MY PEOPLE

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 11-13

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

Here in Nazareth Village an actor holds up a scroll in the synagogue. During Jeremiah’s time, a lost scroll, probably the book of Deuteronomy, the Covenant, was discovered and read to the people on the instructions of good King Josiah. A short-lived spiritual revival resulted.

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

Key Verses: Jeremiah 11:3-5

“…Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God, that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.’ Then I answered and said, ‘So be it Lord [Amen].'”

The discovery of the lost book of the Law (probably Deuteronomy) happened on Jeremiah’s watch (read 2 Kings 22:8-13). It taught about the curses for disobedience and the blessings for obedience to the words of the covenant. Many times Israel had said “Amen,” or “So be it Lord!” They would be blessed for a time and then break the covenant and suffer the curses they would bring upon themselves. The Lord’s “green olive tree” (spiritual Israel), which He had planted and which, from time to time, had produced “lovely and good fruit,” would now be broken down and burned. How sad and how unnecessary!

The first 6 verses of Jeremiah 12 are addressed to Anathoth, Jeremiah’s hometown. Jeremiah proclaimed his message from God with a broken heart. In today’s reading, Jeremiah asks 12 questions. Four question words are used: “What,” “Why,” “How,” and “Where.” The “When” question is conditional upon the response of the people. The final words of Jeremiah 13 are, “O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Yes, yes Lord God, I ask to be made clean and to be kept clean through the washing of the blood which Your Son and my Saviour shed on the Cross. I pray for grace to “walk in the light as He is in the light,” and then I experience 24/7 that “the blood of Jesus Christ [Messiah] cleanses us…” (1 John 1:5-10). With my faith in Jesus Christ, the final Sacrifice for sin, I trust You, Lord! AMEN!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

It was a great comfort to me to hear my Father, Rev. Dr. Roy Mainse, preach a message from 1st John on “cleansing.” My father had returned from his mission in Egypt and had taken on the responsibility of pastoring two churches. I moved back home with Dad and attended both churches, where I heard the same message twice. That particular message has stuck with me ever since. He said that the word “cleanseth” (he used old King James english) is in the present perfect tense in the original Greek language. I learned that as I asked God for cleansing (Jeremiah’s question, “Will you still not be made clean?”), I have been made clean and I am being made clean constantly in God’s sight. The Greek verb “cleanseth” means that it has happened and that it continues to happen. I had been struggling with this issue during that first year after I had made my lifetime decision to serve Christ fully. I know that in my eyes and experience I am a sinner, but God sees me through the cleansing blood of Jesus and only in Jesus am I made pure and holy.

Yours for daily shining the light of God’s Word into our personal lives!

David

P.S. I gained so much under my Dad’s ministry that year. Here’s a picture of my Father, a truly great man in my eyes.

My father, Rev. Dr. Roy Lake Mainse (1896-1972).

A FOUNTAIN OF TEARS

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 9-10

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

The desolation of one of the ancient streets of Laodicea (in present day Turkey). Today’s reading tells us of Jerusalem becoming “A heap of ruins” (Jeremiah 9:11a).

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

Key Verse: Jeremiah 9:1

Oh, that my head were waters,

And my eyes a fountain of tears,

That I might weep day and night

For the slain of the daughter of my people!

Jeremiah experienced the broken heart of God and he wept! “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), and He also wept over Jerusalem! Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). The sorrow of Jeremiah is over, but the sorrow of Jesus, because He is alive and He sees all, continues to this very day. Jesus’ compassion continues in His mercy and willingness to forgive us our sins. If we have caused Him to weep over us currently, turn back to Him now. One of the most often repeated verses in the Bible is, “His mercy endures forever” (the entire 136th Psalm).

