Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Daily Encouragement (07/25/12) "An Asset To The Planet"

Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
Having trouble reading this message?  Read mobile edition online
Daily Encouragement Net Header
A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
.
Home · About Us · Archives · Podcast · Free email · Daily Encouragement on Facebook  ·  Daily Encouragement on Twitter   ·  RSS feed
 
<Previous Message       ·       Archive edition

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Lancaster County Amish dairy farm
Lancaster County Amish dairy farm at harvest time
taken by my brother, Mike Weber
Click here for larger view.
Being raised in the country Brooksyne stated,
"A walk down that dirt path looks so inviting."

ListenListen to this message on your audio player.

"An Asset To The Planet"

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him" (1 Corinthians 1:28-29).

I received a gracious commendation recently from one who holds a political, religious, and ideological outlook very different than my own. Nevertheless he expressed genuine appreciation toward the modest contribution I make in my sphere of influence. "You're an asset to the planet" he said to me over the phone yesterday. Well, that got me to thinking in a Biblical sense about people who are an asset to the planet. Of much greater importance, and Biblically speaking, they're an asset to the Kingdom of God.

Consider those who have made a significant impact in your life. If we were able to do a survey of all who read this message we would probably have some common names, those better known who may have a national and even an international ministry.  I expect that among those listed would be godly parents and grandparents, pastors, Sunday School teachers and many others, including those who witnessed to you, either in words or in their actions, even when you refused to listen, both literally and figuratively.

I recall a phrase from my years of ministry training, "Do something big for God" which is a great aspiration. But doing something big for God is often a series of small, seeming insignificant attempts to be an asset  to the Kingdom. Most of us are just not in a place today that we can do something really big for God, but we can all seek ways to let our light shine to a darkened world around us in the small things.  Let us listen to God's promptings and obey His voice!

Years ago I received this bit of wisdom from an older person:  "The older I get, the more I realize that it is in the small moments that we can affect others' lives forever. Grand accomplishments mean nothing.
I am discovering that brightening a single moment in even one person's life in a day is important to Christ." 

Consider the Apostle Paul's words to the Corinthians. "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Let us be humble in ourselves, but let us be boastful in the things of the Lord.


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily prayer: Father, our little becomes great as You show us how to do good works in Your name. We choose not to be crippled by our limited abilities, wisdom, or lack of creativity. We don't give to others according to that which we don't have, but we give to others from the abundance You pour into our lives. May it overflow into those around us as we seek to be a blessing. Direct our footsteps according to Your Word as You give us opportunity for divine encounters this day as we reach out to others in the name of Christ Jesus. It is in His name we pray. Amen.



Recent feedback: We don't often post feedback although we sure appreciate it and find it encouraging.

My former District Superintendent whom we visited last week:

Dear Steve & Brooksyne,
Thanks for stopping by to visit us yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed your visit and if Jesus tarries and spares us, we trust you can do it again....It was nice to see our photo in Daily Encouragement. Because of your wide and growing circulation it will let some of our mutual friends that we are still "kicking" at 85 and 84.  We are so grateful for the nearly 65 years he has allowed us to serve Him together!  May similar blessings be yours! Keep up the great work ever remembering: "Be not weary in well doing for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not"!

Remembering you in our prayers with Thanksgiving,
Ed & Gladys Berkey


Tommy Carpenter, a minister friend from Arkansas:

Regarding our message on the Delilah Road:
Was the Delilah Road the way to the barber shop? Just a thought? However, the faithfulness of Daniel is an excellent example for us....

A South African reader in reference to yesterday's message:

Hi Stephen,
Regarding your message of 24 July 2012 you made mention of Morning Glories. I too like their colors and have used their profusion with great effect on garden fences and screens. Unfortunately due to their invasive nature and their detrimental effect on indigenous vegetation (much like the tares in Jesus' Parable) and the fact they are not indigenous to our country which has water as a scarce resource, they have been declared "invasive aliens" and anyone found still cultivating them is liable for prosecution.
Keep on encouraging!
Shalom.



Today's Suggested Music
and Supplemental Resource

"Little Is Much"  Video  Larry Ford

Se
nd
a message to Stephen & Broo
k
syne.
Photo of 36th anniversary Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (click to enlarge)
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)

Make A DonationAre 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 7/24/12: $9,026.00. We express thanks to all who support our ministry!

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Free email subscriptionWere 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:
Daily Encouragement on Facebook
The daily message and prayer on Facebook.
Daily Encouragement on Twitter
 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."

Four Spiritual Laws

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

Chaplaincy logo
Endorsed chaplain

"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"

www.dailyencouragement.net

Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

 

You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com
Add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your email address book to ensure delivery
Forward to a Friend  |  Manage Subscription  |   Subscribe  |   Unsubscribe
Net Atlantic