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, June 26, 2012  A country porch scene Longenecker Farmhouse in Lancaster County Living in Lancaster County one can easily understand the fly swatter presence! Even in the nursing home many residents have them attached to their walkers. Flies are plenteous in this agricultural area.  Listen to this message on your audio player."The Supremacy Of Christ"  Ron and Bonnie Hoover 50th wedding anniversary celebration Ron and Bonnie Hoover are friends of ours who serve as spiritual mentors to the business community here in Lancaster through a group known as Convene. We met Ron over five years ago through his leadership at our local Convene group. He has been very encouraging and supportive to us in our chaplain ministry through his many contacts. Last Saturday we attended their 50th wedding anniversary celebration at Lancaster Bible College sponsored by their three daughters and their families. It was a joyous time as they renewed the vows they committed to each other fifty years earlier to the day. (We notice that couples celebrating their 50th anniversary seem younger to us all the time!) Bill and Bonnie both have a dynamic faith in Christ, with a knack for finding ways to witness in the midst of life's circumstances.  Ron told a story illustrating this. He's an engineer and in fact has a doctorate in electrical engineering. He was in a meeting discussing a quality control issue with several others. There was some frustration in the room (not uncommon in the business world) and one of the exasperated engineers said, "Jesus Christ couldn't keep this tolerance." Ron said, "Oh...I didn't know that Jesus Christ worked down at our lab." Of course this quieted things down a bit and then Ron solemnly said, "As a matter of fact Jesus Christ could keep this tolerance" and went on to testify of his faith in Christ to the group. Note the four times in these three verses we read the words "all things". But today let us focus on the final one. "In Him all things hold together." Similarly Hebrews 1:3 declares that He is "sustaining all things by His powerful Word." From the sub-atomic level to the farthest reaches of the universe Christ is upholding and sustaining all things, from the micro to macro. The word sustaining is translated "upholding" in the KJV. The Amplified Bible seeks to bring out the richness of the Greek by stating "upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power." The Greek word (pheron) is in the present active indicating a concept that is dynamic, not static. The Son's work of sustaining involves not only support, but also movement. He is the One who carries all things through on their appointed course. Warren Wiersbe tells a story about a guide who took a group of people through an atomic laboratory. During the tour he explained how all matter was composed of rapidly moving electric particles. The tourists studied models of molecules and were amazed to learn that matter is made up primarily of space. During the question period, one visitor asked, "If this is the way matter works, what holds it all together?" For that, the guide had no answer. But the Christian does have the answer: Jesus Christ! Because "He is before all things," He can hold all things together. Again, this is another affirmation that Jesus Christ is God. Only God exists before all of Creation, and only God can make Creation cohere. To make Jesus Christ less than God is to dethrone Him. There are many things in our lives that will bring us anxiety and distress. It may be a personal health issue or a family matter. It may be our finances or the condition of the world with all the turmoil and uncertainty. At the present we don't know how these and many other issues will all work out. But we can experience great comfort in this eternal truth: God is sustaining all things by His powerful word! God is sustaining every single microchip and every single cell in my body and everyone else's. "Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:15). The God who is sustaining all things is also sustaining each one of us. He speaks through the prophet Isaiah to the ancient people of God and thus through the Scriptures to all of us: "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth" (Isaiah 46:3). Let us rest in the wonderful assurance of this powerful truth and raise our eyes heavenward to declare: "You are sustaining all things by Your powerful Word and You will accomplish what concerns me for You are my Sustainer; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting" (Hebrews 1:3, Psalm 138:8). So here's the word of encouragement today, fellow believer. He who sustains all things will surely sustain you. He is ever dependable. Troubles that weigh you down today are under His absolute authority and as they run their course Jesus calls us to trust Him – yes, even in the midst of them. Let's do that! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we thank You for sending Jesus who came as God in the flesh, revealing to us Your character and personhood. You created all things and sustain them by Your powerful hand. That includes us, Your human creation. All that You created You also test. The plant life has tests of stress and endurance in the harsh elements and we, Your human creation, must endure the tests of endurance common to the flesh; whether it is relational, physical, spiritual, emotional or financial. We will endure these tests and turn them into a testimony as we rely on You, for "You will accomplish what concerns me; for You are my sustainer". You existed before anything else and You hold all creation together. We are immensely grateful. Amen.When your world seems to be falling apart, look to Jesus who holds everything together.  A photo of the Hoover family A family of two expands to a family of twenty-two over 50 years. God is good! Brooksyne's Note: It was so moving to hear the solemn renewal of vows on a 50th wedding anniversary. How beautiful and Biblical that we remain faithful "till death do us part."  Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource "God Of The Ages" Video Charles Billingsley A powerful song based on our daily text. "Indescribable" Video Chris Tomlin, Laura Story "Laminin" Video (snippet) Video (full message) An interesting teaching by Louie Giglio from his message titled "How Great Is Our God" that relates to Colossians 1:17 and the phrase "in Him all things hold together." "How Great Is Our God" Video Chris Tomlin  We want to encourage readers, wherever they may live, to participate in a special prayer time this coming Lord's day in falling to our knees and praying for our nation and world. For more information see this website. |
 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 6/25/12: $7,366.00. 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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