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. Monday, November 25, 2013  Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania "Seasoned With Salt"  Listen to this message on your audio player. Note: Due to a very hoarse voice and Brooksyne being at the hospital a Podcast will not be prepared for today's message."Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person" (Colossians 4:6).  This morning I received a call from Paul Coran, a college friend who lives in New York, who has been keeping up with Ester's illness. I have had a chest cold several days and practically have no voice but was blessed to hear his words of encouragement and a prayer. However it's very frustrating not to be able to reciprocate in the conversation!Paul's message was encouraging and edifying, "with grace, as though seasoned with salt", prompting a consideration of a brief verse from Colossians dealing with our speech or conversation. "Let your speech always be with grace." The Amplified Bible takes this to mean "gracious (pleasant and winsome)" In this passage the apostle Paul turns from the believer’s walk to his talk. Our talk should match our walk and should be spiritual, winningly pure and apt. One version (NIV) states our conversation is to be "always full of grace" conveying a steady, ongoing abundance. "As though seasoned with salt." Today if we speak of someone having a salty speech it has come to mean laced with profanity. But that is certainly not the case here! One informal translation renders the original Greek idiom here “in good taste.” Indeed one common use of salt in the New Testament period as today was salt as a flavoring (to enhance good taste). Another common use was as a preservative. In both cases it is vitally important that the salt be evenly distributed over that which is to be salted.  Today we are most familiar with the use of salt as a flavoring. We don't place a gob of salt on our plates to eat separately in high concentration. We use a salt shaker to evenly distribute it over the food we want flavored. Likewise a single grain of salt may not even be discernible to the taste buds. But sprinkled with other grains of salt on top of the food it makes a real difference.On the Lord's Day, followers of Christ (salt) gather in concentration to be encouraged, edified and equipped for ministry. Then we spread out through the culture that surrounds us. I believe God uses our work and daily lives to evenly distribute us. You may look around and see but a few grains of salt where you work or where you interface with others. In a few cases you may be the only grain. You may feel very lonely in your stand for Christ and think, "What difference am I making?" Sometimes the difference we make is recognizable such as leading someone to faith or bringing encouragement to a fellow believer. But at other times we see no observable results of our witness. We must practice a steady obedience in letting our speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt" and wait to see the impact of our saltiness. We may not see this till the other side. "So that you will know how you should respond to each person." May God give each of us wisdom today as we seek to be as Christ called us, "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). Be encouraged today! Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, I want the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart to be pleasing to You this day. I pray that my conversation is uplifting so that I build others up rather than tear them down. May I walk and talk with Your grace so that I impart grace to others showing respect, courtesy, and interest in their lives. Just as salt is tasty to food making it more pleasant to eat, I pray that my dialogue is wholesome, making conversation pleasant and beneficial to those who listen. Amen. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "May The Words Of My Mouth" Video Christy Nockels/Janna Long "May the Words of My Mouth" Video Benny Samuel "To Be Pleasing You" Video Maranatha Singers "Let the Words of My Mouth" Video Fernando Ortega |
 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 11/24/13: $17,844.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If this email was forwarded 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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