 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionMonday, January 19, 2009  Yesterday we passed this goat on the way home from our church service. Brooksyne rolled the window down and he was more than happy to pose for us remaining on his stump for several minutes as we gazed and shot several photos!  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Paying More Careful Attention" "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away" (Hebrews 2:1). Yesterday, early in the church service, I prayed and ended my prayer with "Amen" as most all of us do. A three year old, using her little girl voice, boldly followed my "Amen" with her own crescendoed solo of "A-men!" It brought a chuckle throughout the congregation. Brooksyne and I reflected on this humorous moment on the way home from church. Since this is only our third Sunday at the church we're still meeting some people for the first time. When we tried to shake three year old Kayla's hand she turned the other way on her daddy's lap. We tried to learn her name but not a word would cross her lips. She was so timid that she refused to communicate one on one, but she had to be listening pretty carefully to the prayer to properly respond in the manner that she did!  Today's Scripture warning from the book of Hebrews is so pertinent today. Paying attention is hard work. There are so many distractions. I came across this illustrative photo several years ago in a minister's magazine. Thankfully I have never encountered inattentiveness as extreme as this but it does illustrate the many distractive elements in modern life.In fact those who know me personally may recall that I am easily distracted. I'm not alone. I'm sure as a child I would have been quickly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, a relatively recently discovered psychological ailment. It's popular now to assign this "disorder" to every problem child. I sure was hyperactive and they needed to keep me away from the Kool-Aid. I almost got kicked out of Sunday School and recall causing grief to my Mom. Over the years I recognize the challenges inherent to my personality and with God's help I attempt to discipline myself to pay attention and overcome. And now in my mid-fifties I've been functioning, providing for my family and seeking to serve the Lord daily. People seem to like names for problems so I'll devise one that I believe is very common today, even among believers. Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder (SADD). Not paying attention affects every area of our lives, but so often neglected is spiritual attentiveness. The answer for this "disorder" is not a drug prescribed by a therapist. If so, Christian bookstores would stock their shelves full of these self-help drugs. Instead the answer is applying our hearts and minds so that we are obedient to the Scriptures. I like the way the writer of Hebrews uses the 1st person plural; "We must pay more careful attention." That speaks to me of personal will, personal responsibility, and applying personal discipline. SADD is a sad excuse. A rather obscure verse in the Old Testament describes the people's response to God's Word during a time of revival as "He (Ezra) read the Book of the Law aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law" (Nehemiah 8:3). A mark of genuine revival is giving proper respect and attentiveness to God's Word! God has called and equipped us to be overcomers in all areas of life including inattentiveness. Depending on the issue some have more overcoming than others but God is able and willing to meet us in our place of need. Today let us heed the clear warning of the Scripture and let us "pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, Your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Without it we would walk in darkness and be led astray. We want to give attention to Your Word but follow its instruction so that we will not drift from the truth. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Brooksyne's Note: I was moved by the further response of the people as Ezra opened the book and read to them: "The people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground" (Nehemiah 8:6). Perhaps this is the passage that prompts some churches to stand during the reading of Scripture. But I especially note the people's physical and verbal response – they lifted their hands and responded together, "Amen! Amen!" followed by bowing down in reverence and worship to God. Most all of our readers have had access to God's Word all our lives, can read it anytime we want, and yet we often neglect to do so. I think of those in closed countries who don't have access to Scripture and how they are so eager to hear or read the Word. I pray that in my heart I would heed the Scriptures more and be genuinely mindful of the privilege we have of possessing our own Bibles for inspiration and instruction.  Ester's sleepover friends this morning. They're also her Bible Quizzing teammates. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" Video version 1 A beautiful violin instrumental version followed by the song. Video version 2 An acapella version by Selah. |
 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 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $21,791.00 2009 YTD financial offerings through 1/18/09: $220.00 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. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "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 2009 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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