Daily Encouragement Net - A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
Trouble reading this message? Read online or see archives
Trouble reading this message? Read online or see archives
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Tuesday, December 1, 2009  Doris High captured this bird in flight departing the feeder.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Boring Genealogies? (Part 1)" "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). I have a number of friends who have impressive family trees. They can trace their family roots back to an ancient country and have particular family members who would be familiar to most of us. Of course, it's more interesting if you're a member of that family lineage! I am preaching a series of messages titled "Boring Genealogies". The title may seem a bit disrespectful or even irreverent. After all, the entire Bible, including the genealogies is inspired by God. Yet many of us would admit the genealogies are not among the more exciting or necessarily edifying portions of the Bible and it's tempting to skim over them, particularly the longest in 1 Chronicles 1-9! The genealogies of Christ are found in both Matthew and Luke in the context of the Christmas stories. Matthew's Gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus going back to Abraham. On the other hand Luke begins with Adam and shows the line all the way to Jesus. The genealogies firmly place Jesus Christ in history. He is not a fictional phantom who appears out of nowhere. Many of the names in His genealogy can be studied in the Old Testament. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ begins with the summary in the first daily text prior to filling in the detail: "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham." In doing so Matthew mentions the two most significant names in our Lord's human genealogy; Abraham and David. As you know, Jesus wasn't literally the son of David who lived about 1,000 years before His birth. Nor was David literally the son of Abraham who lived about 1,000 years before David's birth. The detailed genealogy which follows fills in these gaps. However this introductory summary is vitally important because it establishes that Jesus Christ had two descendents that figure in so powerfully in the Old Testament Messianic prophetical promises. Since Matthew was written primarily to the Jews this was a very important truth to establish. God had specifically promised that the Messiah would be a descendant of both Abraham and David. Today let us consider Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation and all who have faith in the true God.  Abraham received a great promise during his original call; "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). The apostolic preaching of the early church clearly identifies this as fulfilled in Christ (Acts 3:24-26). The apostle Paul in Galatians states that the Gospel was announced in advance to Abraham in this call. Galatians 3:9 states that, "those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham." Many readers will recall the action packed children's song, "Father Abraham had many sons. Many sons had father Abraham. And I am one of them and so are you. So let's praise the Lord…"This promise was to "all peoples on earth." Wherever you are reading this you are among the "all peoples!" Praise God! This is echoed in the angelic proclamation at the birth of Christ, who announced "good news of great joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10). This Christmas season let us remember the tremendous blessings we all have as spiritual children of Abraham through the work of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we consider with deep gratitude our endless blessings as we are among "all peoples on earth" transformed by the good news of great joy the angels delivered on that unforgettable night! The Savior, yes, the Lord Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem, the city of David, is Messiah. He is our Emmanuel, God with us, who has redeemed us from the pit of despair in this life and eternal damnation in the life to come. He will guide us through the dark and difficult places and set our feet upon a firm foundation to stay the course and sustain us on life's path. Thank You for Your endless mercies. Amen. 1 Chronicles 1-9 The longest genealogical portion in the Bible! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Click on the link to open and play. (In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) "Father Abraham" Video Sung by children! Once you learn this song you never forget it. See here. I have a feeling these "boys" went to church when they were little! I also think the chaplain was trying to get a message across when the video abruptly ends! "Born In Bethlehem" Video Third Day Today's header photo was taken by our friend Doris High, who is one of the most prolific photographers we know! She has an interesting photo collection here from which I saw today's photo. Brooksyne's Note: Yesterday in our message we referred to the poem, "My First Christmas In Heaven". We received several requests for copies of that poem which we are making available today. We pray especially for those who are going through the holidays for the first time without their loved one present. May this poem bring special joy to your heart as it is written from the perspective of one now experiencing the indescribable joys of heaven. We prepared this page following the death of Stephen's Mom in 2005. Resources for Christmas Celebrations It is our desire to share online resources that may be a blessing to families and churches during this Christmas season. We will continue to post these resources through Christmas Day. As we find additional material that we believe will be a blessing we will add it to this list. Christmas Memories Here's a collection of Christmas memories sent in by daily encouragement readers several years ago, along with an opportunity to share your own story. "In Remembrance of Me" pdf This is a passion-filled Scripture reading for two adults. Brooksyne and I have used this reading with great receptivity during Christmas Eve services many years. We suggest, if possible, a musical background as the message is read. It is also a great lead-in to a Communion service. It should be thoroughly practiced and read with great feeling. "When Christ Was Born" pdf This is an adaptation to the tune of "How Great Thou Art". It's a great song to sing as a congregation since most are familiar with the tune. Responsive Christmas Scripture readings for church or family: John 1:1-18 pdf "O Come Let Us Adore Him" pdf My First Christmas In Heaven This is a blessed reminder for all who lost a loved one this year. This is the poem that Brooksyne read and wrote about in this message. Christmas Knowledge Test We have also posted two Christmas carol quizzes here (scroll down). Are you Christmas shopping online?  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 considering using these links when purchasing online through CBD! Tip: If you are regular CBD customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you shop. Looking for a very special Christmas gift for your parents? Here's an idea! "The Best Gift You Can Ever Give Your Parents" Looking for a very special Christmas gift for your children? Here's an idea! "The Blessing" 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 11/30/09: $10,497.00)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 |
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 |  |
