A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Friday, September 10, 2010  Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain Acadia National Park, Maine "The First Gleam Of Dawn" "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Proverbs 4:18). Yesterday I shared a photo of a sunrise over Chesapeake Bay. I like sunrise and sunset photos although I find them hard to take. I tend to take more sunset photos since, due to the layout of our property, we don't see a dramatic sunrise because of the treeline behind our home. However we often share sunset photos from our home which faces a farm field with an old stone farmhouse and silo in the distant background. Several years ago we were on vacation in Acadia National Park and drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain which offers a stunning panoramic view. That was also during a point in my life when I was foolhardy enough to ride my bike on the winding road leading down the mountain as a rather perturbed Brooksyne followed me at nearly 50 miles an hour at points. Many consider the view of a sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain to be the point where "the first gleam of dawn" is visible in the United States. Today's text is from the Proverbs. I still recall a Bible College definition of a proverb being a "short pithy saying." Now "pithy" is a not a word I ever recall using apart from this description, but it is in the Microsoft Office dictionary system with synonyms such as "terse, to the point, succinct." "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." Isn't that a descriptive verse? It's both an observation and a promise from God's Word. The first gleam of dawn is the foretaste of the day's coming brightness. Although faint it progressively brightens, "shining ever brighter till the full light of day." There are two other Bible verses that seem to have a similar sense. 2 Peter 1:19 reads, "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." 1 John 2:8 states, "Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining." Consider the expression "the light at the end of the tunnel." As we journey through life we can experience times of intense darkness, particularly during a personal trial. Sometimes the light at the end is very hard to see and is very faint. But as followers of the one true God we are on the "path of the righteous." The world is spiritually dark and we are moving toward the light, and we can be assured on the veracity of God's Word that "the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, as we walk in righteousness we also walk in light. The world is full of darkness engulfed by the enemy's presence but we, by faith, keep our sight fixed on You the invisible One. We persevere and overcome as we look ahead to our eternal reward. There truly is a light at the end of this world's tunnel when the Son of God takes us by the hand and leads us to the Promised Land. What a grand and glorious day that will be! But until then we keep our eyes on You who shines ever brighter in a sin-sick world that is growing ever darker. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.  (Photo by Doris High)  Last night we had dinner at Gus' restaurant and sat next to our friends Jerel and Fran Book. It is Jerel's 70th birthday on Saturday and he is getting sung to by the servers and clapping right along!  Red and Elsie Garret Yesterday afternoon we went to Red Garret's funeral service near Harrisburg, PA. I mentioned Red last week. Red and his wife Elsie were a part of a church we served several years ago in an interim role. He passed on to his reward last Saturday. Red was on a ship the USS Hornet (CV-8), during World War 2 that was sunk and he survived for seventeen days clinging to a piece of timber before he was rescued.  In the course of our travels throughout Lancaster County we see some interesting sights. On the way back from my fishing trip on Wednesday I saw these three Amish boys moving some siding material on their wagon train. They were probably helping their dad and learning the work ethic. I also saw a sight I would have liked to share in a photo. An old order Mennonite team and wagon approached me, apparently headed to a field where they were cutting corn for silage. As I passed I saw a boy lying on a mattress on the wagon. I guess he was relaxing on the way to work! 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.) |
  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.2010 YTD financial offerings as of 9/9/10 $9,938.00 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 by us 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 through feedburner.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using 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 or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. 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 2010 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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