DIAGNOSIS
Today’s Reading: Leviticus 13
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).
The ancient Caesarea Maritima city and harbour was built by Herod the Great about 25-13 BC. It served as an administrative centre of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire. You can read in Acts chapter 10 about the story of Cornelius, who lived in Caesarea. Cornelius, his family, and neighbours were cleansed from the leprosy of sin as the Holy Spirit came upon them.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.
Key Verse: Leviticus 13:44
…he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head.
When Jesus healed the 10 lepers, as recorded in Luke 17, He said to them, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” The priests were the medical doctors of the day. Jesus’ miracles will always stand the test of medical scrutiny. The word “leprosy” is found 28 times in Leviticus alone. Obviously, God and Moses treated this disease most seriously. There are two purposes for the instructions concerning leprosy. First, the health of those suffering from this dreaded disease, as well as the protection of others from the disease, and second, the spiritual lesson that leprosy illustrates. Leprosy demonstrates the spiritual corruption that will infect God’s people if left untreated, and if there is no separation from sin.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord, please bless those that serve us in the medical profession. You care about every detail concerning our health and the treatment of our diseases. You are our Healer, Lord Jesus. Please help me to keep clean spiritually. Give me a heart that yearns to honour You always in all I do, say, and think. I pray these blessings through the Person of the One who healed many lepers, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
From time to time Norma-Jean and I have sent offerings to the Leprosy Mission of Canada. A pill has been developed which can halt and reverse the spread of this disease, particularly if taken regularly at an early stage. Thousands have been helped. In the early 1970’s I travelled to Calcutta. There I spent time with missionary Mark Buntain, who established a wonderful Christian congregation and built a great hospital. In a Sunday morning service we were together at the altar laying hands on the sick, praying for their healing. Before me stood a lady with an obvious leprous sore on her head. To my shame, I drew my hand back, but not Mark. He laid his hand upon her forehead, and prayed. The following Wednesday she appeared at the church. The leprous sore on her head was gone. She was pregnant at the time. Norma-Jean and I took on the support of the Avatoon family (the husband and father had left them). She named the new baby, David, after me. I have never felt so unworthy. Today, the three children are professionals in various fields. Reynold, our son, met one of the daughters in Calcutta a few years back and took a picture (below). What a joy to receive his first-hand report! Reynold and his wife Kathy were there dedicating a school building project on behalf of Crossroads Missions. Many of you supported this project that helped to get young children away for a few hours each day from the city dump and into school. Reynold called this missions project, “Treasures in the Trash.”
Yours because of God’s concern for every person,
David
Below is the picture of Rita Avatoon. I first met this person when she was a little girl living in a Calcutta slum with her leprous pregnant mother and another sister. Norma-Jean and I had a part in supporting this family until all three children graduated from University.
What a blessing to see the grown young woman healed of the dreaded disease of leprasy God bless youand Norma Jean in sponsoring achild until university if every child had a sponsor to rid the dissease forever that would be a great blessing Amen ♡♥♥♥♡♥♡♥♥♡♥♥♡♥♡♡♥♥♡♡♡♥♡♥♡♥♥♥♡♥
It is a blessing to see this young girl, and how you and everyone helped
during that time I pray that many are still helping others with the medication
they need at this time.
God bless you David and Norma Jean
Lianne
David, I so appreciate your honesty. Today’s mention of the withdrawal of your hand is an example. Please keep in mind it was an initial reaction, that took place in a moment, to an unfamiliar, unanticipated situation and any of us would probably have done the same. The main thing is that you then made a commitment, which you and Norma Jean kept over a period of many years, to help the family. Thank you so much for your honesty. It will help the rest of us, I’m sure, to be more honest about ourselves
WOW!
What a wonderful personal story of the healing of the woman’s leprous sore and the ongoing success of Reynold and Kathy’s ministry and the discovery of much treasure in the trash.
Shalom,
Graham.
2012 Holy Land Yellow Bus.
What a great story. My husband has spots of melanoma all over him. We are praying for a miracle. It may come through a newly discovered medication. Tests are being done to see if the drug(s) would be helpful in his case. We should know the results by end of October. Prayers appreciated for Ross.
Ross is on my prayer list Doreen. May God bless you both.
I’m unfamiliar with the disease of leprosy. It must be contagious but is it self-limiting? How wonderful the way human compassion kicks in when we see and hear of a fellow soul in distress.
May the love of our heavenly Father encourage us all to act on His behalf.
Dear Rev. David M
What a radiant smile !… Norma-Jean and you must be so joyfull for Gods healing hand. We do serve an Amazing God ready to answer every petition.
Bringing with me Beverlees 0ctober 23rd,surgery . Doreen and Ross. Say and all the chalenges and prayers of my fellow bloggers as I head off to worship OUR KING OF KINGS , OUR HEALER ,OUR MESSIAH JESUS CHRIST AMEN
Have a blessed day every one
Carole and Ray XXX
Yes, David it is so wonderful of you to admit what happened ! To God be the Glory!!
