Daily Encouragement Net - A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
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 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Messages · Archives ·  Archive/print editionThursday, November 5, 2009 "Beauty" This white swan, Beauty, lives on Gene and Doris Wenger's farm pond here in Lancaster County, PA.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Open Hearts" "One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (Acts 16:14). We're praying for a man who is preparing to undergo open heart surgery in about a week. He's dealing with some of those troubling issues such as blocked arteries that are all too common to those in their 50's and above. We recall sitting at the bedside of our daughter, Ester, through her five open heart surgeries due to her congenital heart defect. These surgeries took place before she was four years of age. Now at the age of twenty, through much prayer and with the help of a pacemaker and heart medications, her health has stabilized in recent years. Last week she got a glowing report from her heart doctor that her echocardiogram revealed that she continues to do well. Our ardent prayers continue for her that her spiritual heart be open, soft, and receptive! The daily text records the story of a woman in Philippi named Lydia responding to the message of salvation. She was a "worshiper of God." This may mean she was a devout Jew or perhaps she was in a group of monotheistic Gentiles in the ancient world who worshiped the God of the Old Testament, similar to Cornelius prior to his conversion to Christ. "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (the Gospel). The phrase, "the Lord opened her heart", has often intrigued me. It reminds me of the sovereign role of God in the salvation of individuals. We should pray in our evangelism endeavors that God will open the hearts of those to whom we share His message. As important as our obedience and preparations are we must consider the sovereign work of God in the salvation of souls. The word "respond" translates the Greek word "prosecho" which conveys the sense "to hold the mind towards, i.e. pay attention to". Isn't that what we want among those we witness to! We live in a world where most pay little or no attention to God and are careening toward a most certain judgment. We desire that they would stop and pay attention to God's message. What about the loved ones for whom you've been praying for many years? They just won't take you seriously. They may be like Lot's foolish sons-in-law who thought he was joking when he warned of the impending destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:14). Or they may just evade the issue. As you pray remember to ask that the Lord to open their hearts so that they respond to your witness for Christ. There is another great spiritual truth when I consider this. We need to pray not only for others, but for ourselves also, that we will have open, soft and receptive hearts. I will admit that my heart is not always receptive. Sometimes hardness will come over me; certainly not hardness toward salvation at this point, but a hardness that blocks spiritual receptivity to the things the Spirit of God is wanting to do in my life. He may be wanting to purge the impurities that clog my heart or He may be challenging me to a new level of spiritual growth. Perhaps He wants to develop a new gift unnatural to the inborn talents I was born with and this requires an extra measure of trust. Sometimes there can be "scar tissue" from past hurts, disappointments, failures and even deep-seated bitterness that contribute to this struggle. Of course most illustrations have a breakdown point and we know that God can heal broken-hearts or renew our hearts as we pursue Christ. But I also pray that God will keep our hearts open and receptive to His Spirit all through life as believers. May God keep our hearts open, soft and receptive today! Soften my heart, Lord, soften my heart. From all indifference set me apart; To feel Your compassion, to weep with Your tears; Come soften my heart, Oh Lord, soften my heart. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we pray that You would make us pliable and yielding to Your touch which can happen only as we open our hearts to You. We want to be like clay in the hand of the Potter and receptive to the Spirit's working. The process can be painful as impurities are removed and reshaping goes against the grain of our sin nature. But the end result makes us a vessel fitting for Your honor and useful for Your kingdom. We desire to glorify You today as our hearts are open, soft and receptive to Your Spirit. Amen.  Last night the farmer harvested the corn in the large field across from our church, while we were having a small group Bible Study. I suspect, based on how much he had done when we left around 9:00PM, that he worked through a long part of the night. Much of the corn in our area has not yet been harvested and now the farmers are busy day and night getting the harvest in. They need to wait till the corn is at a certain degree of dryness before harvesting for the grain. Last night it was clear, crisp and cool and we have a beautiful day early this morning! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources (In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) "Refiner's Fire" ("Purify My Heart") Video Brian Doerksen "Open The Eyes Of My Heart" Video Oslo Gospel Choir "Ancient Words" (Video) Last night on the way to our small group Bible Study we heard this song on the radio and not only is it musically beautful but it has such rich spiritual meaning. Ancient words, ever true Changing me, changing you We have come with open hearts O let the ancient words impart. "Soften My Heart" A thoughtful blog post on this topic for further study. Ester's testimony Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 10/21/09  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 11/4/09: $9,575.00)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. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. or as an email subscription update through feedburner. You can also subscribe to Daily Encouragement feed updates by email.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use 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. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Please feel free to pass these messages on! "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!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (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.  Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!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. © Copyright 2009 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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