 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Messages · Archives ·  Archive/print editionFriday, September 25, 2009  Early morning fog on Chesapeake Bay  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Like A Morning Fog" "How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone" (James 4:14). At the beginning of the week we attended a Pastor's Retreat at Sandy Cove, along Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. On Monday morning I got up shortly after sunrise and walked out to the end of the long dock that is pictured above. There was a clear blue sky overhead and the radiant sun made the still water in the bay appear as shining glass. I stood looking out over the dock for a few minutes enjoying the peaceful view of the clear waters that outlined the hills in the distance. The peaceful scene was a sharp contrast to the fields of corn that I see every day at home in my neighborhood! Within minutes the bright aquatic scene evaporated as a heavy fog enveloped the area, completely obscuring the view I was enjoying. The reflective glassy water turned into cloudy steam rising. It lasted for a short time and just as quickly lifted. When Brooksyne joined me later and commented on the beautiful day I mentioned the earlier fog and she looked at me as if I might be a little confused. The fog had lifted so thoroughly there were no visible signs remaining!  When I think about the early morning fog a song comes to mind that especially moves me into grateful worship toward God. "Be Unto Your Name" is a worshipful song that contrasts God's time perspective to our finite earthbound way of reckoning time: We are a moment, You are forever. Lord of the ages, God before time. We are a vapor, You are eternal Love everlasting, reigning on high. Lynne DeShazzo and Gary Sadler share their thoughts about the process of writing this song: "We started talking about how fragile and temporal life is ---that it's just a vapor or a moment and how our lives pass so quickly and yet God's life goes on and on forever. Juxtaposed against the vastness and eternity of God, all that we could say in the chorus of the song we wrote is what anyone would say when faced with that reality – 'Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty'. It seemed to echo a heart expression of every believer – awe, humility and reverence in the light of One so great." James writes of this in our daily text: "Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone." Another version states, "You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." Based upon our present comprehension of time this may be hard to grasp although I notice time seems to move a lot faster as I'm quickly edging along in the life cycle. I recently received a note from an acquaintance whose daughter recently had premature twin daughters. Sadly, one died and the other (at last notice) was just clinging to life. He shared this perspective: "I'm going to bury one of my granddaughters this week. I've buried a wife, but this is not the natural order of things. The other twin is still fighting for her place in what we currently call life. As always I have faith in Jesus." I am intrigued by his phrase "her place in what we currently call life." His wording brings about an interesting spiritual perspective. I consider Paul's challenge in 1 Timothy 6:19 to "take hold of the life that is truly life." Of course he is speaking of eternal life as "lay up treasure as a firm foundation for the coming age." Jeremiah wrote, "But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King" (Jeremiah 10:10). Three words describe the immutable God of the universe;
The song I quoted in the earlier part of the message goes on to proclaim, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Highest praises, honor and glory. Be unto Your name, be unto Your Name. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Eternal God, faithful throughout the ages, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and praise. How grateful we are for all Your works; for Your redemptive love that saves us from our sins and prepares our hearts for eternity. Our life is but a vapor here, but everlasting in the life to come so keep us mindful of eternity in the midst of our temporal existence. In doing so our attitudes and choices will reflect those made in heaven, not those of this fleeting world that is vanishing day by day. One of the reasons we find our daily encouragement writing ministry so fulfilling is that we are daily reminded of how the Holy Spirit works. He speaks to our hearts about a message that will touch the heart of another at His perfect timing. But sometimes this even works out in very unusual ways. A couple of days ago we got this note: "You know, I’ve only been getting this daily encouragement for a few days now. It couldn’t have come at a better time. I have no idea who to thank. Could you please tell me who signed me up? Thank you so much for your help and for your daily encouragements. God Bless!" (Stephen's Note: I am always concerned when anyone just gets our materials since the list is based on voluntary sign up and confirmation. I checked and saw that the address had been signed up and confirmed in January 2008. I wrote her back and suggested that nearly two years ago her address was subscrubed and confirmed but the messages had probably been filtered by her company email system and had not been reaching her but somehow the filter was lifted for her to receive this message.) She wrote back: "WOW, really? How about that, it just came thru at the most opportune time....I [promise] it was written JUST FOR ME! Wow, how wonderful God is in the way He works." The writer went on to explain that she received the message the day after an event took place in their home that has caused them tremendous grief and worry. But through the work and perfect timing of the Holy Spirit she was touched by the message we sent out. We have an on-time God who is concerned about the big and small things in our lives. Brooksyne and I are continually humbled as we see how God works through us to reveal and reaffirm His truths through our daily messages. We are grateful for your faithful readership and we do appreciate hearing from you! 
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.) "Be Unto Your Name" 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 9/24/09: $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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