Daily Encouragement (02/27/15) "Going Home"

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The on line Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 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, February 27, 2015 This morning we passed this beautiful farm in southern Lancaster County. (Click for larger photo) "Going Home" Listen to this message on your audio player. "We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it" (2 Corinthians 5:7-9). Many times in my childhood when we've traveled so far By nightfall how weary I'd grown Father's arms would slip around me and gently he'd say My child we're going home I don't have a lot of childhood memories of long trips. We lived in the Midwest and almost all of our travel were in states adjacent to Missouri. But we made two long trips. Once with my Mom and little sister to see our older brother Mike in California. He and his wife had just had a baby, the first grandchild, and we took the train out while my dad stayed home to work. The other trip was in a car with my mom and dad to see our other older brother Pat who was in the military and stationed in South Carolina. Looking back on that trip it's hard now to imagine how many miles we travelled. My mom didn't drive and my sister and I were too young to drive so Dad did all the driving. The last day we visited Washington DC and stayed in western Virginia that evening. Early the next morning we got up and headed home. Dad drove all the way about 900 miles so he could go to work the next day. I can't recall anything about that leg of the trip and assumed I slept a good part of it (Please note: Photo is for illustrative purposes only and is not really my sister and me in 1967!) “Who wants to go home?” is a question we often ask following a long trip or certainly after a stay at the hospital. Home generally conveys a message of comfort, warmth and safety where we envision just being ourselves, relaxing and shutting out the busyness of the world. Home for many of us is a haven. "It's great to be home!" is what we say after being away for a while. We love our home. Sure we enjoy our rural location and the house we live in, but primarily it's the family God has given us that brings warmth and comfortable acceptance to our home. We hope many of our readers share that same sentiment. Last Sunday afternoon I opened the service at Longwood Manor by sharing a story that took place shortly after we moved to Lancaster County in 2001. An employee had asked me to visit her grandmother who was dealing with cancer and lived in "Landis Homes" (one of the many huge senior housing complexes in our area). I located her room number and knocked on her door. She warmly welcomed me into her room where the Bible laid on her table which caught my eye immediately. After visiting a few minutes I shared a Scripture from her Bible and prayed with her. Like so many of the elderly, she expressed how much she missed her own home but she made a great statement of faith with a contented state of mind. As we visited in her very modest, but tastefully decorated room, I complimented her living arrangements. Afterward she said with a tone of acceptance: "This is fine for now… after all, it's not my permanent home." I knew what she meant. She didn't anticipate returning to her own home or ever moving into a bigger apartment. Clearly when she referred to her "permanent home" she meant her eternal home in heaven. What a healthy spiritual outlook and example of contentedness! Although I have long lost contact I am quite sure she is likely in her permanent home. Going home, I'm going home There is nothing to hold me here I've caught a glimpse of that Heavenly land Praise God, I'm going home We should all have a longing for our permanent home. Paul refers to it in our daily text as his preference: “To be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” He's including other believers in his statement (notice the personal pronoun "we").  We are both confident we will be and indeed would prefer to be at home with the Lord. Paul is contrasting this with our present physical life where "we are at home in the body" (v. 9). Bible teacher Erwin Lutzer writes concerning our arrival home with the Lord, "At death we cross from one territory to another, but we'll have no trouble with visas. Our representative is already there, preparing for our arrival. As citizens of heaven, our entrance is incontestable." Now the twilight is fading, the day soon shall end Lord, I get homesick, the farther I roam But the Father has led me each step of the way And now I'm going home Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we’re abundantly grateful for our earthly dwellings where we find pleasure, companionship, comfort, rest and sustenance. If we’re not intentional, we will give more time and affection to our temporal home than our future eternal home. Perhaps it's because we're living in the here and now and the future seems so distant and unfamiliar. Help us not to fear the future nor foolishly think it will not come, but to embrace it so that we are prepared when that moment comes. May our heart's yearning, our primary focus, and our physical labors also have heavenly goals each day as we seek to live for You daily.  