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 Monday, February 25, 2013   Listen to this message on your audio player."The Precious Blood Of Christ" "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18,19). Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.  Yesterday when we shared Communion in our worship service we joined the early church, the church throughout the ages and the faithful church of our day in proclaiming our faith in the broken body and shed blood of our Savior Jesus Christ as God's atoning sacrifice for our sins. Indeed Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed His own blood for my soul. Since our college days nearly 40 years ago Brooksyne and I have donated blood at the blood bank. For many years we gave whole blood but have also used a more recent procedure whereby they remove the red blood cells and recirculate the remainder back into the blood stream. Haemonetics Corporation, a Boston area company along Rt 128 that we used to pass on our way to Boston, developed the technology and makes the very hi-tech machine that processes the blood. I understand this procedure takes the component in my blood most needed to help others in critical need of healthy blood. We hope that our blood donation will help extend a life.When we have Communion in our church we remember the One who gave His blood on our behalf. There are those who want to remove or de-emphasize the blood from the Christian faith. They say, "We are too modern for that." But to do so strikes at the very heart of God's redemption plan. Peter speaks of "the precious blood of Christ" in our daily verse. I find it interesting that the unusual name of the company is based upon the Greek word "haima", the very word used in our text for blood.  Today I am so thankful to Jesus Christ who is described as, "a lamb without blemish or defect." I'm grateful that He willingly and lovingly shed His blood for my sins. In donating our blood Brooksyne and I subject ourselves to the minor discomfort of a needle and a very slight weakening of our body until our red blood cells recover. Jesus shed His blood and died for those He saves. Jesus agonized on the Cross in indescribable pain prior to His atoning death. Today let us live for the One who shed His precious blood and died for us!Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, I thank You for the spotless Lamb of God who is without blemish or defect. It is I who deserved to die for my sins were many, but Jesus, Your Son, died in my place. You have washed me with Your sinless blood and now I am whiter than snow, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Keep us faithful and ever grateful for the blessing of having our sins forgiven. In Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.Each major section of the New Testament has ample references to the blood of Christ: "And He said to them, 'This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.'" (Mark 14:24 when Jesus instituted the Communion service) "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28 Paul's sermon to the Ephesian elders) "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord" (Hebrews 13:20 Benediction). "But with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19). "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). "And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood" (Revelation 1:5). For several years our church in northern Pennsylvania hosted the Red Cross blood drive for our community during the week. As a pastor I always enjoyed that day and meeting the Red Cross staff and donors. John Wiseman, a friend of ours in Springfield, Missouri, worked for many years at the community blood bank. He told me that in his area they are now having blood collection drives in churches on Sundays. The collection period generally follows the service but in some instances in conjunction with the service.  Yesterday we stopped by to visit with John and Florence Zimmerman on her 73rd birthday. They've been going through a long season of trial and she was rejoicing that John was back home after being in a rehab for over a month. They each were sitting in their recliners when she looked toward him with a smile and said, "It sure is good to have him sitting in his chair again. I missed him." We highly esteem them as part of the faithful older generation. I took this photo several years ago when they were married for fifty years.  This weekend our community had a "Fire and Ice" festival which included ice sculptures all along our main street. We watched the men begin the work on a sculpture using these blocks of ice.  Here's an example of a finished sculpture. They were beautiful but sure didn't last long since temperatures rose over the weekend. When we drove through town yesterday afternoon they were pretty much melted!  It's a beautiful day here with a bright blue sky and warming up into the forties. We are looking forward to Spring! I suppose Ester and I got a little too excited several days ago when I decided to fire up the lawn tractor and take her and the pets for a ride down our walking trail. The real adventure began when we got stuck. I suppose if our dogs were Alaskan Huskies they might have been able to pull us out. Tomorrow we will share a series of photos of Brooksyne's spring fever, a canning project using her Victorio Steam Canner! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" Video Selah "It's Still The Cross" Video "Voices" of the University Of Mobile "I Should Have Been Crucified" Video Stamps Quartet "O the Blood" Video Kari Jobe "Nothing But The Blood/O The Blood Of Jesus" Video Sarah Hart Pearsons "There is Power In the Blood" Video Fernando Ortega  Connie is a fifty-one year old with Downs Syndrome who attends our church we look forward to seeing each week. It feels like she's been waiting just to see us, though she expresses her excitement to others in the same way. On our birthdays she held up a handwritten greeting on note paper as we entered the foyer and excitedly wished us a Happy Birthday. What a joy to know her and experience her specialness! Her devoted parents give her a loving home and provide for her needs. I spoke to them yesterday referring to this photo and article I had read. |
 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 2/24/13: $3,032.00. 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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