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 Thursday, August 30, 2012  In the course of our travels through Lancaster County among our favorite places to stop is the Village Farm Market along Rt 322 east of Ephrata PA. It's on the lower level of a bank barn. On our last visit I especially noticed the ceiling, which is actually the exposed beams from the barn floor above and the decorative baskets that cover it.  Listen to this message on your audio player."Energy-Givers" "Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings" (Romans 16:23).  A popular new consumer product the last several years (as best as I recall) is the "energy drink". In partaking you supposedly get a burst of energy. It must sell well since you see it practically everywhere. Yesterday we were at a store here in Lancaster Country that had a full shelf of these drinks. Earlier this month one purveyor of this product, "5-hour energy", had a booth at the Ohio State Fair and I received a free sample. I didn't necessarily feel unenergetic at the time but decided to try it anyway. It felt like I got an energy jolt but maybe that's just because I thought I should! I remember studying into the late hours while in college and looking for anything that would keep me awake.These drinks may give a few hours of extra energy for one who has grown weary driving a long distance or studying into the wee hours of the morning. But today I want to consider a particular group of people; people who energize us not for just a few hours but over a lifetime. About ten years ago I met a corporate officer from the company I worked with at that time. We visited various companies in the area where I served as a corporate chaplain manager. He later joined us for dinner in our home. It was such an uplifting evening and after taking him back to his hotel Brooksyne and I began to reflect on the evening, both expressing that Larry was such an "energy giver". He expressed personal interest in us, in our ministry, shared about how God had worked in his life. You know the kind of person I'm describing - one who knows how to listen and when to speak in conversation, one who's more interested in others than himself. He's our friend to this day and the type of person who brings a smile to your face when speaking his name.  Think about people like this whom you know. Some are "energy givers", others are "energy drainers". You've probably heard the expression, "Some people brighten a room when they enter, others when they leave." To the left is a photo of Jim and Dorothy Schmidt, friends from Ocean City, New Jersey, who always brighten the room with their enthusiasm and joy. Jim's keen sense of humor could also be added to his energy giving resume'.In his letters to the churches Paul often expressed heartfelt affection toward particular individuals who were like those we describe as energy givers. They not only blessed and energized him in his work for the Lord, but also the rest of the body of Christ. According to the daily text he and the whole church were enjoying the hospitality of one named Gaius. Gaius is one of the few believers that Paul baptized in Corinth. Surely Paul had an outstanding, long-term relationship with this brother, who likely was also one of the first converts to Christ in Corinth. He had stayed faithful and now opened his home to Paul while he stayed there. Gaius had distinguished himself for his hospitality not only to Paul but to the other believers in the Corinthian church, as well. In fact his name means, "I am glad". He surely must have been an "energy giver". And through the years I've met quite a few people like Gaius. Just being around them spiritually energizes. Sharing hospitality is a wonderful dimension of God's plan for our lives. As Christians we often call it "fellowshipping together" and I maintain that an essential component of our Christian development takes place in the realm of fellowship, as we interface with one another in our homes, churches and other places of community with true believers. I sure hope you have some folks in your life like Gaius! Brooksyne and I have so many, including many of you dear friends who read our daily messages, that we consider ourselves tremendously blessed. I encourage each of you to be an energy giver to those in your circle of influence on this day and everyday! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we want to be set apart as a people who care about others, regularly expressing care to them as we follow the Biblical mandate that each of us should look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. Paul charged his readers to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus who is the supreme example of putting other's needs before His own. May we be more interested in giving energy to others than taking it for ourselves, for when we refresh others, we ourselves are refreshed. We are replenished as we give to others, for Your reservoir never runs dry and we thank You for it in Jesus' name. Amen. Brooksyne's Note: We've described in part what an energy giver is. Perhaps we should give the contrast meaning of what an energy drainer is: one who is very argumentative, monopolizes every conversation, finds fault with anything and everyone, only talks about himself, boasts endlessly about his achievements or possessions, feels his opinion is always the right one and worst of all, doesn't take a breath between sentences to let you excuse yourself from the energy draining situation you're stuck in! I'm sure you could add to the list. (I used the masculine pronoun for ease of writing purposes. Of course there are both male and female energy drainers as well as energy givers.)  The Village Farm Market is owned and operated by an old-order Mennonite group. Keith, the owner, is an earnest follower of Christ and told me he recalls when it was a steer barn! The store is filled with fresh produce, baked goods and deli items made fresh at the market. They provide ample samples! What I especially like is this mission statement. "Our Mission: At Village Farm Market we set the example of a Christian - for each other, customers and the community. We inspire individuals to find self-worth and fulfillment by providing a meaningful workplace."   For the serious canner!  I think they mean it. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 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 8/29/12: $10,961.00. 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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