According to my son-in-law, Rev. Nizar Shaheen, who reads the Old Testament in the original languages, Jeremiah 10:11 is not in Hebrew but in the universal language of the time, Aramaic. Jeremiah wanted all nations to know that their gods would perish! It was believed that these gods controlled the heavens and the earth, but Jeremiah proclaimed that the Lord God of Israel, the sole Creator of the universe, has sovereign control of it all (read again Jeremiah 10:11-13).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God of Jeremiah, I recognize that You, and You alone, are the great Creator, and that You, and You alone, took upon Yourself my sin and wrong when You suffered on the Cross. I weep over my sin and over the sin of the world. May I, like Jeremiah, proclaim Your Truth and Your Mercy to the world around me in a way that people can understand. I pray in the Name of the Saviour Who wept over the needs of all people, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I stood in amazement on the street in front of the Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, as I heard a young priest preaching at the top of his voice that the terrible famine which had devastated the country was the result of the people turning away from God. He did this despite the risk in a country with an atheistic, communist government that had seized power and executed all male members of the family of the late Emperor Haile Selassie. This young man was fearless! He also proclaimed that if the people would turn back to God, He would have mercy on them. Crossroads raised, with matching funds from the Canadian Government, over 7 million dollars for the Ethiopian famine relief. I have no doubt that we were a part of the answer to the weeping prayers of the Ethiopian people. In fact, it was the tears of a former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, who was seen to weep on the national Canadian news as he visited Ethiopia on his way home from the funeral of Indira Ghandi of India. There was an immediate initiative to act and give to help save lives.

“The Wailing Wall” is pictured below. Here, Jews and some non-Jews pray and sometimes weep and wail because of the destruction of Jerusalem. The word “wailing” is repeated three times in today’s reading. Several times during my life, in times of great crisis, I have experienced “wailing,” but not when anyone could hear me. After the death of loved ones in the Middle East, one can often hear the sound of wailing. The people are not ashamed of expressing their extreme grief. These people say that we who live in the west do not know how to grieve properly in order to express our pain. We do tend to keep it all inside and psychologists tell us that failure to express our deep grief is emotionally harmful.

Yours for genuine sorrow for our sins and for those things that break God’s heart!

David

Our former Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, at the “Wailing Wall” in Jerusalem.

THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 7-8

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

Among the ruins of ancient Ephesus, Turkey, are these larger than usual stone ossuaries, which were used to house people’s skeletal remains. “Bones” are mentioned five times in the first verse of Jeremiah 8.

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

Key Verses: Jeremiah 7:23

But this is what I commanded them, saying, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.”

Jeremiah 7 begins what is known as the “Temple Sermon.” God’s instructions to Jeremiah were that he was to stand at the gate of the Temple and deliver this message as the throngs of people were entering for worship. The people of Judah were still very religious outwardly, but Jeremiah’s message was that they were hypocritical. Several times Jeremiah made the point that “They did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward” (7:24). They practiced what is called “syncretism,” the amalgamation of what otherwise would be two or more distinct religions. In their case, it was an attempt to worship the God of Israel and also the god Molech. Some of them, including King Jehoiakim, who turned away from the reforms of his father, Josiah, had reverted to the practices of his grandfather, Mannaseh (2 Kings 21:3-6).

Chapter 8 predicts the coming judgment as a result of their syncretism. Their bones will bleach in the sun. There’s an old hymn which captures the essence of faithfulness to the One and only true God: “Trust and Obey!” Here’s a musical rendition of this foundational truth! (click here).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God of Israel, through Your Son and my Saviour, I pray for the grace of obedience to You, and to the worship of You and You alone! The Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed in Jeremiah’s day, rebuilt by Ezra and Herod, and then destroyed again. Your temple in this age is my body, and may I keep my body pure and in good shape for You, Lord, and may You alone live in my innermost thoughts, attitudes, intentions and actions. Amen!!! (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My experiences with people practicing syncretism are many. The most common being church Sunday morning and then a variety of practices common to eastern religions during the week. The most dramatic example happened in the summer of 1976. I was in Winnipeg staying in the home of the pro football player Larry Kerychuk when the phone rang. The local Roman Catholic priest was looking for a Holy Spirit-filled minister to accompany him on an exorcism. I agreed, but conditional on the content of the priest’s testimony of his personal journey with Christ. I heard a miraculous story of the power of the Holy Spirit transforming his life. We showed up at a home of recent immigrants from Brazil, where manifestations were reported (we didn’t see any) of objects moving around the rooms mysteriously without human help. We discovered that back in Brazil the husband and father had been in the practice of attending Mass Sunday mornings and voodoo ceremonies Sunday evenings. We discerned that these spirits were not filling the house but the man. He wanted to be free of these, and we took authority in Jesus’ Name, cast out these evil spirits, and he was set free. The whole family received Jesus by faith as Saviour and Lord! The last report is that never again did this occult manifestation occur.

