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  Follow Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter    The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Thursday, April 21, 2011  40 Day New Testament Reading/Listening Plan: This suggested 40 day reading plan began Sunday (April 3). If you want to participate and have not been following the reading schedule up to this point we suggest starting with today's reading and reading previous portions after this reading period ends. Here's the entire 40 day schedule. More information concerning the Scripture reading plan is below the daily message. The links below will open to the selection to be read along with a built-in listening device.
"The Tree Of Life" "But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: 'We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him'" (Acts 5:29-32). We had a beautiful day yesterday and the trees in our area are really beginning to blossom. For the first time this season I mowed our lawn. We took a long evening walk and enjoyed the warm sunshine as the evidence of mid-spring was visible from every direction we observed. I enjoy relating to foresters and learned a great deal from several who attended the church I pastored in northern Pennsylvania many years ago. Tomorrow we expect to see our longtime forester friend Jeff Worrall and his family. I have some tree questions to ask him when he arrives! Foresters work with trees which have the distinction of being referenced in the Bible from the first chapter right through to the last chapter with many references between. When Adam was evicted from the garden of Eden the specific reason for this eviction was so that he could not "reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever" (Genesis 3:22). At the end of the Bible we again see several references to this tree of life. Apparently it will be a major attraction in our eternal home (Revelation 2:7; 22:14). As such it surely must be the longest living tree! The life-giving ministry of Jesus Christ fulfills for the believer the blessings of the tree of life. Several years ago Brooksyne directed a musical titled "O Mighty Cross" which has this powerful line, "His Sacrifice on Calvary has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me."  The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). In our daily text Peter boldly states, "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree." Interestingly Peter in his epistle also refers to the cross as a "tree" "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).Today the benefits of the tree of life are freely available to all of us in Jesus Christ. Many ignore His call, reject Him, or scorn His Name but the Word of God declares: "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12,13). Receive and then generously share this merciful gift of life through Christ Jesus today! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Jesus, Your sacrificial death on the cross became the tree of life for all who believe. It is the highest expression of love not only for those who bore the nails in Your hands and shouted "Crucify, crucify." It is also for all generations who follow that were born under the sin curse. How grateful we are that You came from the glories of heaven to crush the head of the serpent, as You conquered death through Your miraculous resurrection so that we might be redeemed from the law of sin. We will partake of the tree of life in heaven because You partook of the cross of death here on earth. All glory and praise is due Your name. Amen.Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "O Mighty Cross" Video O Mighty Cross Love lifted high The Lord of Life raised there to die His Sacrifice on Calvary has made the mighty cross A tree of life to me O Mighty Cross what Throne of Grace He knew no sin yet took my place His Sacrifice on Calvary has made the mighty cross A tree of life to me O Mighty Cross O Christ so pure Love held Him there such shame endured His Sacrifice on Calvary has made the mighty cross A tree of life to me O Mighty Cross my soul's release! The stripes He bore have brought me peace His Sacrifice on Calvary has made the mighty cross A tree of life to me O Mighty Cross O Mighty Cross O Mighty Cross A tree of life to me "It's Still The Cross" Video A reminder of what really matters! "Still The Cross" Video "The Wonderful Cross" Video Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin Today's message also brings to mind "The Tale Of The Three Trees" Video  The Cross At The Crossroads We passed this large cross several years ago on the way back from a family reunion at the junction of I-70 and I-57 near Effingham, Illinois. It is is intended to serve as a beacon of hope to the 50,000 travelers estimated to pass by each day. It's not a wooden cross though! Major Events of the Passion Week Holy or Passion Week is so named because it chronicles the events leading up to the Lord's death and resurrection. Here's an interesting chart from a Study Bible that may be helpful as you study the Bible this week and consider these events. It sure helps me to have a sense of when the events took place and I am inspired as I read these Scriptures in the daily sequence leading up to Easter. Note: The precise days these events occurred cannot be determined with certainty. Earnest Christians have various views as to the day Christ died, some believing it would have been on Wednesday or Thursday rather than Friday. However we feel the basic outline is still helpful. I enjoy math although I'm not very good at it beyond the basics needed to get by in life (such as preparing my taxes!) Consider this: The four gospels cover the life of Christ, a period of about 33 years. But almost all of this material deals with just the 3½ year period of His earthly ministry. However, an astounding 30 of the 89 accumulative chapters in the gospels cover the period beginning with Christ's triumphal entry through His resurrection and post-resurrection appearances. Mathematically this means that approximately 33% of the written material in the Gospels deals with a mere .05% period of His life! In the providence of God we have a much greater proportion of Scriptural revelation dealing with God's greatest act of love and mercy in providing our redemption. Sunday
(This material is developed from an outline in the Life Application Bible)   "Tortured For His Faith" We would highly recommend this book which is available to Daily Encouragement readers for the month of April free of charge! It is tremendously inspiring and will stir you to faithfulness in the face of persecution. It will also create a greater hunger for the Bible as a result of reading it. Merely go to this page and fill out the form on the lower part of the page. Indicate that you are a daily encouragement reader and request the book in the comment box. (Don't forget to include your mailing address.)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 4/20/11: $3,250.00 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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