Tuesday, April 4, 2017

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.
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 of Uganda 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.

10 thoughts on “Tuesday, April 4, 2017

  1. Thanks to you, David, and to Ron and Ann and Reynold in preparing this blog and video blog. It’s a delightful and edifying way to start the day on the right path.

  2. Thank you for sharing the love of God to all. Love you – your family and praying for health and strength. Blessings to all

  3. Amen Ron and David–just love having you on the vlog together. Praying for you, Kathy and Reynold and World Embrace in Uganda. God bless you for the love of Christ you spread to the beautiful children and people of Africa. And thank you so much for the beautiful card, Kathy!! Praying for the James family, today. Blessings dearest saints!

    “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” 2 Kings 6:17 NIV

    Everything I Need – Kutless
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Z3yIB7j1M

  4. My husband and I look forward each morning after breakfast, to reading the Word, your blog and comments. We were especially impressed with your God-given ability to summarize yesterday’s passage in such a balanced way, helping people to relate it all to today’s challenges for Christians. Thank you Jesus, and David.

  5. Amazing Day! Thank you Jesus for what you did on the cross of Calvary for me and for all my loved ones, friends and the world. Also was just starting to read your prayer Pastor David when I got a wonderful call from someone you would know showing their love and appreciation. Thank you, thank you dear saint and thank you dear David, Norma-Jean, Reynold, Ron and all your family and staff for the ministry of 100 Huntley St. to me over the years since 1979 when I first started watching. It has been an ongoing stay in my life. Thank you blogging friends for your ministry too in messages, prayers, songs, poetry etc. May all you be blessed of the Lord. Amen!

  6. What a heart-warming story about all the gifts to the orphans in Uganda through such co-operation with the USA Embassy. What a great Christmas Gift and act of Christian love and care.

    Prayers & Support for Kathy & Reynold and the Ministry of World Embrace.

  7. What as wonderful story, Pastor David, a blessed Christmas for the orphans of Uganda!! God Bless you for sharing it with us. And the photo of the beautiful orphan children of Uganda!!!
    So good to see and hear you and your son Ron doing the vlog together with such joy in each other and with each other!!

    God is sooo good, He loves us with an everlasting Love. Praise God He is ever with us!!!

    Have a blessed day all you saints!!

  8. Thank you David Mainse for answering God’s call on your life and being an obedient servant. It’s through 100 Huntley Street that I came to know Christ and be courgeous and free from a life of addictions, and I am only one of many! I have many mentors now and people I look to for pray and advise, but it was through you and your program that Christ touched my life. Bless you and thank you for posting the photo on top of the tel at Bet She’an, I’ve always wondered what the view was from there.

    Your sister in Christ
    Linda L. Price

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