Yours for bringing men, women, boys and girls into genuine experiences in a saving relationship with Jesus!

David

P.S. If you want a blow-by-blow account of the various destructions of Jerusalem, I recommend a book I’m currently reading by Desmond Seward called, “Jerusalem’s Traitor: Josephus, Masada, and the Fall of Judea” (here is a listing for it on Amazon.com).

RETURNING GOD’S CALLS

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 5-6

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

Here is part of an ancient road that is located in the Old City of Jerusalem. An artist depicts what the rest of it might have looked like from the time of Jesus. How tragic that such a beautiful city should be reduced to rubble with its people either killed or taken as slaves.

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

Key Verses: Jeremiah 6:10

To whom shall I speak and give warning,

That they may hear?

Indeed their ear is uncircumcised,

And they cannot give heed.

Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them;

They have no delight in it.

Jeremiah 5:21-25 is God’s attempt to communicate with His people in Jerusalem. He says, “Hear this now!” We bring disaster upon ourselves when we fail to listen to God’s Word! It’s not His fault! It’s ours! Jeremiah and a few others heard God, but the political leadership and the majority would not listen.

In our key verse in Jeremiah 6, God seems to be giving up after many attempts to communicate. The time comes when God resigns Himself to allowing the stubborn free will of people to prevail. He’s not wanted, and He won’t force Himself on them, which would reduce His people, made in His image, to being puppets and robots who are forced to do His will. God knows when He is not wanted and He withdraws. The communications breakdown is never at God’s end of the line. People hang up on Him!!!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, You promised that You would answer when I call You! You said, and I quote You, “Call to Me and I will answer you!!!” (Jeremiah 33:3). I’ve heard that reference called, “God’s telephone number.” I pray that You will keep me alert to hear You and to answer when You call me! I hear You calling me now and I hear Your voice as I read Your Word to me through Jeremiah. I say, “Yes Lord, I hear You!!!” Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

For the first 15 years of Crossroads television, the Lord sent in enough money to pay all our bills to cover the costs of the 30-minute weekly Crossroads show and the 30-minute Circle Square show for children. Never did I mention money on TV. When we signed the contract for release of the daily 100 Huntley Street telecast, I was shocked to hear what I believe was the voice of God saying to me, “David, you are going to have to ask for people’s support on TV. I don’t have enough people who take the time to hear My voice to raise the necessary funds for this expansion.” I was dumfounded, but said “Yes, Lord.” One way or the other, God made sure that bills were paid and that His Name was honoured by that fact. But that’s a very small thing compared to the failure to listen to God on the part of the people of Jerusalem, who were not only failing to pay attention to God, but who had deliberately disobeyed Him after they had heard His words through Jeremiah!

Yours for listening quietly, carefully and obediently to God’s Word!!!

David

Below is a picture of the big rock in front of the Crossroads Centre. The words on the plaque (see caption) are from Jeremiah 6:16, the New International Version translation. Instead of the word “ways” inferring a crossroads as in the NKJV, it actually uses the word “crossroads” in the NIV. This is an essential message from God to each one of us.

The plaque below the big rock outside the Crossroads Centre in Burlington reads, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).

MY SOUL! MY SOUL!

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 3-4

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

You can still see the enormous cut rocks that were thrown down onto the street from the upper walls of the Temple Mount by the Roman soldiers in 70 AD.

