| A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionWednesday, September 17, 2008   Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Are You Ready?" "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matthew 24:44).  We might get the remnants of tropical storms, but our area here in south central Pennsylvania is rarely seriously affected by hurricanes, but I do recall our years in New England. For days leading up to the predicted landfall of the hurricane warning, residents would stock up on bread and milk and hunker down to survive. Locals told me this mentality goes back to a devastating hurricane in 1938 and the Blizzard of '78. Most schools, many businesses, and other activities are cancelled. Well, I must admit when we lived in New England I was kind of excited about being in a real hurricane since growing up in the Kansas City Missouri area we didn't have them. (But we did have tornadoes!) However, in our 7½ years of living in Massachusetts we never had one severe enough to adversely affect those inland (aside from some wind damage). Jesus stressed getting ready as well. Unambiguously He declared to His disciples in His long teaching on the Mount of Olives, "You also must be ready." He's speaking of His promised return to earth; a future event which devout believers hold dear. But today many mock and unbelievers scoff at the mention of the return of Christ. Sadly in my observation even in much of the visible church it is too often unproclaimed or underproclaimed. Most ignore it. In fact Jesus Himself likened it to the days of Noah. People went about their business unaware of their impending doom. Perhaps the economy was strong and people were living well. They reasoned, "Who needs to listen to that crazy preacher building a boat? Similar to the days of Solomon, "A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry" (Ecclesiastes 8:15). Jesus said, "You also must be ready." But He went on to state, "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." So we have a very forthright warning from Jesus Himself. However, regarding the specific date or time of His return we do not know, even though all throughout the age of the church countless attempts have been made by foolish and even well-meaning people. (I just glanced at the headline of an article that contends Jesus will come in 2013!) So the focus is not so much on the unknown date, as it is on living in a state of preparedness for the Lord's return. We won't have time to get ready at the trumpet sound, so we must be ready before that great and glorious moment when Jesus appears in the Eastern clouds. Through Scripture we have been adequately warned. Have you heeded that warning? Are you prepared? Are you warning others? Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, depending on the state of our hearts we view the Scripture about the return of Your Son as a warning or as a welcoming. We prepare our hearts by seeking You for the forgiveness of sins and inviting You to reign in our lives. We pray for those we love that they too will make spiritual preparations to be ready for the trumpet sound when the dead in Christ rise first and then we who remain will be caught up to meet Jesus in the skies. We have been warned, we are prepared, and we welcome with great anticipation the second coming of our Lord. We lift up our heads as our redemption draws near. Amen. For further Scripture regarding the second coming of Christ see I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Revelation 1:7. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Hallelujah, What A Savior!" I was actually looking for a classic hymn when I came across this powerful song by the same name by Vicky Beeching. It has very interesting graphics and Scripture references. "Soon And Very Soon" Back in our early years as followers of Christ this was a popular song and it's still true! We recall hearing "Andrae Crouch and the Disciples" live several times. "The King Is Coming" A magnificent reminder of this future glorious event! For further study concerning today's message here are two Bible Study booklets from the RBC Discovery Series available online as a pdf. "What Can We Know About The Endtimes?" pdf "What Can We Know About The Second Coming?" pdf Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. Please note: Several days last week (September 8-12) the web contact form was not working properly and we did not receive any messages sent to us using it. Please use this email address until I can get the form fixed (or merely reply to any message.) |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber - May 6, 2008 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 04/15/08  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 daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details. (2008 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net through 9/16/2008: $14,954.00)SUBSCRIPTION INFO  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address immediately. To remove your address from this mailing list merely use the link automatically inserted 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 these messages 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.  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  "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
