THE GOOD AND THE BAD

Today’s Reading: Job 29-30

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

Many people pass through the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem every day to and from the market and work.

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

Key Verse: Job 30:20a

I cry out to You, but You do not answer me!

Some people, who do not know the promises made to humanity by Jesus, can come to the conclusion that God does not care about them. Attempts to get His attention may seem to fail! As we hang in there in our readings, we’ll actually find a happy ending.

In our time, many have suffered more than Job. In concentration camps, war, crimes against humanity, families, houses, land, friends, possessions, and life itself have been lost. Seeing this, people ask, “So where is your God?…Why does He allow this?” The answer for our minds says, “God gave us free will and He refuses to make us less than human by turning us into robots and puppets which He manipulates.” We have used our freedom to hurt each other and there are dire consequences in this life which we must endure. For the believer there is “Hope.”

So that’s a brief answer for our minds, but the answer for our hearts, our souls and spirits is in the promise of Jesus. He’s the One who changes everything! He says, “Take heart, I have overcome the world!” (John 14:33). Please read His promise found in John 11:21-27. Also read Matthew 28:1-20. Jesus cannot lie! Decide to believe Him!!! It’s your choice!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, I choose to believe You! I pray that when my mind brings a doubtful thought, I will believe my beliefs and not my doubts. I know it’s not a sin to doubt, but when a doubt comes, illuminate my mind to think clearly and logically, thinking Your thoughts after You! In Your Name I pray, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

We met a wonderful lady named Amelia on one of our trips to Israel. We get to know so many precious people as we live together for two whole weeks. Amelia was driven out of a communist eastern European country, her family scattered, and her home confiscated by the state. She ended up in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, where she established a private hospital, through God-given business skills and her nursing profession. After the fall of communism in her homeland, she returned and knocked on the door of her home. The lady, who with her family was living in Amelia’s home, was filled with fear as she saw Amelia at the door. Homes under the new government were being restored to their rightful owners. Amelia immediately began to share the love of Christ and said, “Don’t worry, the house is yours, I’m not going to take it back. God has blessed me greatly in my new homeland of Canada.” Amelia is now 95, and while she no longer has her small hospital, she lives a blessed life!

Yours for trusting God in the good as well as the bad,

David

PROSPECTING

Today’s Reading: Job 27-28

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

Pictured are the remains of a copper smelting furnace from the Ramsesside Period (13th-12th centuries BC). One smelting process took 10-12 hours and produced 5 kg of copper. As well as copper, today’s reading refers to silver, gold, iron, sapphires, flint, onyx, crystal, coral, quartz, topaz, and rubies. The geologists of those days were well equipped for their profession.

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

Key Verse: Job 28:28

And to man He said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.”

It is a fact that Job had a sterling character. The Scripture tells us that the tongue is the most difficult member of our bodies to be brought under control. Job said, “My lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit” (Job 27:4). No wonder God said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” (Job 1:8).

Another reading that will show us the character of Job is James 1:2-8. Before the Bible was written, before Jesus entered recorded history, before the coming of the Holy Spirit upon people, Job gives us an example of the fact that we can live in an upright way. We have great advantages over Job. We have no excuse for not living a life of integrity.

Again Job reveals his knowledge of nature. The barometer was invented approximately 400 years ago. It’s based on the weight of a column of air. Consider Job 28:25a, “weight for the wind.” Four thousand years ago wise people understood much more than we give them credit for. Many of our 21st century contemporaries seem to exhibit a pride of intellect which is not deserved. God reveals Himself to humble people!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I worship You! You are great!!! Hallelujah!!! May “Your kingdom come and Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” May I walk humbly before You in such a way that You will be honoured. In the Name of the One who pleased You always, the Lord Jesus, I pray, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Like Job and his friends, I’ve often wondered why injustice sometimes seems to triumph. I’ve come to the conclusion that on the scales of eternity, justice will indeed triumph. So I decided years ago to hang in there, looking to God daily for His wisdom, doing all I can do to alleviate suffering, hunger, strife, etc., in any way I can. When I’m able to do the right thing, I know that strength comes from God through seeking Him first every morning, and then keeping His ways in mind throughout the day.

Thinking of all the minerals mentioned in today’s reading takes me back to the five years that Norma-Jean, our children and I spent in what is Canada’s premier mining city, Sudbury, Ontario. Bill St. Pierre, who served as our Development Director for the Circle Square Ranches for many years, worked in helping to develop new ways of prospecting for the mining companies. I’m prospecting every day for the wealth waiting to be found in Holy Scripture. I pray fervently that this blog, attached to the Lord, will enable me to share the wealth with more and more people.

