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 Wednesday, January 16, 2013  Anchor at Plymouth Harbor in Plymouth, Massachusetts. One of our favorite photos of Plymouth where we frequently visited and walked along the harbor while living in New England. (Click on photo to enlarge)  Listen to this message on your audio player. "When Hope Is Lost" "For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope" (1 Chronicles 29:15). "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). When hope is lost, I call You Saviour When pain surrounds, I call You Healer When silence falls, You'll be the song within my heart Today we are uncertain what opportunities may come our way. We pray for hearts receptive to our care and message. One thing we do know is that we will encounter someone, probably several, who needs a word of hope and encouragement. We have that form of job security!  Sometimes these encounters come through our readers such as this message we just received requesting prayer: "Dear Webers, I'm a Christian for 20 years and also a survivor of a lifetime living with depression and panic disorder. My pain is unbearable right now. I'm asking for your prayers that the Lord would lead me on a path of healing. I'm desperate and in despair. Please pray." (We did.) There's a great line early in the classic Christmas film "It's a Wonderful Life" where the angel Clarence is beckoned to help a troubled human. "Is he sick?", Clarence asks. "No, it's worse than being sick", the head angel replies, "he's discouraged." It's a poignant scene and touches my heart each time we watch it. Undoubtedly some of you are discouraged today and might just be experiencing a sense of hopelessness, so it is our prayer that today's word of Scripture exposition will bring you fresh hope and encouragement today!In the first daily text David states "There is no hope". The Apostle Paul describes the unregenerate state as being, "without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). In 1 Thessalonians he writes of those "who have no hope" (4:13). C. S. Lewis insightfully summarizes the human condition; "We try to be our own masters as if we had created ourselves. Then we hopelessly strive to invent some sort of happiness for ourselves outside of God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come human history . . . the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." One of the great inheritances of the child of God is "hope". Notice the wonderful phrase that concludes the second daily text, "through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." Consider today the blessing of having hope, a confident assurance in God and the veracity and dependability of His promises. "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19). As I read the Scripture text today the word "endurance" really caught my eye. We've posted a quote in several places in our home, "Endurance is activating hidden strength for my tasks by keeping my eyes on future rewards." So believing friend, today, let us continue to trust in the One who is ever dependable and let us rejoice together in the hope we have in Christ. That is the heart of being encouraged! I will praise You, I will praise You When the tears fall still I will sing to you I will praise You, Jesus I will praise You Through the suffering still I will sing to you Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Lord Jesus, often the daily grind is not appealing as I awaken each morning to the tasks before me. Sometimes the routine seems endless and I find myself lacking fulfillment in this aspect of my life and yet it requires the majority of my time and focus. Jesus, please help me to find the hidden strength that only comes from seeking You to deal with the negative attitudes that tempt me daily. Help me also to look beyond the immediate to the deeper meaning of each day's task. Above all, help me to keep my eyes on spiritual truths as I meditate upon Your Word and apply its meaning to my life each new day. It is in this faithful practice of placing You at the center of my focus that I can rise above the difficulties that come my way. Restore to me, this day, the joy of Your salvation and renew a steadfast spirit within me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.Here's another comment from our message on Monday: Our milkman and his wife had a Downs Syndrome child and no baby sitter to leave him with. My Mom told them that they could drop Keith off at our house and he could stay with me. My grandparents lived with us, so there were adults there if needed. Well, I came to love Keith like a brother - he was sweet and kind and he thought he was keeping "me" because my Mom told him, I didn't like to be by myself. He gave the best hugs. We would play "Old Maid" and I always had to leave the Old Maid card sticking up, so he wouldn't pick it. But I didn't mind losing every game because of the happiness I saw in Keith's face.  Total 2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $26,146.33 Here's our Thank You letter to our supporters (pdf) 2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 1/14/13: $275.00 We express thanks to all who support our ministry!  We passed this railroad car diner in Northumberland, PA on the way back from a Memorial service. 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 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $26,146.33 2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 1/15/13: $275.00 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 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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