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 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Friday, March 11, 2011  "Pom Pom" Flower (see note below about this flower) "Dealing With Life's Shakings" "The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe" (Hebrews 12:27,28). We had a really rainy day yesterday and left for the first of our chaplain visits around 6:30 in the morning. As we drove on 283, the four lane highway into Lancaster, we saw a most unusual sight. At first we saw emergency vehicles ahead through the rain and the traffic slowed down. Then we noticed all along the east-bound lane cars pulled off to the side with their flashers on, all with flat tires; a number of cars had two flats. Some of them were abandoned, others had the driver sitting in them waiting for help, and a few hearty folks were changing the flat tires in the pelting rain. Talk about having a "bad day" almost before the day begins! (We read later that these cars had hit a large piece(s) of metal that had fallen off a truck.) Now that's something you just don't expect on the way to work but it's illustrative of unseen and unknown shakings in life that we all encounter in various ways. All of those drivers were expecting to have a routine day and among the least shakings that they would have expected was hitting a piece of metal and getting a flat tire on their morning commute, in the drenching rain, along with many others (seventeen vehicles in all). However as inconvenient, disruptive and expensive as the ordeal was it probably became an interesting source of discussion for many throughout the day and we can be thankful there were no serious injuries or extensive damage. Of course there are many shakings we experience in this life and I awoke this morning to the news of a large earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which I suppose is about as literal as a shaking can be. Scores of people are suffering and many deaths have been reported. I have heard it said that reality ultimately consists of two things; that which can be shaken and that which cannot be. All that we see with our physical eyes can be shaken. We see daily the shakings in world affairs and most certainly we will see many more. The daily text acknowledges the reality of the shaking of the created order. Consider for a few moments your own customized shakings that required a personal response or brought about a life change; some that have actually helped shape you into the person you are today. Certainly some deal with more severe, extended, or frequent types of "shakings" than others. However, are there any of us who can't readily identify with our theme today? The entire chapter of Psalm 107 describes the shakings that took place while the Jews were exiled in Babylon. The ultimate reason for these shakings was to guide these people to God so they could recognize their blessings were from Him. When we keep the eternal perspective in the midst of our difficulties we will be quick to recognize the Lord's blessings and offer praises and thanksgiving to our faithful God. We don't like the shakings, but as Christian broadcaster Steve Brown often says, "Life here is messy." Shakings are an inevitable part of our journey below, so we might as well get used to it and learn to deal with it. Scripture has a wonderful promise in the latter part of the daily text; "We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken." We can find peace about our unpredictable future here on earth by purposefully focusing our attention on our promised future in heaven where our citizenship lies in a "kingdom that cannot be shaken." We are "receiving" this kingdom and the verb tense is quite significant. Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come." Our journey through this life is but a transition to the future Kingdom God has prepared for us. I am convinced that very early in eternity we will recognize the brevity of our earthly journey, although since at this time it's all we know, it seems long and wholly significant! Today I encourage each reader to keep the eternal perspective, the "big picture." In our promised future we are receiving an unshakable kingdom even while changing a few "flat tires" here and now! What is our response? "Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe!" Be encouraged today, Stephen and Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, help us to seek first Your kingdom and pray in the spirit so that we can live in victory even while encircled by conflict. Frequently Your shakings come to bring about personal change, but we also witness Your shakings of entire nations throughout history. Though land, dwellings and people are destroyed due to the hardness of man's hearts, Your kingdom is indestructible. Scripture assures us that we who believe are receiving this Kingdom that cannot be destroyed, so we come with thankful hearts and worship You today with holy fear and awe, for You, our God, are a consuming fire.* Pom Pom Flower Some of our readers especially like our quiz games, so we've put the "Pom Pom Flower" at the top, a name Brooksyne gave it. We have a friend who very proudly showed it to us during a visit several weeks ago. It was our first exposure to such a "flower" and we wondered if any of our readers can guess just what kind of flower it is? If you have any idea and are willing to venture a guess send us a message and if you happen to identify the flower correctly we'll send the excellent book, "Defining Moments" by Dan Schaeffer. We will identify the flower on Tuesday, March 15. I believe the answer will greatly surprise you! Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/10)  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. 2011 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 3/10/11: $2,050.00 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. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.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 2011 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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