Yours, with a hope that all of us will “share the wealth” by sending this blog on to others, perhaps by sharing the 100words.ca link on Facebook,

David

Timna Park, located in Israel south of the Dead Sea, has many unique rock formations. In this area Moses and the Children of Israel pitched their tents. It is believed that King Solomon developed mining in this area and that even the Pharaohs of Egypt established mines here.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Today’s Reading: Job 24-26

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On the way from Maresha National Park and Beit Guvrin to Jerusalem, the sky was spectacular over a farmer’s field and greenhouses.

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

Key Verse: Job 26:7

He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.

The key verse is fact. Ancient beliefs were incredibly dumb. For example, the Babylonians believed that the Earth was a great giant and we were the vermin on its hide. The Greeks believed in Atlas, a giant man holding up the earth, etc. The Bible is not a textbook on science, but Job had knowledge which was accurate. God reveals Himself in His creation. Psalm 19 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Job had no doubt that God is the great Creator and the Sustainer of all things. Job believed that the manifestation of God in nature was just a tiny revelation of Who God is. “Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways.” These people from more than 4,000 years ago were extremely intelligent.

Bildad, in the short chapter 25, asked the right questions. God has given us lots of answers in His Word. For example, Bildad asks, “How can a man be righteous before God?” The word “righteousness” is repeated over 300 times in the Bible. Several statements answer Bildad’s question. Philippians 3:9 informs us that our righteousness is not from our personal efforts but is from God by faith. A New Testament reading which refers to people God considered righteous, who lived even before the time of Job, is Hebrews 11:4-7.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I thank You that I don’t come before You in my own righteousness, because as Your Word teaches me, my own righteousness is as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). I pray for grace to consistently trust You for Your righteousness, which is mine by faith. In the Name of the One who alone is 100% righteous, Jesus Christ, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

It was just a few days after my lifetime decision to serve Jesus with all my heart that I was asked to give a public witness at a Youth For Christ rally in the auditorium of my high school in Pembroke, Ontario. I asked my boss at the Chrysler dealership, Syd Healey (where I had a part-time job), for advice on what I should say. He turned in his Bible to the little book of Titus and read from chapter 3, verse 5, “Not by works of righteousness which I have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” I think I changed the word “us” to “me” and I quoted this verse to about 500 people that Saturday evening. I told of what had happened to me in the high school in Ottawa, where just a few days before I had gone forward at the invitation, openly declaring my intentions to serve Jesus and trust His Word where he said, “Whoever comes to Me, I will not cast out” (John 6:37). I told them that I simply believed that Jesus would not lie, and John would not write a lie in his Gospel. Therefore, I was assured of my salvation and my salvation does not rest on my goodness but on the goodness and righteousness of Jesus. Around that time, at 16 years old, I began to ask God to give me a call into full-time Christian ministry, if it was His will. The following summer at Youth Camp, God called me in such a clear way that I could never turn back from that call.

Yours for trusting in the “righteousness” of Jesus alone!

David

GOLD

Today’s Reading: Job 22-23

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

Looking from the south end of the Golan Heights on the south east side of the Sea of Galilee, you can see a winding road that makes its way up and around the Golan Heights. In the distance you see what was a train track bridge built over the Yarmouk River that was blown-up during the Independence War in 1948 to prevent Arabs from transporting additional troops and ammunition. It seems obvious that God is in the process of restoring His ancient people Israel. Israel has surely been in the furnace of affliction. God is in the business of producing gold in the fires of human history. God will put the final period to the last sentence of human history.

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

Key Verse: Job 23:10

But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

Again today we can see the contrast between Job and his friend. Eliphaz assumes the worst about Job, but Job does not retaliate. Job longs for God. He makes strong statements of genuine faith in God, as in our key verse. Yes, Job is asking, “Why?”. Jesus asked, “Why?” while on the Cross. It’s not too hard to express faith in God when everything is going well, but when the bottom seems to have dropped out of our world, faith is put to the test. Job may not yet receive a mark of 100% on his test, but he is definitely headed that way.

