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 Wednesday, November 3, 2010  Red leaves in the Great Smokies  Listen to this message on your audio player."A Divided Kingdom" "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand'" (Matthew 12:25). Yesterday we had an election of historical proportion here in America. Some are pleased, others not so much. Elections are very important to a nation and its people but, as we shared yesterday, our hope for positive and eternal change is not found through politics. Only God can change the spiritual condition of the heart, not the leaders of the land. "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings" (Daniel 2:21). * Jesus makes a powerful observation in the daily text. He addresses division in the spiritual realm but He illustrates this teaching based on the observable: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." In referring to "every kingdom" we can understand this as every nation and He reinforces that by extending it to smaller social units such as "city" and "household". This is easily observed as we regularly read about corruption on the local level. And far too many households are shattered by strife resulting in divorce and broken families. Here in America we have a two party system and there are also minor parties. Among these groups there has always been division to some degree. But the increasing division extends to foundational moral issues, most notably in our day the constitution of holy marriage and the value of human life. It's astounding the gains that secularists have made in my lifetime alone. Even so many parts of the visible church are grievously infected. Christ's words are true. History attests to this: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined." The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan cannot be united kingdoms since their mission statements stand in stark contrast. Likewise a country cannot remain divided, for the time of ruin is certain though the exact date may not be specified. We need a great revival in America and a coming together in unity under God's holy standards which in my view will come only as a result of a genuine nationwide revival. Otherwise our country will slide more and more into decadence and eventual ruin. Today we are writing to encourage true followers of Christ all over the world. God is sovereign over my life, family and nation. Indeed His Kingdom has come to those who seek to live for Him. Our call is to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Scriptures no matter the outcome of the election or the ever-changing state of affairs in our nation and world. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, as we seek first Your Kingdom and righteousness above everything else You will provide for all our needs. The kingdom of this world is temporal, self-serving, and polluted by the wiles of Satan's strategies to steal, kill and destroy. It is headed for total destruction. But, as believers, we follow after Christ who brings abundant life as we renounce the world and enter into His kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy. Though the world may crumble around us, our hope remains fixed on the eternal kingdom not seen with human eyes. Such anticipation fills us with inexpressible and glorious joy as we await the day that Jesus Christ is revealed in all His glory, splendor and holiness. Amen. * We do well to slowly and thoughtfully read this prayer from Daniel 2:19-23: "Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, for You have made known to us the king's matter." Today we share some photos from our travels on the beautiful autumn day we had yesterday.  We joined our friends Victor and Etta Mae Gibble who invited us to join them for lunch in Lebanon; about 25 miles of pleasant drive through the country. We enjoyed our meal, fellowship and the beautiful scenery on our drive through the southern Pennsylvania countryside.  I think a trotting horse always makes a nice foreground!  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.) "The Lord's Prayer" Video Michael W. Smith Indeed let us pray "Thy Kingdom come!" "O Church Arise" Video Stuart Townend "Psalm 62" Video |
  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 11/02/10 $11,854.00 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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