 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home · About Us ·  · Podcast · Free emailSee here for more info. Friday, October 24, 2008   Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Doing Right in the Eyes of the Lord" "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Where is our culture heading? As an American I ask where is my country heading and readers can do so regardless of where they live. When will the Judge of the universe act in a dramatic way as He has done so all throughout history? These are questions I have today particularly as I consider the moral apostasy evident in so many ways all around us. The Book of Judges ends with the summary statement that describes the moral climate of Israel as expressed in the daily text. The early part of the verse describes the period as a time when "there was no king in Israel." At this time, following the death of Moses and his successor Joshua, the kingdom had not been established and there were no kings but rather a succession of Judges. As later history proved, this in itself was not necessarily significant. When the nation had kings there were periods when the people earnestly followed and obeyed God. But there were also periods of spiritual decline and apostasy. However if we understand "king" in the sense of "moral authority" this portion has enduring meaning. Certainly in our time God's moral authority is neglected and rejected and evil is abounding. The latter part of the verse really sums up the period: "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." The NIV phrases it, "everyone did as he saw fit." The period of the Judges was one of the most barbaric times in history. Some are troubled at the events recorded and even wonder why they are mentioned in the Bible, but they merely document the sordid history of the period and the consequences of living without regard to God. Is it that much different than our day? Stories of lawlessness and barbarism are far too common in our own time. Listen to the news any given day and the increase in evil is evidenced all around us. Surely the phrase, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" describes our times as well and in the direction we are heading will increasingly do so. Fellow believer, let us who follow the Lord heed the words of Scripture through Moses: "Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 12:28). Today, let's strive to do what's good and right in the eyes of the Lord! Let us live under the realization that "the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). Let us commit our hearts fully to Him this day and receive His strength and blessing as we live in these very challenging times. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, we read throughout the period of the Judges that the people of Israel endured great heartache and spiritual defeat because each one became his own authority and acted on his own opinions of what was right and wrong. They did not make You the final authority; they disregarded Your holy laws and chose to do that which was right in their own eyes. We see this prevailing attitude in our own day. But as believers we acknowledge that our judgment is flawed and our motives are selfish when we do not submit our will to a holy God who knows what is best for His children. Today we want to obey Your laws and surrender our will as we seek to do what is good and right in Your eyes. This will result in our hearts being strengthened and our lives being blessed by You. Amen. Ministry update For those interested we direct you to a revised update in light of our 12th daily encouragement ministry anniversary this week. Earlier this week I included, "TEN PREDICTIONS NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION" A reader suggested I make this as a stand alone piece to distribute, so here it is. Last night I read a very interesting perspective from "Focus On The Family", a ministry I have valued for many years along with the wisdom of Dr. Dobson. It sure offers some very serious food for thought regarding the coming days. See here for pdf.  We passed this outstanding view yesterday. Of course the photo really doesn't do the view justice! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources  The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell us Corruption Disguised as FreedomBy David Kupelian / Cumberland House Publishing Millions of Americans today accept ideas and behaviors that would have horrified all previous generations. For example: Why is anti-Americanism becoming commonplace - among Americans? Why are parents increasingly afraid to let their children watch TV? Why is it increasingly hard to know if experts are telling us the truth? As veteran journalist David Kupelian documents in this stunning expose, the answers to these questions lie in the pervasive influence of what he calls "marketers of evil." By skillfully playing on our deeply felt national values of fairness, generosity, and tolerance, these marketers have persuaded us to embrace as enlightened and noble that which all previous generations since America's founding regarded as grossly self-destructive. Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 10/21/08 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 10/23/2008: $15,706.00) 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 from the list immediately. To remove your address 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" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "Clear Minded" - New this month. I plan to write and post longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. "A Little Foolishness" - A humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) I haven't had time or "inspiration" for this for awhile but it has several stories that get regular page views. "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.  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, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 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 |
Friday, October 24, 2008
Daily Encouragement (10/24/08) "Doing Right In The Eyes Of The Lord"