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

Key Verses: Jeremiah 3:14a, 4:19a

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you…”

…O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me…

In today’s Bible reading, the word, “BACKSLIDING” is repeated four times, and the word “RETURN” five times. Taking note of significant words repeated over and over lets us know what the writer is trying to emphasize for our benefit! God’s message to the backslider is “RETURN!” Ask ourselves this question and let’s make it personal: “Have I ever loved and served God in the past more than I do today?” If so, “RETURN.”

Jeremiah, in our key verses, expresses the heart pain that God feels…the pain of a Parent rejected by His children…the pain of a Husband who truly loves His bride and wife but has been rejected in favour of other lovers. Some who read this may have experienced such pain, which is not only crushing emotionally but also produces devastating mental anguish and even has negative physical effects. As a prophet, Jeremiah represents God and is feeling a measure of God’s pain. As a priest, he represents the human family before God in intercession. He identifies with the pain of our separation from God. We are beginning to understand why Jeremiah is called “The Weeping Prophet.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, my eternal loving heavenly Father, I return to You and run into Your loving arms, which are wide open and waiting for me to come closer than ever. Lord God, You have described Yourself as my Lover/Spouse. I do love You with all my heart. Give me grace to be 100% true to You at all times. Forgive me of my backsliding. Thank You for promising Your willingness to forgive and restore. I pray these mercies through Jesus Christ, the One who never backslid and, therefore, never needed to return. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

The person who loves the most is most deeply hurt when rejected by the one they love. The mother who has nursed a child at her breast and then lives to be rejected by a son or daughter knows the pain of which Jeremiah writes. The husband or wife who has given themselves totally in love with their spouse and is then rejected knows such deep inner pain, such that it’s impossible to describe in words. I have never felt that rejection personally, but I’ve put my arms around many whose body is wracked with such immeasurable pain. All I could do was to be there, as there were no words which I could speak that would be adequate. Surely God, Whose very nature is infinitely loving, must feel this pain much more than man. This is the pain Jesus bore when He suffered on the cross…the pain of rejection, separation and loss. I can’t even begin to imagine His pain. All I can do is cry and say, “I’m here Lord. I’ve returned! I’m determined to move closer to You and not backslide!!!”

Yours for loving God faithfully and showing love for Him by our love for others,

David

“GOD’S CALL”

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 1-2

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

A wild donkey (Somali Wild Ass) at a nature reserve in Israel’s Jordan Valley. In Jeremiah 2:24 the people of Jerusalem are likened to this creature at mating time. It is said that the wild donkey cannot under any circumstances be domesticated for service to people as regular donkeys are. Jeremiah uses this animal as an illustration of Jerusalem’s determination to do its own thing in opposition to serving God.

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

Key Verses: Jeremiah 1:4-5

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

When Moses was called by God, he believed that he was unequipped to do the job. When Isaiah was called, he felt unworthy. When Jeremiah was called, he felt too young to accomplish God’s purposes (Jeremiah 1:6). When God calls us to do a work for Him, He always equips us to fulfill the assigned tasks. Otherwise, why would He bother calling us? All that is required of us is OBEDIENCE to His call! Jeremiah began his ministry when good king Josiah reigned over Judah. Jeremiah served as an advisor in helping Josiah initiate reforms which were in line with God’s revelations to His people as found in the Scriptures. Reforms? Yes! But the hearts of the people needed to be transformed, and that did not happen. Josiah was succeeded by ungodly kings who rejected Josiah’s message and led their people deeper into sin against God, persecuting Jeremiah for his stand for the truth of God.

Jeremiah’s first recorded sermon is in chapter 2. Jeremiah is called, “The Weeping Prophet.” His heart was broken with those things that break the heart of God!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, it could’ve been so different for Your people if only they had followed Your ways. I pray that I will pay attention to those who have genuinely been called by You to preach Your Word. Please grant me grace to obey Your Word! May I not break Your great heart of love by turning my back on You as did Your people in Jeremiah’s time. I pray this in the Name of the One who always obeyed You, Jesus the Messiah (Christ). Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Our message should be one of total support for the Jewish people’s right to have a state, which hopefully will ensure that never again will there be a time of the destruction of Jews, this most persecuted people in all history, as has happened in the past. At the same time, while supporting the Jewish state, we should be pro Arab as well. We are told in Scripture to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). Let’s pray fervently for the leaders of the western world, the Israeli Prime Minister, and for the President of Palestine.