In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen. Obfuscation: Yesterday I shared a message about obfuscation and the need for discernment. I purposefully began with a true but misleading story to illustrate what obfuscation is (making communication confusing, willfully ambiguous, or harder to interpret"). I truly know Robert Grant, who is a friend from college and it is true that Robert Grant wrote the hymn "O Worship The King". However as astute, discerning readers noted it is not the same Robert Grant!!! The first Robert Grant is my age while Robert Grant (photo to right), the hymnwriter, was born in 1779. David Penley, a Texan friend and careful reader elaborates: "I have been a Southern Baptist from the cradle roll in my first church, and we have sung "O Worship the King" as long as I can remember. It is one of my most dearly loved hymns. So I wondered how the Robert Grant you knew could have written it. I did further research. What can I say? I'm a professor. It's what I do. I can't help myself. I have in my library a book entitled "Handbook of the Baptist Hymnal" which relates the story behind every song in our hymnal. The song was indeed written by Robert Grant - Sir Robert Grant. He was born in 1779, was a member of the British Parliament and Governor of Bombay when India was under English rule. He wrote the song in 1833, the year before he became governor of Bombay and was knighted. He died in India in 1838." Thanks to all who replied. We're pleased to see that we have many "Berean" readers/students. Today following a chaplain visit we drove through scenic southern Lancaster County. An Amish farm in southern Lancaster County. (Click for larger photo) This Amish family was running out of firewood on these cold days. (Click for larger photo) A collie peacefully resting on this beautiful but cold day. Somehow this setting reminds me of what we might have viewed from the old series, "Lassie". Make sure you click to see the old tire swing. (Click for larger photo) Amish buggy entering into White Rock Covered Bridge. There's the distinct sound of the clickety-clack of horseshoes on the wooden bridge deck! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Going Home"   Video   Bill Gaither with some of the old-timers, several who have gone on to their permanent home. "Home Where I Belong"  Video  Mark Lowry "But You're Not Home Yet!" This moving story took place about 100 years ago that makes us pause and consider where our home really is. An old missionary couple who had been working in Africa for many years returned to New York City to retire. With no pension and broken in health, they were discouraged and somewhat fearful of the future. They happened to be booked on the same ship as Teddy Roosevelt who was returning from a big-game hunting expedition. They watched the passengers trying to glimpse the great man, the crew fussing over him, photographers flashing their oversized cameras… Back at the dock in New York locals squeezed into every available space, the band with their instruments positioned to break into celebratory music as the president departed the ship. Yet the missionary couple who had given their all to reach the African people for Christ slipped off the ship completely unnoticed. That night, in a cheap flat they rented on the East Side, the man's spirit finally broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly."  His wife, no longer able to cope with his agitated spirit, suggested he go into the bedroom and speak to the Lord about that which he was feeling. A short time later he walked out of the bedroom with a brighter countenance.  His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?" "The Lord settled it with me," he said. "I told Him how bitter I was that the president should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one was present to meet us as we returned home.  And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said, 'But you're not home yet!'" 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. 2015 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $1,826.00 We express thanks to all who support our ministry! 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. Your answers are anonymous and I we are unable to respond. If you want to send a personal message use the 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 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." How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International* The phrase "terrestrial ball" is found in the great hymn ... "All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name" Video   Paul Baloche 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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Daily Encouragement (02/26/15) "Discerning Good From Evil"

