Wednesday, February 1, 2023

The COHEN FAMILY

Today’s Reading: Joshua 21

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

Petra is one of the Ancient Wonders of the World and is without a doubt Jordan’s greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2,000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge over one km in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80 metre high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the reddish rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury). In ancient times, this was in the area of Edom, mentioned several times in our recent blog readings. Edomites were descendents of Esau, who was the brother of Jacob (Israel).

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

Key Verse: Joshua 21:45

Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

When we come across the Jewish name “Cohen,” we know they are from the line of Kohath, who was the second son of Levi (Joshua 21:20). They are hereditary priests. Moses and Joshua did not give the priests land like the other tribes in order to ensure the distribution of God’s priestly representatives throughout the land in an evenly placed manner. This may have served to retard Israel’s embrace of pagan cultures.

God’s Word will not fail. It may take time, but be assured of eventual fulfillment. Israel failed, not God’s Word. When God promised victory, they ran away in defeat. When God promised prosperity, they broke His rules so that God could not bless them as He wanted to. When God promised to be their leader, they begged for a king like the surrounding nations. When God promised to protect them from their enemies, they made their own unsuccessful battle plans. Are we as foolish as they were? Let us remind ourselves daily that God is totally committed to the fulfillment of all His good promises. Amen!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I’m well aware that there are promises of judgment as well as blessing. Help me to key in on the blessing promises, obeying You in everything that applies to me as a follower of Jesus. I promise to do this, “So help me God.” Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Our photographer, my son Rev. David Reynold Mainse, and his wife Kathy are missionaries based in Gulu, Uganda, Africa. Gulu is a city with 150,000 children under the age of 15. In the 80’s and 90’s, many of these children’s parents had been abducted by the rebel group known as The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). They were forced to be child soldiers, and the girls were also used as sex slaves to be raped again and again. I can’t imagine the horror of this, and now Reynold and Kathy have become part of the healing process. Reynold and Kathy have brought together denominational and tribal leaders in unity of purpose, many for the first time ever coming together like this. They have a vision for an outreach to the children and youth called “The Gulu Community Park,” as there are no facilities capable of ministering to thousands of teens and children every day. Click here for information on what they are up to. Or if you’d like to contact Reynold directly, his email address is reynold@worldembrace.org.

Standing with you on God’s promises of blessing,

David

P.S. I’ll be sharing several of Reynold’s stunning Petra photos over the next few days!

Reynold walking through Petra’s dim, narrow gorge, which winds its way approximately 1.2 km and ends at Petra’s most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (The Treasury). Reynold is a one-man crew, so he must have his camera on the tripod functioning automatically. Some believe that Petra is the fortress where God will hide and protect the remnant during the apocalypse.

7 thoughts on “Wednesday, February 1, 2023”

Amazing post today. Really enjoyed the viewing of David’s son’s ministry in Gulu, Uganda. Truly a project that teaches and glorifies God. A real blessing to the people who have been through so much in the past. Praying for completion, protection, and unity with the work there, in Jesus Name. Amen

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FEBRUARY

“I Come to the Garden Alone” (“In the Garden”)
by C. Austin Miles
The United Methodist Hymnal, 314

I come to the garden alone
while the dew is still on the roses,
and the voice I hear falling on my ear
the Son of God discloses.

And he walks with me, and he talks with me,
And he tells me I am his own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

“Some hymns have the distinction of being adored by many and, simultaneously, scorned by an equal and opposing group. Such is the case with “In the Garden.” The hymn had not appeared in The Methodist Hymnal (1966). Looking ahead to the next official hymnal, Carlton R. Young noted, “This was one of the most requested of hymns to be included in [The United Methodist] hymnal [1989], and it is also one of the least liked, often denounced as erotic and egocentric” (Young, 432).

“Let us begin with the poet’s own account of the hymn’s composition, as he describes “the greatest morn in history”:

“One day in March, 1912, . . . I drew my Bible toward me; it opened at my favorite chapter, John 20 [1-18] . . . That meeting of Jesus and Mary Magdalene had lost none of its power to charm.

“As I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life, when she knelt before her Lord, and cried, “Rabboni!”. . .

“My hands were resting in the Bible while I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. [The author then describes the arrival of Mary, Peter, and John as they gathered at the tomb, followed by the appearance of Jesus.]

“I awakened in full light, gripping the Bible, with muscles tense and nerves vibrating. Under the inspiration of this vision I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the poem exactly as it has appeared (Sanville, 14).

“This was an account of a quasi-mystical vision by C. Austin Miles (1868-1946), a Pennsylvania-educated pharmacist turned gospel song publisher and writer, as he reflected on Christ’s resurrection after reading John 20.”