   A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionMonday, February 16, 2009  Yesterday we passed this rather rare sight here in Lancaster County, an old abandoned farmhouse with boarded up windows. Since property has great value in this area, especially old stone farmhouses, I assume it's due to some type of estate dispute.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Lessons From Mr. Wonderful" "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this" (2 Timothy 2:7).  This last weekend we celebrated Valentine's Day, a wonderful time to celebrate romantic and marital love. Several years ago I sure got an interesting gift from Brooksyne on Valentine's Day that still brings back a chuckle when we reminisce. "Mr. Wonderful" is a handsome doll with a big smile (big feet also.) When you press his cloth hand, in his distinguished deep male voice, he utters phrases like, "Thinking of you is the best part of my whole day." Or "You're perfect JUST the way you are; I wouldn't change ONE thing." Well, through the years we have sure gotten a kick out of Mr. Wonderful but the humorous doll also brought some conviction one time. We were going out and since I thought she was ready to go I got in the car and … waited and waited. I started to get agitated, but then strangely enough the patient and pleasant voice of Mr. Wonderful suddenly began to repeat over and over in my mind, "Darling, take just as long as you want to get ready, I don't mind waiting one bit." I smiled to myself as I realized the Lord was using a silly doll to bring needed conviction toward my impatience.* Now, what spiritual truth am I going to get out of this story, you may wonder? 2 Timothy 2:7 states, "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this." The apostle Paul urged Timothy to reflect on what he was saying. By extension I apply this concept to the whole of Scripture. The sense of the word "reflect" is "to understand, to think over, to consider." The Amplified Version states, "Think over these things I am saying [understand them and grasp their application]." That's why Scripture study and memorization are so important to the maturing Christian. As we face a circumstance in life the Holy Spirit can bring to our remembrance a portion of the Word we have read (just as I had recalled Mr. Wonderful's thoughts) and provide an application to the very situation we are in. Paul continues, "For the Lord will give you insight into all this." As we faithfully reflect, the Lord faithfully gives insight We may chuckle at how a little "Mr. Wonderful" doll can give a perspective and even some conviction on a life situation, but the deeper truth today is the joy of experiencing the transforming power and perspective of God's Word! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, I thank You for the insight given to us through Your Holy Scripture that makes us wise unto salvation and brings understanding to our interpretation of Scripture. Keep us on the right path and help us to be careful to reflect and ponder the truths that teach us the right way to live. Amen. * Note from Brooksyne: I remember quite well the story of Stephen waiting in the driveway. My side of the story is that he "thought" I was ready and I "thought" we were leaving in about 20 minutes. I had no idea he was in the car waiting. Many misunderstandings and arguments are a result of false assumptions. When I got into the car that day I noticed Stephen's strange sort of smile and we both knew the Mr. Wonderful I had just given him that morning contributed to our peaceful and laughable departure out of the driveway as he explained to me just what took place. Regarding the Scripture text today it reminds me of a wise woman who gave counsel to another young believer. She was fairly new in the faith and there were many truths she was learning about God and living the Christian life. She told her, "There are some teachings that I don't understand presently but I don't immediately discard their value or application. I just put it on a shelf in my mind and later I might pull it off for further examination and application as God makes it more clearly to me." I found that to be wise counsel as there are many teachings that require prayerful examination from God's Word to help us clarify truth from error. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 01/20/09  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. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 2/15/09: $1,565.00) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  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 these messages no longer meets your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who may 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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