 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Messages · Archives ·  Archive/print editionThursday, July 23, 2009  This outstanding photo of a bee collecting nectar was taken by our friend Mike Book. I am most impressed by the translucent wings! (Note however that this is not a honeybee) Click here for a larger sized photo.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player"Sweeter Than Honey!" "The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:9-11). "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103).  Yesterday we visited the Appalachian Apiary in western Maryland. An apiary is the formal name for a bee farm and our friend Dean has established an amazing operation over the last couple of years since acquiring a farm built over 200 years ago. As I walked over the farm with Dean he explained to me how it works. Essentially the house and barn sit between two large fields with bee hives. The bees will go out to the surrounding area up to a mile to collect nectar from flowering plants and then return to the hive to produce honey.If you are like me when you consider bees you might first consider their God-given defense mechanism. I have been on the skin side of their sting several times and it sure isn't pleasant! However for me it's merely a pain followed by deep itching and a bit of swelling. For others the sting may trigger a dangerous anaphylactic reaction that is potentially deadly. But when we think of bees we also consider honey. We recall a song sung years ago by Music Machine, "Bees make honey and it sure tastes good…" Neither Brooksyne nor I can remember how it goes after that, but it was based on the sixth fruit of the spirit, "Goodness". Well, bees do make honey (although I would rather not dwell on the process as Dean explained it to me) and honey sure does taste good. In Biblical times with no availability of processed sugar honey was the standard for sweetness. The famous description of the Promised Land was, "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Leviticus 20:24).  Both Psalm 19 and Psalm 119 are a wonderful extolling of the Word of God. David would have had far less of the written Word than we have today, since much of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament were not yet written. Yet he declared, "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" May we all have this same attitude concerning His Words as they apply to our lives. Consider this the next time you enjoy some honey! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, You bless those those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The sweetness of Your Word is like honey in our mouth that reminds us of Your faithfulness, Your goodness and Your mercy that overflows into our lives as You forgive us of our sins and provide us with an abundant life. Your Words are a sweet savor to our soul as we walk obediently according to Your Word. Amen. The Appalachian Apiary  We visited Dean & Jill yesterday on their Appalachian Apiary in western Maryland. They have an interesting story and a source of hope for all who wait for God to bring a marital mate into their lives. Dean was single in his early forties and Jill single in her mid thirties. They met in early 2005, married in September 2005, had their first child in July 2006 and now have three under three with twins on the way! Dean's mother Marilyn is a friend we met through daily encouragement about eight years ago and of course is now a very thankful grandmother.  Dean operates the the apiary with scores of hives swarming with millions of bees. (The hives are in the foreground although at first glance it may look like a cemetery!) I especially like the old bank barn with the ivy-covered stone wall.  The family lives in this stone farmhouse built in 1790 and they feel that George Washington likely visited it since he was in that area and they are near a main road dating from that time. We shared a nice meal together ending with peach and cherry pies. We topped them off with homemade ice cream which was made not with sugar but honey!  The smokehouse is in the background.  They have some interesting pets including this Hyacinth Macaw.  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.) "Word Of God Speak" Video MercyMe "Psalm 19:13,14" Audio From the Integrity Scripture Memory Series. (after opening page click on "play") How bees make honey If anyone can recall the rest of the song that has the line "Bees make honey and it sure tastes good" please let us know! We are both interested. 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 7/22/09: $6,115.00)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. or as an email subscription update through feedburner. Subscribe to Daily Encouragement Updates by EmailCancel: 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. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended 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. 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  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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