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"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13,14). "Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God'" (Luke 1:34,35).
My
life began as a separate single cell about 58 years ago. During the
next nine months, as I grew in my mother's womb, nothing new was added
but oxygen and nutrition. My entire genetic makeup was contained in
that single cell. Thankfully for me, and my parents who loved me, this
process was not interrupted and after nine months of being "knit
together in my mother's womb" I was born on October 14, 1954. I never existed before and
there will never be another me, contrary to what false religions might
teach about reincarnation.
True for each of us, I calculate that the initial fertilized cell from whence we all developed only weighed around .0000000015 pounds. But by the time I was born this one single cell became two hundred million cells and at birth I weighed six billion times more than the fertilized egg. If this rate of growth had continued by my first birthday I would have weighed 72,000,000,000 pounds! (That would have been an extremely "heavy" burden for my Mom.) In addition I also consider if I’d continued to grow at this rate!!!
Let’s turn our attention to the wonder of Christ's birth and more specifically His miraculous conception. Indeed biologically the unique and miraculous component to Christ's human beginning was His conception. His humanity also began as a single divinely fertilized cell in Mary's womb and His further physical growth and development from that point on was similar to each of ours, being knit together in His mother Mary's womb. Though the prophets foretold of the coming Messiah hundreds of years earlier, at God's appointed time, Mary gave birth to her newborn Son; the Son of God.
This week and always let us marvel at the wonder of life and especially the miraculous conception, development and birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. "In Him was life, and that life was the light of men" (John 1:4). The great Charles Wesley Christmas hymn, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" describes the Messiah as He who brings light and life to all.
Today let us declare "Glory to the newborn King!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
Prayer: Jesus, in Your human birth, You became the very
character and expression of God in human form. Miraculously conceived by the
Holy Spirit You came as light to the world dispelling the darkness that
would otherwise overwhelm us. When we walk with You we no longer walk in
darkness but have the light of life. May Your light be reflected
through our lives to the darkened world around us. The miracle of
Your birth and the wonder of Your life refresh our spirit and renew our
resolve to follow You wholeheartedly. It is in Your name that we pray.
Amen.
Here's an interesting website dealing with the chronology of a new life.
Life's brief journey on this side of eternity:
This morning I received word that my longtime friend, Bill Hoke, went
home to be with the Lord. Bill and I became friends over 10 years ago
shortly after we moved to Lancaster, our association mostly through
CBMC, a Christian fellowship for businessmen. His obituary states
it well: "He has a multitude of friends whom he touched and who touched
him during his life journey, and all will miss him." Bill had a
real love for the Lord and caring interest in other people. For those
who may know Bill here's his obituary and service information from the Lancaster newspaper.
We joined with residents of Messiah Village for a family dinner. Guests included these two siblings who played many songs, all by memory. The girl is 9 years old and her brother is 7. They were amazing and, if they continue to play, they could become professional. The young boy is singing "I Saw the Light" - all four stanzas! They were delightful!!
After the young generation departed Brooksyne "jammed" with residents, Naomi on the harmonica and Joe on the recorder, as they played 20 or more Christmas carols. Joe and Naomi had no problem keeping up and did so without sheet music to follow.
Arlin's 50th:
Last night we went to a birthday party for our friend, Arlin. His four
children prepared and served a spaghetti meal to a large group of
friends. Following the meal a microphone was passed for people to
express observations and appreciations for Arlin's friendship.
Since he has a great sense of humor this was a fun time as he
commented on our comments. But the compliment that stood out was
given by Jay, a
fellow teacher, who spoke of Arlin's integrity. Jay told the crowd
about an important matter voted on by
about 50 educators at the school. It was agreed upon by those who voted
that Arlin should tally the votes due to his being trustworthy and
honest.
Life is but a brief journey. The older you get the more you realize this is the truth. Have you committed your life to Christ?
Each year we share several online resources that we have used over the years and that may be a blessing to families and churches during this Christmas season.
"In Remembrance of Me" pdf This is a passion-filled Scripture reading for two adults. Brooksyne and I have used this reading with great receptivity during Christmas Eve services many years. We suggest, if possible, a musical background as the message is read. It is also a great lead-in to a Communion service. It should be thoroughly practiced and read with great feeling.
"When Christ Was Born" pdf This is an adaptation to the tune of "How Great Thou Art". It's a great song to sing as a congregation since most are familiar with and love the tune.
Responsive Christmas Scripture readings for church or family:
John 1:1-18 pdf
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" pdf
My First Christmas In Heaven This is a blessed reminder for all who lost a loved one this year. This is the poem that Brooksyne read and wrote about in this message.
Christmas Knowledge Test
We have also posted two Christmas carol quizzes here (scroll down).
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 considering using these links when purchasing online through
CBD! Tip:
If you are regular CBD customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you
shop. This Christmas
many of our readers will be shopping for gifts that have
spiritual and lasting value as well as a means of witness and encouraging others.
Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
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.
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."
Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com
© Copyright 2011 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Downy Woodpecker
(photo by Doris High)
(photo by Doris High)
"The Wonder of Life"
"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13,14). "Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God'" (Luke 1:34,35).
My
life began as a separate single cell about 58 years ago. During the
next nine months, as I grew in my mother's womb, nothing new was added
but oxygen and nutrition. My entire genetic makeup was contained in
that single cell. Thankfully for me, and my parents who loved me, this
process was not interrupted and after nine months of being "knit
together in my mother's womb" I was born on October 14, 1954. I never existed before and
there will never be another me, contrary to what false religions might
teach about reincarnation.True for each of us, I calculate that the initial fertilized cell from whence we all developed only weighed around .0000000015 pounds. But by the time I was born this one single cell became two hundred million cells and at birth I weighed six billion times more than the fertilized egg. If this rate of growth had continued by my first birthday I would have weighed 72,000,000,000 pounds! (That would have been an extremely "heavy" burden for my Mom.) In addition I also consider if I’d continued to grow at this rate!!!
Let’s turn our attention to the wonder of Christ's birth and more specifically His miraculous conception. Indeed biologically the unique and miraculous component to Christ's human beginning was His conception. His humanity also began as a single divinely fertilized cell in Mary's womb and His further physical growth and development from that point on was similar to each of ours, being knit together in His mother Mary's womb. Though the prophets foretold of the coming Messiah hundreds of years earlier, at God's appointed time, Mary gave birth to her newborn Son; the Son of God.
This week and always let us marvel at the wonder of life and especially the miraculous conception, development and birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. "In Him was life, and that life was the light of men" (John 1:4). The great Charles Wesley Christmas hymn, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" describes the Messiah as He who brings light and life to all.
Today let us declare "Glory to the newborn King!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
Prayer: Jesus, in Your human birth, You became the very
character and expression of God in human form. Miraculously conceived by the
Holy Spirit You came as light to the world dispelling the darkness that
would otherwise overwhelm us. When we walk with You we no longer walk in
darkness but have the light of life. May Your light be reflected
through our lives to the darkened world around us. The miracle of
Your birth and the wonder of Your life refresh our spirit and renew our
resolve to follow You wholeheartedly. It is in Your name that we pray.
Amen.Here's an interesting website dealing with the chronology of a new life.
Life's brief journey on this side of eternity:
This morning I received word that my longtime friend, Bill Hoke, went
home to be with the Lord. Bill and I became friends over 10 years ago
shortly after we moved to Lancaster, our association mostly through
CBMC, a Christian fellowship for businessmen. His obituary states
it well: "He has a multitude of friends whom he touched and who touched
him during his life journey, and all will miss him." Bill had a
real love for the Lord and caring interest in other people. For those
who may know Bill here's his obituary and service information from the Lancaster newspaper.Some photos from our travels yesterday
We joined with residents of Messiah Village for a family dinner. Guests included these two siblings who played many songs, all by memory. The girl is 9 years old and her brother is 7. They were amazing and, if they continue to play, they could become professional. The young boy is singing "I Saw the Light" - all four stanzas! They were delightful!!
After the young generation departed Brooksyne "jammed" with residents, Naomi on the harmonica and Joe on the recorder, as they played 20 or more Christmas carols. Joe and Naomi had no problem keeping up and did so without sheet music to follow.
Arlin's 50th:
Last night we went to a birthday party for our friend, Arlin. His four
children prepared and served a spaghetti meal to a large group of
friends. Following the meal a microphone was passed for people to
express observations and appreciations for Arlin's friendship.
Since he has a great sense of humor this was a fun time as he
commented on our comments. But the compliment that stood out was
given by Jay, a
fellow teacher, who spoke of Arlin's integrity. Jay told the crowd
about an important matter voted on by
about 50 educators at the school. It was agreed upon by those who voted
that Arlin should tally the votes due to his being trustworthy and
honest.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Resources
for Christmas Celebrations
(We will leave these resources posted below our daily messages through Christmas)
Each year we share several online resources that we have used over the years and that may be a blessing to families and churches during this Christmas season.
"In Remembrance of Me" pdf This is a passion-filled Scripture reading for two adults. Brooksyne and I have used this reading with great receptivity during Christmas Eve services many years. We suggest, if possible, a musical background as the message is read. It is also a great lead-in to a Communion service. It should be thoroughly practiced and read with great feeling.
"When Christ Was Born" pdf This is an adaptation to the tune of "How Great Thou Art". It's a great song to sing as a congregation since most are familiar with and love the tune.
Responsive Christmas Scripture readings for church or family:
John 1:1-18 pdf
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" pdf
My First Christmas In Heaven This is a blessed reminder for all who lost a loved one this year. This is the poem that Brooksyne read and wrote about in this message.
Christmas Knowledge Test
We have also posted two Christmas carol quizzes here (scroll down).
Are
you Christmas
shopping online?
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 considering using these links when purchasing online through
CBD! Tip:
If you are regular CBD customer consider bookmarking this link and using it whenever you
shop. This Christmas
many of our readers will be shopping for gifts that have
spiritual and lasting value as well as a means of witness and encouraging others.Please
help us continue this free encouragement ministry
Sign up here for the free daily email encouragement.
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Sign up here for the free daily email encouragement.
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
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.
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."
Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com
© Copyright 2011 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA