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 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Archives Free email subscription  Listen to these messages  Text only for printing Follow Daily Encouragement on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn     See here for more info. <Previous Message · Archive edition Friday, January 2, 2015  Wisconsin winter scene Photo by Georgia "Our Greatest Resolution" Note: No podcast today, couldn't get microphone to work!!! "So we make it our goal to please Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). I am resolved no longer to linger, Charmed by the world’s delight, Things that are higher, things that are nobler, These have allured my sight.  Many of you have already made resolutions for the New Year. A turn of the calender page from December to January signals a new year and seems like a perfectly good time for a new start.The word "resolution" is cousin to "resolve" and people resolve or set a goal(s) regarding matters important to them. All through our lives we lay out goals for what we want to accomplish, whether financial, health-related, spiritual, career oriented, and so forth. Undeniably, many will make fitness and weight loss goals they forsake by week's end! But today we consider the greatest resolution for the believer. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “We make it our goal to please Him." This is a resolution that the Apostle Paul had made for both himself and his readers when he used the pronoun "we". As part of the Holy Scriptures we are included in this resolution! The Amplified Bible expresses this sense well: "We are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him."  The word translated "goal" means "to devote oneself zealously to a cause". Elsewhere Paul writes, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).Ravi Zacharias challenges followers of Christ to follow the model of many corporations and local churches and develop a personal mission statement. Many years ago I formulated my own. The difficulty for me in this matter is staying succinct since there are so many desirable Scripture verses I'd like to incorporate into a mission statement. Here's the one I have used for many years: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." A great pursuit in life for the redeemed is finding out what pleases the Lord. By God's grace it remains a simple expression of our greatest resolution in life. The quest to find out what pleases the Lord is ongoing. Although God's written revelation regarding what pleases Him is unchangeable, new challenges in different contexts and historical periods are always set before God's people. Doing the right thing requires discernment and resolve, while building a solid foundation based upon that which you find God prohibits and that which pleases Him. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:10, "Find out what pleases the Lord." Among our resolutions for 2015 let's make pleasing the Lord our greatest one! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, I make it my goal to please You. So many worthy goals I set last only for a season, and the rewards may last only for a season as well. But when I make a resolve to live righteously, making every effort to please You, my rewards will last not only for this life, but for all of eternity. In setting my goals help me to be willing to lay aside that which hinders and the sin that so easily entangles so that I reap a harvest of righteousness, peace, and joy. I want my primary goal to be that of perseverance so that no circumstances in life will deter me from my daily walk with Christ. Above all I want to spend my whole life finding out what pleases You and carry it out as the Holy Spirit enables me. It is in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen.Following are a selection of the spiritual resolutions written by Jonathan Edwards before age 20. Edwards preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" in 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut which was the start of the Great Awakening:
(Edwards resolved to read these resolutions over once a week!)  I came across this postcard from 1915 Today we received a prayer that really blessed us from a newer friend. What a great way to encourage others by writing a personalized prayer! "Dear Lord, thank You for Stephen & Brooksyne. Thank You for giving them both a heart to encourage people and to tell people about You and Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, so that we can be forgiven and live with You in eternity. I pray that you would provide encouragement for Stephen & Brooksyne. Bring other people into their lives who will love and encourage them in their ministry. Keep their marriage strong and give them wisdom in all that they say and do. I pray that you would protect their thought lives and that you would keep Satan from having any foothold in their lives. Please give them health and perseverance as the continue to strive to do Your will in every area of their lives. Thank You for how You are going to continue working through both of them to bring honor and glory to You. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen." Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources “I Am Resolved" Video Dailey and Vincent "Press On" Video Selah When the mountain is steep when the valley is deep when the body is weary when we stumble and fall When the choices are hard when we're battered and scarred when we've spent our resource when we've given our all In Jesus name we press on In Jesus name we press on dear Lord, with the prize clear before our eyes we find the strength to press on "Set My Eyes" (Philippians 3) Video Musicians not specified but nice selection of Scripture set to music! Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne  Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) About Us "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/10/14) 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.2014 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $25,265.11 (Final 2014 totals will not be available till I get the final report from my chaplaincy agency) 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. 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"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 2015 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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