 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionTuesday, February 24, 2009  Jutiapa, Guatemala (photo by Marvin Culajay)  Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "My Cup Runneth Over!" "My cup runneth over" (Psalm 23:5). We serve as part-time chaplains in Longwood Manor, a large assisted living/nursing home type facility. Each week we spend several hours walking through the facility room by room visiting individually with the residents, often sharing Scripture or praying with them. Due to the continuity in care we are building friendships and trust over time. Late Saturday afternoon I received a call that one of the men wanted to see me so that he could take care of "some unfinished business." I drove over to find him sitting alone in the dining room. He's 90 years old and has had a long, full life but these last several months have been very hard for him with a succession of critical health-related issues. I pulled a chair up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was distressed and somewhat confused about his present circumstances, but I verified his faith in Christ and his preparedness for heaven. Like many in a situation like his, he was singly focused on his present trial and needed outside perspective. I shared with him the need to focus on his blessings as together we considered the Lord's goodness to Him all the years of his life. He had been staring aimlessly away from me, but at that point he looked right into my eyes. He then nodded his head with a contemplative look and responded, "You know, you're right." His outlook seemed to change from that point on. He then reminded me to bring Roxie next time. The residents are accustomed to seeing Roxie with us on our visits and sometimes we think they look forward to seeing Roxie as much or more than us!  But I am especially moved by the latter phrase in this famous psalm when David writes, "My cup runneth over." One of the great choices we make in life is how we view the cup of God's mercy in our lives. Many are focused on the aspect of lack rather than plenty. You've likely heard the illustration of optimists who see the glass half-full while pessimists see the glass half-empty. But we, who are truly growing in our faith will recognize that which God is doing in our lives, and choose to rejoice as we focus on the outpouring of God's blessings toward us. Today I urge each of you to consider God's blessings in your life. Surely some of you are going through a deep trial. But you make the choice to focus on your perceptible lack or on His sufficient resources. I pray that we all might truly declare with David, "My cup runneth over!" Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, You are our Shepherd who tenderly cares for all our needs. Your grace is beyond measure and more than sufficient for our daily needs. When we are weary and discouraged You restore our soul and renew our hope, in this life, and most especially through the eternal perspective of life's circumstances. Thank You for Your anointing and outpouring of blessings that overflow in our lives. For all that we have we give You thanks! Amen. 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. "Fill My Cup Lord" Video Today's photo of the lake and mountain in the backgound was taken in Jutiapa, Guatemala by Marvin, a young man who once lived with us when he was a little boy in the late eighties while he was up from Guatemala for medical treatment. This last weekend he visited this area in Guatemala and sent us some photos yesterday.  Here is a photo taken about twenty years ago when he was up in the States with us. He is with with two sisters, Shawna and Sharon, who were in the church we served at that time in northern Pennsylvania. A fond memory we have of Marvin was how proud he was to wear his tie to church. In fact he liked it so much he often wore it at home. He comes from a devout Christian family.Here's a current photo of Marvin and his family. He is now married with a child and is serving the Lord! He works for the Guatemalan Forestry Department. Here's a photo of Shawna and Sharon at the Shady Maple where we met them for lunch two years ago. Both are married with children and also faithfully serve the Lord. 3 John 1:4 |
 "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 2/23/09: $1,840.00) 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! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated 2/18/09 with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "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!) "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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