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, February 19, 2013  Sunrise over Lake Huron (Photo by Howard Blichfeldt)  Listen to this message on your audio player."Comprehending God's Love" "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:14-21). O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure The saints' and angels' song *¹  There are those occasions in ministry when your heart breaks when you know of one who is in the deep pangs of despair. Though you pray for that dear soul, it leaves you at a loss for adequate words when trying to reach out. One of the saddest expressions we've ever heard is, "No one has ever told me they love me". We recently received an email from a troubled soul who came across our website. He wrote, "I am 50 and have never felt genuine love. Cold, empty and miserable now." A failed suicide attempt left him even worse off than before he tried to end his misery. The lack of love in one's life can lead him or her to take desperate measures. Tragically, it is certainly not the cure, and leads to more tragedy and unending grief for those left behind. But there are millions of others whose desperate search leads them to the Bible where God's love for those He created is thoroughly revealed.  In Ephesians 3:14-21 the Apostle Paul offers a written prayer for the Ephesian believers and, as part of the Scriptures, this prayer is intended for each of us. It's not your typical prayer asking for a blanket blessing, but it's a rich exultation of the character of God. Paul also makes a plea that his readers might actually grasp this truth. It's a prayer bursting with deep, rich meaning that begs further examination. But due to our commitment to brevity we'll take just one phrase from the prayer and highlight it in our message today. Paul prays that we "may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ." Any attempt to comprehend these four dimensions can lead to a form of mental exhaustion! In fact any attempt to describe the infinite God or any of His eternal attributes is woefully and ultimately inadequate. No matter the illustration, it is bound to understate the majesty of God, but can still be inspiring and helpful as long as we understand this. Henry Morris observes, "The love of Christ is thus four-dimensional, with 'depth' and 'height' considered as separate dimensions. Since the height of the universe is also infinite (Isaiah 55:9), this suggests the time dimension. "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love," God says, "Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." O the height and depth of mercy! O the length and breadth of love! O the fullness of redemption— Pledge of endless life above! *² We challenge each of you to walk by faith being fully conscious of God's love. We remind you today that Jesus loves you. He loves each of us. He loves us all today and everyday with an everlasting, redemptive love. He's always in the process of working things out for our good even though the "thing" we now see and experience may seem so undesirable and even unfair. God always "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). Today we encourage you to contemplate the multidirectional dimensions of God's love. We won't fully grasp it on this side because it's vast and beyond measure, but we can express thanks to God that it empowers us each day of our lives, especially as we consider that we are recipients of the highest, purest form of love made available to humankind. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, Your love reaches beyond the heavens and surpasses earthly dimensions. Thank You, Father, that as we are rooted and established in Your love, we are empowered by Your Holy Spirit to soar on wings like eagles as we are renewed day by day. Your love flows through us so that those who look on can see human lives impacted by Your love. To know the fullness of Your love is to know a love that has no prejudices, no boundaries and no limitations. What wondrous love is this! Amen.Story of one searching for love: "Let There Be Peace on Earth" was written in 1955 following the Korean War by songwriter, Jill Jackson, an actress who'd experienced one rejection after another from the age of 3 onward. As an adult she finally found genuine acceptance and love when she married and had a baby daughter. But then Jill's husband left her for other women which led her to attempt suicide. Her attempted suicide didn't result in death but left her with partial paralysis the rest of her life. Thankfully God rejected Jill in her suicide attempt which led her to search through differing practices of all the world's religious faiths. After her thorough search she finally found real lasting security through the words of Jesus. She escaped the dark times and declared that she had found "the life-saving joy of God's peace and unconditional love." Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources There are so many wonderful songs on God's love!!! *¹ "The Love Of God" Video MercyMe "The Power Of Your Love" Video Singers not specified "I Then Shall Live" Video Gaither Vocal Band & Ernie Haase *² "Take The World But Give Me Jesus" Video Clarissa Worley Sproul "Oh The Deep, Deep Love Of Jesus" Video Sovereign Grace Today's photo of a winter sunrise over Lake Huron was taken by our friend Howard Blichfeldt, a committed Christian and professional photographer, from the Pittsburgh area. More samples of his photographs are on his website. |
 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 2/18/13: $2,597.00. 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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