Eliphaz did get one thing right. In Job 22:22, he says, “Receive, please, instruction from His [God’s] mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.” This is what we are doing in this blog each day. Let us all keep on keeping on! Today is reading 445 out of 730 on our two-year journey through the Bible. Please, “Let us not be weary in well doing!” (Galatians 6:9). Paul gives us great counsel on how to help people who are in trouble (read Galatians 6:1-10 for a New Testament reading).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray that I will “fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Grant me grace to “love my neighbour as myself” (Matthew 22:39). May I “not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9b). May I “do good to all” (Galatians 6:10). In the Name of the One who always does good to all, Jesus Christ! Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORD-

I keep singing to myself a song about Job that I heard an evangelist named Jack Coe sing almost 60 years ago. It’s called “Job’s God Is True.” If I can find the song I’ll attach it (click here for the lyrics). The words bring together two statements of Job: “Though God slay me, yet I’ll trust Him,” and then, “I shall come forth as gold.”

At 19 years old, as a first-year Bible College student, I became very ill. The doctors even feared for my life. My brothers and sisters in the faculty and student body went into a time of fasting and prayer, and I was restored to health and strength. That school in Peterborough, Ontario, is now called, “Master’s College and Seminary.” They continue to be strong in faith and in the detailed study of God’s Word. I recommend to all a time of concentration in the Bible at Master’s. They offer online “distance education” courses as well (click here for information). I think that such a college is vital, particularly in the preparation of those God has called to be Pastors, Evangelists, Ministers, and more effective servants of the Lord than we might otherwise be. My grandson, Eric Mainse and his wife Kara graduated from Master’s College & Seminary in 2015. God miraculously preserved Eric’s life when he was a child. God’s purpose is being fulfilled in his life and in the lives of hundreds of others. Eric is now a Youth Pastor in London, Ontario.

Yours, going for “gold,”

David

With my grandson, Eric David Mainse, and his wife Kara at their Graduation from Masters College and Seminary. I look short beside six-foot-eight Eric!

LISTEN

Today’s Reading: Job 20-21

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

These are some of the ruins of ancient Laodicea in present-day western Turkey. The city was founded by Seleucid King Antiochus II in honour of his wife, Laodice. Laodicea became a prosperous Roman market town on the trade route from the east, famous for its woolen and cotton cloths. The city was an early centre of Christianity and one of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Rev. 3:14-22). It was to the Laodicean church that the Lord said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock.” God is knocking on the doors of the hearts of Job and his freiends.

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

Key Verse: Job 21:2

Listen carefully to my speech, and let this be your consolation.

Job’s counsel in the sentence above is excellent advice for us. The contrast between Zophar’s words in chapter 20 and Job’s words in chapter 21 is obvious. To Zophar, “The triumphing of the wicked is short.” To Job, “The wicked live and become old.” In his efforts at grief counselling, Zophar approaches life in a negative way. Job is beginning to be more positive. He’s on his way to healing and restoration.

Job tells us to “listen carefully.” The word “consolation” could also be translated, “comfort.” Most of us are better at speaking than we are at listening. Many of our conversations are monologues. We sometimes wait impatiently for the other person to finish so that we can speak. God often had to say, “Hear, O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Jesus says to the churches, “He that has an ear to hear, let him hear” (Revelatoin 2:7). We need to learn to listen to God, and if we are to be true friends, we must also learn to listen. Only when we truly “hear” and understand, should we attempt to give counsel.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

God…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, may I listen with great care to You as I read Your Word each day, and I quietly wait before You, listening for the whisper of that “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-13). May I also listen much more carefully to people, particularly before I attempt to give counsel. In the Name of the One who listens to my prayer, the Lord Jesus, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Yesterday I read the plea of Job, “How long will you … break me in pieces with words?” (Job 19:2). Perhaps the first couplet I ever learned as a child was, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I thought it was true, and it became a defence against bullying. Now I know it’s a false statement. Words can destroy a person. Many suicides are the result of “words.” Crossroads has a resource addressing suicide, particularly among young people (click here to watch the Inside Teen Suicide documentary trailer).

Yours for learning to listen more before we speak,

David

One of the many buildings that remain of ancient Laodicea.

MY REDEEMER, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Today’s Reading: Job 18-19

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

The Russian Orthodox Convent of the Ascension is located on the Mount of Olives. According to Orthodox tradition, this is the site where Jesus ascended to Heaven 40 days after His resurrection. A chapel behind the church is dedicated to John the Baptist, and according to tradition his head was found in a jar hidden in a cavity under the mosaic floor of an ancient Armenian church. Job said, “He shall stand at last upon the earth.” Jesus stood here at His ascension, and he will stand here again at His second coming.