Yours for praying for all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2),

David

P.S. Our past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Crossroads Ministries, Don Simmonds, travelled to Israel in 2014 with our then Canadian Prime Minister, along with several Federal Cabinet Members and other leaders from various segments of Canadian life. Below are some pictures that help tell the story of this significant journey.

In Saint Catherine’s Church in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Left to right, a security officer, Dr. David Wells, leader of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, James Lunney, Member of Parliament for Nainaimo, former Prime Minister Harper, David Sweet, Member of Parliament, James Moore and John Baird, former Cabinet Ministers. Perhaps the infectious joy of the birth of Christ which happened right next door has touched their hearts. They look like they are thoroughly enjoying their time and no one had to say “cheese.” Well, maybe someone said, “Say Jesus!”

A happy moment in this church built right next to the cave/stable where Christ was born. Rev. Dr. David Wells, The Honourable Stockwell Day, former Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition Party, Don Simmonds, former Chairman of our Crossroads Board, Don Hutchinson, legal counsel to the Centre for Faith and Public Life, and the Honourable John Baird, Canada’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs. I’d like to know what was said that brought those big smiles to their faces.

JAMES, THE WORLD’S PASTOR

Today’s Reading: James 3-5

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

Here you can see the ruins of what some consider to be the Pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem. This is the southwest corner of the Temple Mount. It may have been to this height which Satan brought Jesus in the time of Jesus’ temptation. Jesus, the Man, did as James said. He submitted to God, resisted the devil, and the devil fled from Him! According to the Jewish historian, Josephus, James was executed by the authority of Ananus, High Priest, by being thrown off of this pinnacle.

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

Key Verses: James 4:7, 5:16

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you…Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

James 3 focuses on that “little member that boasts great things,” the tongue. James has a definition of a “perfect man” as “one who does not stumble in word” (the tongue). It’s encouraging to note that James is human as he says, “We [includes himself] all stumble in many things.” James tells us that “No man can tame the tongue.” So-o-o do we just give up? Never!!! Our key verses have the answer as to how not to be “hung by the tongue!” Firstly, “Resist the devil.” Secondly, “Confess.” Thirdly, “Pray!” Fourthly, we should daily present our bodies (that would include our tongues) as living sacrifices, “Holy acceptable to God!” (Romans 12:1).

James 4 exhorts us to “Lament and mourn and weep!” When is the last time we experienced this depth of sorrow over our sins? “Repent” was in the first recorded words of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-2) and Jesus (Matthew 4:17), as well as in Peter’s response to the question he was asked on the birthday of the Church! (Acts 2:37-38). Pastor James teaches, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up!”

James 5 will spill over into my PERSONAL WORDS section below.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I ask for Your free gift of grace so I may learn daily to give over to You all the members of my body, in particular, that unruly member, the tongue. Thank You, Jesus, for the gift of Your brother, James, as a Pastor to the Church of all times and all places. I pray for these mercies from Your most gracious hand, in Your Name, Jesus, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

