 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionThursday, May 14, 2009  We pass this old farmhouse on the way to church. The rocking chairs and porch swing convey welcome and warmth!  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."The Voice Of Truth" "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). It was a pleasant spring afternoon as we drove through the winding Lancaster County countryside to our church for the midweek service yesterday. The lush green is visible in the lawns, trees and farm fields. Children were riding bikes and playing in their yards, always a wholesome, pleasant sight.  We passed an elderly couple sitting on their front porch who appeared to be watching every car as it passed by. We waved and they promptly waved back as if delighted by the acknowledgment! Thinking about this in hindsight it's my guess that this couple has been front porch sitting in this locale for years and is quite familiar with passersby in their area. It was around the hour that people are leaving work and likely they knew several who would be heading home for dinner about that time. What a blessing it is to have someone cheerfully wave as you're coming home after a weary day at work!We're all creatures of habit and those who surround us come to know our schedules, our habits, our likes and dislikes, our walk, our voices, and our way of looking at things. Certainly, as believers, we've become familiar with our Master's voice as we devote ourselves to reading the Scriptures, particularly the gospels, which of course have the very words of Christ. The gospel writers recorded many instances where Jesus spoke to His followers regarding who He was and instructed them in the ways they were to follow Him. We know the Master's voice; some of us have followed His instruction for many years. Yet there are a lot of voices still calling out to us; voices that cry out, "You must have this or do that to find fulfillment." Some of these voices may be neutral but other masqueraded voices have an underpinning attitude of greed, envy, lust and other such ungodly traits. There are voices that may tell us we are not really God's children or that we'll never amount to anything in life based on past failures. There are voices prompting fear and anxiety. And there are many more voices crying out to us.  But I strive to keep my attention on the Voice of Truth; the voice of the Good Shepherd, who knows me. I reaffirm my choice this day to follow Him. The daily text are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me." The song "The Voice Of Truth" has a line in it that states, "But the voice of truth tells me a different story." The challenge is to stay focused on the Voice of Truth! Those other voices can really be loud, persistent, alluring and even demanding, but they have no vested interest in my eternal welfare. God who often speaks in the "still, small voice" and at times in a whisper says, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them…" How good and reassuring it is to not only hear the voice of our Shepherd, but to know that He is also very familiar with my voice and all my ways (Psalm 139:3). One of the very first Scriptures I memorized over 30 years ago is Isaiah 26:3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." When my mind wanders off into fear territory where other voices beckon me, this verse draws my spirit back into the inner sanctum of perfect peace where Jesus resides and trust is gained. Today may we all indeed "choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth." "But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story. The Voice of Truth says 'Do not be afraid'. And the Voice of Truth says 'This is for my glory'. Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, Your Word cautions us to test the spirits, to see if they are from You or from the master deceiver. The voices that we choose to hear should always guide our hearts to the Master Shepherd; not to other vices, negative attitudes, or to self-glorification. As we seek after Your heart, we will easily recognize the voice of Jesus our Shepherd and desire to follow Him in all our ways. 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. "My Sheep Hear My Voice" Today's Scripture text in audio from the Integrity Scripture Memory series. Listening to these songs are a great way to memorize God's Word! Here's a directory of these songs available online. "The Voice Of Truth" Video Casting Crowns This evening I am excited about attending a banquet at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord where Ken Ham of "Answers in Genesis" will speak for a local ministry called Associates for Biblical Research. My brother Pat will join me as I bought him a ticket for his birthday which was yesterday! This satirical piece referencing Ken Ham has far more than a smidgen of truth! "The Truth Project" Helpful resources for contenders for truth!  The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception By John MacArthur / Thomas NelsonI came across this interesting history of the front porch here in America.  I took this photo several years ago at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Some of the sheep on display were dressed in Spandex, I suppose to keep them warm! Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 05/08/09  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 5/13/09: $3,525.00)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 |
Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday. To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below. However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!
| You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com To unsubscribe click here or send a blank email to leave-1436741-29778931.3ca482100b92072753461f79e13fb4f8@pr4.netatlantic.com |  |