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

Key Verses: Job 19:25-27

I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

This may be the first time to emphasize three key verses in this blog. They are so refreshing to read! Job has been enveloped in darkness, but suddenly light breaks through! From here on, Job slowly, slowly begins to hear from God.

We, too, can have truth illuminate our paths as we read His Word and seek the Light of the World, Jesus, in sincere prayer. Let us confess out loud, if possible, Job’s declaration in our key verses!!! This will engrave these words into our hearts and minds. Take time to meditate, concentrating on what God is speaking to us about His purposes for our lives.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). John writes about that light in his first letter to the churches. Let’s read those words found in 1 John 1:4-7 and make a fresh determination to “walk in the light as He (Jesus) is in the light.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray for grace to walk so close to the “Light of the world” that I will never “walk in darkness” again. In the Name of Jesus, the true Light for all people, I pray, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In the early 1940’s, my Dad was stranded in Egypt and the Sudan because of World War II, and I had a job to do to help my mother and my two sisters. I had to cross a field, a ditch, and the base line road to reach the barn of Stuart White. Mr. White would fill my little pail with milk while he was milking the cows, carefully put the lid back on the pail, and send me off home. This was fine during the long evenings of summer, but in the dark evenings of winter at milking time, it was a different matter. I carried a lantern (no flashlight available) along with my pail. That light was my comfort. At 6, 7 and 8 years old, I was sure there was danger lurking in the shadows. While the pail was by my side, my lantern was as far out in front of me as I could hold it. Because of that light, I safely negotiated the ditch, the fence (my uncle built a stile, steps over the fence), and crossed the field to the safety of home. What a relief to be home. A cup of warm milk (no refrigerator) would be my reward for bravery. Throughout my life, I’ve desperately needed Jesus, God’s Light here on earth, to walk in security and safety.

Yours for consistently “walking in the Light,”

David

THE WITNESS/ADVOCATE

Today’s Reading: Job 16-17

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

The sun sets over Jerusalem and the Golden Gate, also known as the Eastern Gate. Jesus will one day return to the Temple Mount through this gate, which is temporarily stoned-up in an attempt to prevent this majestic entrance.

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

Key Verses: Job 16:19

Surely even now my witness is in heaven, and my evidence is on high.

There is a growing emphasis by Job’s friends and by Job himself that God is the Source of these calamities. Job does not know of the existence of Satan, the destroyer. In 16:9 Job says of God, “He tears me in His wrath…” Yet in the midst of all this, Job has a prophetic glimpse beyond his present anguish. He sees with eyes of faith and states that his “Witness is in Heaven.” The New American Standard version says, “My Advocate (evidence) is on high.” We long to say to Job, “Now you’ve got it! You’ve just seen into Heaven. You’ve seen your Lawyer for your defence. You’ve seen Your Intercessor!” Hebrews 7:25 had yet to be written, but it says, “Therefore, He (Jesus) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.” Job, Jesus is there as you suffer. You can trust Him completely to bring you through these hard times. We may want to remind Job that he has three Persons on his side who are much more faithful and wise than Eliphaz, Bildad & Zophar. They are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, when I am called to minister to a hurting, grieving friend, may I allow God’s Comforter to minister through me. Holy Spirit, I pray that You will help me to join Jesus in His prayer meeting each day, participating in His prayer of intercession. Through Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Lord, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I received the e-mail below in 2015 and shared it at the time. God has answered prayer. The churches of Assyut and El Minia, Egypt, are mentioned. My father and mother helped establish congregations in those areas. My sister, Willa Hodgins, was born in Minia in 1928. The Muslim Brotherhood government (2013) that was fomenting violence has been overthrown, and there is now some protection for the Christians. I asked our readers to pray for the Egyptian people. Thanks for responding with your prayers. My cousin, Rev. Roy C. Kenny, had forwarded this e-mail to me from Egyptian Henry Salah. It describes the situation in 2013.

