 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionMonday, March 2, 2009  This morning we are getting a pleasant snowfall. It's especially pleasant since we are working inside our home office all day and don't expect to get out (unless we get an emergency call)! This photo was taken on a similar snowy day two years ago in our neighborhood.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "Blessed!" "Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you" (Psalm 84:4). Today we are getting a beautiful snowfall as we prepare this message. It's a gentle, steady accumulation that is blanketing our view with a brilliant white carpet of snow. In fact it hurts my eyes a bit as I look out from our home office window! But with spiritual eyes I want to see this as a parallel to God's blessings being poured down on me, which in reality they truly are. The Father speaks to my heart and reminds me that I often take His love and care for granted. How often I fail to praise God from whom all blessings flow. I can mis-focus and, instead of the things on earth becoming less alluring, they can actually consume my attention and heart's affection. That kind of attitude will eventually lead to despair. Psalm 84 was written by the "sons of Korah", who wrote a total of eleven Psalms. They are not to be identified with the Korah who led a rebellion against Moses, but rather among the singers and worshippers of God who lived during the Kingdom period. Their exact identity is unknown, but we likely find a reference to them in 2 Chronicles 20:19, "Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice." I find it interesting to do a study of those whom the Bible refers to as "blessed". Of course I would consider the Beatitudes. Psalm 1:1 readily comes to mind as well. Our daily Scripture text states, "Blessed are those who dwell in your house." Now this could mean those who abide in the temple or in our day the church, but I think it far more likely has the sense of those who abide in "God's Presence".  We know God's presence was in the temple and we certainly expect His presence in the church we attend, but I am thankful that we can indeed "dwell" in His presence all the time. One of the preeminent attributes of God is His omnipresence.  Theologian A.W. Tozer observes, "The doctrine of the divine omnipresence personalizes man's relation to the universe in which he finds himself. This great central truth gives meaning to all other truths and imparts supreme value to all his little life." The word "dwell" (Hebrew "yashab") means to abide, continue or remain. Jesus spoke of abiding in Him in the gospel of John. "Abide in me, and I will abide in you" (John 15:4). We now have the assurance of His abiding presence wherever we are! He is with you right now and desires your heartfelt devotion and fellowship. "They are ever praising you." Should I desire I could praise the Lord in a very loud voice right now! Some of our readers are presently in settings where this is not possible, but nevertheless we can always praise the Lord. Hebrews 13:15 states, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess His name." Wherever you are you can surely offer up a prayer from your heart and praise to the King of kings and do so throughout this day. May our lives be characterized by praise to God as we dwell continually in His presence! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, there is a place of quiet rest and spiritual uplifting when we draw near to You. So many activities, attractions, and affections rival for our attention. But when we prioritize by giving You first place we give opportunity for You to "show your love to a thousand generations of those who love you and keep your commandments." We want to continually offer to You a sacrifice of praise through our lips that confess Your name and through our lives that reveal Your transforming power at work within us. We do this through the power of Your Holy Spirit. We bless and praise You in Jesus' name. Amen. As I prepared the message I recalled a song that was popular years ago: Wherever I am I'll praise him; Whenever I can I'll praise him; For his love surrounds me like the sea. I'll praise the name of Jesus; Lift up the name of Jesus; For the name of Jesus lifted me. 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. |
 "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 2/28/09: $1,970.00) 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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