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 Tuesday, May 1, 2012  This smiley face is on a barn on Rt. 897 in Lancaster County, PA  Listen to this message on your audio player."The Blessing Of A Smile" "Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners" (Job 29:21-25). This week we are considering common blessings that we all experience, being both recipients and dispensers. Yesterday we considered the blessing of laughter. Today let's consider the facial expression related to the laugh, the smile.  I recall a time when I was out on a cold, blustery, rainy day and ducked into a small office area for a brief escape from the hostile weather. I was confident that I'd receive a warm, cheery smile from the receptionist and I was not disappointed! She not only smiles with her lips, but her eyes exude genuine warmth that accompanies her smile. A courteous or obligatory smile is not always reflected in the eyes, but a smile that wells up from the heart can be seen through the eyes as well as the lips.A sign in front of a farm house proclaims: "A smile is a curve that straightens everything out." Well, a smile is a curve and although it doesn't necessarily straighten everything out, it sure does brighten your countenance, improve your appearance and positively affect your outlook!  What a blessing to be around smiling people. I can think of many people all though my life who have blessed me with their smile. Perhaps not surprisingly Brooksyne is right at the top of the list. But among my many smiling friends I consider Ken Pierce, who has a huge smile that often erupts into hearty laughter. In fact I can hardly picture Ken without his big smile. Here he is on hay ride with his smiling wife Nila.We both recall a song sung during our greeting time at church many years ago. Smile awhile and give your face a rest Raise your hand to the One who loves you best Then shake hands with those nearby And give to them a smile. Interestingly the Bible doesn't have a lot of references to smiling. But today's portion is one of them. It's kind of hard to read this without smiling! Job is sharing his personal testimony while he is in the midst of his suffering. In this discourse he considers the blessing he had been to others prior to his trial, "in months gone by" (Job 29:1). Now I would have a hard time saying this about myself but notice Job's words, "When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them." That's sure quite a description of the influence of a smile isn't it? Consider an individual you personally know who has a great smile. It affects the entire face as though it were bringing light to a dismal setting. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that a smile isn't just confined to the lower part of the face, but it almost always brings sparkle and light to the eyes. Consider these words as you receive smiles today and as you share yours with others. It can be a gloomy world with so much distressing news and for those going through hard times. What a blessing we can be to one another when our facial expressions are accentuated with a smile. Truth is, we'd much rather be surrounded by those who frequently smile, than those who rarely see anything to smile about! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, I consider the words of Nehemiah who wrote, "The joy of the Lord is my strength" and Solomon who reminds us that "A cheerful heart is good medicine." Both verses speak about matters of the heart where we store up Your love, joy and goodness. Help us not to rely solely on external stimulus to bring forth a smile, but let our smiles be contagious as they are evidence of Your abundance within in our lives. Help us to find a person today who has no smile so that we can pass ours onto her or him in the Name of Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.Brooksyne's Note: When I was a young teen, new in my personal faith, I really enjoyed the midweek services at my church that was geared toward young people. I remember the youth leader greeting me one evening at the drinking fountain with these words, "I really look forward to seeing you on Tuesday evenings because you always walk in with a big smile." I was completely unaware of this but I can tell you, after he paid me such a compliment, I made sure I had a smile that could be seen by others. It made such an impression on me that I remember that incident now some 40 years later! In Sunday School this past Sunday Ruby, a newer member of the church, commented that she looks forward each week to seeing another classmate, Evie, who has a very beautiful smile. She couldn't see that Evie was sitting beside me when she made the comment. Evie probably blushed but it was a true assessment. In fact I appreciated the times Evie sang in the choir I directed because she smiled through the entire production which prompted me to smile. It works that way, you know!! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Smile Awhile And Give Your Face A Rest" Video Includes a huge smile (words and tune slightly modified from the way we sang it years ago) "The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength" Video Twila Paris |
 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 4/30/12: $4,555.00 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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