I want to share this with you so you can pray for us. Today, the situation in Egypt has become very difficult. At 7 am, the police troops took over the square that the Muslim brotherhood supporters were camping at. As a result of that, all the Muslim fanatics all over the country got very angry and started attacking the police stations and the churches. Many churches were burnt down today in El Minia, Assyut, Suhag, Bani Suef, El Fayoum and Suez. Three of the churches are in my hometown and the villages surrounding us (especially Dalga, where our brother Fayez lives). They have also killed the father-in-law of brother Fadl, the church planter in Dalga. In Dirmawas, they have burnt and stolen 15 different shops owned by Christians. I can hear heavy gunfire in the streets right now, and it has been like that since the morning. I am imprisoned at my house and all the Christians in my hometown are the same way. We can’t go out into the streets because the Muslim fanatics are beating any Christian they see in the streets. I am not scared but I hope the situation will end soon, as it is getting worse every passing hour. They have burnt five different churches in El Minia city and a big Christian school until now. The riots are continuing. Our FM church in Assyut was attacked and they burnt its bus and bookstore as well as the Bible Society there. We need your prayers. Please, share this with everyone you know so we can all intercede for Egypt now.”

You prayed! I believe God has intervened to bring about a much greater measure of peace in Egypt. Please keep praying!

David

A BIG QUESTION

Today’s Reading: Job 14-15

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

As you enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher you can climb a set of stone stairs on the right. This stairway, according to the Orthodox tradition, leads to Calvary (Golgotha), regarded as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is the most lavishly decorated part of the church. The main altar belongs to the Greek Orthodox, which contains The Rock of Calvary (12th Station of the Cross). The rock can be seen under glass on both sides of the altar, and beneath the altar there is a hole believed to be the place where the Cross was raised.

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

Key Verses: Job 14:14a

If a man dies, shall he live again?

The answer to that question is “YES!” Job was a man of great faith. Although he did not understand all that was happening to him and had a lot of questions for God about his troubles, his overall trust in God never wavered.

Job did not have the advantage of a completed Bible as we have. He did not know the Words of Jesus promising eternal life to all who believe in Him (John 3:16) or the assurance Jesus gave to Martha, as recorded in John 11:25-44. But Job did know that God is a just God. He knew that someday he would stand before God. Praise God that the truth of which Job had a partial revelation is now revealed in completeness by Jesus!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I have questions about the timing of the resurrection to come, which You promised. I have questions about my time here on earth. However, You have chosen to ask me to simply trust You for my future. I pray for grace and patience as my daily portion. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In past blogs I’ve used pictures of what is known as “The Garden Tomb.” In our tours to Israel we have visited both the Garden Tomb and the great church building (pictured above), which is believed by many to cover the places of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection. I am not dogmatic about the exact place where these events took place, but I am dogmatic that they did take place!!! Throughout the years, I’ve stood beside many graves, watched as the body was lowered into the ground, and quoted the Words of Jesus to Martha about the resurrection to come (John 11:25).

Yours for complete confidence in the “YES” answer to Job’s question,

David

Just inside the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is The Stone of Anointing, also known as The Stone of Unction, which tradition claims to be the spot where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial by Joseph of Arimathea. However, this tradition is only attested since the Crusader Era, (eleventh century)and the present stone was added in the 1810 reconstruction.

TRUST

Today’s Reading: Job 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).

The gladiatorial games in the Roman Colosseum often included killing Christians. A person becomes like the “God” they serve. The one called “the god of this world” in Scripture is Satan. Those who serve his hateful purposes, regardless of the religion they profess, are worshipping Satan whether they know it or not.

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

Key Verses: Job 13:15a, 20-21

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him…Only two things do not do to me, then I will not hide myself from You: Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not the dread of You make me afraid.

Job had a clear conscience. Abraham, perhaps Job’s contemporary, “Believed in the Lord, and He (God) accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). This fact is repeated twice in the New Testament (Romans 4:3 & Galatians 3:6). It is reasonable to assume that Job had approximately the same revelation of God as did Abraham. In the key verses for today, we see Job’s total confidence in God’s actions, and also Job’s prayer for God’s constant hand of providence upon him.