I want ro also say that the disease of leprosy ( which is something that affects the nerves, I believe) is very,prevalent and not expressed in the Media or elsewhere.
The Effect Hope , Leprosy Mission of Canada is a Christian Mission and is advertised on TV. If anyone wants to contribute, they can do so at this website.
Jesus also healed lepers and as His followers, we should too.
Words and Deeds .
Blessings,
Margaret
What a touching story of the Avatoon family, and a beautiful picture of Rita.
I agree with others your honesty is a lesson for us today. I am sure many of us have withdrawn from situations similar to this. I am truly blessed by our blog today and will in the future be aware of my actions when around other people.
Will be in prayer for Beverlee on Oct. 23rd, and for Ross and Doreen that they will be able to receive the new drug to help Ross in his healing. Blessings to all.
Could you pray for a dear friend Peter who has brain cancer and lung and given only 8 weeks to live. He is a believer and his church family prayed over him before 5 treatments of radiation to give him perhaps a little longer. He and his wife Joan are trusting in The Lord and His will.
I truly believe God has spear headed this blog! I so appreciate David Mainse and his honesty! That’s what people need to hear! For some reason the devil likes for us to keep quiet about our sins and then he plays havoc with them BUT God says to confess our sins to one another, Thank you Lord for the pill to cure leprousy, now i have been praying for tests to be done on moms while pregnant to find out if the child has a clef palette…I am sure this is deficiency in a vitamin….I believe there is a vaccine for ebola…I pray that the governments are not playing a “game” i’ve heard some talk about “pull and tug” with the scientists….I pray God will speak to those involved in finding a cure and that it will come very soon! Praying for Beaverlee and Ross and thankful I was up and went to church even though I was a bit late! Pray for a member Sheila for total healing! Thank you Lord for this blog! Thank you for the truth of being a human being! It’s AMAZING GRACE when we pull away BUT GOD encourages us to “try again” All I can say is “thank you In Jesus Name I Pray” p.s. pray that the Lord will give me energy to complete some projects! Thank you.
Thank you, David, for your honesty and humility. Your genuine faithful servant heart is demonstrated over and over again. Today’s example shows the power of Jesus’ love at work in the healing of the Avatoon family. The photo of Rita is stunning–the love of God flows through her–amen!!
Praying for you, Doreen and your husband, Ross. Lord, God, our great and mighty physician and healer, we bring Ross’s melanoma before You. We ask for Your mighty and powerful touch upon Ross, that he be covered and protected by Your precious blood that wipes away every cancer cell from his body and gives him renewed strength. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray, amen, amen, and amen.
We know “the name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe” (Pro 18:10). And You, Lord, have told us, “for I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds” (Jer 30:17). “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jer 32:27)
Thank you Lynda, Carole, Catherine, Sah, and Beverlee, for prayers for Ross. Much appreciated. I pray for Peter with brain cancer; Sheila for total healing; and for Sah, for added energy. They said on news tonight that the ebola vaccination is in short supply & takes months to make.
Joining fellow saints in prayer for Peter dealing with brain cancer; total healing for Sheila; and increased energy and strength for Sah. Lord God, we know You hear all our prayers. We lift them up to You and lean on Your divine intervention and give thanks for Your grace. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray–amen, amen, and amen.
Its amazing how quickly the Holy Spirit convicts when we go astray…Thank you David for your vulnerability in sharing.
I come in agreement in prayer for the above prayer requests for Ross, Beverlee for Our Great Physician to intervene on your behalf for a miracle healing in each situation.
How beautiful Rita is, it must warm God’s heart as well as yours and Norma-Jeans to see what your part in her healing.
Yes Doreen I heard that same news…BUT GOD can move things along very fast…I was remembering the Roman captain who asked Jesus to heal his daughter….he said something like “You don’t need to go there.just speak and it will be done…something close to that….That Roman guard knew who Jesus was! AMAZING GRACE! I’ve got goose bumps, he knew who Jesus was! We know and are still learning about Jesus! Please pray for the locks to open, the doors to open wide and the staff to enter and produce the ebola vaccine! Also , it is AMAZING HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN CONVICT US! BUT only God could have created it that way! for instance, when I see someone smoking, i burst into tears and pray and thank God how blessed I was that He took smoking/alcohol away from 20 years with no craving. I share this with so many people, many have quit but it just stabs at my heart to think that GOD did that for ME!
thank you for the prayers and we all pray for each other and for healing for those who are ill….( I realize that I sometimes go off on a different thought but God is good) I must say also…..the honesty of this blog…..has been a very good thing as I now confess my sins much more readily than I used to….IT IS AMAZING GRACE! that’s all I can say……..blessed assurance….