Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Friday, August 27, 2010  We passed these beautiful flowers yesterday along the road north of New Holland, PA and backed up so Brooksyne could take the photo out of the side window. As we did we so we observed the old order Mennonite couple sitting on their porch pleased at our interest in their flowers!  Listen to this message on your audio player."Our Work Matters" "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23,24). Someone long ago developed the acronym "TGIF" (Thank God it's Friday), to describe the final day of the five day workweek. This common expression insinuates the supposed drudgery of work, although God wills that we recognize each day as a gift for which we are to rejoice in and be thankful. (See Psalm 118:24)  Yesterday we attended a celebration luncheon for Jean Hershey who has a distinction we suppose very, very few have. She has worked for the same company for sixty years. Yesterday the company held a luncheon to honor her years of service. Later after the luncheon as I walked by her work station she quipped, "I'd better get back to work or I may be fired." She inspects very small parts that go into mission critical equipment and at 82 years of age she is still quite proficient in her meticulous duties. When I walk by her station, as the company chaplain, I certainly can't distinguish defective materials from acceptable ones. But she can just run her hand through the hundreds of small parts and instantly detect those that will need her careful attention to see if they're acceptable or will need additional adjustment. As we consider Jean's incredible accomplishment and her tremendous work ethic we thought of the rewards for being a diligent worker here and now, not just those that come with our future inheritance. The rewards of a faithful, diligent worker brings about commendation from their supervisors, possible promotions within their company, a positive role-model for co-workers, productivity which increases profits within a company, fulfillment at the end of the day, a steady paycheck (in addition to many more that you might think of.) In the daily Scripture portion the Apostle Paul is addressing slaves. This may be a turnoff to some, but in the text we can learn a very important Biblical principle. Slavery was a common practice throughout much of the Roman world in the New Testament age. Sometimes you may feel like a slave to your boss or employer, but you know better! If you wish you can walk off the job right now, although there would likely be some very consequential ramifications! Paul says to these slaves concerning their work, "Work at it with all your heart." We should apply these same principles in our work ethic toward our employers. In whatever we do, our work should be "as to the Lord." Our underlying motivation is the future inheritance we will receive from the Lord. And what is that inheritance? It's our home in heaven that can "never perish, spoil or fade." When we work with this attitude Scripture teaches us that in some remarkable way it is the Lord Christ whom we are serving even more so than our employer. Today remember that our work matters to God. Assuming that you are not involved in a type of work that is Scripturally immoral, your work and the diligence in which you perform is honoring to God. (If your work is immoral God can miraculously provide another job as you take a spiritual stand and commit the matter to Him.) The very next verse states: "Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism" (Colossians 3:25). May you experience the joy of the Lord in your work today! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, as we do our work heartily unto You we won't be half-hearted in our service or in our attitudes. Seeking to please You will be our major motivation. Not only in our service do we want to do our best but we also ask You to keep our attitudes in check and our words uplifting in the work place. Help us to be quick to see another co-worker's need and respond accordingly. May we not yield to the temptation of finger-pointing and finding fault with others. Prompt us to be faithful in prayer for our employers, supervisors, co-workers, and the business in which we serve. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Interesting note: This same company had a similar celebration when Jean had her 50th service anniversary and at that point she had never had a sick day!  We stopped late yesterday afternoon to see our Amish friends who had called us to offer a big pail of fresh string beans and other fresh vegetables. As we visited in the barn Ester took a photo of me with a horse and mule.  Yesterday the first corn was cut and hauled in from the fields on the wagon to chop up for sileage.  An old fashioned corn chopper still periodicaly used.  This photo is not upside down. Any idea what it is? (See below footers for answer.) 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.) A medley by Kristyn Getty Video  Finally today: Yesterday we passed this interesting sign with some slight mispellings! Is the family moving and selling their "extras"? Or are they letting people know that they'll be moving their sailboat today?Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. Mystery photo: Today's mystery photo is tobacco hanging in the barn to dry. Please note: We are not endorsing tobacco use! In fact our Amish friend does not grow tobacco but another farmer is using the space in his barn to dry it. |
  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 8/26/10 $9,318.00 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 by us 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 you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using 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 or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. 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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