life" "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed" (Acts 13:36).  Last night we replaced our aging laptop computer and I consider chapters in my life based on computers beginning with my very first computer, a used XT-286 machine (similar to the one pictured). I read that the XT was initially priced at $8,000 when it first came out in 1983. That was for the deluxe version with 640 KB RAM, 10 MB HDD and a color monitor! Now we are on our 7th desktop and 4th laptop. And the new models are practically light years away in capability. For instance our new laptop has 2GB RAM and a 160GB hard drive.In Michael W. Smith’s song “Friends” there’s a line that states, "A chapter in your life is through.” Consider your life's journey as a series of chapters. You can do this in a variety of ways such relational, vocational or geography. I’ve had several long chapters based on where I have lived such as my childhood in the Kansas City area, my college years in Springfield Missouri, and my years of pastoral ministry in St. Marys, Pennsylvania and Taunton, Massachusetts. For seven years now we’ve lived here in Lancaster County, serving in chaplaincy and developing this internet ministry. As in a book, the chapters of our life are intertwined. I am grateful that there are recipients of this devotional from each chapter in my life; my family, a 1st grade friend, college friends, people who were in our churches, right up to those whom I have met just recently. If you think about it, you have people like that in your life as well don't you? I sure hope so! Each chapter in our life is a part of the overall fulfillment of God's purpose. Consider the daily text. In the historical books we have a lot of information on David. In fact perhaps apart from Moses, we have more biographical information on David than any other Old Testament personality. But the apostle Paul, preaching in a Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, makes a simple statement concerning David's life, "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation." God places us all on this earth for a season, a period of time known as our "own generation.” Like David all of us (except the final generation) will eventually fall asleep (die) and our bodies will decay. We can live our life for self or in consecration to God's purpose. Recall the old saying, “Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." Today, let us, like David, seek to serve God’s purpose in our generation in each chapter of life! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Lord, today help me to live my life in a manner that fulfills Your purpose! Note: Today Brooksyne had an early morning appointment and was unable to help me prepare the message. So please pardon the likelihood of grammar errors and the short prayer!   Here's a photo of our new laptop. It will take me several hours to set it up for Brooksyne, loading all the programs we use to prepare these messages and the data. She normally works besides me each morning using a laptop while I use a larger desktop. However this laptop has a 17 inch screen so it's not much smaller! For history buffs info about the IBM XT, similar to my first computer, is here.Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "My Life Is An Offering" (Audio) "Offering" (Audio) "The Law Of Rewards" (A thoughtful article on living a life of purpose.) Here's a quote by Randy Alcorn. "Gather your family and go visit a junkyard or a dump. Look at all the piles of “treasures” that were formerly Christmas and birthday presents. Point out things that people worked long hours to buy and paid hundreds of dollars for, that children quarreled about, friendships were lost over, honesty was sacrificed for, and marriages broke up over. Look at the remnants of gadgets and furnishings that now lie useless after their brief life span. Remind yourself that most of what you own will one day end up in a junkyard like this. And even if it survives on earth for a while, you won’t. . . . When you examine the junkyard, ask yourself this question: ‘When all that I ever owned lies abandoned, broken, useless, and forgotten, what will I have done with my life that will last for eternity?" |
Administration Information  Stephen, Brooksyne and Ester Weber  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this encouragement ministry? Thanks! See here for details. (2008 YTD financial offerings through 2/18/2008 $1,700.00)Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list merely use the link automatically placed by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who do not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Please feel free to pass this message on! "A Daily Prayer" - The daily prayer from each daily encouragement message. "A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination. "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the church.  Musical playlists Classic hymns mix Christian eclectic mix Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." How to become a child of God 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. Used by permission; and the King James Version. © Copyright 2008 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  |