Believers in the God of the Bible have been tested severely throughout the ages. The photo above depicts a time when God did allow His people to be killed. It’s been shown that in our time more followers of Jesus have been murdered than all of history.  Muslims are killing Christians and each other in an unprecedented wave of Satan-inspired violence. In all this, God’s people have “TRUST” in God!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray fervently for strength for Your people in the Middle East and elsewhere who are being killed for Your Name’s sake. May they “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Lord Jesus, You have inspired me to read this prayer from Ephesians 6:10. Thank You for this encouragement. Also I’m thinking of the Apostle Paul who “fought with beasts at Ephesus” (1 Corinthians 15:30-32). Please continue to give to Your people, and to me also, the strength to endure, whatever may come our way. In Your Strong Name I ask these things, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

The persecution of God’s people and extreme violence is not new to the Middle East. On one occasion, my father, Roy Mainse, arose one morning to find painted on his garage door in Assiut, Egypt, “You are dogs, we will kill you.” He went about his regular missionary duties just the same. God protected him. On another occasion, when the British ruled Egypt, he was in a village where the garrison of British soldiers had been killed. Their bodies were thrown in a cart and pulled through the streets, the killers shouting, “British meat for sale – cheap!” The violence in Egypt, Syria, and in other places is from the same source, Satan himself. My Dad told me of one time when those he had led to Jesus were in the process of erecting a church building. The enemies of the Gospel threatened to destroy it, even as it was being built. The men of the church who were building it put a chair in the middle of the structure and asked Dad to sit in it for several days while they built. Knowing him, he would rather have been building too, but he complied with their request. He said that the would-be attackers were circling the building, but it seemed that a force kept them back. The building was completed. The Scripture says, “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Amen! While the Church of Egypt is a persecuted minority, it is still strong (click here for a report from Brian Stiller which aired on 100 Huntley Street).

Yours in full confidence that Jesus is building His church and all the powers of Hell shall not stop His Church! Amen!!! (Matthew 16:18),

David

P.S. Here is my favourite picture of seven of our eleven great-grandchildren taken in 2013. By the end of the book of Job, we will read that God blessed Job with many more descendants.

Great-grandchildren from left to right – Kaylin Stowell, Autumn Neilson, Noelle Neilson, Aliyah Stowell, James Stowell, Myles Neilson, Jadice Patterson.

THE MEDIATOR

Today’s Reading: Job 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 Wedding Church in Cana of Galilee is where Jesus began His public ministry, turning water into wine. This was the home Church of my son-in-law, Nizar Shaheen. He served as an altar boy here. Ellen and Nizar were married in a basketball court right in front of the nearby Baptist Church on May 21, 1983. None of the churches would hold the crowd of about 2,500 people. In today’s reading Job mentions snow water. I prayed on live TV from here that God would warm hearts which were like cold water turning the water into the warmth of the wine of His presence.

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

Key Verses: Job 9:32-33

For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him, and that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, who may lay his hand on us both.

Oh, the great advantage we have compared to Job and his friends. Being fully God and fully human, Jesus became our Mediator. A mediator brings two parties together. The word “mediator” occurs seven times in the Bible…once in Job and six times in Galatians, Hebrews, and 1st Timothy 2:5, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

A New Testament reading for today could be John 9:1-7. Bildad and Zophar believed that Job’s suffering was because of Job’s sin. Not so! Jesus said that the blindness of the man who was born blind was not the result of sin, but “that the works of God should be revealed in him.” This sounds very much like the reason for Job’s suffering.

When we are hurting, run quickly to the cross and, through Jesus death and resurrection, into the arms of our Father. The wine of His presence will warm and comfort you.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father God, thank You for Jesus, the only One that at the same moment touches both You, Father God, and me. Please grant me the understanding I need so that I will not allow time to pass without acknowledging Your healing and comforting presence. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

When my great granddaughter, Autumn Neilson, was about three years old, she rushed to me the moment I arrived at her front door. She pointed to her second toe on her right foot and told me that she had an owie. I bent over, kissed her toe, and prayed that her precious toe would be all better. Immediately she broke into a smile. Then she took me to the place where she stubbed her toe. Of course, I was most sympathetic. This special treatment I’ve been receiving from Autumn has been going on ever since. She’s been jumping up beside me at every opportunity and giving me cuddles. The reason may stem back to when our great-grandchild, Jadice Patterson, first visited from Oklahoma City at six months old. Jadice was the focus of everyone’s attention. I noticed Autumn’s long face, picked her up, and concentrated only on her for at least 15 minutes. It’s a beautiful thing to know that our Heavenly Father can give 100% attention to all His children at the same time. That comes with the fact that He is God and “God is love” (1 John 4:8b).

Yours for learning to run into the Father’s loving arms without delay,

David

P.S. My son in law, Bruce Stacey, has written and recorded songs for his children and grandchildren. Click the “play” arrow below for Bruce’s song about his granddaughter Autumn Lillian Neilson, called “When Autumn Smiles” (after you hit play, give it a minute to load).

Autumn Neilson