A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Click here to support our ministry.The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Tuesday, January 1, 2013  "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). "Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways" (Psalm 128:1). Today let us consider a great verse of consecration as we begin the New Year. I'm sure many of you have heard it and sung it as well. When I preach I often conclude my message by quoting this verse as a reaffirmation of my decision to serve the Lord as well as a challenge to the congregation to make that same decision. Of course for many of them it is a reaffirmation of a decision they had made many years earlier.  However there is one fundamental decision we all share, based upon a portion of Scripture in the Old Testament. Some 3,400 years ago Joshua gave his final challenge to the children of Israel. He had lived a life of steadfast commitment to God. He's first mentioned in Scripture as the trusted commander of Moses' army shortly after they crossed the Red Sea during the Exodus. He, along with Caleb, was one of only two spies to bring back a faith-filled report that essentially said, "With God's help we can do it!"  He called for the people to "Fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness." We have such a lack of the proper fear of the Lord in our times, sadly even in the Church. A healthy, holy fear of God is an essential component in the life of the maturing Christian. And in a culture where our Lord's holy Name is used in vain countless times every day and a common reference to Him is "the man upstairs", we need a good dose of the fear of God. Today let us indeed walk in His love with fear and reverence toward Him for the Bible says, "Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways" (Psalm 128:1). Joshua set the fundamental choice clearly before them with these words, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." In the context of the time their fundamental choice was between the one true God and "the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living." In a broader sense the choice now and in every generation is between the one true God and what the apostle Paul called "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). People then and now have this fundamental choice, for the one true God does not force people to love and serve Him.  Be encouraged today and have a blessed New Year as you daily choose to serve the Lord! Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, You have drawn us with an everlasting love; You have drawn us with your loving kindness. This new year Your bountiful provision overflows with the material, physical and spiritual blessings that only a loving, caring heavenly Father can give. We choose this first day of the year 2013 to declare to all who will hear, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/12)  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 an offering 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. Click here to donate online. 2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 12/31/12: $19,311.00. (Note: Our final 2012 accounting of total gifts will not be available until we get our final report for offerings given directly to our chaplaincy account.) 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 to our email list. These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)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 2013 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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