A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Tuesday, April 17, 2012  A photo of our new Donegal Creek geese family taken this morning on our walk. The gosslings were born sometime Saturday or Sunday. We'd been waiting for the big day when I took this photo Saturday morning.  Listen to this message on your audio player."The Start" (Lessons from Life's Marathon Part 2) "For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!  This week we are studying lessons we can learn from the marathon since in many ways the Christian race is like a marathon. The study is prompted by the running of the 116th Boston Marathon yesterday. Last night Ester spoke to Nikki, a young lady in the right forefront of this photo, who grew up in the church we served in New England. She ran the marathon yesterday and finished the race which is the goal for all competitors. But only a tiny fraction of those who start have any reasonable chance of actually winning the race. Her twin sister Jackie took this photo. Ester reported that Nikki was very tired, and her body ached right down to her toenails.  Today I want to consider the start of the race. The Boston Marathon begins in Hopkinton, MA. Over the next several days we will share some of our experiences witnessing the Marathon at different points along the race course but we never were there for the start, although many thousands view this part of the race and all the excitement that precedes the start. This morning I called Bill and Pat Preston, friends from New Jersey. They recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary and demonstrate a committed walk with the Lord, both turning to Christ early in their marriage. Bill is a longtime college cross country and track coach (retiring this year). He has run in many marathons including the Boston Marathon. At 74 years of age he remains in excellent fitness and is a beloved coach to many. When he ran in the Boston Marathon in 1982 he was in a group of some 7,000 starters and it took him two minutes after the starting gun went off to get to the official starting line! In tomorrow's lesson I will share some points he made about the training that goes into running a Marathon. Beginnings are exciting. My brother Pat is expecting a new grandson as his daughter will give birth any day now. That's an exciting time for the whole family!Spiritual beginnings are also exciting and we all have one. Jesus called it being "born again" (see John 3). For many the spiritual new birth experience is a memorable event, especially if the believer rejected Christ prior to his or her conversion. The apostle Paul certainly had a memorable and demonstrative salvation experience! For others the specific memory of their salvation start may be rather foggy, especially if they first believed at a young age. I have seen some in this category who deal with some questions regarding the validity of their salvation experience. The real issue is present belief and a desire to follow the Lord and walk in His ways. Life's most important decision is whether you have made your spiritual beginning by believing in Christ, confessing your sin and choosing to follow Him. We encourage you to do that today. Our daily prayer will be a common format for this "starting the race" prayer. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father I acknowledge that I am a sinner. There is nothing good in me, and there is nothing in You but good. I choose to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ who died for my sins so that I can receive forgiveness. I confess my sins, for they are many. How thankful I am that Your blood covers all my sins, for Your Word indicates that even the foulest of sinners who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives. I have determined that I will walk with the Lord and follow His Word all the days of my life. I pray this in faith through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.I developed this prayer as the ABC's of my salvation prayer. This week our series will be on lessons from life's marathon: Yesterday's message: "Running In The Path Of His Commands" Today: "The Start of Life's Marathon" Wednesday: "The Disciplines of Life's Marathon" Thursday: "The Trials of Life's Marathon" Friday: "The Finish of Life's Marathon"  Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "The Hour I First Believed" Video Karen Peck and New River "He Who Began A Good Work In You" Video Steve Green "A New Name In Glory" Video Gaither Homecoming singers "Find Us Faithful" Video Let There be Praise Singers I chose this song recalling these lines, We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road And those who've gone before us line the way Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace. Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses Let us run the race not only for the prize But as those who've gone before us Let us leave to those behind us The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives "It Will Be Worth It All" Video A group of Canadian young adults at a camp in Nova Scotia. This song has a line I recalled in the message that states, "So bravely run the race till we see Christ". |
 Weber family Christmas 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 4/16/12: $3,852.00 We express thanks to all who support our ministry!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! Our other blogs: "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!) (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. 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 2012 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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