OXEN
Suggested Reading: Proverbs 14
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
Jerash, Jordan, reveals glimpses of splendour that once adorned this city. It was one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis mentioned in the Gospel of Mark 5:20. Jesus travelled throughout these cities showing the love of God to the non-Jewish population. These nations were not righteous and they did not experience the promise of Proverbs 14:34.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verses: Proverbs 14: 26, 34
…In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
…Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a reproach to any people.
We should consider verse 27 also, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life!” The ultimate in respect, reverence, worship and honour is the main ingredient in “the fear of the Lord.” It’s truly a matter of life and death! Choose Life!!!
Before we consider the second of the key verses, let’s back up to Proverbs 14:4a. “Where no oxen are (the stall), the trough is clean.” When we are involved in life, in government, in business, in caring for others, and in the church, life can get messy. It’s really hard to keep everything as it should be. It may resemble the stall where the oxen are housed. The only way to keep from the mess of everyday life would be to live on an isolated island. But then we, ourselves, would be a mess! We need to live in the middle of the action, pulling the load of our families, and our communities with strength that comes from God!
What about our nation? We should weep over the fact that in Canada the precious little ones in the womb of his or her mother have no protection in law. How we treat the weakest and most vulnerable life is the true measure of a righteous or an unrighteous nation.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, how Your great heart must be broken over the modern slaughter of the innocents. Have mercy, O God, I pray. Have mercy on our country and on the many nations (ethnos) who live inside the borders of my Canada. I pray this for Jesus’ sake, Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
This past weekend here in Jerusalem I stood beside the Hinnom Valley, known in Hebrew as “Gehenna” (translated “Hell”). It was here that the bodies of babies were burned in the fires. I’ve just googled the words “burned his children in the fire” (see 2 Chronicles 28:1-3 and 2 Chronicles 29:1-11). Today our government sanctions the throwing of the bodies of the little ones into incinerators. I pray with weeping. God have mercy! O God, I repent on behalf of our land! Ours is a country for which our founders declared in our official motto that You would have dominion from sea to sea, “Ad mare usque ad mare!” Lord God, we need many Hezekiah’s in our Houses of Parliament. Have mercy on us, O God!!!
I’m back to thinking about the choice we have in today’s reading. Oxen, or not! Near our former home north of Kingston was “Red Ox Point.” It was named this because a team of oxen outpulled a team of huge work horses. It is said that oxen have a steady pull and when horses try to pull a load that is too heavy, they will start and stop, start and stop. In that case I would rather be an ox than a horse. Steady progress in righting the evils that plague our land will eventually win the day!
Yours for pulling together as a team!
David
P.S. Here’s a picture of members of our tour group in front of the Wailing Wall. Left to right: Dave & Carolyn from Edmonton, Alberta – June from Haliburton, Ontario – Rav from Vaughn, Ontario – Jason from Vaughn, Ontario.
P.P.S. A second picture below I found on Google depicts the King of Judah about to burn a little life in the fires of the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, offering a child to be sacrificed to the image of the pagan god Molech. The people of Jerusalem believed that this valley was the entrance to Hell.
Living according to God’s righteous precepts is always a better way. Once we’ve replaced God’s ways with man’s ways in public square, sin quickly enters in. May we pray a prayer that God would once again have His proper dominion in our country, from sea to sea! Amen.
Amen Scott !!!
You areso right Lord we pray for the innocent little ones that they will stop this murdering them
We love you Lord have mercy on us
Bring wisdom to these women carrying these children that their lives will be saved
Yes help us to be oxen pulling together praying for those in authority for Canada
Release the captives from their destruction
And set the children free to live in Jesus name Amen
Thank you for your wonderful message to us paster Mainses and God Bless You and all the travellers amdall my fellow bloggers 🙂
Amen
David I choose to pray the same prayer as you did.
I hope and pray you are having a great trip and a safe one
Keep warm blogger buddies
Lianne Hoog
AMEN to the prayers this morning.
Love all the pictures of your tour group. Looks like everyone is having a great time!
Blessings to all today!
Yes, Amen to all the prayers given, and give us strength to do our part for righteousness sake in the place we are. Praying the tour group will have a safe journey home. Blessings!
