Daily Encouragement Net
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 Friday, September 6, 2013  We saw this attractive display of arranged fresh flowers all priced around $8.00 on an Amish farm in Lancaster County. "The Blessing Of The Day Of Rest"  Listen to this message on your audio player."Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). This week we have shared several messages based on the theme of work. In America today we can observe two contradictory errors in regard to work. There are many that see no value in work, with their lives marked by laziness and irresponsibility. The first part of the commandment states, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work." Others are workaholics, with their life singularly focused on temporal work while still others may have a work and play attitude. Work during the week and party all weekend.  They all have seriously misplaced their priorities. The fourth commandment is in regard to keeping the Sabbath. It explicitly commands work (a point often missed) and a setting aside of the Holy Day to rest. More text is used for this commandment than any other of the Ten. The failure to keep it is a great sin in America, for which I earnestly believe we are reaping the consequences, along with that of many other violations of God's commands.One of the blessings of aging is perspective. We consider the even greater perspective those farther along in the life cycle have on us! How we have seen attitudes to the Lord's Day change in our lifetime. We grew up in a period of "blue laws" with most businesses closed on Sunday. As Christians in our homes the Lord's Day was special. Many of us got "ready" for church and although all didn't go to church to worship, overall our society itself treated Sunday as a special day. This of course has changed and for most Sunday is just another day, treated no differently at all from others. It's somewhat quaint to see remnants of this old standard on so many signs in our area with "No Sunday Sales" posted. I believe these owners gain the respect of others (they certainly gain our respect). Note just two words in the Commandment today, "may rest". The purpose of this commandment is for our benefit. Jesus said "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). The day of rest is both a reality check and a priority check. Reality check: As Christians we worship and rest on the "Lord's Day", recognizing on each Sunday the reality of the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the foundational event of our faith. Priority check: The Day of Rest should remind us that "this is not all there is". The Day of Rest goes back to the initial day of rest following Creation and the day when Christ arose. One day we will rest from all our labors (Revelation 14:13). We urge our readers to consider the blessing of the Fourth Commandment and seek to live in obedience to it. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, You command us to observe the day of rest, by keeping it holy. You also command us to work on the other six days. You made this commandment for our benefit that we might be renewed spiritually and physically on the Lord's Day. Help us to be careful to set this day apart and make it the highlight of our week as we honor You in corporate worship, as we spend quality time with our family members and as we take time to rest from our labor. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.  We passed this sign advertising "Cute Bunnies For Sale" Has anyone seen bunnies that aren't cute! Notice the "No Sun Sales" at bottom of sign.  Here's another view of the flower cart. We like the wagon wheels.  The flower arrangements were lovely and vibrant at a bargain price. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources In considering music for today's post an old song, "Slow Down" by Chuck Girard came to mind which prompted some memories of other songs he sang. "Slow Down" Video Chuck Girard "Lay Your Burden Down" Video Chuck Girard "Little Pilgrim" followed by "Sometimes Alleluia" Video Chuck Girard's daughters and granddaughters. Chuck Girard was a popular singer in the early-seventies when I first came to the Lord. He just turned 70! His main page has a powerful prayer song on it titled "HEART of AMERICA" Interview with Chuck Girard on WJTL (one of our local Christian stations) Video Part 1 of 3 (additional interview segments are also posted) "Little Pilgrim" Video Love Song (The band Chuck Girard was in)   Click here to record a brief message on your computer's audio device which can then be sent to us.Note: We are testing this as a means of providing another way for our readers to share feedback. 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 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 9/5/13: $13,653.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If a friend forwarded this to you, you can subscribe here.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 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: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. 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  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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