Daily Encouragement Net - A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
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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 29, 2009  Photo by Howard J. Blichfeldt (used by permission)  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Guide Us To Thy Perfect Light" "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy" (Matthew 2:10). Contrary to traditional Christmas pageantry and artist's portrayals of the nativity setting, a careful consideration of the Scriptures reveals that the shepherds and wise men were not both present at the same time at the birth of Christ. Today's Scripture text actually reveals that the wise men who followed the star in the east took arrived quite some time after Christ's birth. They had first seen the star while in the east and had traveled to Jerusalem to inquire regarding the exact place of Christ's birth. Who these wise men were remains a mystery. They may have been among those from the Jewish line who stayed in the East following the Exile or perhaps were proselytes (converts to the Jewish faith) who may have known of the Messianic promise. After receiving the information that Christ was born in Bethlehem they went there to worship Him. For some reason, after initially seeing the star while in the east, it was no longer seen for a period until after they had been to Jerusalem and were on their way to Bethlehem. (compare Matthew 2:2 and 2:9,10) These men were earnest seekers. The journey from the east to Jerusalem was likely long and hard. But they were persistent. It was the reappearance of the star on the way to Bethlehem that prompted the response described in the KJV when they "rejoiced with exceeding great joy." The apparent redundancy in the English is an attempt to convey the richness of emotion that Matthew uses four Greek words to express. The Amplified Bible says, "thrilled with ecstatic joy." Why were they filled with such great joy? After all, at this point they had not yet seen Jesus (read the text carefully). It clearly was the reappearance of the star that prompted their joy and also their ability to continue the journey to find the Christ child. But why? I believe we have here an example of how God reveals Himself to the earnest seeker. They had seen the star while in the East and then went to Jerusalem by faith. The reappearance of the star on their way to Bethlehem gave them an assurance that their seeking was not in vain! At times the light of God's guidance is remarkably clear like the star seen by the wise men while in the east. At other times God's leading is less clear, such as when the guiding star was no longer visible. But like these wise men, as earnest seekers we walk by faith and obedience to God's Word. Then we see again the clear, unmistakable light of God's guidance, as the wise men did when they saw the star a second time. Truly this is a time of great rejoicing. Where are you today in your walk of faith? For some the answer will surely be "I haven't seen the 'star' in a long time". Keep seeking, believing, and following my friend. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Help me to journey in faith when the path is dimmed or obscured. When I can only see through a glass darkly, help me to trust You for what is yet to come. May I have a believing, obedient spirit even when I don't fully understand Your plan. For Your thoughts are not my thoughts nor are Your ways my ways. They are higher and wiser and are of divine origin, so help me to be mindful that You always know what's best and will lead me according to Your will and Your timing. Amen. Personal update: As regular readers have observed we have been unable to prepare these messages as I have rather slowly been recovering from the abdominal hernia repair surgery I had last Monday afternoon. I am coming along fine but am very appreciative of the role my abdominal muscles have in everyday life, something I had taken for granted! Last week Ester fell on some ice and hit her head on her way to work and has had a headache much of the time since. Brooksyne took her to the Doctor yesterday and today is following up.  Sunday evening we had an"Open House" time of informal fellowhip in our home and had friends in through the evening and throughout our home. Here is a group who are sharing around our dining room table.  Yesterday Jim and Stacey Ailes stopped by to visit. When I served a church in Saint Marys Pennsylvania, Jim was the pastor at the CMA church and we developed a friendship and fellowship. They now live in the Pittsburg area but have a son who lives here in Mount Joy who they were visiting. 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.) "Lead Me Lord, I will Follow" Video Brooksyne suggests this song to reinforce today's message. It is perfomed by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. "We Three Kings" Video Of course for those familiar with Christmas hymns the title in our daily message is a phrase from this hymn.  Today's photo of a rural winter scene in Michigan was taken by Howard J. Blichfeldt and is used with his permission. His website is here. Howard is a friend of this ministry who desires to honor the Lord through his photography. 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 12/28/09: $17,152.00)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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