 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home · About Us ·  · Podcast · Free emailSee here for more info. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionMonday, March 30, 2009   Listen to us share this message on your audio player."What Kind Of People Ought We To Be?" "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:10-12).  Thirty years ago the area in which we now live was in the midst of a gripping fear. There had been an accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, which is only 10 miles away from where we live. At that time I was just beginning my ministry in another part of Pennsylvania, but I remember the fears and speculations being made as to what might happen. I recall my older brother, Mike, calling from California and expressing concern. In retrospect living over 200 miles away from the accident site I don't recall sensing any urgent fear at that time, but was listening intently to any news regarding the potential disaster.However for those who lived in close proximity to the plant it was a very stressful time. Pregnant women and children were urged to leave the area. There was concern about the release of radiation or even a catastrophic meltdown. Thankfully the situation was contained and here we are thirty years later. I have a friend who was one of the technicians working at the plant at the very time of the accident. He shares an interesting perspective as to his being impounded on the island during the entire event.* Our daily text speaks of a future catastrophic event. "The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." Now certainly there are various interpretations regarding what this will entail but it certainly speaks of a level of cataclysmic destruction barely imaginable. My purpose in this encouragement is not to speculate as to what this event might be or just how it fits into an eschatological view. There are scores of books and various views written about the end times. The Apostle Peter gives us no further details, but goes on to ask the rhetorical question, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?" The same thought is directed to God's people today. Whether living in view of our imminent death or uncertainties concerning world situations, financial upheaval, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or the most certain future destruction of the current order. What kind of people ought we to be? We have the answer to this question answered by Peter. We ought to live holy and godly lives as we look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.  And how do we speed the Lord's coming? It is hastened by our obedience in fulfilling the great commission (Matthew 28:19,20). Peter wrote that God is not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (1 Peter 3:9). Another way we hasten the Lord's coming is mentioned in the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:10). Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come…" And lastly, we speed His coming by living holy and godly lives.Today, let us heed these solemn words from the Holy Scriptures. An event far greater than the worst type of nuclear accident, natural disaster or terrorist attack is forthcoming. Our call as followers of Christ remains to live holy and godly lives, to look forward to that glorious Day, and to do our part in speeding its coming. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, You desire that we live holy and godly lives as we eagerly await the reappearing of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing here on earth compares with the anticipation we feel about that glorious day. We want to speed Christ's coming by sharing the gospel message to those near and far. Help us not to be timid or apathetic, but keep us enthused and eager to share the message of salvation so that we speed Your Son's return. Amen. * My friend continues to work at Three Mile Island. (It's called Three Mile island due to it being an island in the Susquehanna River) The unit that was involved in the accident is no longer used, but the other unit (which was not involved in the accident) still produces electricity. This weekend we had some guests in our home. Yesterday our friends joined us for church service, a meal and an afternoon service and visiting at Longwood Manor Assisted Living Center.  The team horses were glad to have the day off work!  When we took them back for milking in the late afternoon the kids were understandably very tired and fell asleep in the van. They spent the afternoon going room to room in the Assisted Living Facility shaking hands with the residents while sharing a song and a smile! 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. "Holiness Is What I Long For" Video Audio "Take My Life" Video Audio "Take My Life and Let It Be" Audio 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 3/29/09: $2,850.00)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 either 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 meet 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 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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