NO, NOT ONE
Suggested Reading: Psalms 51-53
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
This is a fresco found in ancient Ephesus, which is in modern-day Turkey.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verses: Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit.
The third Psalm in today’s reading tells us twice that “There is none who does good, no not one” (53:1, 3). This statement of reality is repeated in different ways over and over throughout the Holy Scriptures. For example, Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and 1 John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin [note the present tense] we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” David composed Psalm 51 as a confession of his sins of adultery and arranging for Bathsheba’s husband to be put in the most dangerous spot in the war, so that he would most likely be killed. David wrote eloquent words, but Jesus put our confession much more bluntly. Jesus told the story of the man who, while standing at the back of the Temple in Jerusalem, hit himself over and over on his chest crying out, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” Jesus said that this man went home justified before God! Jesus guarantees that this prayer will change our lives (see Luke 18:9-14). To support this fact we can believe other Scriptures. In John 6:37a, Jesus gives us His Word that “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” These are the Words of Jesus and when we believe these Words we are received by God. We confess our sin and are assured by the Apostle John that “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Having done this, it’s of vital importance to tell a fellow believer. Here’s a toll-free number to call to talk to a caring person…Crossroads 24/7 prayer line: 1-866-273-4444.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, I am making King David’s prayer my own! I’m reading to You the words found in our key verses, Psalm 51:10-12. Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
Yesterday, at the National Convention of the Christian Legal Fellowship, the introduction to my message drew attention to another well-known sinner, Henry VIII, a former king of England. Actually my message was not about him but about the religious leaders and lawyers who accosted Jesus with several questions designed to catch Him off guard, destroy His credibility, and incriminate Him. The tie-in with the many times married Henry VIII was in the question, “Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all (seven husbands) had her” (Matthew 22:28). I’ve just read again all the questions found in Matthew 22:15-46. I invite my blog readers to meditate on the answers Jesus gave in the same way I invited the lawyers to think about these things yesterday at the conference.
Sometimes I do and say things that may appear foolish. The real fool, according to King David, is the one who, “Has said in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 53:1). For a joke, in order to cement into the memories of the lawyers present at the convention, I started off the session by trying to sing the song, “Henry VIII I am, I am. I got married to the widow next door. She’s been married seven times before…etc. etc.” Remember that silly song? If not click here for a rendition from an old Ed Sullivan Show. A laugh is guaranteed.
Yours for learning from King David, and most of all from Jesus,
David
This Feline was kind enough to strike a pose in the smaller of the two amphitheatres in Ephesus.
“Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I bow down on my hands and knees to You, dear Heavenly Father; for I am a meek and humble human, who fails and falls, over and over again. Praise You, for Your forgiveness of my sins, that I may be lifted back up to exalt Your glorious name and be rekindled graciously by the sanctification of Your Holy Word and Spirit. Thank You, dear Lord, for David Mainse and his family who provide this blog, to guide me and fellow saints along the way.
Ps 52:8-9:
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it is good.
Lk 18:14:
“…. everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Thank You, Jesus! Let us humble ourselves before God, and cling to the cloak of our Saviour. Keeping our eyes on Jesus, all the way!
God’s continued blessings to all saints, today. And a prayer request for one of my sisters-in-Christ, Stella, for the healing of her son, who has cancer. Lift up her heart, dear Lord, and give her strength. Bring power to her son, oh Mighty King, that he may be healed and upheld by Your righteous name.
I agree in Jesus name Amen
I too add my prayers for healing, comfort and support for Stella’s son, in Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Amen and Amen! It shall be well
Heavenly Father, we lift Stella and her son to you. We ask for healing in your most precious name, thank you for loving us, thank you for healing us, thank you for saving us, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Amen!
I also agree in Jesus name Amen.
My spirit agrees Beverley Kay.
I also agree with your prayer Stella and her dear son and will keep praying
Amen & Amen!!
Yes Lord hold me up with your righteous right hand , and create in me a clean heart , I want to be led by your Holy Spirit , to do whatever you have planned for me from the foundation of the world .I dedicate my life to you because my life is no longer my own but I ve been bought by the blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the son of the living God .
I will bless the Lord at all times His praise shall ever be in my mouth ,
Forget not all His benefits but rejoice in the God our Saviour
I want to decrease so my Lord can increase
Dear Father God I pray for all that have sickness and I agree with you for their recovery in Jesus name Amen
Amen, Brenda! Beautiful prayer. I am in agreement with Brenda, dear Lord, that we may decrease so that You can increase in our lives, amen!
Amen Brenda! It shall be so by His grace
In Matthew 22, Christ gives us a glimpse of Heaven by His answer to the Pharisees. It is no wonder we must whole heartedly confess our sins, and receive forgiveness for having anything less than absolute LOVE for God (heart, soul and mind) and neighbours (as our self) to be, “as angels in Heaven”. Otherwise, we’d never get along! It just wouldn’t work as humans. Heaven will truly prove be an amazing place beyond any scope of imagination! The Psalms today draw out a contrite heart. They are a gift in helping us to articulate how we feel and convey repentance to our Father and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord! Have a great day, to all!
True David, sometimes I try to meditate on my purpose here on earth and how wonderful God is. This is what I came up with once, I said to myself maybe our being here on earth is to prepare us for heaven. This is like a probation period for us, this is where we prove that we can put God first, love ourselves unconditionally , pray fervently, avoid being judgemental, in general, learn how to be angels. Even though I haven’t seen angels yet, I sometimes compare them to little kids. I have two brothers, 3 and 4 year olds, I learn so much from them most of the time. All they care about is love! They want to be loved every min and they tell me how much they love me always except when they are crying:) they forgive in less than a minute, all they want from me is a sign of remorse. They are true to themselves and run back to me for a hug and ask me to forgive them when they do something wrong, the next question that follows is, ” do you still love me?” Can you imagine a world filled with hearts like theirs and so many other kids out there?? May God help us all
When we put God first, our life is bound to change. It is only natural then to love our neighbour and have love for ourself. We do sin when we fall short of these commandments. Our Heavenly Father waits patiently (as in the prodigal son), with loving compassion to restore us. He doesn’t even dwell on our past faults. We can learn much from this kind of love in our relationship with others and self.
