A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement. Having trouble reading this message?
Read mobile edition online
 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Archives Free email subscription  Listen to these messages  Text only for printing  See here for more info. <Previous Message · Archive edition Tuesday, June 10, 2014  A pleasant view from our front lawn as we watched the sunset. (Click on photo for larger view) "Strength For The Weary Soul" Listen to us read this message on your audio player."My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word" (Psalm 119:28). “This is the resting place, let the weary rest” (Isaiah 28:12). "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" (Hebrews 12:12). Sometimes the day seems long, Our trials hard to bear. We´re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair.  We've been doing a lot of lawn and garden work the last several days. We both feel the physical effects afterward especially in our knees. I (Stephen) had a knee injury nearly 40 years ago with surgery at that time and was warned that I would likely have arthritis in that knee as I aged. Periodically it flares up and at one point, about 20 years ago, I had arthroscopic surgery which helped. In reality I'm also dealing with the aches that come with aging. We encounter a lot of people in our age bracket that have knee problems in one way or another. Well there's only one reference in the Bible to weak knees so let's take a look today!The nature of the ministry Brooksyne and I have places us in contact with a lot of people. One by one many share with us the burdens they bear. Often listening to their stories and bearing their burdens can be wearying. It may be those we see as chaplains or those we hear from through this writing ministry, a family member or a church contact. An occupational hazard of 'people work' is either failing to really sense the pain others are going through (becoming desensitized) or of burning out. Many in ministry for Christ will know what we mean. We need to prayerfully be cautious about either of these dangers. Our first daily text is a candid petition from David, "My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word." Many will identify with the colorful vocabulary of the KJV translation, "My soul melteth for heaviness." The NASV states, "My soul weeps because of grief." Our third daily text comes from a section of Hebrews where followers of Christ are implored to be persevering. The chapter begins with a call to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us." This is one of the great Biblical texts describing the long-term nature of our service for Christ. The strenuous race we run is not a brief sprint but a life-long marathon. The verse that immediately precedes our third daily text states, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (12:11). As we run the race for Christ sometimes everything seems to be going great; runners describe this by using the terms, "having the wind" or being "in pace".  But at other times the going is really tough. It may be like the famed "heartbreak hill" in the Boston Marathon. These providential hard times are ultimately a part of God's disciplinary work in our lives. We will groan in despair if our emotions and focus are solely fixed "at the time" upon our painful discipline. Instead we must, through eyes of faith, look ahead to the "harvest of righteousness and peace" that are a result of our unshakable walk with God in the shakable events of life.Are your arms feeble or your knees weak today? Are you dealing with setbacks that weary you along the way or increase your fear of tomorrow? Corrie ten Boom wrote, "Worrying about tomorrow will rob you of strength for today." Who would know more about anxiety, setbacks and uncertainties than Corrie who saved hundreds of Jews during the holocaust, and was imprisoned for doing so in the concentration camps. Strengthen or lift up your arms today in faith and praise to God. This must primarily be an act of willful obedience rather than an emotional response. As you lift them up in obedience I believe you will experience the uplifting spiritual, physical and mental revitalization that Isaiah writes about in 40:29, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." Choose to gaze upon your permanent destiny and only glance upon your present difficulties. This will enable you to praise God with a sincere heart. Thank Him for the discipline He is bringing into your life to conform you to His likeness and to prepare You for the joys of heaven where sorrow, loss, pain and disappointment no longer exist. When the valley is deep When the mountain is steep When the body is weary When we stumble and fall When the choices are hard When we're battered and scarred When we've spent our resources When we've given our all In Jesus' name, we press on In Jesus' name, we press on Dear Lord, with the prize Clear before our eyes We find the strength to press on Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we are encouraged and emboldened when we consider that in everything we experience today You go before us preparing the way. As we fix our gaze on the eternal peace that awaits the faithful believer we can deal with the temporal conflict here and now. We wait upon You in prayer and faith so that we are renewed in our strength emotionally, physically and spiritually. We are thankful that You give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak. And thank You most especially for Your spiritual renewal that not only meets our needs now but for all eternity. Amen. We dedicate our message today to our friends Rick and Fred Steudler whose 96 year old mother, Jeanette, passed away on Saturday. We've featured her photo numerous times on DE over the years. She always had an expressive and beautiful, full smile - the kind that show both upper and lower teeth. A kind, godly woman, we visited with Jeanette only a few weeks ago at LGH, prayed over her, and sang "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus". She was speaking incoherently the entire time we were there, but in the middle of the hymn she looked right at Brooksyne, coherent for just a moment she responded with such warm sincerity, "Thank You." Brooksyne always sang hymns to Jeanette on our visits. In recent years we rarely had meaningful conversation but she could still joyfully sing out the words of the dearly loved hymns. We rejoice that she now enjoys the eternal life that we must all fix our hope upon. In this photo, taken several years ago, she is in front of a very large oak tree that she planted as a tiny sapling some 70 years earlier! Here is her obituary Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Press On" Video Selah "Be Strong And Take Courage" Video Don Moen Be strong and take courage, do not fear or be dismayed, For the Lord will go before you, and His light will show the way, So be strong and take courage, do not fear or be dismayed, For the One who goes before You will be strong in You today. "It Will Be Worth It All" Video "It Will Be Worth It All When We See Jesus" Video Ben Markley "It's Gonna Be Worth It" Video Rita Springer. We need to hide the truth deep in our hearts that our labor is not vain and it is going to be worth it! "God Will Take Care Of You" Video Antrim Mennonite Choir Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne  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.2014 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $5,422.00 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. Your answers are anonymous and I we are unable to respond. If you want to send a personal message use the 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 |
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 | Snooze |
