Wednesday, March 27, 2013

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“I LOVE YOU!” – Jesus

Suggested Reading: 1 Samuel 20

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

 

Dubbed the "Pompeii of the East," Jerash is an ancient Greco-Roman city located 80 miles north of Amman Jordan. The impressive, beautifully preserved ruins of Jerash include places of worship and other buildings from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim periods.

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

 

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 20:3b & 20:17

But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death…And Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

When death stares us in the face, we tend to focus our minds on the most important issues of life. Loving one another becomes a top priority. Jonathan and David understood this. Their affection was demonstrated in commitment, in keeping their promises, and in their willingness to sacrifice their own lives for each other if necessary. Jonathan, although he was heir to the throne, was willing to give up his own rights because of love for David. The story of David and Jonathan provide a picture of Jesus. Jesus, in fulfilling His destiny, loved so much that He was willing to die. As we approach the time of year when we celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus, we may want to read the Gospel stories. John chapters 13 to 17 is the dialogue between Jesus and His loved ones during the Passover meal. Jesus begins by washing the feet of these whom He loved and ends with His prayer for them in these Words, “That the love with which You [the Father] loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” In these chapters the words love, loves, and loved are spoken by Jesus more than 20 times. Jesus then led His loved ones to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He would be betrayed by one of those He loved, Judas. 1 John 4:19 reads, “We love Him because He first loved us” (click here for 1 John 4:7-21).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, may my heart be filled with Your love, and may that love be expressed in my love for others. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Amen! Amen! Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In my prayer time I pray for my immediate family by name, and I name before God many others for whom I’m committed to pray. As a boy I remember at our family altar hearing this prayer and praying it out loud myself: “I pray for those for whom we should pray.” This would include people whose names we did not mention. I thought at the time that if we should pray for them, why not name them. Then I realized that it’s humanly impossible. However, “With God all things are possible!” There is a 24/7 family altar in Heaven where Jesus leads the prayers and in which we participate every time we pray. He knows every one of us by name. He knows us better than we could ever know ourselves, and He prays for us. He prays, not just a general prayer, but prays for me by my name. “Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). He knows us by our names. I’ve just read John 10:1-16. I don’t have any idea how He does it, but I know that every day I put at least 50 names into His prayer meeting. My Father and Mother are right now in that prayer meeting above. I believe they put my name regularly before God’s throne of Grace. I desire intensely to love others. One of the primary ways I have found to love others is to take the time to pray for them.

Yours for loving one another,

David

P.S. From Crossroads 360 here is a link to a beautiful sketch. My son Ron’s wife Ann introduces the artist, Todd Vaters (click here).

 

18 thoughts on “Wednesday, March 27, 2013”

  1. What a powerful picture of why God did what He did. Look into the eyes of Christ and see what Mr. Vaters portrayed. As I listened, my mind Revelations 13, where it states: “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” This is an amazing thing in that it shows that God knew long before Adam and Eve or me, that we would mess up and that His Son would be the sacrifice for our failings. What an absolute definitions of LOVE. Better yet, Eph. 1:3-4 states: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”
    Wow, I have temporal and eternal value no matter what others may say.
    Here on earth, we see the “Eyes” of Christ not just in pictures like Mr. Vater’s, but in the eyes of every Christian brother and sister.
    As always, thanks for continuing this blog. I enjoy reading your reflections…

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  2. A dramatic series of events are revealed in today’s reading. The main focus is on love, loyalty, trust and friendship. The relationship between Jonathan and David is one that binds like glue, you just know that these two were destined for a life-long friendship. They knew one another’s character, were of a single purpose, had each other’s back, and were motivated by God’s love. As David mentioned in his blog this morning, this story is also a portrayal of Jesus and His love for us. He knows us intimately, He looks out for us, He has a single purpose for us and our lives and He is motivated by the love of God. What a wonderful life-long (and eternity-long) friend we have in Jesus. How could anyone deny this love? And yet they do. Pray for your unsaved loved-ones and friends, God hasn’t given up on them and neither should we.

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  3. I love the focus on praying for both ourselves and others in today’s blog David. It’s so comforting to know that Jesus is praying for all of us by name in heaven!

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  4. Love is ever powerful in today’s reading, David’s message, and links to 1 John and John. It reminds me of a honeycomb, dripping with sweet honey and saturating everything in its path. Prayer for those we love, and for others; those we know, and whom we don’t know; that all souls will be saved–is of the essence. The power of making a vow in a covenant together is expressed between Jonathan and David. Their genuine and all-abiding love for each other is the consecrating factor. The meaning behind 1 Samuel 20 is paramount to teach us the power of love and sets the stage for Jesus to come.

    Psalm 19:10b: Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb…. 14:Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

    Love is the power that binds, heals, and solidifies us as one body with God. May we all feel the blessings of that love, today.

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  5. Thank you Lord for knowing and loving us before we knew you. Also for David and Jonathan being decisive about what courses of action to take under such oppressive circumstances with Saul. Their friendship and Christ’s sacrifice, speak volumes about love for others and for ourselves, as does this daily blog!

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  8. Thank you David for your example both in word and deed. Fellow bloggers I thank God for bringing us together. Today’s reading brought to mind the hymn Amazing Love how can it be that Thou my God should die for me. God bless!!!!

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  9. I wept today as I read our blog and thought of all who do not know the amazing LOVE that can be theirs when they accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and so like you David I continue to bring their names before THE THRONE and I am sure many long for a friendship like that of David and Jonathan, which they could have as they turn themselves over to THE LORD JESUS CHRIST? Sadly we need to learn a lesson from what we read of Saul and his hatred of David. Some of us are treated unfairly because we love THE LORD but this gives us an opportunity to show Christ’s love to a hurting world. HAPPY EASTER fellow bloggers.

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  10. A Happy and Bessed Easter to you all .yes Jesus did it all He died and rose again so we may life also and be with Him for ever Amen R

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  11. Can you imagine….. God knew at the foundation of the earth that in creating the earth and us, that He would be putting His Son to death. He knew it and did it anyway. I wonder how many of us would put our own child in harms way if we knew that by making a decision, it would assure that harm.

    God knew and could have decided not to create us….but did anyway – for us…
    It brings the contemporary song to mind…”Amazing Love” –
    Amazing love, how can it be
    That You, my King, should die for me?
    Amazing love, I know it’s true
    It’s my joy to honor You
    In all I do, to honor You

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNousF-YMHo

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  12. I would like to thank you so much David for the wonderful lessons that you bring to us each morning. Although I am not blessed with the gift of expression and knowledge of the Bible as the bloggers to this site, I am a Jesus follower and love Him with all my heart. It is through His loving me that I can truly love others. What saddens me is that so many of my extended family and friends do not have a relationship with the Lord. I presently have a close family member who is dying and I cannot be with her – the family do not attend church and although a chaplin has been to see her I don’t know how he was received as she can no longer talk and is paralyzed – I just continue to pray.
    Thank you for listening. God Bless you all and may you have a joyus Easter.
    My prayers are with you David for complete healing.

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  13. im so thankful for you david for your example as each time i see you on tv you always fill my heart with joy and happiness, along with your son ron and the rest of the crossroads family.so HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE,very encouraging,love that song too. FAITH. HOPE AND LOVE AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE,amen,and GOD BLESS

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