 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Thursday, November 13, 2008  Yesterday we travelled through an old order Mennonite area in northeast Lancaster County. The Wenger Mennonites are similar to the Amish but in fact are a distinct group.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player.Play podcast instrumental music only "Worthy Conduct" "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you" (Philippians 1:27,28). Last night we had a couple over from York, Rick and Rachel Caldwell, for a Mexican dinner and discussed our common desire to honor Christ and live with a Kingdom purpose. We discussed the challenges that very well may be ahead for the faithful and as we prayed I shared today's verse and considered its application for our lives. I memorized this verse many years ago. "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." I suggest reading the verse in the first person, "Whatever happens, I will conduct myself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." In personal application I see it as a challenge to resolve in our hearts that we will stay faithful to Christ, seeking to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of Him. Today I am especially drawn to the phrase "Whatever happens..." I have always considered the "whatever" to mean whatever happens to me (Stephen Weber or any reader of the passage.) That is, whether I am having a good day or a bad day, whether things are going well or I'm going down a rough road; whatever happens to me I am to conduct myself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Now this is certainly a valid outlook in life and I will continue to see the passage this way, yet as I consider the contextual interpretation, I consider another intention that Paul likely had. Just prior to this verse Paul had written concerning his own realization that he would continue to live for Christ or he might die for Him (martyrdom). When Paul originally wrote this passage I believe he was instructing the Christians at Philippi, "Whatever happens to me (Paul) you are to conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." He goes on to write, "Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence..." Now what really intrigues me is that Paul had every intention of seeing the Philippian believers if it was God's will that he remain alive. However it was also his firm expectation that should this not be the case, I will "only hear about you in my absence." The "absence" in this context would be his departure to be with the Lord (his death). This is similar to his statement in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." He is confident that if that were the case (his being with the Lord) he would still hear the good report that the Philippians were "standing firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." Our service for the Lord Jesus Christ has eternal consequences. When we, in our divinely appointed time, are absent from the body and at home with the Lord, like Paul we will see the ongoing results of our ministry. Let us stay faithful and rejoice in the fruit of our labor as we daily seek to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, we praise You and give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy and most especially the freedom to worship You. But we know that there are many regions in our world where Christians are persecuted and suffer martyrdom at the hands of those who are enemies of the cross. We lift them up to You in prayer and ask that You will give them supernatural strength and unyielding resolve to stand up for You in the face of evil surroundings and conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. May they never return evil for evil, but rather good for evil. Though wicked men may destroy the flesh, they cannot rob the soul of inner peace and the uncompromising determination to "stand firm unto the end." Sustain those who have endured the painful loss of loved ones as well as those whose family members are being held captive and are presently enduring persecution. May You be glorified in the midst of these horribly adverse circumstances and may souls be saved for the kingdom. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Today's text, Philippians 1:12-30 is here. Humorous note: As a chaplain I account to a minister in my chaplaincy organization by the name of Al Worthley. Today I sent him an email and the automatic spellchecker wanted to change his name to "Worthless". Now Al has shown real interest, support and encouragement in regard to both phases of my ministry (company and internet chaplaincy) and his service has by no means been worthless, but rather very much worthwhile!  Rick and Rachel Caldwell joined us for dinner and fellowship last night. They seek to honor the Lord in their business. More photos from our journey yesterday.   The Wenger Mennonite farms are very tidy and well-kept. Due to their large families and retention their numbers are growing and they are settling in other areas as well.  They harvest the corn and bundle them into shocks to dry out. They prefer older farming methods.  These miniature ponies are about 3 feet tall! We passed a field with lots of them yesterday. Here's a brief descriptive article on the Wenger Mennonites. Here's a longer article about the Wenger Mennonites from Donald Kraybill's book, "Horse-and-Buggy Mennonites - Hoofbeats of Humility in a Postmodern World." This is actually the first chapter. I read this book several years ago and it was very interesting and informative. Today's photos were taken near this area where the Wenger Mennonites are especially congregated. (google map) Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources |
 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 11/12/08: $16,886.00) 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" - 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 |
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