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
See here
for more info.
<Previous Message Next Message>
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
The Willows along Donegal Creek
(Click on photo to enlarge)
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation 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.
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 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."
© Copyright 2015 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
<Previous Message Next Message>
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
The Willows along Donegal Creek
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"The Deadly Peril Of Man-determined Morality"
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player.
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12).
Today the Supreme Court begins dealing with the matter of redefining marriage. Our spirits are grieved to see it come to this. On Sunday we joined thousands of churches around the country as our pastor asked our entire congregation to bow before the Lord as he led out in prayer.
Powerful forces of evil in our land are bent on forsaking God’s clear pattern on the foundational institution of marriage which is under severe attack with radical, ungodly efforts to redefine it, contrary to its divine design.
Marriage is the oldest human institution, established by God Himself when He created Eve from Adam in the earliest chapters of Genesis. At that time the Holy Scriptures state, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). Jesus quoted this very verse in Matthew 19:5 affirming God's original command. The wording is certainly not a suggestion to be tweaked according to one's own preferred arrangement.
"Man-determined morality" is expressed in our daily text, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12). It is an infection wreaking havoc on a society; rejecting God, His Word and standards. Mankind raises a defiant fist to God declaring, "I'll do it my way". But God will not be mocked and mankind will reap what is sown. (Galatians 6:7-9)
An interesting aspect of our daily verse is that it's repeated twice verbatim in the book of Proverbs (see also 16:25). It seems that the Holy Spirit wants to make doubly sure we get this one right! It's a clear and straightforward saying with a timeless truth.
"There is a way that seems right to a man." The Benson Commentary states, "There are some evil actions or courses which men may think to be lawful and good, either through gross ignorance, or self-flattery, or through want of necessary diligence in examining them by the rule of God’s word."
The spirit of lawlessness is growing rapidly in our time. Here in America we are dealing with issues practically unimaginable a generation ago (or for that matter, even twenty years ago!) These issues signal a return to the turbulent Biblical period of the Judges when the people became their own authority and acted on their own opinions of right and wrong. The writer portrays the spiritual climate with these words: "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). It is also descriptive of our own time period today.
"But in the end it leads to death."
We pray that God will give each reader deep discernment to understand the times and fill you with a firm resolve to remain faithful to God and His ways. In a remarkable prophetic statement in Daniel 12:10 we read, "The wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand."
Today let us stand up for marriage and pray for a Spirit sent revival upon our land where marriage is recognized, honored, celebrated, and preserved as God designed!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we know there is a way that seems right to a
man, but in the end it leads to death. That's why we cannot choose a
man based law that stands in contrast to the Bible, for it will lead us
to a spiritual death and we will ultimately spend eternity apart from You and
all the untold blessings You have prepared for us in heaven. For those
of us who hold to the traditional view of marriage as described and
defined from the very beginning, help us not to cave in to cleverly
invented arguments or allow the law of man to supersede the law of God
in such a grave matter. We want to recognize, honor, celebrate and
preserve marriages in general as designed by You, our Creator God. And
we also do all that we can, in keeping with our own marital vows, to love, honor
and cherish our spouse and preserve our marriage. Through Christ we come to You in prayer. Amen.
Here are some more prayer starters from Chaplain Pierre Bynum:
Our favorite walking trail over to Donegal Creek.
An incubating geese couple along Donegal Creek.
She lays on the nest while he keeps a watchful eye.
Donegal Creek
We often mention and share photos of our pets since readers often mention they enjoy them. (Thanks for your indulgence, non-dog followers.) Mollie is eagerly catching a frisbee thanks to Nathan, Neville, Ester and me. She's not picky about how it's thrown. She's just happy to chase after them always with the goal of catching them, of course, though she's great with the pick-up as well.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Perfect Union" Video Matthew Ward
"I Will Be Here" Video Steven Curtis Chapman
"When Love Comes Home" Video Matthew West
"The Other Side" Video Gordon and Kimberly Mote
"He Saw It All" Video Booth Brothers
"Wish You Were Here" Video The Kingsmen
Listen to this
message on
your
audio player. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12).
Today the Supreme Court begins dealing with the matter of redefining marriage. Our spirits are grieved to see it come to this. On Sunday we joined thousands of churches around the country as our pastor asked our entire congregation to bow before the Lord as he led out in prayer.
Powerful forces of evil in our land are bent on forsaking God’s clear pattern on the foundational institution of marriage which is under severe attack with radical, ungodly efforts to redefine it, contrary to its divine design.