I had the privilege of hearing David speak yesterday at the conclusion of the Christian Legal Fellowship National Conference held at the Crossroads Centre. I was, quite frankly, spell-bound by David’s encyclopedic memory and descriptions of a variety of topics – how Sir John A. MacDonald committed his life to Christ, the development of the Anglican church and a variety of people who had greatly influenced his life and ministry. But the one thing that captivated my attention more than anything else was his countenance – his obvious love for Jesus. As times, David’s face shone like a beacon in the dark when he spoke of victories for Christ. At other times, he was moved to tears as he spoke about the horrors of abortion. His love for Jesus, the Scriptures, his wife and family, his church and the audience was palpable. Thank you David, for your lifetime of service. Thank you God for preserving your servant with strength, wisdom and the gift of teaching!
Thanks for sharing … you were certainly blessed to experience this occasion!
Peter was very flawed but Jesus treated him like a brother. I notice that many pastors, some of them famous, are so “regular” people yet hopefully not taking that as lisence to partake of things that are not acceptable to God. When Jesus cooked the fish after being crucified, it was such a human thing to do yet pastors also know they are to be an example that we can look to. I notice that David Mainse has that way even from this blog.
When we confess all such as sins of the tongue, attitude etc. at the end of the day, do you notice that you sleep better. Was my experience last night. I do not want anyone to stumble or be turned away from the Lord because of my sins. I add my prayers too for Stella’s son. Be healed in the Name of Jesus. God bless you all.
I agree with you 100% Ger! God bless you
First: belated anniversary wishes to you & Norma-Jean, David M, and belated birthday wishes to Ann! 🙂
I have only just returned from my time in the beauty of God’s creation with a wilderness camping trip, so have been playing catch-up here..(left on 18th).
It is good to be back & to get back to this daily blog which has become such a great part of my daily life. Thank you David M for your faithfulness in this, and to you Reynold for photo’s and to Ron & Ann for their part in making this blog happen.
Welcome back Wanita
Oh thank you David for this blog. Such a feeding for my soul. I too pray for Stella’s son. May the God of all comfort and strength be with him and Lord we pray for healing in his body. You sent Your Word and you will perfect those things that concern us.
So good to become a part of concerns with people of the same spirit who read this blog. God bless each and everyone.
Amen! Charlene
I promise that I won’t do this too much but I am in need of your prayers as a friend of mine most likely will be facing a late stage of cancer for a diagnosis this week. Along with this she is quite sick with heart disease. I believe she can be cured of all problems by His grace. I believe He can carry her through the alternate route by His choice. I respect His will. I can feel the depth of love that all of you have for Christ. Could you please pray with me for this lady. I don’t really understand the power of prayer but I do believe in it. Thank you. Blessings to all you beautiful people. I’ll keep you posted. Thank you Pastor David. It’s only been since psalm 19 that I have been following. I can honestly say that I am more “hooked on Jesus” because of your teachings. Amen.
I did’t want to drop her name as she was a patient of mine.
Lord I know not whether Susan’s friend knows You, but I ask that you reveal yourself to her. You reveal Yourself to us Lord in so many ways, and in Your word Lord, You said we should ask, and we shall receive, I stand upon that privilege and ask that You revel Yourself to Susan’s friend through healing! You have always been there for me Lord and I believe that this would not be an exception! Thank You Papa for there is none like You…no not One! Amen
Oh, Lord, we hold up Susan’s friend to you. You know what her health concerns are, Lord. We pray for Your mighty touch on her that she may receive healing in Your precious name. For you are the King of all Kings, the Prince of Peace, and the Majesty of Heaven. We call on You to cover her with your precious blood. In Jesus name, we pray, amen, amen, and amen.
“The heart of prayer is communion with God in a unity of love and purpose. It is agreeing with God—heart, soul, mind and strength–to bring about God’s will” Dr. Miles Munroe.
To me this has always been my favorite way to understand the power of prayer. And this website is filled with many who believe the same and are agreeing together with God for His Will to be done and His Will is always good. It may not always line up with our expectations of what we think God will do, but in the end, whichever way our prayers get answered with a yes, no, not yet, or I have a better idea- we are assured if we pray for God’s will to be done, it will be done according to His Will.
Bless the Lord Oh my soul and all that is within me Bless His Holy Name and forget not all His benefits …Lord God thank for cleansing my heart and soul!! Thank you that you hold me in the palm of your hand!!
Amen !
Mathew 22 “41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying,
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying,
I want to copy and paste but it’s only doing that much:(
It won’t allow you to copy and paste; you have to type it out, Patricia. 🙂
Dear Rev, David M.
This morning as I was watching 100 Huntley street I came across a wonderful interview of Phil Callaway and found great joy in the scripture of Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him , so that you may overflow with hope by the power of The Holy Spirit. in Jesus name Amen.
PS . Addind my prayers for Susans friend.
Have a blessed day everyone.
xxxxx Carole.
Father God
I pray for Susan’s friend father you know who she is I ask that
you put your healing touch over her whole body Lord from her head
right down to her toes. Give her the peace and comfort that she needs
during this time and also be with Susan and surround her with your love
Reveal yourself to them in a special way.
In Jesus name
Amen
Amen, Lord for Susan’s friend.
In agreement with you Ger, Amen.
Amen and Amen.