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, July 5, 2013  This is the Espenshade farm view we see everyday at the end of our road. They began harvesting yesterday and this was our 6 A.M. view today. Click here for a larger view. "One Hundred Years From Now"  Listen to this message on your audio player."Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him" (Genesis 35:29). In the early morning hours yesterday a deadly fire ravaged a house in Lancaster City, killing four and critically injuring several others. This morning as we drove by the location, now surrounded with police tape and all boarded up, we considered again how fragile life is. Tragically the house had no smoke alarms which may have prevented the deaths and injuries of all those who resided there. Nonetheless as this tragedy just happened yesterday eternity has been on my mind all morning since I consider that when these folks went to bed Wednesday night it's quite unlikely that they expected to wake up to eternity on the other side or a hospital bed where recovery will be slow, painful and filled with grief as they process their loss of loved ones. A small church in Marietta, PA displayed a sign that asked, "Where will you be 100 years from now?" That really got me thinking. A more familiar expression of this type is, "Where will you spend eternity?" But to me the 100 year question packs a very powerful punch. That's a measurement of time I can comprehend. I find it helpful to look back 100 years and perhaps you can do the same in your own family timeline. Since we will be traveling in the Midwest and visiting many family members on both sides over the next couple weeks I've been doing some thinking about my immediate and extended family.  I consider my mother's father, PaPa, whom I knew and loved dearly. He breathed his last when I was sixteen. 100 years ago in 1913 he was still a young man with many years of life ahead of him. He was adventuresome, riding the rails across the west and he told all his grandchildren the story of his climbing Pike's Peak one night. By 1908 he had settled down, married and began raising his family. His farm was in southwest Missouri and he was also president of the small town bank in Harwood Missouri. He saw his grandchildren and great-grandchildren before passing away when he was nearly 90. In his lifetime he read of the first manned flight by the Wright brothers and nearly seventy years later saw a man on the moon. But there came that time when PaPa, being old and full of years, was gathered to his people, and then buried on a windswept hill west of tiny Schell City, Missouri where my parents are also buried. So, where I will be 100 years from now is not some esoteric question, since I personally knew someone who lived one hundred years ago. And many of you do as well. There are basically four different possible answers to this vital question, "Where will I be 100 years from now?":
The daily text is just a simple expression of the passing of a man (Isaac) who lived nearly 4,000 years ago. He was 180 years old and full of years. The powerful phrase "gathered to his people" is first used at the death of Abraham (Genesis 25:8) and is repeated throughout the Scriptures to the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:50). One day you and I will most certainly be "gathered to our people." I want to be prepared to join the people of God throughout the ages, including those in my own generation. I encourage each of you today to commit your life to Christ. Express your faith in His redemption plan, confess and repent of your sins, and choose this day and every day to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Be encouraged and prepared today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, daily there are questions looming; some trivial and others essential to our existence here on earth. But the most vital question we must answer in in a timely manner and in adherence to Scripture has to do with our eternal destiny. Just as the patriarchs of old lived long lives and then were buried by their children, our bodies too will return to dust, while our souls live on for eternity. We want to "be gathered to our people" who've made their pilgrimage here on earth with You as their Shepherd. We choose to commit our ways to You and follow Your commands so that our room and board is forever paid up in the great beyond where Christ sits at Your right hand. Keep us faithful till that day is fulfilled in our lives. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Our repurposed window frame is starting to fill in with begonias. It's obvious that the left bag was planted a couple weeks after the right one. Hopefully it will soon catch up!  Walking through our lawn we saw this baby cardinal that had apparently fallen from the nest and was unable to fly. Mom and Dad cardinal were keeping a close eye and everytime the fledgling would move swooped down to protect.  This morning I visited with Keith. I told him the Clark forklift had a sentimental value to me. My only Uncle who is still living worked for Clark his entire career following his service in the Korean War era. We expect to visit Uncle Don and Aunt Mary this weekend near Louisville Kentucky.  Ken, a friend at work shared this photo. Do any of our readers have any idea what it is? (Venture a guess at this address and I will share the correct answer with Monday's message.) "Sometimes I Wonder" Video Ernie Haase and Signature Sound |
 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 7/4/13: $10,903.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If a friend forwarded this to you, you can subscribe here.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 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: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. 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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