James 5 – I always look for words which are repeated such as “be patient” (twice). This blog is intended to help “establish” our “hearts” (5:8). May it be so for us all! Now I encourage everyone to read again James 5:13-16. The Pastor gives the protocol for a joyful, clean and healthy life. In my years as a Pastor, I put this into practice constantly. Every Sunday the Elders and I would offer to pray over anyone desiring healing. We would place olive oil on those asking for anointing. Many testified to God’s healing power. When I began travelling as an Evangelist in the 1970s, I would insist that Pastors and Elders be involved in praying for the sick. For a period of five years, from about 1972 to 1977, I would ask who in the congregation had a medically documented healing. If so, I asked people to stay behind to tell me about it. I discovered approximately 40 people who had confirmation from their doctors which attested to a miraculous cure. I asked each one, “Who prayed for you and where were you prayed for?” Of course many said that people everywhere were praying for them. Then I would ask them, “Were you prayed for and anointed with oil by your Pastor and the Elders of your local Church?” In 100% of these cases the answer was, “Yes!” For this reason I discourage people from traveling many miles to be prayed for by an evangelist. The evangelist’s job (like Billy Graham) is to get people to believe in Jesus for the salvation of their never-dying souls. The job of the Church is to do as Pastor James instructs us. Amen! Amen! and Amen!!!

Yours, as an Assistant Pastor to James, Jerusalem’s first Pastor,

David

P.S. I’ve personally experienced God’s power to heal when I was a 19-year-old college student. I was prayed for by fellow students, and as the Doctors would not allow me to be moved from my dorm room, two Pastors/Teachers came into my room. They prayed fervently because the medical doctors had told them that I would be “carried out feet first,” or in other words, they expected me to die. I don’t have room here to give the details, but it’s sufficient to say that as they anointed me and laid their hands on my head, my 105+ fever dissipated. I was delirious, but at the same time it was like a beautiful cooling shower was falling on me. I got up, dressed, got in my ’47 Plymouth car, and drove to the hospital Emergency Department. I announced that I was well and that God had healed me. I did elect for surgery which would make it impossible for the same thing to happen again. I benefited from God’s healing power and from the good works of skilled medical practitioners. James is my very, very Senior Pastor! Amen again!!!

THE ROYAL LAW

Today’s Reading: James 1-2

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

Dormition Abbey, a grand German Benedictine building, is located on top of Mount Zion in Jerusalem. It commemorates the Virgin Mary at one of the traditional sites of her death (the name means “Eternal Sleep”). This complex was built in the beginning of the 20th Century over the ruins of a Byzantine church. It is also called Hagia-Maria-Sion Abbey, named after the great Byzantine church in present day Istanbul, Turkey.

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

Key Verses: James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

The book of James is filled with very practical applications of divine principles. The first principle is that of faith! The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and James, known as the brother of Jesus, were under severe pressure to deny their faith in Jesus. While thousands of Jews were believers, the Roman-appointed Jewish authorities, who instigated the arrest, mock trial, and crucifixion of Jesus, were still in charge of daily life. The Apostles left Jerusalem in order to share the Good News of Jesus with Jewish communities all over the known world. James (not the brother of John) is now Pastor of the Jerusalem Church. Approximately 20 to 30 years have passed since Jesus arose from the grave and His Church was born. Tradition says that Pastor James spent so much time on his knees in prayer that they nicknamed him, “Camel knees.” Camels kneel a lot and develop callouses on their knees.

James would approve of our emphasis on reading God’s Word! He writes of “the implanted Word,” and of being “a hearer of the Word.” He declares that “He who looks into the perfect law of liberty (the Scriptures) and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work [yes it is work], this one will be blessed in what he does!” (James 1:25). In 2:8 James writes, “If you really fulfill the Royal Law according to the Scripture, ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18), you will do well.” He sets a pattern here for Pastors everywhere and at all times in his emphasis on God’s Word! In 2:21-26 the Pastor references two Bible characters, Abraham and Rahab. His point is that “The Word produces faith which produces good “works,” not a faith without works, but a faith that works.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, please continue to plant the seed of Your Word in me daily, so that I will produce a harvest of good works consistently. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’ve often struggled with the word “Religion” (James 1:27a). That word comes from the same root word as “ligament.” It’s what holds my body together. It’s the practice of ministering to the needs of others and of living a holy life. It definitely does not mean my particular denomination. This past Sunday I found myself singing over and over an old chorus which I had not heard for probably 30 years. It goes something like this…”I know the Lord will make a way for me. I know the Lord will make a way for me. As I live a holy life, shun the wrong and do the right, I know the Lord will make a way for me.” James teaches that our profession of faith is only valid when manifested in practiced faith. As a boy I remember conversations that would include the words “he professes.” I drew the conclusion that, while I may claim to be a believer, my life, my works, keeping “unspotted from the world,” and failing to “bridle my tongue” were proof that professing and possessing the real deal were two very different matters.

