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. Thursday, November 21, 2013  Passing through a residential area of Hershey Pennsylvania yesterday I spotted these beautiful red trees. "When Vile Is Honored"  Listen to this message on your audio player"The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men" (Psalm 12:8). You can hardly read or watch the news without more evidence of the social decay and rot that is permeating our land. Last night I watched a report regarding an online game in which participants can mimic the Newtown school massacre. It's hard to imagine anyone being so evil as to develop such a game or that anyone would choose to play it. We also read of a real "action game" called "Knockout Game" which is a violent activity played by punching an unsuspecting bystander with the object of knocking that individual unconscious in a single punch. Serious injuries and a number of deaths for its victims have resulted from this "game". Today's Bible text is a stunning observation which is evident all around us. In so many ways the vile is honored among men. The vile is reckoned as good and is not merely accepted but even honored. The Amplified Bible uses this phrase, "Vileness is exalted [and baseness is rated high] among the sons of men." The ancient statement of the prophet Isaiah is so appropriate: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). When vileness is honored the wicked freely strut about. God's commands are healthy restraints contributing to the good of family and society at large, but the nature of sin is to see these restraints as restricting our freedom and a killjoy to all sources of enjoyment. When these restraints are removed or ignored the wicked freely strut about. Other versions state, "The wicked strut about on every side." Several years ago while studying the book of Revelation the study guide asked me to "List five things I would never have expected to see in my lifetime." It didn't take me but a moment to put first on my list, "I never expected to see sinful behavior accepted without shame and often displayed as honorable such as sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, redefinition of marriage, abortion, glorified violence (and the list goes on). Yes, they've always existed, but when I was young these were sins that were clearly seen as shameful and dishonorable even to unbelievers." Today I want to again call my brothers and sisters to obedience to God's commands, "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Be encouraged today! Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, I resist the lowering standards of this world and its influence upon my thoughts, words and actions. Instead I choose to uphold and teach the timeless and always relevant truths revealed in Your Word to my family and all who seek my counsel. I will trust You to work in the hearts of those whom I seek to influence for Your Kingdom and will do my part to live a pure and holy life in this decadent age where the wicked strut about in their disobedient acts in rebellion to Your commands. The day of judgment is coming and even now we see in part Your judgment as we observe the disarray and aimlessness of those caught up in shameful behavior which greatly contributes to the instability of our times. In the name of Jesus we pray for Your merciful conviction to fall upon our darkened world. Amen.Study note: Today's text may be one many of our readers haven't considered. Here's a list in various translations. Update from Brooksyne regarding Ester: Ester is recovering nicely from her sternotomy. Much of the "hardware" from the surgical procedure was removed yesterday freeing Ester up to move more comfortably (i.e. central line in her neck, catheter, etc.). Yesterday in the late afternoon she took her first walk around the ICU unit and did very well. Much discussion took place among the various doctors regarding an effective anticoagulant that will keep her from forming blood clots in the future (since Coumadin became trouble for her a couple years ago and Pradaxa that she's used since then did not prevent the recent blood clot that still needs to be fully dissolved). Another concern is her oxygen saturation level. Ester was doing so well in the early evening that I came home and Stephen stayed with her several hours. I was refreshed by a good night's rest in bed at home. I'll resume "Mother Duty" this morning and see how she progresses today, thanks to good medical care and much prayer from our friends all around the world.  The Ronald McDonald House provides a cart of food and toys which are donated on each patient floor at the Hershey Medical Center Children's Hospital. (Although Ester is 24 she is still treated by the Pediatric Heart Group due to the nature of her heart disease.)  Our friends Cerwin and Doris High have been visiting Branson, Missouri and I saw this nice photo on her blog revealing the beauty of the Autumn season in another part of the country dear to us. Branson is where we had our honeymoon and is near Springfield MO where we both went to college. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Holiness Is What I Long For" Video Scott Underwood |
 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 11/20/13: $17,659.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If this email was forwarded 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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