A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
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 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.  Thursday, January 16, 2014  Listen to this message on your audio player."But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King" (Jeremiah 10:10). "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39). God and God alone created all these things we call our own From the mighty to the small the Glory in them all is God's and God's alone Today we consider those who are living under oppresive conditions. How vitally important it is to bring encouragement to them, to let them know they are not forgotten. I especially consider those undergoing persecution. Some are able to receive these and other edifying messages. Several weeks ago we heard from Philip who is ministering for the Lord in the Middle East who wrote, "Your site has been very encouraging to me especially in the past year. Ministering in this place gets lonely sometimes and discouraging at others." But many others are unable to even access encouraging material and are so isolated from the rest of the Body of Christ. May God give them a deep assurance of His care. Persecution is taking place in many countries all around the world and is growing. The persecution.org website reports that the past year has been incredibly difficult for Christians in Egypt. When the persecution of Christians has made it into the news it has been the reports of attacks on churches or kidnappings. Lost in the reporting is the level of hostility that Christians face on a normal day while trying to carry out simple tasks from riding on public transportation to buying goods from a store. The hostility shown towards Christians by some reinforces the idea that their rights and their place in Egyptian life are not secure.  The prophet Jeremiah served God during extremely difficult times. In fact he lived at the time Josiah, whom we referred to yesterday as Judah's final good king, died and uttered a lament for him (see 2 Chronicles 35:25). Following Josiah's death there were several evil kings as the nation plunged to destruction. Jeremiah surely at times felt alone in his resolve to remain steadfast for God. But he remained faithful when judgment came upon the idolatrous nation and they were taken into Babylonian exile. He was tormented and ridiculed but he persevered. Today the Lord desires men and women who, like Jeremiah even in the midst of adversity, will remain steadfast and faithful. What great assurance the short statement that comprises our daily verse must have given Jeremiah and will also give us today: "But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King" (Jeremiah 10:10). Three words describe the immutable God of the universe; true, living and eternal. Consider each of these bedrock, immutable characteristics of God in light of the shifting sands of the world's value system. They are just as valid in describing God today as they were 2,600 years ago, for God does not change. They describe the One who said "I am the God of…". The present tense is always necessary in describing the true, living and eternal God for He always "is". Today, although the vast majority of you are not being persecuted (at least in a severe physical sense), some of you are going through a serious trial that is testing your faith. We encourage you to place your faith in the eternal King who is ever true and ever living. He is always the great "I am". May this assurance fill your heart, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39). God and God alone will be the joy of our eternal home He will be our one desire Our hearts will never tire of God and God alone Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, because You are the true, eternal and living God I can commit my past to You, and entrust my present needs to You. I'm so glad the Word of God declares that You are the great "I AM", not "I was." As my issues change and my needs grow You are present to meet every situation I bring before You. I place my confidence in You as I remain steadfast and faithful, abounding in my relationship with You, my true, living and eternally great God. Amen. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "I Am Persuaded" Video Travis Cottrell "I Am" Video Prestonwood Choir "God and God Alone" Video Steve Green "You Are God Alone" Video Phillips, Craig, & Dean "Great I Am" Video Phillips, Craig & Dean "I Then Shall Live" Video Prestonwood Choir |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber(Click on photo to enlarge) Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) About Us "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 10/21/13) 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 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $27,952.00 Thank you!  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 2014 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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