A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Thursday, September 22, 2011  We stopped by Union Mill Acres, one of our favorite fall produce stands, run by a large home schooling family along Elizabethtown Road. They live along Little Chiques Creek which flooded their crops and produce stand during the Tropical Storm Lee a couple of weeks ago. They lost all their locally grown fall decorative produce. They had to purchase from other vendors to stock their stand. Normally they grow over 100 kinds of pumpkins and gourds.  Listen to this message on your audio player.Note: Today's message is the second of a three part series on "Tyrannies of the Soul" "The Tyranny Of The Discontent" "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:5,6).  Here in Lancaster County we have a large mall called "Park City". It is rather like a city but definitely not a park! Like malls everywhere it's an inside city shopping district. It's laid out like spokes with a center hub that, at one time, had a carousel but I suppose the mall developers determined there was better income-producing potential for that space. Many malls try to appeal to health conscientiousness by providing markers so that you can determine how far you are walking. The walking route in Park City claims to be 2.25 miles. Malls are an interesting place to take a long walk but not nearly as nice as a country setting or a quaint village! The country scenes remind you of the beauty that is yours to behold – you can't buy it, you don't own it and yet it's yours to enjoy day after day. It's a job to keep up with yardwork, trimming bushes, pulling weeds, etc. so I enjoy viewing outdoor beauty that is maintenance free on my part! Certainly an intent in the malls that advertise "mall walks" is that in browsing past the storefronts a desire will rouse to want something or more bluntly create a discontent for that which you already have. After all, that is their goal or they would cease to exist. Yesterday we shared a message titled "The Tyranny of the Urgent" which asserted the oppressiveness of the many demands that come our way regarding our time. The tyranny of the urgent is essentially the oppressive compulsion that I have to do it now. The tyranny of the discontent is essentially the oppressive compulsion that I have to have it now. The writer of Proverbs shares a timeless prayer concerning this matter: "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8,9). Crown Financial Ministries defines contentment this way: "If money can't buy contentment and poverty doesn't provide it, what is contentment and how is it attained? Contentment, contrary to popular opinion, does not mean being satisfied where you are. Rather, it is knowing God's plan for your life and having the conviction to live it." Our daily verse states, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." The preceding verse (v.4) asserts the sanctity of marriage and warns of God's judgment on the adulterer. It seems the writer of Hebrews is connecting the dots and seeing an association between lusting for that which is not properly ours – whether it be a person or money. Whether you're discontent with the restraints of your marital vows or the restraints of your finances it can lead to wrong attitudes which can easily mushroom into sinful behavior. It's interesting that immorality and greed are often listed together in the New Testament (See I Corinthians 5:11; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5.) Love for money will cause us to have the wrong priorities, develop the wrong kind of relationships, and hinder the generous spirit of giving that God wants each of us to have. Contentedness is based on two foundational promises: 1) The first basic foundation of contentedness is the realization that God's presence is sufficient to meet every need. "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'." Note that the verse begins "God has said." These are words of assurance given to Joshua in Joshua 1:5. Since God does not change these same words were applicable to the Hebrew believers some 1,500 years later and now to all who belong to Christ some 2,000 years after the Book of Hebrews was written! Money and possessions will eventually forsake us, but God will never forsake us. What a blessed truth! 2) The second basic foundation of contentedness is the realization that God's power is sufficient to overcome all opposition. "So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" This also is a quote from Psalm 118:6,7. The apostle Paul's grand conclusion in Romans 8:37-39 comes to mind: "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." If we really understand these promises we will experience ongoing, blessed contentedness. May the Lord help us to do so today and all through this brief life, which will help us to overcome the tyranny of discontent! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Godliness With Contentment" Audio mp3 Mike Book Mike is a friend of ours here in Lancaster County who placed a Scripture from 1 Timothy 6:6 to music. "His Divine Power Has Given Us Everything We Need" Video Acapella This is a neat way to learn Scripture! See 2 Peter 1:3 "Satisfied" Video Red Mountain Church Video Homecoming series Park City |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/10)  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. 2011 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 9/21/11: $9,581.00 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. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.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! Our other blogs: "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 2011 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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