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 Thursday, May 31, 2012  This colorful carriage is in front of a gift shop here in Lancaster County, PA  Listen to this message on your audio player."Guarding Your Heart" "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23).  We regularly mention our dogs Roxie and Mollie in this series. Both are "mutts"; Roxie was "adopted" from a rescue league and Mollie from the dog pound (otherwise known as the Humane League).They are a lot of fun although Mollie has been far more demanding and destructive than Roxie ever was! Mollie's calling in life is to play. I can merely look at her with a twinkle in my eye and she will grab a toy, expecting to play without ceasing. I think she heard me quote 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and misunderstood me. She has been caught praying though (see here)  Of course we try to take good care of them and one medical concern we have been advised to look out for is heart worms. One of the products available to prevent heart worms is known as Heartgard, which claims to prevent these worms with just one tablet a month.  Wouldn't it be great if there was a tablet we could take once a month to guard our hearts in the way the daily verse describes! The verse is surely not primarily referring to the physical heart, although it is sound advice in that regard as well. Solomon wrote these words he was primarily referring to the spiritual heart, our inner person. We have a personal responsibility to guard our heart. It must be our primary focus in life and of utmost importance as Solomon emphasized, "Above all else". Guarding our heart is of utmost importance because "it is the wellspring of life". This is true both physically and spiritually. Jesus shared a similar teaching when He stated, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" (Matthew 15:19). The apostle Peter states, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord" (1 Peter 3:15). Blogger Michael Hyatt lists three reasons we must guard our hearts:
Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, You made my heart to be the life-giving source for my physical existence and You also made my heart to be the life-giving source for spiritual existence. Create in me a pure and contrite heart, O God, and establish a steadfast spirit within me. It is only in the power of Your Holy Spirit that I can faithfully guard my heart from the follies of the world. Fill me with the abundance of Your goodness so that it overflows into the lives of others as my conversation and conduct reflect Your presence in my life. Help me, I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Last night we took a long walk and Bruno, our neighbor's Saint Bernard, greeted us from the dock, far across the pond. He looks small but he's a giant with a masterful bark. Notice the large building to the right of the barn. The owners built this structure with the intent of having gatherings. One of those gatherings will be the River Brethren, a Plain group who do not own church buildings but meet in houses and barns. On June 10 they will be meeting in this structure for their church service. Several neighborhood River Brethren plain children walked alongside us on our walk and invited us to the service. Stephen asked, "Are you sure we're invited?" Each of them assured us that we were. "Everyone's invited" they said but the young three year old added, "except Satan. He's an enemy of God." We sure agree with his theology! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Guard Your Heart" Video Steve Green "Slow Fade" Video Casting Crowns "Three Reasons Why You Must Guard Your Heart" Michael Hyatt "What does it mean to guard your heart?" (From gotquestions.org) |
| "Holy Spirit Enabled Boldness"  Stephen and Brooksyne Weber Our 36th anniversary photo (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 4/12)  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 supporting 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 5/30/12: $6,245.00. 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. These messages are 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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