Thursday, April 4, 2019

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.

9 thoughts on “Thursday, April 4, 2019

  1. Thank you Jesus for what you have done for us on the Cross and your constant love and care over us, even when we were yet sinners. Thank you David, Norma Jean, Ron, Ann, Reynold, Kathy and all the Mainse family for your ministry to us. I remember the time that David took that trip and I attended his meeting in Grand Falls, NB and saw how down to earth he was. Also thank you fellow bloggers for all your faithful prayers and posts over the years.
    Have been watching the House of Commons proceedings this week and appreciate all the godly men and women who run our government. We need to
    pray for them for wisdom, strength and determination to stand for the right. Amen?
    Have a blessed day!

    • Amen,Ger.I have been guilty of complaining about the misguided leadership of our country when I should have been praying more.Complaining accomplishes nothing but Satan’s purposes.Father forgive me and help me with your wisdom.In Jesus name I pray,Amen
      Salvation

      Sweet Jesus I owe everything to you and to you alone,
      You have shown me my home,you are my anchorstone,
      You have saved me always when stormy winds have blown,
      You have always been my rock,the truest friend I’ve known,
      So why do you think me worthy as a seed you have sown
      What can I ever do to earn all the love you’ve shown .

      Ch:
      Let me know sweet Jesus, let me know beyond my days
      Let me know my savior,when I bow down to you in praise,
      When my time here is drawing short and coming to a close,
      As they carry me away after leading the life I chose,
      I pray that I will leave not sorrow for those that I love,
      But instead to know the joy that waits for us above.

      I am not a wealthy man but I am very rich by far,
      When I walk my journey you’re my guiding star
      And you know that I am honest in all the things I do,
      I have never born false witness,I only say what’s true,
      You have strengthened my soul before I even knew
      Of life’s losses with your love to see me through.

      You have always had your hand placed within my soul,
      You have shown me your light that has made me whole,
      I have never known this love that comes from your grace,
      Nor have I known compassion that shines from your face,
      For I am still a sinner and you are the son of God
      I can only meet you at the end of the road I’ve trod.
      G W(Bill) Marshall (No copyright intended)

      • dear William;
        you are human; we complain about this or that…..God understands this also….that is why we can say we are sorry for the complaining and ask for His forgiveness and we receive His forgiveness always….WHAT A GRACIOUS WONDERFUL LORD WE HAVE….blessings to all….
        Ger
        you mentioned how down to earth David Mainse was; I absolutely agree; what really meant alot to me was his honesty, he told stories of things he did as young person, taking an apple,so on and so on…yes, David Mainse was very down to earth and I am so thankful, he understood people and he understood politicians and he understood our sinful nature as he confessed the same…PRAISE THE LORD FOR DAVID MAINSE,HE LEFT A VERY GOOD IMPRINT ON THIS WORLD…IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY AMEN
        I am thankful for his wife and his children; David had a very down to earth family, again all PRAISE TO THE LORD amen

  2. Praise the Lord they didn’t have guns in King David’s time on earth.
    What a touching story about Christmas gifts for the children in Uganda. Praying for Reynold and Kathy on their journey to bring souls to Jesus in such a wanton area of our great world.
    On another subject: There are so many wonderful books written and what a joy to be able to read and absorb the messages in most of them. The following quote is from C. S. Lewis: “God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.
    “That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there” (Mere Christianity).
    C.S. Lewis, in full, Clive Staples Lewis, (born November 29, 1898, Belfast, Ireland [now in Northern Ireland]—died November 22, 1963, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England), Irish-born scholar, novelist, and author of about 40 books, many of them on Christian apologetics, including The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity.

  3. The civil war in Israel is sad and such history should be a lesson to us.Perhaps it has been for if war has been prevented in the past how are we to know?
    My best friend is an admin. in a Christian site,NEW LIFE IN JESUS (https://www.facebook.com/groups/492824887446173/ ) centered in Rwanda,next to Uganda.The site owner is/was (?) a member of the Christian college team who were slaughtered at a Ugandan university a few years ago.He was not with them at the time.He is an amazing young father now with a degree in agriculture and wants to help his country while serving God.I shared the 100 Words link on their site pending approval to post.I also mentioned Reynold’s and Kathy’s World Embrace ministry.Perhaps a seed has been planted.
    Thank you again,Ron,for continuing this blog.God bless

  4. God’s timing is always on time! He takes us through many valleys and on mountains in the school of life, so that His purpose would be fulfilled in us for His Glory; He is our Father, and he loves us enough not to leave us the way we were when we were born again in Jesus: Praise His Holy Name.

    It took David many years and many trials and “hard knocks” to prepare him to be King.

    What a glorious day it is, because it’s the Lord’s day, rejoice in it!

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