Daily Encouragement Net
A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
Having trouble reading this message?  Read online

The on line Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 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 Thursday, February 26, 2015 Steel wheeled hay wagon on an Amish farm Due to some thawing yesterday we walked through quite a bit of mud on the farm where we visited with our friends yesterday. "Discerning Good From Evil" Listen to this message on your audio player. "But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14). Today's opening story is altogether true as well as an illustration. Robert Grant is a friend we met in the Bible College we attended in Springfield, MO. He grew up in Connecticut where he still lives. We're still in contact 40 years after we first met. Several years ago he stopped by our home to visit (photo to right). Many of you have sung a hymn that Robert Grant authored titled, "O Worship The King". It begins with these stirring words, O Worship the King all glorious above! And gratefully sing His wonderful love, Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. We sure appreciate our association with Robert Grant along with his contribution to the church. * Obfuscation and discernment are two words I've been considering a lot these last several weeks. Obfuscation describes what is going on all around us, especially in government, education and media. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines obfuscate in this way: "to make (something) more difficult to understand"; "to be evasive, unclear, or confusing and uses this example, "Politicians keep obfuscating the issues." Wikipedia describes it this way, "the hiding of intended meaning in communication, making communication confusing, willfully ambiguous, or harder to interpret." Let me add that in many cases it's outright lying, though we often hear the word, "mis-statement" in place of "lying"! Discernment means "the ability to judge well". In a Christian sense we apply discernment in obtaining spiritual direction and understanding. Bible teacher John MacArthur states, "In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically." The daily text describes the spiritually mature as those "who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." Other versions state, "have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil" (ESV) or "who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (NIV). Conversion is the miracle of a moment, maturing takes a lifetime. As a maturing believer I want to be able to discern good from evil. The world is full of obfuscation and we so need discernment. We all have a part in this as we choose to regularly feed on God's Word and apply it to everyday living. This is the sense of the phrase "who because of practice have their senses trained." The need "to discern good from evil" is ongoing and will surely increase as we deal with "a spirit of delusion" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). Our source and guide must be the unchangeable standards of God's Holy Word, not the fickle opinions of others. Going with the latter would be much like a dog chasing his tail in circles. Don't we see this a lot in politics, the media, education and, dare I say, even in religious settings? The Holman New Testament Commentary makes this point, "Christians are able to distinguish between good and evil. The terms 'good' and 'evil' may have both a moral sense and a theological sense. Christians are those who can spot moral evil and avoid it. They can see moral good and attach themselves to it. Christians also can distinguish between true and false doctrine. They will turn aside from the false and faithfully follow the true. Living the Christian life demands the spiritual skills of stamina seen physically in a long-distance runner. Unswerving, relentless applications of Christian truth and practice will equip us for a lifetime of usefulness which will continue into eternity." Obfuscation is all around us.  How is your discernment today? Are you in regular training? Are you actively practicing your faith? Are you discerning good from evil? Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, just as we hunger and thirst for physical substance, intensify our hunger and thirst for godly discernment, spiritual knowledge, and righteous living. Jesus declared, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness." Only as we regularly nurture our spiritual appetite will we delve into the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Through the daily grind of life the inexhaustible truths revealed in Your Word brighten our outlook and make certain of our eternal hope, while they also teach us discernment so that we know good from evil, those who are genuine from those who are impostors. Jesus is the living bread for hungry souls so it is our prayer that we look to Him to satisfy our spiritual hunger. Amen. * How did you react today's opening story? Any thoughts? (Respond here) and we'll likely share some more tomorrow. Phillip Hughes, in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, comments, "Good and evil should not be understood merely in an ethical sense here as signifying good conduct and evil conduct, but more particularly, as the context requires, in a comprehensive theological sense, namely, of good and evil, or true and false doctrine, which would include moral teaching. The power of discernment is something very necessary in those who are "mature" enough to be "teachers," and something to be expected of those who, like the recipients of this letter, have been members of the Christian church for a number of years." Our Visit To An Amish Farm Yesterday we stopped in with congratulatory gifts for the newest arrival in the Lapp family. Baby Sarah Beth is nearly two weeks old and her five siblings along with Mom and Dad were delighted to introduce their newest family member. Brooksyne took this photo from the window where the children gather and excitedly watch us come for a visit (if it's cold outside). If you look carefully you'll see the buggy parked right in front of the barn. We loaded boxes of goodies we brought along on the wagon in the forefront. The cast iron coal stove is in the dining area added a warm hue and toasty comfortable temperature to the dining room. Holding a Pompsky pup. Because many of our readers tell us they enjoy reading about the Amish I (Brooksyne) include the following narrative about our visit yesterday: Upon their insistence we joined the family at dinner time. Following our silent prayer we scooped right into a large pan of lasagna provided by Anna's sister, Linda. I teased Anna that I think the reason for Amish praying silently is that the whole household suddenly quietens down to the sound of a pindrop. All joking, laughing, and loud chatter immediately stops for the approximate 45 second prayer before and the one following the meal (not that I was watching my watch, mind you. Typically Amish families chip in and provide meals for two to three weeks following the birth of a child. Also an extended family member will stay with the family during that time and essentially be a housemaid. Their fourteen year old niece from New York is staying with them and I was so impressed as she worked quietly in the background (no scowling but pleasantly) sweeping, setting the table, clearing and washing the dishes (with the help of the girls). Earlier in the day she had prepared a large batch of custard pudding and several dozen molasses cookies. Seeing the six year old standing on a chair as she washed the dishes reminded me of my childhood when my sister and I did the same, taking turns washing, rinsing and wiping the dishes as we cleaned up after meals. I find myself thinking back often to the "old days" when families ate together around the table on real dishes, cleaned up together, and played together. In our technological age children and parents, though they may be in the same room, often give more attention to their own individual smart phones or other technological devices than they do to each other. It makes visits to the Amish even more enjoyable where everyone comes together and we all visit together. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "O Worship The King"   Video 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. 2015 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $1,801.00 We express thanks to all who support our ministry! 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. Your answers are anonymous and I we are unable to respond. If you want to send a personal message use the 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 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." How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International* The phrase "terrestrial ball" is found in the great hymn ... "All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name" Video   Paul Baloche 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

Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com Add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your email address book to ensure delivery.

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