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 Message · Archives · Archive edition Tuesday, January 26, 2010  "Loneliness" "Thou art with me" (Psalm 23:4). "God places the lonely in families" (Psalm 68:6). The faces of lonely people occupy my thoughts this day. Loneliness is a universal phenomenon that visits every human soul in every culture, regardless of race, age, or educational level. A grim picture fills my mind of a young girl who was pulled from the rubble in the Haitian earthquake. Tragically, eleven of her family members were buried in the ruins, and she is the sole survivor. This young girl's life will never be the same, as she will surely deal with profound loneliness.  The word "lonely" conveys such sadness and isolation. Many lonely people are not necessarily at a distance from other people. In fact they may very well be surrounded by people in a city, office environment, or their own family members. Even as the planet gets more and more populated it seems loneliness spreads.Fundamentally it's because mankind has tried replacing the divinely appointed order of our relationship with God, family, and the fellowship of other believers with a host of replacements. Even the meaning of "friend" has changed. Now people collect "friends" on social websites; people they don't personally know or have a deep, meaningful relationship with.  In the beginning God and man had close fellowship and since that time many have had the wonderful assurance expressed by David in the Shepherd's Psalm, "Thou art with me". That's the greatest antidote to loneliness! Hide deeply in your heart these words of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Surely I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). In the beginning God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone" and made a helper suitable for him and thus ordained marriage and "places the lonely in families" (Psalm 68:6). We may also speak of the "family of believers." As I pray with my wife and daughter in a "family hug" and occasionally we sing the doxology together, I consider it one of the most fulfilling moments of life. Today I urge you to treasure and nurture your close family relationships. However as I conclude I still consider the precious souls reading this who are lonely today. It may be that you are separated from your companion or soul-mate by death. Perhaps you've been abandoned by an unfaithful spouse, or are dealing with estranged children. I don't minimize your pain even though it is not presently my experience. Several considerations: 1) Lean heavily upon the steadfast love of the Lord that never ceases. You will find Him to be a friend that sticks closer than a brother. 2) If you aren't already, become active in a local Bible-believing church with a caring pastor and congregation. 3) Often the quickest way to end loneliness is to reach out to another who has a need. When we put others needs first, God has a way of fulfilling our own inner need. 4) If you're lonely due to past hurts and you remain guarded, seek God for healing and start giving of yourself again to cultivate a friendship. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, thank You for the many Scriptures that reassure us we're never alone, whether it's during our mountain top experiences or in the valleys below. You promise that Your Spirit will never leave us nor forsake us, but You will be with us always. We are encouraged and strengthened by Your promises and Your presence. Amen. Note from Brooksyne: Lonely people are all around us, but we tend to look the other way when we don't want to take time to be part of that solution. Sometimes it's for lack of courage or trying to find the right words, as well. I can still see the empty and hopeless expression on the face of a young carnival worker I saw at a fair in Clearfield County over fifteen years ago. I was waiting in line at the merry-go-round when she caught my attention. Her long thick black hair was very tangled and needed a good washing. She collected tickets from the riders and operated the ride almost in robotic movement. Her eyes and expression seemed so distant and hopeless. God spoke to my heart as audibly as I've ever heard Him… "Tell her 'Jesus loves you'". I felt my heart was going to burst as I contemplated her reaction if I spoke these words to a complete stranger, but the Spirit persisted. I put Ester on the horse as this message kept echoing in my heart. I said to myself that I would tell her after the ride was over. But I let fear override the conviction from the Holy Spirit. I've never forgotten that experience and have wondered many times if this was a desperate, lonely woman who simply needed to hear from God. I repented of my disobedience and have prayed a number of times that God sent another messenger later to tell her the Good News. May we all have godly courage and take the time to seek out the lost and lonely people in our surroundings who may simply need to hear "Jesus loves you." 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.) "Your Steadfast Love" Video Don Moen "In Your Presence" Video Charles Billingsley. "Here In Your Presence" Video "In Your Presence" Video Paul Wilbur "In Your Presence" Video Jason Upton Yesterday several alert readers informed me the photo I displayed by Doris High was of Canada Geese rather than Canadian Geese. |
 "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.2010 YTD financial offerings as of 1/25/10 $300.00 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 2010 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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