 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionTuesday, December 2, 2008  As we walk into Darrenkamp's, a locally owned grocery store here in Mount Joy, we are greeted by this bright yellow tree with John Deere-themed ornaments!  Listen to us share this message on your audio player.Play podcast instrumental music only "The Consequences Of Sin" "Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance" (2 Samuel 11:2). Our pastor preached an outstanding sermon this last Sunday titled "An Affair to Remember" dealing with David's sin with Bathsheba. We need these hard hitting reminders of the consequences of sin and Pastor Bob tackled the matter with forthrightness and Biblical integrity. I consider the lustful temptations common to all and the many times I have dealt pastorally with those who have fallen into sin. As I prepare this message I consider several friends from Bible College and throughout my ministry that gave into lustful temptation and sinned in this regard. I also consider the devastating impact it had on their spiritual lives, their families and their ministry.  A great line from Pastor's message was the perspective of a country preacher. Perhaps you've heard it before. I know that Brooksyne has shared this viewpoint with Ester when instructing her about the choices one makes regarding disobedience toward God:
 The daily verse is innocent enough; a successful king taking a walk at night on the roof of his home; a woman bathing, a glance of beauty (perhaps unintentional). Thus far no major problem here. But many of you know what follows. We have here a profile of an individual's incremental slide into sin. David's glance toward beauty turned into a lustful gaze. "David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" What's he inquiring for? He was a married man. That should have settled it. And when the messenger reported that she is "the wife of Uriah the Hittite", that should have absolutely settled it then and there. But "David sent messengers and took her." It was all downhill from there on. The Life Application notes bring a stirring truth: "The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It's much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are halfway down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts." 2 Samuel 11 ends with this timeless assessment of sin from God's perspective: "But the thing David had done displeased the LORD." The following chapter and remainder of the book chronicle these harsh consequences that affected his family and the entire nation. It also serves as a powerful reminder to all of us that sin always has consequences. A lesson for all of us to heed. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father God, help each of us to understand the wiles of the devil and to be steadfast in our determination to resist temptation at each step. We want to be self-controlled and alert, standing firm in the faith as we resist the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking for someone to devour. Thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit to resist and to overcome. Amen. Brooksyne's Note: I guess it comes from the years of editing Stephen's writings where I enhance his thought or add my own that makes me want to add one more line to the country preacher's message about the sobering effects of sin:
2 Samuel 11 and 12 is the account of David's sin with Bathsheba. Psalm 51 is the record of his repentance. "The Consequences Of A Moral Failure" Webpage This material is adapted from a 1998 "Leadership" magazine article by Randy Alcorn and Eternal Perspective Ministries and is personalized for my own use and personal impact. This article also available as a printable .pdf I encourage every man and woman to adapt this for their own use or better yet start from scratch and develop your own. Today's text is so instructive in regard to the consequences of sin. In the midst of the narrative concerning his attempted cover-up David instructed Joab to intentionally place Uriah (Bathsheba's husband) in harms way that he might be slain. Joab surely had to violate his principles to do this but did so as commanded. "When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died" (2 Samuel 11:17). The underlined portion reveals some of the others who were impacted by this action besides Uriah. This is indicative of the large web weaved by personal sin. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources (Click on the link to open and play. In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) "Slow Fade" Video Due to a morning appointment I prepared most of this message last night while Brooksyne and Ester were out. When they came home they were listening to this song on one of our Christian radio stations (the first time we heard it). We immediately realized it's appropriateness for today's message! Slow Fade Teaching Video Mark Hall is the youth pastor who wrote the song and leads Casting Crowns. He shares an interesting perspective from Psalm 1 that prompted this song. "Holiness Is What I Long For" Video "Take My Life" Video A beautful rendering of an old hymn. Here's an audio of the original version. "Take Time To Be Holy" Video This is another old hymn you just don't hear much these days, but its message is very relevant and timeless. Pure Life Ministries An outstanding resource for overcomers. |
 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 12/01/08: $18,521.00) SUBSCRIPTION INFO  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "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 |
Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday. To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below. However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!
| You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com To unsubscribe click here or send a blank email to leave-1199322-29778931.3ca482100b92072753461f79e13fb4f8@pr4.netatlantic.com |  |
