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 Friday, February 8, 2013  The interior of our coal stove with a shiny new ash pan  Listen to this message on your audio player."Lesson From A Coal Stove" "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:5-7). The weather reports call for a big snow storm here in the Northeast, although it appears the more severe impact will be to the north of us. That was a source of conversation in a morning chaplain visit. This morning snow is on its way and its cold outside but our home is warm. It's actually warm and toasty in the family room where our coal stove is hooked up. We're thankful for our coal stove, which burns anthracite (hard) coal. The photo above shows the heart of our system, a view many of our readers have probably never seen; the inside of a genuine Alaska coal stove! (Alaska is the name of the company that built the stove not the state. Actually the stove was made right here in Pennsylvania!) The coal is loaded in a large hopper in the back of the stove which holds a couple of days supply. It is slowly fed into the stove where it ignites on the burn plate before the ashes drop into the pan. A key component to the system are the tiny holes in the burn plate that force air onto the coal. Anthracite coal is very hard to start but once I start the stove in the fall it will burn all winter as long as I keep the hopper filled and provided that we don't lose electricity necessary for the feeder mechanism and the tiny fan that forces the air on the coal. Of course I have to empty the ash pan daily and it's actually an early morning chore I enjoy.  Today's opening illustration brings to mind a verse that I committed to memory early in my Christian walk; "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God." In fact one of the very first sermons I ever preached was based on this passage, I suppose in part due to the phrase, "fan into flame." I recall my years as a Boy Scout and our many camping trips. We were taught to blow on the embers to get a fire going, especially to restart the smoldering embers of wood when we'd get up in the morning. Then we would gently fan the flame increasing the oxygen that fed the fire turning it into a blazing fire. The key Greek word which is translated "fan into flame" is "anazopuro", which is in the present active indicating a continuing action. The sense is to stir up smoldering embers into a living flame. Other Bible versions vary slightly in the way they translate this word. The NASV states, "kindle afresh", the Amplified uses the phrase, "stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of,)" while the KJV merely states "stir up", which reminds me of when I would take a long stick and stir up the fire early in the morning! Clarence Jordon translates this verse, "I'm reminding you to shake the ashes off the God-given fire that's in you." The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to build the fire of faith in our hearts. On the day Jesus rose from the dead He walked on the road to Emmaus with two disciples. After their eyes were "opened" they recognized who Jesus was and then He disappeared. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32). A roaring fire emblazoned their hearts when they understood what Jesus taught them in the Scriptures. Paul is urging Timothy to a necessary spiritual discipline. In the course of life the fire can burn down a bit or at times a lot. We need to continually be mindful of this and keep fanning into flame the gift of God. Elsewhere Paul writes in Holy Scripture, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11). The phrase "spiritual fervor" literally means "in spirit burning." Many years ago Keith Green wrote a song with this theme in mind: Oh Lord please light the fire, that once burned bright and clear. Replace the lamp of my first love, that burned with holy fear. Today Brooksyne and I want to serve the Lord with renewed zeal and keep the fire burning within our hearts so that we are continually on fire for Christ. We urge each reader to do the same! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, I consider the depth of one's faith and how far-reaching it is when fleshed out in one's life. Timothy's sincere faith was due in great part to the influence of a godly grandmother and equally devoted mother. As we stay in communion with You through prayer and obedience to Your Holy Word we ask You to keep the flame burning within our hearts. It is not just compliance to Your Word, but also fervency in our spirit that will convince others of their need to walk in Your ways. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Here's a photo of our coal stove I took last night. During the winter it goes a long way to heating our entire home although we also have a heat pump which supplements it. Here are a couple of older photos:  Roxie and Dottie enjoy laying together in front of the stove and now Mollie (our second dog) joins them but not sure we have a photo of all three of them together.  Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Oh Lord, You're Beautiful" Video Keith Green Helpful online Greek interlinear New Testament A study aid I use in the course of preparing these messages along with Precept Austin and of course others. Yesterday I shared a photo of our friend Nick Nichols. A reader responded: "I thought your friend Nick was Billy Graham at first glance. Wonder if others thought that?" I shared this with Nick and he replied: "It was through Billy's book WORLD AFLAME that I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior." For any who may be interested more coal stove photos are here  I am blessed at Mike's continued efforts to provide a witness at work in the form of a whiteboard message.  These are articles we come across in the course of studying for these messages or just poking around the vast Internet. In most cases they are not necessarily related to the daily message but may be of interest to our readers. These articles will only be posted once and there will be new ones each post, assuming we come across material that we feel may be of interest. (To see previous links use the archive version.)"An astounding message!" Dr. Ben Carson An amazing speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. "Gifted Hands" Video segment from the movie about Ben Carson. We purchased this DVD a few years ago and found it to be a great inspirational message, especially inspiring for a single mother raising children on her own. After all the ups and downs Carson proves to be a brilliant doctor, yet a very humble servant dedicated to his profession of helping those who have complex medical disorders. "God Made A Farmer" I see the link to the Dodge Ram Superbowl commercial I posted Wednesday became inactive. Here's one that works at post time anyway. |
 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.2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 2/7/13: $1,962.00. 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. Other versions are also occasionally used. © 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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