✝ Daily Encouragement (7/17/25) "Standing At The Crossroads" (Part 2)
Published: Thu, 07/17/25
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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Thursday,
July 17, 2025  "Standing At The Crossroads" (Part
2) Personal note: We will not be preparing and posting new messages every weekday as we normally try to do due to visits with family. This next weekend we will be heading out to Wisconsin, along with my brother Mike, for a reunion with my Steincross cousins from Mom's side the following week. We are the aging grandchildren who got to know each other as children on a farm near Harwood, a tiny town in southwest Missouri while visiting our grandparents, George Washington and Nellie Mae Steincross. We demonstrate the truthfulness of the Scriptural statement, "Generations come and generations go" (Ecclesiastes 1:4). We expect to resume daily messages on July 28th after our return from Wisconsin. Message summary: Today we again consider standing at the crossroads.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
“This is
what the LORD
says: ‘Stand
at the
crossroads and
look; ask for
the ancient
paths, ask
where the good
way is, and
walk in it,
and you will
find rest for
your souls.’
But you said,
‘We will not
walk in it’”
(Jeremiah
6:16). In Tuesday's message we gave an overview of our daily verse which I had used in a Sunday School lesson I taught this last Sunday. Today we will give it further consideration. It is both a divine invitation and a sober warning. A Divine Invitation: This verse is an invitation from God, one that still echoes today. Will you walk in the good way? God is calling His people back to the "ancient paths" — the tried and true ways of righteousness, obedience, and faithful living according to His Word. It’s a call to pause, reflect, and choose the way that leads to life. A Sober Warning: Failing to heed God's call inevitably leads to loss and judgment. God is kind to warn the human race collectively and each of us individually of the consequences from staying on the wrong path, the wages of sin is death. Application: Are you standing at a crossroads in your life? 1) "Stand at the crossroads and look" Pause and reflect and seek God's direction. 2) "Ask for the ancient paths" Go back tothe foundational teachings taught in the Bible that were believed and practiced by previous generations. Practice spiritual disciplines such as prayerful reading and studying Scripture, holy living, and being in community. These "ancient paths" aren't outdated traditions; they represent timeless truths, grounded in God's character and covenant. The promise is clear: if we choose God's way, we will find rest for our souls—true peace, purpose, and spiritual wholeness. 3) Don’t just ask where the good way is, walk in it. Knowing the right way isn’t enough. God calls us to act on it. 4) Choose rest over rebellion. Real soul rest comes not from doing what we want, but by walking in what God wills. 5) Say, I will walk in God's ways! We remember times in our ministry when we stood at a crossroads. The options before us felt equally daunting and promising. We prayed, sought counsel, and waited, sometimes impatiently, for God’s direction. Looking back, we can see how those moments shaped our journey, deepened our faith, and reminded us that God’s guidance is trustworthy, even when the road ahead appears unclear. Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of our favorite verses for crossroads experiences and times of decision: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will direct your steps”. Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"We Will Remember" Watch on YouTube Triumphant Quartet Study note: At a crossroads, our own understanding can only take us so far. God invites us to trust Him fully, to surrender our plans and anxieties, and to believe that He is working for our good—even when we can’t see the outcome. In the Bible, we see many examples of people facing crossroads. Abraham was called to leave his home without knowing where he was going. Ruth chose to follow Naomi into an unknown future. Paul was redirected by the Holy Spirit on his missionary journeys. Each faced uncertainty, but each found God to be faithful and present, guiding step by step. I (Brooksyne) once spoke with a friend who was wrestling with a major life decision. She was feeling paralyzed by the weight of the choice before her. We prayed together, asking God for wisdom and peace. Sometimes, the answer doesn’t come as quickly as we’d like. But God’s Word assures us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). If you find yourself at a crossroads today—whether in relationships, career, faith, or family—know that you are not alone. God is with you, offering His hand to guide you through the uncertainty. Trust that He sees the road ahead, even when you cannot.
Today we share some more photos from our gatherings with my three Weber siblings the last several days. 
On
Monday
Genelle, Mike,
Brooksyne and
I went over to
Chocolate
World in
Hershey and
took the
famous ride
through the
"chocolate
factory".
Genelle's son
lives in
Columbia where
he grows
coffee and
cocoa beans.
Note:
The family to
our side in
the photo are
visiting from
northeast
Missouri and
know our
neighbor's
son, Jason,
who moved out
that way.
On
Tuesday
afternoon
Mike, Pat and
I went over to
the Automobile
Museum in
Hershey where
horseless
carriages
remind us of
the evolution
of vehicles
over the past
century.
Finally
today:
The
Parable Of the
Lost Cane
A
treasured
possession I
have is my
PaPa's wooden
cane engraved,
"Geo W
Steincross",
with what
appears to be
the sharp
points of an
ice pick. I
associate that
cane with PaPa
because he
always had it
with him
during our
visits. He
looped
the crook of
the cane
around my neck
to pull me
closer before
we began our
conversation.
When Mom used
it in her
later years I
was so afraid
she would lose
it. Mike
turned 80 on
the day he
arrived from
California on
July 8 and
began using
the cane as
well. Once
again I found
myself being a
little nervous
that he would
lay it down
somewhere and
it might get
lost in all
our travels.
Sure
enough, the
cane went
missing and we
thought he
left it
somewhere when
we had visited
Hershey on
Monday. So we
retraced our
many visits.
Brooksyne
called a
coffee house,
Mexican
restaurant,
thrift store
and Chocolate
World and they
had not seen
it. On Tuesday
we were over
that way again
to see the
auto museum so
we stopped in
the thrift
shop and
Chocolate
World to look
for ourselves.
Still no cane.
Michael felt
awful and I
was slightly
perturbed as
well (though I
tried to hide
my feelings).
Analytically I
realized the
sentimental
value of the
cane would end
when I died so
that helped a
little. (In
the auto
museum photo
Mike is using
a cane he
bought at the
thrift shop.)
Last
evening as we
were eating at
the kitchen
bar I glanced
into our
dining room
and spotted
the cane
hanging on on
matching oak
chair where it
had been all
along. Our joy
in finding it
reminded me of
the
parable of the
lost coin
although I
didn't call
our friends
and neighbors
over to
rejoice with
us!
Now
I have the
cane on a wall
behind my
monitor and
intend to keep
it my
remaining days
as a
sentimental
reminder of
grandfather!
Finally today 2:
This
weekend we
will be
heading out to
Wisconsin for
a reunion with
my remaining
cousins and
their families
from my Mom's
side. This
week we
received news
that Anna Lee,
our oldest
living cousin
died on
Sunday. Years
ago we
attended
church with
her
in
Tulsa
,
Oklahoma (Parkview
Baptist Church)
and I took
this photo of
a poster in a
Sunday School
class. What a
powerful
truth!
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