Marriage is the oldest human institution, established by God Himself when He created Eve from Adam in the earliest chapters of Genesis. At that time the Holy Scriptures state, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). Jesus quoted this very verse in Matthew 19:5 affirming God's original command. The wording is certainly not a suggestion to be tweaked according to one's own preferred arrangement.
"Man-determined morality" is expressed in our daily text, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12). It is an infection wreaking havoc on a society; rejecting God, His Word and standards. Mankind raises a defiant fist to God declaring, "I'll do it my way". But God will not be mocked and mankind will reap what is sown. (Galatians 6:7-9)
An interesting aspect of our daily verse is that it's repeated twice verbatim in the book of Proverbs (see also 16:25). It seems that the Holy Spirit wants to make doubly sure we get this one right! It's a clear and straightforward saying with a timeless truth.
"There is a way that seems right to a man." The Benson Commentary states, "There are some evil actions or courses which men may think to be lawful and good, either through gross ignorance, or self-flattery, or through want of necessary diligence in examining them by the rule of God’s word."
The spirit of lawlessness is growing rapidly in our time. Here in America we are dealing with issues practically unimaginable a generation ago (or for that matter, even twenty years ago!) These issues signal a return to the turbulent Biblical period of the Judges when the people became their own authority and acted on their own opinions of right and wrong. The writer portrays the spiritual climate with these words: "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). It is also descriptive of our own time period today.
"But in the end it leads to death."
We pray that God will give each reader deep discernment to understand the times and fill you with a firm resolve to remain faithful to God and His ways. In a remarkable prophetic statement in Daniel 12:10 we read, "The wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand."
Today let us stand up for marriage and pray for a Spirit sent revival upon our land where marriage is recognized, honored, celebrated, and preserved as God designed!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we know there is a way that seems right to a
man, but in the end it leads to death. That's why we cannot choose a
man based law that stands in contrast to the Bible, for it will lead us
to a spiritual death and we will ultimately spend eternity apart from You and
all the untold blessings You have prepared for us in heaven. For those
of us who hold to the traditional view of marriage as described and
defined from the very beginning, help us not to cave in to cleverly
invented arguments or allow the law of man to supersede the law of God
in such a grave matter. We want to recognize, honor, celebrate and
preserve marriages in general as designed by You, our Creator God. And
we also do all that we can, in keeping with our own marital vows, to love, honor
and cherish our spouse and preserve our marriage. Through Christ we come to You in prayer. Amen.Here are some more prayer starters from Chaplain Pierre Bynum:
- Lord, how far we have departed from the Founders, but more-so, we have departed from You! Sovereign God of History, please intervene to save us. Save our children and future generations who will be taught that evil is good and good is evil if you do not intervene hurriedly! (Dt 8; Ps 144)
- Cause the lawyers presenting the case for natural marriage such persuasiveness as to overwhelm the opposition. May the Justices be deeply moved by your Spirit as You Lord stand among them. We look not to man to save us, but to You! (Job 37:1; Jer 17:5-10)
- May the attorneys proposing a right to same-sex "marriage" be shockingly unpersuasive and may Your Spirit fill the room and every heart with conviction of sin, of righteousness and judgment! Preserve the justices and our nation from the delusion that comes upon all who "love not the truth!" (Is 5:20; 2 Th 2:10-13)
- Use this assault on the very soul of America as a turning point. Preserve the blessed gift of marriage in our land for our children and their children. Send a Biblical awakening that will bring our nation to its senses; draw us to repentance and bring us wholeheartedly back to You! (2 Chr 7:14; Acts 2:38)
Our favorite walking trail over to Donegal Creek.
An incubating geese couple along Donegal Creek.
She lays on the nest while he keeps a watchful eye.
Donegal Creek
We often mention and share photos of our pets since readers often mention they enjoy them. (Thanks for your indulgence, non-dog followers.) Mollie is eagerly catching a frisbee thanks to Nathan, Neville, Ester and me. She's not picky about how it's thrown. She's just happy to chase after them always with the goal of catching them, of course, though she's great with the pick-up as well.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Perfect Union" Video Matthew Ward
"I Will Be Here" Video Steven Curtis Chapman
"When Love Comes Home" Video Matthew West
"The Other Side" Video Gordon and Kimberly Mote
"He Saw It All" Video Booth Brothers
"Wish You Were Here" Video The Kingsmen
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
Are
our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to
consider making a donation 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.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 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."
© Copyright 2015 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA