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, July 10, 2012  A distant view of the homestead house at the Daniel Boone Homestead near Birdsboro PA  Listen to this message on your audio player."The Jewish Carpenter" "Isn't this the carpenter?" (Mark 6:3).  As we visited the Daniel Boone homestead last week I was impressed with the carpentry used some 250 years ago. The main support beams were constructed by mortise and tenon with a wood peg driven in to keep it in place. It's an ancient construction method that has proven to be enduring. The photo to the right shows a mortise and tenon joint used in a barn built in 1832 in Lancaster County on Galen Martin's farm.I visit regularly with some employees in a home improvement company who use their carpentry skills vocationally and are quite proficient, but it's rather doubtful that they would use this primitive type of joint. Here's a view of how a mortise and tenon joint works. It's a very labor intensive skill requiring a hand tool such as a chisel. Last week I referred to family businesses in the Bible and alluded to a family of fishermen. James and his brother John were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets (see Matthew 4:21-22). Ken, a thoughtful reader from Maine, suggested that we also have an example of a family business in Joseph and Jesus. One of my favorite bumper stickers declares, "My boss is a Jewish carpenter." The Gospels reveal very little about Christ's life before He began His ministry. But the daily text indicates that Jesus practiced the trade of carpentry until the time He began His ministry at about 30 years of age. Since Joseph was also a carpenter it is reasonable to assume they worked together as would have been the practice at that time.  I'm sure He was a very good carpenter; competent and diligent in His work and honest with His customers. I wonder if He ever cut twice because He measured only once? I wonder how He reacted when He banged His thumb or how he dealt with the sharp sting He felt from a deep splinter? Do you suppose He called out His own name in an irreverent, exasperated way as will take place millions of times today when people encounter frustration? I don't think so. Did He say, "Good God Almighty?" If so, I am sure it was expressed in an entirely different tone than normally spoken today!What is your life's work today? A few of you might be carpenters. Readers of this daily encouragement series come from a host of different backgrounds and work in a vast array of different vocations. Of course some of you are students and a good number of our readers are retired. No matter our calling, craft, or life skills, we are all called to serve God. When Jesus worked as a carpenter I believe He was serving God no less than when, at the appointed time, He began His ministry. Jesus was in His Father's perfect will, working in accordance to His time line, His entire earthly life. Some of you sense that God has something different for you, some other form of service. And He very well may. Perhaps you sense a call to "ministry." But until that calling is fully realized remember the skilled, diligent, honest Jewish carpenter who became our Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul wrote, "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). Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we offer up to You our lives as living sacrifices. May we be holy and pleasing to You. In whatever form of work we do may we do so with diligence as unto the Lord. We thank you for the variety of giftings and work skills You give us in regard to vocational work and how we are blessed and provided for. We honor you as we have a proper view toward work. Amen.Brooksyne's note: As we wrote about those "called to ministry" I consider the scores and scores of laypersons who may not be credentialled by ministerial institutions but are given to ministry wholeheartedly. In our view many are just as effective as those credentialled and in some cases even more so. Few of them receive financial compensation and they often invest their own resources expecting no reimbursement. It isn't the title that counts but the giving of oneself to ministry and the yielding of one's giftings that pleases our Lord and gives testimony throughout the community.  Here's another view of the Daniel Boone homestead house.  The smokehouse This is our final set of photos from our visit to the Daniel Boone Homestead last week. This historical site is located here (Google map). Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource |
 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 7/8/12: $8,221.00. 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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