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 Friday, June 29, 2012  Ester works the old water pump at the Longenecker Farm in Lancaster County  Listen to this message on your audio player. (Note: Due to scheduling the podcast will be unavailable until Friday evening."Lessons From Plowing" "But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house" (Numbers 12:7). "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).  Our friends Don and Kathy Eaton joined us for dinner last night. Don and Kathy came down from New England twenty years ago to start Eaton Farms, a family run business north of Reading PA, that grows trees and plants for the wholesale market. The farm covers some 200 rolling acres where one can view tens of thousands of growing trees and other plants in various stages of development. They are both committed Christians, seeking to live their lives and operate their business in a manner that pleases the Lord. I have assisted them with their chaplaincy service and work with Keith Rodriques their farm chaplain. Due to the distance and many Hispanic laborers we are unable to provide direct care. Don loves plants and brought us a couple of trees last night along with his pruners and some good growing advice. We walked through our yard and picked his brain! I am blessed whenever I receive an email from Don. As a tag line he quotes a Scriptural concept based on today's second verse. "Keep your hand to the plow."  Jesus used this agricultural illustration to teach the vital importance of staying focused, persistent and faithful. "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). The apostle Paul seems to share this same concept in Philippians 3:13: "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Many of you who know me personally have often heard me say farewell with one of two phrases; "Stay faithful" or "Keep your hand to the plow." I've done this for many, many years and now people often anticipate and reciprocate. One time I was working in large printing plant and a man jumped off the catwalk around a huge web press, walked right up to me and asked, "Are you staying faithful?"God said regarding Moses, "He is faithful in all my house". What a gratifying affirmation to receive from God Himself! In a parable in Matthew Jesus gives us a glimpse of what we'll hear when we finish the race:"Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:23). And in the book of Revelation we have a recognition of His "called, chosen and faithful followers" (17:14). Indeed let us keep our hand to the plow and "stay faithful"! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we desire to remain faithful to You all the days of our life. We join with others of the Christian faith who hold unswervingly to the hope we profess even as we spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Disappointments, unanswered prayers, loved ones who oppose us, spiritual lethargy, temptations and trials pull at our hearts and tempt us to look back just like the Israelites who were freed from slavery. They who greatly rejoiced at their new found freedom found themselves longing to return after the going got tough. Give us strength and firm resolve to plow through the hard soil and bumpy rocks of life all the while fixing our eyes on our eternal dwelling place as we hold unswervingly to the hope we profess in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is in His name that we pray. Amen Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource "Hand To The Plow" Video Paul Clark This is from an album made the year we got married. "I Know Whom I Have Believed" Video A great hymn based on 2 Timothy 1:12. Eaton Farms Our association with Don is through Convene.  We want to encourage readers wherever you may live to participate in a special prayer time this coming Lord's Day in falling to our knees and praying for our nation and world. For more information see this website. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber Our 36th anniversary photo (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 4/12)  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 supporting 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 6/28/12: $7,936.00. 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. These messages are 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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