| A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Easy read/print edition Friday, November 23, 2007   Click here to listen to this message on your audio player."Satisfied?" "When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me" (Hosea 13:6). Did you fill up yesterday? Were you satisfied? In our home we enjoyed a veritable feast with my sister and her husband joining us for an abundance of delicious food. I know so many of you had a similar meal yesterday, particularly those living in America where the Thanksgiving feast is both a celebration of our blessing and an expression of overabundance. Following our meal we went for an invigorating wind-blown walk through the country. The winds must have surely been blowing at 40 MPH. Why are we so blessed? How much longer will this long season of plenty and abundance last? Consider the cycle in our daily verse. Where are we as a country in that cycle? I ask myself, where am I as an individual? Surely we've been fed. Plenty of food for most of us and lots and lots of other stuff as well. This leads to satisfaction, which is a blessing and that's not a bad thing. But then we have to be on guard against our pride swelling which leads to forgetting God. Ironically this leads to dissatisfaction. Instead of being satisfied and content there's just never enough. Today is a massive day of shopping extravaganza here in the states. I just wonder how much of it is driven by dissatisfaction. I read this yesterday in regard to the increasing amount of stores now open on Thanksgiving Day: "Some people just can't wait until Friday," said Kirsten Whipple, a Sears spokeswoman. "Thanksgiving dinner is done and they have moved on." Moses warned the people of God some 600 years before the prophet Hosea lived: "Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Deuteronomy 8:11-14). Jesus warned of "the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things (that) come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful" (Mark 4:19). The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy (and to all of us), "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). Today as you work off the extra big meal and likely enjoy some leftovers, keep remembering the Lord. And learn the real joy of satisfaction as we truly put and keep our hope in God, who always richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer (written by Joe Sherer pastor of the Mount Joy Mennonite Church and shared as the benediction at our community Thanksgiving Eve service): May the Lord bless you and keep you, May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the broad expanse of God’s love and the abundance of His riches in glory, shape your perspective on your own life and needs, including those things which disappoint you. May the eyes of your heart be open to all the blessings which surround you; may this awareness produce a harvest of generosity in your spirit. May thankfulness rise up within you, not just during this short season, but day after day, from the early morning watch until you retire for the night. May your prayers reflect gratitude, while also acknowledging the needs of others whose situations are so drastically different. May thoughts of Jesus fill your mind, and hunger for God drive your soul, and love for Lord guide your speech and your actions. And finally, may the grace, peace, and love of the triune God, protect, defend, and empower you to run with perseverance the race marked out for you. Amen.  My sister Genelle and her husband Cesar. Today we are taking them to some of the local "Farmer's Markets" Suggested Music "Godliness With Contentment" (Audio) Original by our friend Mike Book. "Thank You Lord" (Audio) "Enough" (Audio) Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement. |
| Administration Information  Stephen and Brooksyne "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update We share our hearts with you as we go forth in this online ministry.  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this encouragement ministry? Thanks! See here for details.Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list merely use the link placed by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who do not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Please feel free to pass this message on! Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com (Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!) 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. Used by permission; and the King James Version. Other blogs: "A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination. "Daily Prayer" - Simply the daily prayer from each daily encouragement message. © Copyright 2007 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved  |
