Daily Encouragement Net
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 Thursday, September 12, 2013  Atumn Joy sedum in front of our house. "The Destiny Of All Who Forget God"  Listen to this message on your audio player."When the wicked dies, his hope will perish" (Proverbs 11:7). "Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass. Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider's web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold" (Job 8:11-15). "Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord" (Psalm 31:23,24). “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You" (Psalm 39:7). We have a long row of Autumn Joy Sedum planted along the walkway leading up to our front door. (I wonder if it gets its name, Autumn Joy, because the green blooms turn into a nice pink in the autumn months, thus bringing joy to its grower. It's a perennial flowering plant that attracts bees, wasps, butterflies and other flying insects. On a hot afternoon like yesterday the entire row of these plants were swarming with all types of flying critters.  Interestingly the spider also finds the Sedum a comfortable place to lodge. Using a sticky silk to spin its web, the spider easily catches and traps its prey. The stickiness of this particular silk helps to catch and trap prey for the spider. A stronger non-sticky silk is also produced by spiders and used within the structure of the web to provide a way for the spider building the web to traverse without getting tangled in it's own trap. Though the web is easily dismantled by the human touch, it can be fatal for a small insect. Job is a remarkable book. When most of us consider Job we commonly recall the tremendous trial he endured. Most impacting is his persevering faith as we shared about in yesterday's message, but there are so many gems of wisdom throughout the entire book. Today's portion is from a discourse by Bildad the Shuhite, one of Job's friends. In the bigger picture the advice from these friends was flawed but we can still glean truths from some of the statements made such as today's timeless text. We have a section of our lawn where a previous owner must have used it as a gravel driveway at one time. The grass turns a healthy green in the spring but when summer arrives it becomes dry, thin, and straw like. Yesterday I top-dressed it with some good topsoil and hopefully with the grass seed I plant the grass will grow in a more healthy and thick growth. Bildad begins with a timeless observation from nature: "Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass." Papyrus reeds were created to grow near water. Papyrus is a tender herbaceous perennial. It forms tall stands of reed-like swamp vegetation in shallow water. Nature illustrations in the Scripture are used frequently making them a timeless message for every culture, geographic region and for future generations. This observation from nature is immediately followed by the statement in the daily text, "Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless." That is, their destiny is like a reed without water, withering and perishing. A truth is then developed based on another observation from nature, a spider's web: "What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider's web." God's intended purpose for the spider's web is very efficient for its inhabitant. Spend some time observing nature and you will see the tiny creatures resting comfortably for hours on end, day after day, in their customized webs waiting for that tasty meal at the expense of a hapless insect. It's strong enough to hold the spider. But it would be absolutely foolish for me, as a human, to count on a spider web to hold me up or provide hope for my eternal destiny! Such absurd thinking is described by Bildad in v.15: "He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold." Job's friend colorfully illustrates what the majority of people do rather than place their hope, trust and reliance in the Lord. Today let us hide this important truth deep within our hearts: "Love the LORD, all His saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud He pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord" (Psalm 31:23,24). Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, You are the only source of eternal life to whom I can cling. I am confident that You will be with me to the end of my life here on this earth. I am grateful for the many people who bring me support, encouragement and companionship along the way. They're a source of great joy as they enrich my life daily. But as I grow older I'm recognizing that nothing stays the same and much of what I came to rely on is no longer available to me. Losses of very dear people are now but a memory. And many things that once captured my attention are but a passing interest as I reflect upon the passing years. I find great comfort as I cling to the words of the 73rd Psalm, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none that I desire on earth beside Thee. My flesh and my heart, they may fail but You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Thank You for being my all in all. Amen.  Last week we drove onto an Amish farm to buy some produce and saw this nice barnyard animal assortment prompting thoughts of "Old McDonald had a farm..."  The barnyard photo prompts a memory. Years ago Doug Matangelo is a young man who grew up in our church. His wife Anna and their daughters (only two at the time) were visiting us. I asked their little three year old if she would like to go with me to see the baby corn. As I carried her I looked out over the fields and explained that these were farms. She asked me, "Is this where old McDonald had a farm?" Doug is involved in various forms of ministry and he and his family now live in California.  A full load of corn for silage  This Amish farmer has harvested his corn and is cultivating the soil in preparation for future plantings.  This photo was taken on an Amish farm on Kraybill Church Road, down the road from our house.  The tobacco harvest is quite colorful. Notice the row of bundled plants known as shocks along the corn.  We don't condone the use of tobacco, but it makes for a nice photo hanging in barns to dry at this time all through our county. There is a longtime controversy among the Amish and other old-order groups regarding the growing of tobacco.  Our friend John and his wife, Linda, grew some watermelons and sunflowers at the edge of his cornfield. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "My Hope Is In The LORD " Video The Talley Trio "Whom Have I But You" Video Brian Doerksen "My Hope is in You" Video Aaron Shust   Click here to record a brief message on your computer's audio device which can then be sent to us.Note: We are testing this as a means of providing another way for our readers to share feedback. 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 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 9/11/13: $13,953.00 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  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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