Saturday, April 4, 2015

BE BLESSED

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 2

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

 

Beit She’an from the top of the tel mound. The most ancient area of the city, where Saul’s body was taken from the wall by the men of Jabesh Gilead, is under the mound. From antiquity to the present can be seen in this photograph.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

 

Key Verse: 2 Samuel 2:5

So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him…”

To be “blessed” is to experience the favour of God and people. The men of Gilead blessed Israel by their act of respect to King Saul’s body. In return, David blessed Gilead by making the effort to thank them and to pray that in return the Lord would show kindness to them. There is no indication that David was looking for any favours from them. David was the kind of person who often took the time to care for others. It’s no wonder that David was so popular in Judah at this time, and eventually throughout all of the tribes of Israel, even in Saul’s tribe, Benjamin.
Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish ruling council, gave his family tomb for the burial of Jesus’ body. Surely Joseph is blessed by Jesus for giving respect to the body of Jesus. Tomorrow we celebrate the fact that the stone is rolled away from the mouth of that tomb!!!
We may want to show someone our gratitude today. A letter, an e-mail, a phone call, or even a personal visit can bless a teacher, a pastor, an employer, an employee, an elected representative in some level of government, or the clerk at the grocery store. So many could be blessed when each one reading this blog makes the effort to say thanks as David did.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, thank You for the people You’ve placed in my life. Help me to always express my appreciation for them, never taking them for granted. Most of all, I’m determined to show my appreciation to You, Jesus, by thanking You for the ultimate favour to me: Your death, resurrection, and constant care. THANK YOU, JESUS! AMEN!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My heart is filled with gratitude to God and to all those who faithfully pray for me and who support ministry in Jesus’ Name all over the world. During 2010 and 2011, I had the privilege to travel to 180 cities, towns, and villages across Canada to say “Thank You” to as many people as I could find who had supported the Crossroads/100 Huntley Street ministry throughout the years. Norma-Jean and I, along with the ministry team, and particularly all who’ve given their lives to Christ for many years now, say “Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!” Thank You for the past, present and future. I’ve just remembered that I promised yesterday to tell another story from Uganda.

It was just before Christmas, 26 years ago, President Museveni had just assumed office and was determined to reverse the curse of the Idi Amin years. God put it on my heart to ask our viewers to send in a small Christmas gift for the orphans of Uganda. Canada did not have diplomatic representation from Uganda, so I called the Ugandan ambassador in Washington D.C. and asked if I could use the address of his embassy to which people could send these gifts, telling him we would pick them up just before Christmas and send them to Uganda. He said, “Yes.” One week later, he called to say that so many gifts had arrived that he could hardly get into his embassy because of them. The American Air Force volunteered a C-130 cargo plane to take the gifts to Entebbe. President and Mrs. Museveni arranged for the gifts to be taken to the TV station where, on Christmas Day, for five hours live, they distributed the gifts to thousands of the children who had been orphaned by Idi Amin’s atrocities and by the scourge of AIDS. On live TV, the President blessed “those Canadians who brought Christmas back to Uganda.” He also thanked the Americans for their help in the transportation of the gifts.

Yours for blessing others!

David

Ugandan children. How can we not do our best to bless them? My son and daughter-in-law, Reynold and Kathy, are now living in Uganda where their ministry, “World Embrace,” is sponsoring a unity movement among the church leaders. Please pray for the success of their mission.

Reynold took this photo yesterday as Good Friday was observed on the streets of Gulu, Uganda.

Reynold took this photo yesterday as Good Friday was observed on the streets of Gulu, Uganda.

15 thoughts on “Saturday, April 4, 2015

  1. HE PAID THE PRICE
    As King of Kings,
    Christ owned the land,
    but surrendered His life to His Father’s Hand
    There WAS nowhere to lay His head.,
    or even a place to make His bed.
    … In the wilderness
    He prepared a table;
    and supplied my wants,
    ( This is no fable ! )
    He paid His taxes like me and you
    but without complaint;
    .. whate’er was due !
    He accepted the Cross.
    though it ‘taxed his soul’
    To make us New; to make us WHOLE !

  2. David my prayer is the same as yours. Yesterday I didn’t get on the blog
    because I was busy it was my 48th birthday. I was with my family, and
    we had a good time celebrating. I hope every blogger has a good day
    today. Thank you for all your prayers.

    Lianne Hogg

    • happy belated birthday greeting Lianne…may God grant you a healthy, wealthy, prosperous year, may His grace and mercy flow in you and through you. celebrate in the Lord God Almighty! AMEN

  3. What beautiful, innocent little boys the pic portrays. How great we can send our pics around the world for sharing with others. I sent a pic to CTV in Ottawa around the first of March of a Canada goose which had just landed on our pond. They actually showed it as I guess eastern Canada was longing for signs of Spring. Thank you Reynold for all your meaningful photos.
    I remember Idi Amin. Another scourge of my time.

    1 Peter 2:24New International Version (NIV)

    24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

    Praying for a blessed Easter celebration.

  4. Good morning, and God Bless everyone this morning. May the Lord of our salvation show his love and mercy to all of us. Have a wonderful day.

  5. So many people in that picture. Did you see the size of the cross! Amazing. May God’s Perfect Will be done in Uganda. What a history they have.

  6. Yes, cover the people of Uganda with your precious blood, Lord Jesus. What atrocities happened in Kenya where I served three years. Thank You Jesus for shedding that precious blood for the whole world. We need your covering today. Thank you David, Norma-Jean Reynold,Ron and Anne for creating this blog for us and leading us into Truth. Went to church last night and felt it was good to have been in the house of the Lord on Good Friday. Blessed Easter saints!

  7. Thank you Lord Jesus for this Day, it is the Day You have made and I will rejoice and be glad in it! Thank You for my life, the life You have given me.
    Thank You for everything You do and Are!!! Thank You for Loving me, Thank You Jesus, again and again Amen and Amen!!!
    Thank you Rev. David for this blog and all you input, may the Blessings of the Lord continue to anoint all you and your family do.
    In the Name of Jesus I pray. Special blessings on Reynold and Kathy in all they do.
    Thank you Robin for the anointed poetic word.

  8. Thank you for the pictures and story of Uganda. I have a parent friend at my grandaughter’s competitive swim class who is from Uganda and I hope to share this with him. I don’t think he is a believer. Great timing.
    wonderful Good Friday service at our church yesterday and so looking forward to tomorrow.

    Thank you Lord Jesus for your wonderful gift of salvation.

    Easter Blessings to everyone.

  9. Dear Reverend David, thank you for sharing another breathtaking witness of allowing God to lead you to spark (another) chain of events causing extraordinary blessings, this time over Uganda’s orphans. Apropos, too, that it was televised, which undoubtedly intensified evangelization to the nation at large. Best wishes to you, Norma Jean, and the family for a joyous and blessed Easter! Alleluia!

  10. thank you to all who have prayed for me I find this very uplifting blessings of grace and mercy to all I sure would like to see a parade in my town celebrating Easter! God bless Reynold and Kathy, their ministry is to the leaders, I like that very much, so we all pray for our leaders, in this ministry, in government, in our homes, THE TOMB IS EMPTY! HE IS RISEN!

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