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, August 31, 2012  Ester's Border Collie, Mollie, loves to play. She regularly meets us at the fence gate with one of her toys such as this rope toy. Ester took the above photo this morning and we are pleased to see her growing interest in photography. This week she had her first photo published in a company newsletter.  Listen to this message on your audio player."Faithful Men" "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).  Yesterday I was visiting with Greg Esh, a friend of ours, who was excited about showing me an item he recently acquired. He walked over to the corner of his office and picked up a leather scabbard from which he pulled out a real sword. Written on the sword was this inscription from 2 Timothy 2:2: "Commit these to faithful men". It was a gift from Greg's pastor honoring him for serving many years as a leader in the church. Now that's a gift I suppose most men would really appreciate! It brings to mind a visit with Floyd Miles, a friend I met when I lived in New England. Several years ago he served a church in Indianapolis and at the time I had the opportunity to speak to his congregation. Prior to the service, when we prayed in his office, he showed me his "armor of God."Many years ago I heard a short message that I found personally challenging that has had a lasting impact on my life. A pastor was speaking to the students at a Bible College. He candidly shared with them, "I may not be very handsome, I may not be the most dynamic speaker, I may not be musically gifted or have other characteristics normally associated with "success" in ministry." Then he lowered his voice and said with great conviction, "But one thing I can be is faithful." I sure hope these young people took that message in. It's a good word and a vital challenge for young people preparing for Christ's service. It's a good challenge for all of us, wherever we are at in life.  Faithfulness is very under-rated today and is often overlooked, though it should never be taken for granted. Few of us would have any trouble recalling examples of unfaithfulness. Many thousands of dedicated pastors and laypeople serve God week after week with little acclaim but they are faithful.In the afternoon yesterday I visited with Dan Wagner who serves as supervisor in his company. For thirty years he and his wife have led services in nursing homes and rescue missions, hardly glamorous fields for ministry. But Dan's been faithful. In his final book the Apostle Paul gave instructions to Timothy about preparing the next generation who would bear witness for Christ to the world. Although there are certainly many characteristics that are important he emphasizes just one; "faithfulness". Other versions use the word, "reliable". Down through the ages of the church each generation has had devoted servants of Christ who have faithfully plugged along in service for the Lord. Is your pastor reliable? Does he faithfully preach God's Word week after week? Does he "earnestly contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints?" or is he "blown here and there by every wind of strange doctrine?" Can he be counted upon? If so you are blessed. Let him know you appreciate his faithfulness. Whether you are a minister or a lay person, are you faithful? Faithfulness makes a difference to those whom you influence and it matters a great deal to God. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we who have received Your grace, place our faith in You. We choose to walk uprightly with integrity and conviction. Our words and actions declare the pure, unadulterated counsel of Your Holy Word to other faithful leaders, trusting them to pass on that which has been entrusted to us. In doing so we are faithful stewards of that which You commanded of us through the great commission: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every nation...". We do this through Christ Jesus our Lord in whose name we pray. Amen.Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource "Faithful Men" Video Twila Paris "Faithful Friend" Video Twila Paris and Steven Curtis Chapman  Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 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 8/30/12: $11,311.00. 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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