A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Monday, December 5, 2011  Dottie our cat watches when I eat cereal at my desk and waits for me to set the bowl down. When I'm finished she laps up any remaining milk. I don't think I would find this a very comfortable eating position! "The First Tailor" "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). "And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger" (Luke 2:7). What type of clothing distinguishes you? Of course that will vary depending on where you live, your customs, the climate and so forth. It would be interesting to have a group photo of Daily Encouragement readers from all around the world and note the wide variety and yet basic similarity!  Two articles of clothing I regularly wear distinguish me (Stephen); suspenders and often, especially when it's colder, a vest. The other day a friend saw me wearing black pants, a blue shirt and black suspenders and asked if I had become Amish! Brooksyne is a little less predictable but her wardrobe leans toward the autumn colors. One thing is for sure; you won't see us wearing fig leaves!The very first immediate consequence of the fall was that Adam and Eve became aware of their own nakedness and need for a covering. The Bible describes their pre-fallen condition as "naked and not ashamed." An easily observable condition to this day regardless of where we live is the natural and unashamed nakedness in the animal kingdom. Our three pets, two dogs and a cat, run around all day without a stitch of clothing and think nothing of it. If animals are clothed it's due to a novelty for humans such as putting sweaters on dogs or perhaps an assumption that they need additional warmth in severe climates. Even the "higher" animals, those that evolutionists claim are "more related" to us, do not clothe themselves. The need to clothe and the ability to do so is distinctively human and goes back to a consequence of the fall. At the very moment of Adam's transgression (interestingly not Eve's) their eyes were "opened, and they realized they were naked" (Genesis 3:7). They crudely sewed fig leaves together to make coverings and sought to hide from God. But God initiated the search and the very first question God asked fallen Adam were, "Where are you?". He proceeded to pronounce judgment for their disobedience. But God also acted redemptively in serving as the first custom tailor. Consider the provision in the daily text: "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). Where did the "skin" come from? Up to this point there had been no death in the Garden. Surely an animal or animals were slain to provide these skins. It sure wasn't road kill!* Blood was shed. I believe it was likely a lamb, but this is not specified. The two verbs are so rich in meaning. God made and God clothed. What a type of a wonderful covering God provides for all mankind! Isaiah proclaimed and so can we today, "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). We fast forward to the birth of Christ when Almighty God became the supreme articulation of Deity to all humankind. "And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger." Charles Wesley, in his first published hymn text, "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" reveals God's greatest Gift to the world in the following words: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the Incarnate Deity. Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily Prayer: Father, my soul rejoices in the wondrous Gift of Your Son, Jesus, who descended from the sinless atmosphere of heaven and clothed Himself in the garment of humankind. Prior to this marvelous undertaking You spoke to us through the prophets who revealed only a partial and prepatory revelation of the Triune God. But the perfect revelation of who You are is revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ which is made understandable in human terms. For the Son is the radiance of Your glory and the exact representation of Your Being. As we have come to know Jesus, the Son of man, we also know You, Father, because Your character and power are revealed in the life and works of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for mercifully adopting us as Your children and clothing us in robes of righteousness, for without this clothing, we cannot enter heaven. Amen.See Hebrews 1:2,3 and John 14 :10 Brooksyne's Note: Many references from Scripture come to mind regarding the clothing that is not an outward adornment bringing glory to oneself. Rather I'm thinking of the clothing that dresses the inner self where the character of Christ is revealed to others as we converse and mingle with others throughout the day. Consider I Peter 3:1-6 where Paul speaks to wives regarding their inner dress. In Colossians 3:1-12 Paul tells believers to clothe themselves with humility, compassion, kindness, etc. Ephesians 6:10-17 reminds us of the ensuing battle of the enemy and the only way we will be victorious is by clothing ourselves in spiritual armor. * Explanation: For any readers unfamiliar with the term "road kill"; it's an animal that's been run over by a vehicle. In certain parts they will salvage the meat of a road kill deer if they know it's still fresh enough to eat safely.  Brooksyne shares: This last Saturday I joined a group of ladies at a Christmas tea featuring Nancy Lee Demoss as the speaker. What a blessing to sit under her teaching. She is a devout woman of God. In her early fifties and yet never married, she has been set apart for a single purpose in presenting the solemn Word of God without compromise. Though most of her listeners are women Stephen and I have walked through two of our companies where we've seen young men tuning into her daily radio program, and that is of special blessing. Following the Christmas Tea we had lunch with our friends who attended and then went to the National Christmas Center - it's really like a museum. It was featured in the most recent Martha Stewart Magazine. And then our last stop was the mall where Ester insisted I put on this silly hat so she could take a photo for her facebook. So here we are.....and the hats remain at the J.C. Penney's store (for any interested). The least I can do is run a free commercial for them since we "borrowed" their knit caps with braids for the photo shoot! Stephen's note: This last Saturday my cousin, 80 years old, passed away. Jeannine is the oldest from our generation of cousins and the first of our generation to go. Jeannine was always positive, never grumpy and no touchy disposition on her part. She was always pleasant to be around and interested in others. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" Video Amy Grant "Immanuel" Video Charles Billingsley Are you Christmas shopping online?  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 considering using these links when purchasing online through CBD! Tip: If you are regular CBD customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you shop. This Christmas many of our readers will be shopping for gifts that have spiritual and lasting value as well as a means of witness and encouraging others.Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 Our photo taken at the Bridge of Flowers in Sherburne Falls, MA Fall 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)  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 teaching 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 12/4/11: $13,041.00 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!) (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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