Wednesday, November 25, 2015

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OXEN

Today’s 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 ten 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!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, how Your great heart must be broken over the modern slaughter of the innocents by abortion. Have mercy, O God, I pray. Have mercy on our country and on the many nations (ethnos) who live inside the borders of my country. I pray this for Jesus’ sake, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In Jerusalem I have 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 Hezekiahs in our Houses of Parliament. Have mercy on us, O God!!!

I’m back to thinking about “Oxen.” “Red Ox Point” on the shore of a lake just north of Kingston was named because 150 years ago 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 some members of a recent Israel tour group in front of the Wailing Wall. It’s a retaining wall which enabled a platform to be built on Mt. Moriah on which the temples of Solomon, Ezra and Herod were built.

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.

11 thoughts on “Wednesday, November 25, 2015”

  1. Lord I think it is a miracle You have not wiped us all out by the way we act! We murder in thought, word and deed! it’s horrible, we live in a sinful world! I am sorry Lord we act in this manner, please forgive us! Lord You know the hearts of the people, only You can change these hardened hearts to love and mercy. Help us Lord! Help us!

    Reply ↓

  2. Praying with you, David, and all saints, for the lives of the unborn, our country, and all the world. Here is a poem for the morning, that I hope will be uplifting.

    Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph 3:20-21 ESV

    To You, Lord

    In the dawn of the morning,
    At the end of each day
    We bow down, to You, Lord,
    On bended knee, and we pray.

    For everything that’s of worry,
    And every saint, who has need,
    All our pains and our struggles,
    How we bring them, to Thee.

    You’re the strength of our witness,
    In You, we have utmost faith
    You’re the pillar we lean on,
    We’re strong from Your grace.

    When our hearts are in sadness
    To Your cloak, do we cling
    You’re the rock of salvation.
    The living breath in everything.

    It is to You, that we come, now,
    With thanksgiving, and faith,
    Granting You, all the glory,
    Giving You, all the praise.

    In our blessed assurance
    We’ve been saved by our King,
    Hallelujah, our Saviour,
    We owe You, everything.

    Beverlee Kay
    c. November, 2015.

    Jesus I Believe In You, Hillsong
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnFKwqcmePA

    Reply ↓

  3. Going to put some thoughts from today about the need for righteousness in our nation on facebook. People need to be reminded what is good and what is evil according to the Word. It’s so easy to accept what is going on in our society. Thank you for the lovely poem and song Beverlee. Took note of your prayer requests from yesterday friends.

    Reply ↓

  7. I can relate to the mother who put her baby in the manager! I got pregnant in my early years and had no one to help and I was in such a state of panic! Even now, all these years later, this mother felt she could not come forth and talk to someone…..this mother obviously knows something about God to make a decision to place this child in the manager….I pray the child will get a loving home…..Lord forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us……

    Reply ↓

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