 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Messages · Archives ·  Archive/print editionWednesday, September 23, 2009  Listen to us share this message on your audio player"Little Children" "When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'" (Mark 10:14). "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).  Early this week we attended a retreat in Maryland. Our speakers were Doug and Charlotte Sider from Canada, where Doug pastored for many years. As Doug concluded his final message he drew a touching story from his past pastoral experience. He shared how he liked to express encouragement and appreciation to those who ministered in various ways in his church. He decided on one particular Sunday that he would express his appreciation to the nursery workers. As he approached the nursery he detected the unmistakable odor as it wafted into the hallway. He had to brace himself to walk into the nursery at such a time, but then he heard a man's voice singing, "Jesus Loves You". As he entered the nursery where heavy duty care was being given he saw the worker doing the nasty job of changing a messy diaper as he also sang to the baby. The nursery worker turned out to be the CEO of a company, not the typical nursery worker that we imagine as we think of this particular ministry in the church. Pastor Sider was taken back by the touching scene, walked over to him, and said "John, that's so nice that you would take a turn at babysitting." He quickly replied, "Pastor, I'm not babysitting, I'm sharing God's love with the next generation of Christians." It touched Pastor Sider's heart and it touches mine as I write this message today. John had a healthy view of ministry with an eternal perspective that many forget about as they reluctantly volunteer to serve; whether in the nursery or other areas of Christian service less esteemed by others! Today's text is the only time in the gospels the word "indignant" ("much displeased" in the KJV) is used to describe Jesus' attitude. The word in the Amplified Version is described as "indignant and pained." This was directed to the disciples who rebuked those who were bringing little children to Jesus. Perhaps they thought they were doing the Lord a favor by protecting Him from the nuisance of those who had come bringing little children for Him to touch. His time was limited, crowds took up valuable space, children were noisy and pampers were yet to be made available so babies could also be smelly. Jesus had more important "adult" issues to deal with. Yet Jesus responded, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." I am particularly intrigued by the phrase, "for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." The phrase "such as these" refers to the children and those who brought them. Jesus wanted them to come to Him and not be hindered by unauthorized screening from the disciples. The living Lord continues to proclaim to our generation, "Let the little children come unto me." Of course I am aware that this passage is not specifically related to babies in a nursery but the principle remains the same. Those who are created by our Savior are to be cherished by His servants. May we never hamper these innocent lives but instead let us embrace them in our affections, through our Christian service, and by our prayerful intercession. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, You welcome all to be a part of Your kingdom: the young and the old, the weak and the strong, those born in ideal circumstances and those conceived in the worst imaginable settings. All the days ordained for our lives were written in Your book before one of them came to be. May our welcoming voices and warm touch make an eternal difference to innocent lives born in our hostile world, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Please note: We were at a minister's retreat at Sandy Cove (a beautiful conference center on Chesapeake Bay in Maryland) this past Monday and Tuesday and were unable to prepare daily encouragement messages. Here are several photos from our neck of the woods.   Later in the afternoon we drove down to the tip of the peninsula to Elk Neck state park and walked out to the point and saw the Turkey Hill lighthouse, which was built in 1833. Here we witnessed one of the most astounding public safety hazards we've ever seen. Although there are signs as you enter the park warning of steep cliffs we expected a fence before we got to them. Brooksyne walked a concrete sidewalk that ended right at the edge of the cliff! We sure wouldn't want to take children to this park! Here's an arial view of Turkey Point Lighthouse showing the walkway leading to the cliff. This past weekend we had dinner with Jack and Milly Provard, long-time friends we first met when we served a pastorate in northern PA and Jack served in a neighboring town. Jack and Milly contine to faithfully serve the Lord and recently assumed an interim pastoral role in northeast Pennsylvania. They have been married over 55 years and Jack has been ordained in pastoral ministry for 50 years! I'm so grateful for diligent soldiers like these in the army of the Lord.  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.) "Your Name" Video Paul Baloche This song was prompted by the verse used in the photo this morning. As morning dawns and evening fades, You inspire songs of praise That rise from earth to touch Your heart And glorify Your Name "Everlasting God" Video 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 9/22/09: $8,145.00)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. You can also subscribe to Daily Encouragement feed updates by email.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. (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. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.  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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