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 Monday, April 12, 2010  Redbuds along the Blue Ridge Parkway Last Friday as we returned from our trip to North Carolina we were on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Listen to this message on your audio player."Living In The Light" "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14).  I believe our readers have an earnest desire to follow Christ like the group of friends who sat around our table yesterday. We want to build our lives upon the Rock and to live in the light and understanding of God's Holy Word. In our conversation yesterday we discussed the challenge of living out our faith in a dark world. There is no story that touches my heart more deeply than to hear of one's conversion to faith. It's very exciting to hear of a recent conversion, but I am just as moved when I hear of one's salvation experience that took place 30, 40 or 50 years earlier. It reminds me not only of God's saving power, but His keeping power through the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit over the life of an individual. In the spiritual realm the Bible clearly instructs us to leave the life of darkness and to walk or live in the light. The apostle Paul calls believers, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." This verse is often used in the context of dating and marriage and certainly applies to those kinds of relationships, but in this context Paul does not limit it to a physical relationship. As we compare this verse to others in the Scripture he seems to be speaking of the friendships and partnerships we build in our lives. Paul is not speaking of mere contact with those not of the faith, for that's an essential part of our reaching the lost in this world. Earlier in 1 Corinthians he acknowledges that inevitably we will have contact with people who live in darkness, otherwise "you would have to leave this world" (5:10).  Brooksyne spent a week every summer with her grandparents in the hills of Arkansas during planting season. Her grandfather didn't own modern equipment but farmed his land using two mules. He hooked them together with a yoke before hitching them up to a plow. The yoke prevented the mules from going two directions and united them as though they were one, keeping the same pace and drawing strength from one another. Essentially, it became the strength of two mules joined together for one singular purpose. This analogy helps me to remember why Paul cautions believers to be wise in their relationships because light and darkness cannot be as one – their purposes for existence are completely opposite. Attempting to blend two contrasts and make them one would bring about complete chaos, confusion, and weakness. Paul follows this command "Do not be yoked" with a series of questions, each demanding the negative answer: • For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? • What fellowship can light have with darkness? • What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? • What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? • What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? Today as we are surrounded by spiritual darkness let us again remember God's call. We are to move out of the darkness, walk in the light and stay in the light. Don't be caught lurking in the shadows, fearful of taking a stand, whether it's at our workplace, our neighborhood, or even in our own family. We read of the outcome of Peter's denial of Christ when he, along with other disciples, moved away from Jesus and observed from a distance, even hiding in the darkened shadows. Instead let us be bold in our walk and take a stand in this age where there is great temptation to "blend in" so that everybody is comfortable. Jesus stood apart and He challenges us as well, "Be ye holy, even as I am holy." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Jesus, You call us to come unto You and find rest. We are to take Your yoke upon ourselves so that we are not singly walking in our limited strength, our imperfect wisdom, or our inadequate abilities. Instead we are yoked together with You, learning to walk in Your ways, following Your commandments which are holy, just and good. We are learning self-denial and how to overcome difficulties as we trust You in all Your ways. It is a yoke of pleasantness as we find that Your assistance daily navigates our attitudes and duties as we walk in the light of Your Holy Word. Amen. On Friday we shared a message about building on the solid foundation based on Christ's teaching concerning the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7 and we received a thoughtful feedback message from a long time reader we have never met. "You brought up a very powerful parable the other day. I was thinking about this parable some time ago that Jesus taught about us building our house on the Rock. It occurred to me that in both instances, it requires great work. It's not easy building a house - no matter where we put it. So many things go into building a house - I'm sure even in Jesus' day. So it's not that one was working harder than the other by any means. I myself have sometimes gotten trapped into the deception that "since I'm working hard, I must be doing good" - but that isn't always the case. It's the foundation on which that hard work is based. So I'm reminded that it's possible that people can be deceived doing work their whole lives on something, and be misguided that the work they are doing is righteous, but come to the reality that they've built their whole lives on something that is meaningless. A sobering thought."  Friday morning as we left Lynchburg, Virginia we passed this logo for Liberty University high up on a mountain. You can get a sense of its size based on the trees. I believe it's made out of different colors of stone. We were blessed by all the green we saw but as we headed back north we observed that even in the several days we had been gone how much greener it was and today most of the trees have budded out in various degrees here in Lancaster County. The bridges on the Blue Ridge Parkway are a beautiful stone design. In this photo we just came off the parkway and are heading into Roanoke.  We enjoyed viewing these beautiful tulips in Roanoke, Virginia. Here's a larger view that I made for a desktop background.  Last night we took our long trail walk along Donegal Creek and our dog Roxie met up with Bruno, a very friendly neighborhood Saint Bernard, who joined us for part of our walk. We thought this was a cute photo and welcome submissions from our readers for captions such as we made here. Just email your suggestion to this address.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.) "Offering" Video Paul Baloche "I Offer My Life" Video "Here I Am To Worship" Video Michael W. Smith
Brooksyne's Review: I read this book recently and found it to be a very thought-provoking search light in the lives of Biblical characters, revealing the best and worst of motives that led to defining moments of building or destroying their character. It is a fairly quick and easy-read, excellent for group discussion. Here's a quote that Dan Schaeffer included from a former (Dan Coates) that has really stayed with me. It prompted our discussion around the table yesterday along with II Peter 1:3-5: "Character cannot be summoned at the moment of crisis if it has been squandered by years of compromise and rationalization...the only preparation for that one profound decision which can change a life...is those hundreds of half-conscious, self-defining, seemingly insignificant decisions made in private. Habit is the daily battleground of character." I prepared the above quote and Scripture passage back to back on laminated bookmarks. It helps me to post these Scriptures in places where I spend a lot of time and am able to memorize them. I've done just that with 2 Peter 1:3-5 and what a blessing it has been over the past couple weeks as I've meditated on this passage. If you'd like one of these bookmarks just send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and I will happily mail it to you. Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road Mount Joy, PA 17552 | ||
  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 4/11/10 $3,498.00 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 through feedburner.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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