Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Daily Encouragement (11/14/12) "God's Upholding Hand"

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
 Click here to donate online.

<Previous Message       ·       Archive edition

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Otsego Lake, Cooperstown New York
Cooperstown New York is at the southern tip of Otsego Lake, which is the source of the Susquehanna River which flows through Lancaster County into Chesapeake Bay. This photo was taken in Cooperstown on the very first bridge over the river looking north toward the lake.

ListenListen to this message on your audio player.

"God's Upholding Hand"

"My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:8). "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3).

As you read the text today consider those words in our second daily text, "do not be dismayed". I am blessed as I read and study God's Word for His perspective and the "big picture."  We all observe and experience current events, whether in our own personal lives or on a larger scale and may very well deal with dismay and often wonder, "What does this mean?"

The Lord is always in control and is always at work. I regularly point out that God is at work both macroscopically and microscopically. That is, He is involved not only in the big picture (current events in nations, the world, and the entire universe) but He is also actively involved in the minutest details of our lives (keeping active track of the number of hairs on of our heads, for example). A maturing Christian has a growing peace and calm assurance regarding God's will being worked out in his or her own life and in the Kingdom of God.

But God's providential ways are surely difficult to understand. They can be mysterious and the testings of life can bring about despair and hardship. Some readers this very day are dealing with confusion, disappointment or are in the midst of a very difficult personal trial. You join Brooksyne and me in waiting for God's plan to be worked out in your life and in His Kingdom. But the wait is hard.

I want to remind you this morning of God's steady hand. In a wonderful promise found in Isaiah God says, "I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  He will and this truth is a major source of the assurance we can have as God works out His plan for our lives. God's upholding hand is always steady!

Fellow believer, the only sure foundation upon which we can build our lives is that of our resurrected Lord and His eternal Word. We need to stay faithful and vigilant to keep our heads on right!

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say, than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily prayer:  Just as a loving parent takes the hand of a wobbly child to love, lead, protect, and steady him so it is with You, Father, who upholds us with Your righteous right hand. After all, it is Jesus at Your right hand who is always interceding for us. No tempest storm can overtake You and no earth shattering event perplexes You. As we walk in Your ways help us to cling tightly to Your loving, protective hand so that we don't veer off-course or become faint-hearted. We want to exchange fear for trust, replace self-reliance with God-reliance and depend upon Your plan rather than our own. Help us to do so.  Amen.



"They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them" (Deuteronomy 32:28). Our nation and many other nations in the West are in a great state of confusion. In this verse God is prophetically warning of the future apostasy of the people of Israel, which culminated with their Babylonian exile some 800 years after this was spoken. Without the firm foundation of God's Word we are on sinking sand. The consequences may not be immediate, but they are certain.



New York Trip
(Part 3)


This last weekend we took some Amish friends to New York state and we have shared some photos of our trip the last several days. We share the final set today, some unusual photos one doesn't normally associate with New York. (We know people from the Midwest who think all of New York is the city!)

Treehouse in New York
Years ago somebody put some real effort into building this tree house and surely created a lifetime of memories for some youngster.

New York mailbox
This rural property owner was sick and tired of the plow hitting his mailbox so he devised a hanging system. He can lift the mailbox up out of the way when he hears the plow truck coming through!

Cooperstown New York Farmer's Market
We visited the Saturday Farmer's Market
in Cooperstown.

Pink Farmall tractor
A pink Farmall tractor!
(Maybe it's for breast cancer awareness month.)

Sunken truck in rural New York
We sort of get the idea that this old truck hasn't been driven for awhile!

John Deere loader being repaired
We appreciate the resourcefulness of most farmers. Looks like this piece of machinery had a flat tire so the farmer used a winch and tree to hoist one side up for the repair. I just hope the branch is good and secure.

Ester at Fly Creek Cider Mill, Cooperstown, New York 11/10/12
It was a lovely Indian summer type day Sunday following our church service and Ester enjoyed looking over the pond at the Fly Creek Cider Mill where we stopped to have a light lunch.

Pastor Berger playing Shofar
In Monday's message we mentioned visiting a church with a Jewish pastor. Here Pastor Berger plays the Shofar during the song, "Days of Elijah".



Today's Suggested Music
and Supplemental Resources

"How Firm a Foundation"  Video  Sovereign Grace Music

"God Will Take Care Of You"  Video  Choir


Se
nd
a message to Stephen & Broo
k
syne.
Stephen and Brooksyne Weber 9/11/12
Stephen and Brooksyne Weber
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update  (Revised 10/12)

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 an offering 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.

Donate online
Click here to donate online.
2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 11/13/12: $15,306.00. 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