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, March 6, 2013  These sheep were enjoying some weather several days ago. As we prepare to send this message out we are expecting a nice snow storm so the scene may look different!  Listen to this message on your audio player."Give Me Discernment" "I am Your servant; give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes" (Psalm 119:125).  These days we are barraged with information that deals with every subject imaginable. Our increased access to this information grows almost daily. Now we can have the latest news from practically anywhere in the world instantly on our smart phones and keep up with all that's going on.The "information superhighway" just keeps getting bigger and bigger and provides an abundance of information that can be very useful and informative. But there's also alot of information that will confuse or sidetrack the more important message. Not only life-giving truths but disastrous errors crowd the information superhighway. Psalm 119 is well-known as the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. What is less familiar is that each verse, in one way or another, has a reference to God's Word; His laws and statutes, etc. I believe the various Scriptural expressions are used synonymously and all reveal the heart's desire of the Psalmist; to live by God's revelation.  Another interesting feature in this long Psalm is that it consists of 22 parts, according to the number of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet, with the names of which these letters stand for between each part. Each part consists of eight verses, all of which begin with the same letter in the Hebrew: thus, for instance, the first eight verses begin with the letter a, "aleph," and the second eight verses begin with the letter b, "beth," and so on throughout; hence the Masorah calls this Psalm "The Great Alphabet". *In today's Scripture the Psalmist prays in humility, "I am your servant." I find blessing in the Psalmist's humble approach to God. We must always remember who's in control; He is the Master and we are the servant. The nature of the Psalmist's request is urgently needed by those who live by faith today: "Give me discernment" The Hebrew word for discernment means "to separate mentally." We need to be clear-minded in properly discerning many things. Certainly each generation needs to have those who are like the men of Issachar, "who understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chronicles 12:32). But the specific request regarding discernment made by the Psalmist is "that I may understand your statutes." God's statutes; His laws and precepts are intended not only for our good, but He desires His very best for us. The longer we walk with Him the more we come to understand His rules for governing our lives. We need to fundamentally realize that God's statutes are always for our good. Nehemiah stated, "You gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments" (Nehemiah 9:13). We do well to oft repeat the Psalmist's prayer; "Give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes." May we not only read about God's statutes but seek to understand their meaning as we apply them to our lives. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, I ask for discernment that I may understand Your statutes. I pray for understanding that I might know how to implement these truths into my life. I also pray that I will grow to love and embrace Your laws so that it becomes a natural outflow of my commitment in following You. Amen.* John Gill's Exposition of the Bible Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Slow Down" Video Chuck Girard Today's message prompted a search for this song, a concept that I suppose was needed in the seventies but so much more now. "Little Pilgrim" Video Chuck Girard A classic with a great message. Video Some great music from my earliest days as a follower of Christ in the seventies sung by Chuck Girard's daughters and granddaughters. "Heart Of America" Video Chuck Girard is still around and is faithfully serving the Lord. This is a prayer for America. |
 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 3/5/13: $3,548.00. 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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