WHOLEHEARTED
Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 31
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
From the region of the Qumran caves in Israel, you can see the Dead Sea with the mountains of Moab in the background. Though the Jordan Rift Valley is one of the most uninhabitable desert locations on earth, there is much agriculture.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: 2 Chronicles 31:21
“And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.”
There were three elements for successful living demonstrated by Hezekiah. (1) He was obedient to God. (2) He sought God. (3) He worked wholeheartedly. These are vital principles for us to follow in order to live successfully as Christians. The word “prosperity” has been distorted in our time by some to mean almost exclusively financial success. Let us not be fooled by those who seek material gain for themselves by manipulating others. The prosperity God offers us may indeed include human comforts here in the west, but primarily God’s prosperity results in peace, contentment, and a joyful heart with or without money and the things it can buy.
Jesus taught us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (click Matthew 6:25-34 to understand what “these things” are). We may want to add to this reading 1 Timothy 6:3-11, and let us serve God WHOLEHEARTEDLY!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, most of all I pray for grace to keep the greatest commandment, which is to love You with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind. Also, Lord, grant that I may keep today the second greatest commandment, which is to love my neighbour as myself. Thank You for helping me to watch for the opportunities to direct my love for You into loving others. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
One of my grandchildren, Eric David Mainse, is Youth Pastor of New Life Church in Brantford, Ontario (click here). He graduated this past Spring from the same school from which I graduated in 1959 (Eastern Pentecostal Bible College, now known as Masters College and Seminary). He showed me one of his assignment papers, for which he received a good grade. It was a sermon based in 2 Chronicles 20:15-17. Although we’ve just passed that reading a few days ago, I thought I’d include a few excerpts from Eric’s sermon for you:
It took a lot of faith for King Jehoshaphat to believe that the words Jahaziel claimed to be from God were true. Jehoshaphat chose to believe. Faith is a choice. If you choose to believe, then don’t hide it. BE BOLD and OBEY!…Jehoshaphat proved himself to be humble before God and showed that he had great humility by bowing his face to the ground in worship along with all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Once he had heard about the promised victory and chose to believe it, he immediately began to worship…Looking back to verse 15 where it says, “For the battle is not yours, but God’s,” we can see that the real battle is a spiritual one and sending in the worshippers first (verse 21) acknowledged that God was sovereign over their lives and prepared the ground for victory! We must do the same, otherwise we are only fighting on the ‘human level’. Praise and worship tear down strongholds of the enemy.
Thank you, Eric, for giving your Grandpa permission to use your work!
Yours for wholeheartedly supporting the next generation,
David
Panoramic view showing more agriculture in the desert of the Jordan Rift Valley by the Dead Sea.
Good work Eric. “Praise and worship tear down strongholds of the enemy” They show our dependence on Him and not ourselves. God bless you in your service there. I recorded the events that happen in the church too. I graduated from Eastern as well in 1976. God bless all today.
I to agree with Ger it is very good sermon David I said the same prayer as you did
this morning. God bless all today
Lianne Hogg
Amen, Eric! I share my sister Ger’s quote of you, “Praise and worship tear down strongholds of the enemy”, indeed! I was blessed to worship and praise the Lord with incredible saints and song, last night, at Kingsway Christian Church in Kingston. The presence of the Lord was strong and ever powerfully alive in His house!! Giving thanks to our almighty God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and to the sanctity of the blessed Holy Spirit. The saints are one with You, for we do believe and testify to the glory of Your Name, forever and ever, amen! Blessings fellow saints!
“Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.”
A beautiful arrangement of the classic hymn:
“How Can I Keep From Singing” performed by Dallyn Vail Bayles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-g8ibd7ijc
Very beautiful piece, Beverlee. There was no “theatre mode” shown so I double clicked on the video and it filled the whole screen showing the beauty of the flowers God creates (as in our reading today).
To love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul AND to love our neighbours as we love ourselves!
Please pray for a friend “reggy” (not hs real name)
5 yars ago he was a falling down drunk ready to end his life; NOW
HE IS SOBER, WORKING AT A JOB THAT HE LOVES AND IS VERY GOOD AT DOING” Praise and thank God however;
pray the Holy Spirit will enter into “reggy’s” heart and that he would begin reconciliation with the family, firstly with his marriage; secondly with his daughters that really need their “dad” as a role model; the dad needs to show how he goes about reconciling with family, confess the wrong doing, receive forgiveness and continue to move forward.
WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!!!
Yes, Sah with God all things are possible…