A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Click here to support our ministry.The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition "Concede Or Contend?" "Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to be. For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men" (Psalm 12:1). "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care" (1 Timothy 6:20). "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us" (2 Timothy 1:14). "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2). The true minister of the Gospel is called to "preach the Word" (2 Timothy 4:2) and a great example is the Apostle Paul who proclaimed in his powerful message to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27, "I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God." Yet there is great pressure on pastors today to avoid subjects co-opted by the world that may be controversial. Of course here in America and around the world there is a massive effort to redefine marriage. Yesterday if you attended a Bible-preaching church in America you may have heard your pastor preach on marriage. We visited my brother's church in the Lehigh Valley and he preached on Biblical marriage beginning with its establishment in Genesis.  Yet many are conceding to the world on this and a host of other life defining issues. Conceding is the path of least resistance in being accepted and loved by the world and not "rocking the boat" in one's comfortable way of life. But this is not the call we have. Rather than concede we are called to contend. The problem with conceding is that if you concede now, it won't be enough later. The game is upped to yet another level.For many years I have been blessed by a relatively obscure song recorded by the Gospel group "Truth" titled "God Is In Control". It speaks of reassurance as I listen carefully to the words. The beginning of the song has a line that was surely inspired by reading the daily headline news: "Does it seem like the world is chaotically turning sin and shame are unarraigned and, Godly men are adjourning." I especially consider the phrase, "Godly men are adjourning." Typically we use the word "adjourning" to describe a meeting coming to an end, but it is a tragic day when Godly men and women adjourn themselves from the great ongoing spiritual battle before God calls adjournment. Laying their spiritual armor down, they're dismissing themselves in the midst of our ongoing struggle against the rulers, against the authorities and against the powers of this dark world (Ephesians 6:12). The Psalmist wrote of a time in his age, "Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to be. For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men." David expresses himself in a way that we might also in our own day. His cry for help is directed to the Lord. His observation is that "the godly man ceases to be". David grew up during a time of great moral and spiritual apostasy. Certainly Saul's reign was not marked by spiritual revival or obedience to God. His reign transitioned from the period of the Judges, which is summed up with the phrase, "Each man did what was right in his own eyes." However there was a remnant of God's faithful followers during this period such as the prophet Samuel. Thank God for those who remain faithful followers of God all through history and right up to our own day who do not adjourn or concede!
 May the Lord help us to be faithful in holding onto the Living Word and preserving its uncompromised message in our conversation and lifestyle. We must pass this glorious message on to the next generation, not customizing or interpreting God's timeless truths set forth in His Word, based on the shifting sands of culture or our own preferences. It is commonplace in our day to modify or edit truths set forth in Scripture to say what we want them to say. Analogous to using the "delete" or "insert" buttons on a present day computer, some adjust their viewpoints to fit in comfortably to the trends of our society.But thank God there is also a faithful remnant that holds on to the faith "once for all entrusted to the saints". That faithful remnant is alive and well in the tidal wave of mockery, modification, and outright blasphemy toward God's Holy Word and Christian standards. We earnestly appeal to every reader to be a part of God's holy remnant. In the midst of doctrinal apostasy we need to stand up boldly for our faith in God and confront the heresies of our day. In the midst of moral apostasy we need to boldly assert the timeless standards of personal holiness and live by them daily. Let us stay faithful! For the godly man and woman there is no adjournment from life's spiritual battle until we are called home. It is in our heavenly setting that the battle will no longer rage and we will finally experience everlasting peace. Sin will be permanently adjourned and the righteous remnant will forever reign with the King of kings and Lord of lords. Let us not concede but rather let us contend! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, the commandments that You give are not only to be impressed upon our thoughts but also implanted in our hearts. Help us to be cautious and prayerful about new teachings that are pleasing to the ear and popular with our present generation, but do not bear witness with the eternal Scripture. Keep us on guard against the easy-isms of a shallow Christian experience, for that will eventually give way to our surrendering during intense enemy warfare. We hold on to that which is of most importance and pass on to those who come behind the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints of all generations. We want to contend for the faith no matter the cost. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.Diligence in work. This morning we had some routine maintenance on our house A/C system and had the opportunity to commend the service tech for his diligence and have a word of prayer with him.  Today a friend, John M. Heisey, stopped by and shared a photo with us. He snapped the photo along the main AMTRAK rail line, intrigued by the sunrise and coming train (look carefully for the lights of the engine). John uses this photo and the following message as a witness tract through his Gideon ministry: Are You on the Right Track? The Narrow and Wide Gates "Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13,14). "God Is In Control" Video Truth This is the song referred to in our message. It has very thoughtful lyrics: Does it seem, like the world, Is chaotically turning? Sin and shame, unarraigned, and Godly men are adjourning Well our fathers warned that it would come to this But just hold your hat and know that the final truth is... God is in control, though Godless men conspire His will unfolds, though mortal minds are sometimes left to doubt His ways are higher than our ways, so even through the fire Take heart and know God is in control Does it seem, like your world, Is a maze of confusion? Do you long for the day, when problems meet their solutions Well I know sometimes life's life is unsecure But the saint who've held on before would charge you to rest assured His ways are higher than our ways, so even through the fire Take heart and know God is in control Take heart and know, Take heart and know... God Is In Control Last night we went to a concert in Lebanon PA to hear the Booth Brothers, a gospel group we enjoy.  "I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary" Video Gaither Vocal Band I was especially blessed to hear this song sang last night by the Booth Brothers in light of today's message being on my heart. "See What A Morning" Video Booth Brothers Brooksyne was disappointed they didn't sing this song last night but enjoyed hearing it this morning on our local station. "Every Cry Is Heard" Video Featuring songwriter Jim Brady (seen on far right) of the Booth Brothers trio. This is a touching song he wrote for those going through heartache. "I Played in the Band, Wrote a few songs and Sang in the Choir" Video A fun song inspired by the words of a very humble man, Henry Slaughter. When given high marks for his spiritual contribution by fellow songwriter/artist Bill Gaither, Slaughter simply responded that he hadn't done much; just sung in the choir, played the piano and wrote a couple songs (when in fact he wrote many, many wonderful gospel songs). This exchange inspired Gaither to write a song, "I played in the band, wrote a few songs, and sang in the choir". Gaither states that we don't have to be the head, just be willing to exercise whatever gifts God gives us for His glory.  We stopped in Lebanon on our way back from the Lehigh Valley and ended up sitting with a group from our church. That's our pastor John Keefer smiling at Ester who took the photo. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/12)  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 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. Click here to donate online. 2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 6/6/13: $9,138.00 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 to our email list. These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)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. Other versions are also occasionally used. © Copyright 2013 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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