Yours for “pure and undefiled religion,” which will bond us together in Christ,

David

“HERE I AM” GOD

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 65-66

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

The Jordan Valley Habika War Memorial Monument is designed by the artist Yigal Turmakin and constructed from old parts of armoured vehicles, tanks and guns. It serves as a memorial to the soldiers who died in the area, particularly as a result of the period known as the Period of Pursuits. War has been a constant in these areas, but God promises that there will be a time when He “will extend peace like a river” (Isaiah 66:12a).

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

Key Verses: Isaiah 65:24

It shall come to pass

That before they call, I will answer;

And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

God says, “Here I am, Here I am!” (Isaiah 65:1b). God has not left His human family. He has not isolated Himself from us. Isaiah 65 is God’s answer to the prayer of Isaiah we read in yesterday’s reading. God says through His prophet, “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people.” The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah’s words in Romans 10:20-21. We may want to read all of Romans 10 as a commentary on God’s dealings with both Jews and non Jews.

In his final chapter 66, Isaiah repeats twice more words he has written over and over, “Thus says the Lord!” Back in Isaiah 55:6-11 we considered how to get God’s Word, (His thoughts and ways) into our lives and world. Soak in the Word each day! God says, “Where is the house you will build for Me?” The answer is that the Temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed and the entire sacrificial system will be abolished once the final sacrifice is completed by the One John the Baptist called, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Tomorrow, the New Testament book of James!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, as I think back on the past month of readings in Isaiah, I do tremble at Your Word (66:2b). By Your grace I’ve trusted fully in the One Whom Isaiah said was yet to come. I’ve noted dozens of personal pronouns and meditated on the Person whose Name alone could replace those pronouns, the Child Who was born, the Son Who was given! Isaiah 9:6 goes on to state the fact that “His Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I pray that every reader of this blog, including myself, will know Him in a deeper and more intimate way than ever as a result of daily absorbing Your thoughts and ways. In His Name! Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’ve read the Jewish tradition that says that Isaiah died by being sawn in half by the last wicked King of Judah to reign during Isaiah’s time. It’s really hard for me to get my mind around the fact that such a powerful and persuasive prophet would have been rejected by the corrupt political masters and a segment of the people that agreed with them. The political masters of Jesus’ time were appointed by an exceedingly corrupt and evil Roman Emperor. The High Priest and his family members became very, very rich through their absolute control of the income from the 4,000,000 or so pilgrims who would visit Jerusalem each year for the mandatory feasts. Jesus said that the Temple had become a “Den of thieves.” The first Gospels tell of the cleansing of the Temple just before Jesus’ death and resurrection. As Bill O’Reilly points out in his book, “Killing Jesus,” it happened twice, once at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry (John 2:11-21), then later (Matthew 21:12 & 13). I found a clip from the “Gospel of John” movie that I’ve just watched (click here).  I’m well aware that the average Jewish person (Jesus and all His disciples are Jewish) were not implicated in any way in either the execution of Isaiah or Jesus. The crowd in the courtyard who yelled “Crucify Him!” were all paid lackeys of the High Priest. The “Gospel of John” movie is a word-for-word depiction of his Gospel (the full movie can be viewed here).

