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 Wednesday, October 16, 2013  World War 2 Look-out Towers at Cape Henlopen on Delaware Shore. These two towers are battered by forceful waves at high tide so there is some concern as to how much longer they will stand. "Watch Your Life And Doctrine Closely"  Listen to this message on your audio player."Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood" (Acts 20:28). "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16). Among the interesting features of the coastline in southern Delaware are the Look-out towers. Unless someone can correct me I believe this is the only location along the entire eastern US coastline where these towers remain standing today. They were used during World War 2 to keep a watch on the mouth of Delaware Bay for any sign of enemy activity off the coast. At that time the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was a major supplier of ships during the war effort and it was vitally essential to protect the Bay. The towers ranged from 39 to 75 feet high and consisted of concrete walls one foot thick. Construction took place from 1939 to 1942, with the expectancy of the towers to hold up over a 20-year period. But quite a few remain over 70 years later! However the two in our lead photo are threatened since water reaches them at high tide. These towers didn't actually have gun emplacements - they were used in conjunction with other nearby towers to determine the location of a "hostile" vessel. The coordinates of the lines of sight between 2 different towers were noted & given to the battery commander. The angles were then plotted in relation to the known distance between the two towers to form a triangle (triangulation) to determine the angle & direction of artillery fire. Triangulation is actually the same principle used in GPS. Interestingly, the guns at Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen were never called upon to fire at an enemy vessel. The principle of planning strategy and keeping watch is found throughout the Scriptures, sometimes in a literal sense but often in a spiritual. Our duty of watching is to be both outward and inward. Outward watching includes watching for deception and false teachers. But today let us consider the sense of inward watching. The two Scripture texts we share above were initially intended for spiritual leaders but we all do well to apply their teaching, regardless of our title or position. The first is in the Apostle Paul's address to the Ephesian elders. "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock." Being on careful watch is a part of the shepherd's duty. The second verse I committed to memory as a young Christian and I have sought to live by it; "Watch your life and doctrine closely." A helpful way I have interpreted this is to watch the way you live and what you believe. Some other versions word it a bit differently: "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching" (ESV); "Keep a critical eye both upon your own life and on the teaching you give" (Phillips); "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching" (NASV). The Bible Gateway has a helpful tool that allow you to look at a verse in many translations (see here). Bible teacher John Piper, observes, "When a pastor takes heed to himself and his teaching and thus walks in the good works prepared for him by God, he proves himself to be the workmanship of God and a new creature in Christ. But when a pastor grows lax in his personal holiness and forsakes the apostolic doctrine he shows that he is not the workmanship of God, he is not a new creature in Christ, and his faith was vain like that of Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:20) and Demas (2 Timothy 4:10) and Simon the Magician (Acts 8:21) and all the wolves in pastor's clothing that Paul and Jesus warn about in Acts 20:30 and Matthew 7:15." Today we encourage you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to watch your life and doctrine closely! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, as we watch our life and doctrine closely we will regularly examine our lives to see if the prevailing philosophy of our day is governing our lives or the timeless principles and commands established in the Word. Likewise attitudes and behaviors condoned by this world are not the template from which we build a framework for daily living. Instead our choices, attitudes, and actions must originate from the teachings of Scriptures where we see it modeled in godly leaders throughout the ages, right down to our present generation. May we counted among the faithful in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.Other input on second text: Bible teacher David Guzik observes: Timothy, and every pastor, must examine constantly the two great areas of concern - one’s life and one’s doctrine. Failing to do this would mean peril for both Timothy himself and for those in his congregation. i. Without giving heed to his life, Timothy might suffer shipwreck (as in 1 Timothy 1:19). Without giving heed to his doctrine, Timothy might lead others astray or leave them short of God’s salvation. ii. Those who hear Timothy as a pastor should be hearing doctrine. Timothy’s primary call was not to entertain, amuse, or even help with practical things - it was to present Biblical doctrine, and to give heed to that doctrine. Thomas Brooks in "The Unsearchable Riches of Christ" comments, "Heavenly doctrines should always be adorned with a heavenly life. Ministers must preach Christ as well in their life—as in their doctrine. They must not be hot in the pulpit, and cold and careless in their lives. The lives of ministers oftentimes convince more strongly than their words; their tongues may persuade—but their lives command." Here are some other coastal Delaware Look-out Tower photos I took this week.  Brooksyne is standing near one of the towers showing how large they are. The oversized door and lower openings were sealed shut, as you can see. But later that evening we found one in Cape Henlopen Park open for viewing. An amazing panoramic view of the shore and ocean could be seen through the horizontal window slits.  Here's a view of the two towers from inland across Gordon's Pond.  Here's a plaque explaining the purpose of the towers. (Click here for a larger version.)  The tower in Henlopen State Park has been renovated and we climbed to the top of this spiral staircase. It was getting dark as we climbed but we breathlessly made it!  After climbing to the top of the tower I was hoping to get a sunset photo but alas I was too late. This is a view out into the harbor.  After climbing the lookout tower we passed an area where we always see lot of deer all in one field (16 this time). I recalled a photo our friend Greg Schneider took of a doe and her fawn on Cape Henlopen and submit his excellent photography today. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "People Of God" Video Wayne Watson John Piper's excellent commentary on this verse. Someone made a video climbing the tower. For the terminally curious here it is. |
 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 10/15/13: $14,979.00 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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