A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Friday, March 9, 2012  Yesterday we passed this one room Mennonite schoolhouse. The students were lined up beside the road waiting for a bus to arrive.  Listen to this message on your audio player."The Joy Of Flowers" "Jonah was very happy about the vine" (Jonah 4:6).  Our visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show earlier this week was a reminder of how much joy flowers can bring. In fact we purchased the dozen roses (shown on left) at the flower show for Ester's birthday today. (A good deal at $4.99 per dozen!)Brooksyne plants many of her flowers from seeds and excitedly watches for the first sign of germination. Early on, she has even checked them at night with a flashlight just to see the first peek of growth. I like the way her plants make her happy! As we walked through the Flower Show I noticed her smile when she was observing the many displays. Jonah found great pleasure in a vine that sprung up overnight! I suppose regarding plant types, vines wouldn't be among my favorites, but today's lesson reveals how easy it is to be petty about so many issues in life and, as result of that, misplace our priorities. Consider that so much of what concerns us on a day by day basis is really not a "big deal". Spending several days visiting a loved one in an intensive care unit and seeing the needs of others can sure give you a perspective jolt.  Jonah is such an interesting Bible character. In the four brief chapters of Scripture that describe him we read of fear, prejudice, delayed obedience and repentance. But there's an observation I make today that may seem disrespectful of a Bible character, though it's clearly seen in the text; his pettiness and misplaced priorities. For the daily text I purposefully selected just a portion of chapter 4. I encourage you to read the entire chapter (or the entire short book for that matter!) Essentially after God's call for Jonah to preach to Ninevah, his initial fleeing to Tarsus, and his undersea adventure in the belly of the whale, he had a remarkable response to his preaching. His message was hardly one of affirmation but rather, warning, as it is summed up in the phrase, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." Amazingly, the secular Ninevites believed God and repented as a result of Jonah's preaching. "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened" (3:10). What a cause for great rejoicing! How many preachers have had an altar call with a 100% response?  But rather than rejoicing the Bible tells us, "Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry" (4:1). He camped outside the city and waited for the judgment that he still hoped would come! God graciously provided a vine to shade Jonah as he sat and stewed and this shade made Jonah "very happy." The next several verses chronicle an interchange between God and Jonah that graphically illustrates Jonah's pettiness and misplaced priorities. God had allowed a worm to destroy the vine that shaded Jonah and Jonah lapsed into incredible pettiness over this and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" Jonah replied, "I do, I am angry enough to die." These are the final words spoken by Jonah in an interesting detail regarding one of the more famous Bible characters!  But God has the final word and it's been described as among the greatest missionary expressions of the whole Bible, "But the LORD said, 'You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?'" (Jonah 4:10,11). This verse comes to mind whenever I visit a great city like Philadelphia. What about us today? What are we so concerned about? Although I've never been as upset as Jonah about a vine I sure realize how often I slip into petty attitudes and misplaced priorities. Today, I want to concentrate on what really matters. As I do so I am aware of all the enticements that seek to lure me from the central focus of fervently serving the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord help us all! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily Prayer: Father, You are well-acquainted with my weaknesses and the condition of my heart. You know that I am often more concerned about my own comfort and my daily schedule than the needs of those around me. I know I can't save the whole world, but I can listen to Your still small voice as You place individuals upon my heart. Show me ways that I can make a difference. May the character of my life reflect the heart of Christ as I reach out to others in love and in obedience to Your calling upon my life. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.Several more Philadelphia Flower Show photos  They had a large display of tiny Bonsai trees  This cactus is interesting and rather pretty!  The displays were elaborate and there were so many that it was, in a sense, somewhat overwhelming.  We like this one since it is native plants to our area. Closer to home:  Mollie came into our home one year ago yesterday. She was a two month puppy Ester selected for her birthday present. (Here's a photo of Ester holding her on the way home from the Humane League.) Now Mollie enjoys showing off her athletic agility hour after hour after hour as long as someone will play with her! And Ester loves to take great action photos such as the two we posted today.  We've suggested that Ester stick to getting the colorful fence backdrop, rather than the shabby summer paraphernalia that we had "discreetly" hidden behind our shed. That's like opening up a messy closet, shooting a photo of the hidden mess, and then posting it for all to see! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources |
 Weber family Christmas 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 3/8/12: $2,555.00 We express thanks to all who support our ministry! 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. 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 2012 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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