Heavenly Father we pray for the unborn that they will be protected in their mother’s womb from abortion, miscarriage and or birth defects according to the measure Your Mercy we ask this in name of Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord, especially for those He names before Your throne of Grace. Amen
Amen to all the prayers, thoughts and intentions expressed. May we individually and collectively do our part supporting life for unborn babies. May we also extend God’s love and forgiveness to grieving women who have had abortions. We honour, glorify and praise you Father, as our Sovereign and Heavenly King!!!
I feel so alone!!!!! God help me!!!!!
Loneliness is an awful feeling and can be handled with a caring voice, someone who can listen to what is bothering you. If you can, call someone you know and tell them you just need to hear their voice, that you are feeling very lonely right now. Maybe phoning the prayer line will help too.
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I will pray for you and all others feeling this way at this moment.
Lord, l heard the desperate cry of Heike’s heart, please come quickly Lord Jesus and bring your peace to your child.
I agree with Christine– give your child peace, help her to understand feelings are not facts– the fact is you are there with her now, help her to know that in whatever way she needs to experience it the most.
The connection between cheap sex and the cheapening of life is seen in the many ways to take away the possibility of conceiving or having children. I would probably be married if it was not for the morning after pill. I am celibate now intentionally but when relationships were not till death do us part, they were not, even if one should have been. This made me and my partners disposable sort of even though I was monogamous. The connection to sin, abortion and love waxing cold is clear. I believe that judgement shows that a total ban under all circumstances of abortion is wrong but science has made abortion even a choice for people who would like a “designer baby.” The world has waxed cold even towards the children who are born. Without God, whether aborted or not, people do not take care of their children. It is very much a cold world. I agree that abortion should not be so frivolous and it has lead to the cheapening of life, but without God, forcing women to have children they don’t want will also be horrible. Look at Africa and India where they are having children to starve to death or be sold as slaves or kidnapped to become child soldiers or prostitutes. Without God, it would also be a disaster here to force people to have children against their will.
Dear Rev. David M.
I also join you in prayer for this great country of ours to turn away from all its evil ways , seek diligently His Perfect Will , His Righteousness . In The Name Of The One And Only who showed us the way and is more than able to accomplish what our hearts cry for Gods preciuos children . So yes thank you Jesus that we can turn to you and by the power of The Holy Spirit be that light in this dark world Amen .
Have a blessed day everyone.
PS . Keeping you in prayer sister Heike. You are not alone Jesus is right there for you.
xxxx Carole.
Dear David,
Blessings upon you forever! The Good Lord takes care of you always!!
My prayer is also for Canada and the whole world ( which was created by the Divine and Holy Lord, God) that abortions and all man-made laws are destroyed and all God’s laws are obeyed. The Lord ‘s mercy endures forever and is new every morning!!
Thank you,
Margaret
May you feel the Lord’s presence with you, Heike. He said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”(Hebrews 13:5).
When worldly laws are founded truly on God, they are wise. When they are founded on wickedness, they are evil. You can’t out the cart before the horse. This is also true for trying to force a country to ban abortion when they are not going to care well for their children.
Can’t put the cart before the horse.
God first: Ban abortion.
God first: Value children.
Africa, India. Here. Judgement and truth not politics. Saying it is God’s way does not make it so. The man in the palace should be prepared to ensure the well being of the children who he has decided should be born if he is going to dictate for all. You can’t sew new cloth into old fabric.
In agreement with you David
Yes, I join in prayer that once again, this nation of Canada will be a Nation under God, with God as head of every household, in the classroom, in Government, in the Justice system and most of all in our hearts!!!
Amen to Irenes prayer and praying for safe travels for David Mainse, Norma-Jean and the whole group. Enjoyed following the blog and feeling like I was part of it and feeling the warmth of the land! God Bless Adele
Prepare the soul before planting the crop.
Soil
To say if you believe in Jesus you should live His way is good. To say, ban abortion for all, when this society is full of people who don’t take care of their children and people who don’t want children, is foolish. I live in a culture full of people who grew up neglected. Now you want all these people and also frivolous middle class people to have children they don’t want.