Yours in recognition of the One Who said, “Here I am,” with prayer that all would turn to Him without delay asking for mercy and grace,

David

[Note: This blog posting was originally written January 20th, 2016]

P.S. As you may know, we are on the second time around for this two-year journey through the Bible with this blog. It was four years ago this morning when I awoke out of a sound sleep and the digital clock showed 4:00 a.m. Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice,” and I know I heard His voice, still and small outwardly but loud and big inside my spirit. He said, “David, shortly I will be awakening you every morning at this time. I want you to rise, read My Word, pray, and write a daily blog leading my people on a two-year journey through the Bible. Start in segments…Matthew, then move to Genesis, alternating back and forth between the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.” I hardly knew what a “blog” was, so over the next four months I experimented, asked my son David Reynold to use his Biblical knowledge skills as a professional photographer to take photos in all the Bible lands which matched as closely as possible the reading for each day. My son, Ronald, agreed to format the blog for me each day so all I have to do is fill in the brief Bible commentary, my prayer, and my personal words. Ann, Ron’s wife, checks each blog to make sure my spelling, punctuation, etc. is right. Thanks to family members and to Crossroads for taking this on as an official outreach of the ministry. Four years ago my Florida Pastor, Rev. Wayne Blackburn, concluded two weeks of prayer and fasting on Sunday evening. I went forward to the altar for prayer after the evening service, not having any idea what would happen at 4:00 a.m. the next morning. Thanks to the Pastor and people of Victory Church, Lakeland, Florida!

“FATHER”

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 63-64

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

A several hundred year-old wine vat the size of a van can still be seen in Meteora, Greece, at the Varlaam monastery. In Isaiah 63:3 we read, “I have trodden the winepress alone,” and “I have stained all my robes.” God’s mercy and judgment could only be accomplished by Jesus alone. Like the one who walks barefoot in the winepress has his clothes stained red, so Jesus’ garments were stained with blood.

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

Key Verse: Isaiah 64:4

For since the beginning of the world

Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,

Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,

Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

Today’s reading begins with a word picture of the judgment of God as a winepress. Jesus prayed just before His arrest and crucifixion, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). What was in that cup? “The wine of the wrath of God which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation” (Revelation 14:10). As the wine vat pictured above provided storage, so the wrath of God was stored up since the sin of our first parents. Jesus drank all the wrath of God against sin for all who believe in Him. And because of this, all who call on Him, believing in Him in this age of God’s mercy are saved from the end-time judgment! Not so with God’s judgment on the ungodly world of the antichrist (Read Revelation 14:9-11).

Chapter 64 is the great prayer of Isaiah. He states the case that we are all sinners (64:6) who need to be saved. Then Isaiah writes, “But now O Lord, You are our Father.” This would be a good time to say the prayer Jesus taught, “Our Father…” (Matthew 6:9-13 or Luke 11:1-4). Jesus taught essentially the same prayer on two different occasions.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, I am praying the words You taught Your followers to pray. You are my Father God! I hallow (honour as holy) Your Name! To make sure I’m covering all the points in that prayer, I’m praying both Matthew’s words and Luke’s words. I believe that this is one prayer which You will always answer with a “Yes!” as long as it is prayed with repentance and faith, and not just a recitation in the mindless way of a religious exercise. In the Name of the One Who taught us TO PRAY (actually do it…not just talk about it), Jesus Christ. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

As a boy I had a friend who could rattle off the “Our Father” five times in one minute. He was simply getting through what he was told to do as he confessed his sins to his priest. About 15 years later, a wonderful move of God came to his church. It was known as the “Charismatic Renewal.” Many began to confess that they were born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. I heard them pray as Paul wrote, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding” (read 1 Corinthians 14:14-19).

When my missionary father arrived home from a six-year absence (forced on him by WW2), I have such powerful memories as an 8 year old. Three times a day, after our meals, we would kneel around the table at our chairs and Dad would often pray parts of the Isaiah 64 prayer. He would lift his voice and sometimes weep as he prayed, “Oh, that You would rend the Heavens! That You would come down!” One time he explained to me that the church of Egypt (where he served as a missionary) was alive and growing in the things of God and in numbers too. He wanted me to know that in comparison, the Church in Canada was in need of a great revival, and I was not to judge the whole Church by its lack of fire and growth as we saw here. I’ve lived to see God come down in mighty power on the Canadian Church as He has consistently done in other parts of the world.

Yours for strong prayer such as Isaiah and my Dad prayed,

David