FROM WISDOM TO FOOLISHNESS

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 11

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 are ruins of a corridor in Pergamum, in ancient Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. In the centre, idol worship took place at the Temple of Athena. In the world of King Solomon and his many wives, idol worship was the normal religious practice.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 11:4

For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, in You “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” I pray that I will continue to discover this hidden treasure. I’m reading, marking, memorizing Your treasure map, the Bible, every day. The cross marks the spot where You, Lord God, intersected with the human race. I may be here in one spot, but by faith I travel to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to the place of Your ascension, and on into Your very Presence where “You ever live to make intercession for me” (Hebrews 7:25). Thank You that I am discovering Your wisdom. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

God willing, I plan to meet Solomon again when we arrive in our two-year through-the-Bible voyage of discovery at the book of 1st Chronicles, and then again in Proverbs. In fact, as I leave Solomon for now, Solomon wrote or assembled most of the Proverbs during those early years when he practised what he preached. My son, David Reynold Mainse, has my Dad’s old Bible as a treasure. Its words are underlined, commented on in the margins, marked by a caressing hand and sometimes tear drops. My most persistent memory of my mother, who died when I was 12, is of her kneeling in prayer for long periods of time. The picture that comes to mind of my Dad most often is of him sitting in his chair, his Bible open on his lap. He was schooled in undergraduate theology by Dr. Peter Wiseman, who, during the early years of the People’s Church, Toronto, was the Bible teacher of choice every Sunday morning. Founding Pastor, Oswald J. Smith, felt that his own main gift in ministry was in preaching Sunday evening soul-winning messages of evangelism. My Dad earned a doctorate, and to the day of his death (I’ve already lived more than four years longer than he did), he poured over the Scriptures, constantly reading, meditating, inwardly digesting what he read, and praying for God’s wisdom to fill his mind. Dad was outside shovelling snow when his heart failed. He laid aside his winter coat and donned his heavenly robe. If I had control over my time to go, I’d like to be reading the Gospels in the middle of one of Jesus’ statements and finish His sentence by memory as I take off for the Celestial City.

Yours for wisdom and grace to obey God,

David

P.S. I’ve asked my missionary/photographer son to take some pictures of my Dad’s Bible, of both the outside and inside of the verse mentioned earlier, 1st Corinthians 3:21-23. The photos are below.

SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY (Luke 12:27)

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 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 Timna Valley is located in southern Israel in the southwestern Arabah, approximately 30 km north of the Gulf of Aqaba and the port city of Eilat, where Solomon built his fleet of ships for international trade. The area is rich in copper ore, and has been actively mined for at least 3,000 years, from the time of Solomon onward. These great rocks are known as Solomon’s Pillars.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 9: 6 & 7a

But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I have sinned and come short of Your Glory. Forgive me for my disobedience. I humbly ask for more grace to obey You more fully than ever. In and through the One who always obeyed fully, my Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

When I visit Solomon’s Pillars (pictured above), my imagination is fired up with the thought of those early miners and the open smelters which were refining copper and other metals. When I visit Solomon’s chariot city of Megiddo, I can almost see the great stables full of huge war horses (pictured below).

Yours for obedience in doing all God has purposed, now and throughout eternity,

David

P.S. Below are pictures of Elat (“Elath” in our reading -1 Kings 9:26) and a model of Solomon’s chariot city of Megiddo.

Standing in Elat, Israel, looking across the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aqaba). Just beyond the hotel, which is in Israeli territory, you can see the mountains of Moab in Jordan.

Model of ancient Megiddo.

THE GLORY OF THE LORD

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 8

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

This replica of the Ark of the Covenant is in the Quick Study TV studios in Orangeville, Ontario. Here host Rod Hembree and his team bring a daily through-the-Bible teaching.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 8:11

…so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I bow in Your holy presence. I ask that You will reveal Your glory to me in whatever way You think is best. I know that You are revealed in all Your fullness in Jesus. Of Him, John wrote, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Dear Jesus, be Lord of my life now and forever. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My friend, Rod Hembree of Orangeville, Ontario, was our senior producer for the 100 Huntley Street telecast for several years. His dad, Rev. Ron Hembree, who has gone ahead of us to Heaven, often hosted 100 Huntley Street in my absence. Check out Rod’s video teaching series, Quick Study here. I find it interesting that Rod has a replica of the “Ark” pictured above.

Crossroads played a major role in famine relief in Ethiopia back in the 1980’s. The Ethiopian Orthodox Churches all have a replica of the Ark of the Covenant behind the altar. They have a tradition that the original Ark is hidden in their country. They confirm that the only items in the Ark are the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments are written. Our reading today also confirms that the Ark no longer contains the pot of manna and Aaron’s wooden rod that budded. Stephen Mengesha, heir to the throne of Halle Selassie of Ethiopia, (all other male members of the ruling family were executed in a communist coup – Stephen was studying in Toronto at the time) says that only one priest and the reigning Emperor are allowed to see the Ark. Perhaps sometime in the future this traditional belief will be proven true… or not.

Yours for the ongoing presence of God,

David

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 7

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

This is a view that many Bible characters would have seen as they looked east toward the Mount of Olives from the southern wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. On the top left in the wall you can vaguely see the blocked up Triple Gate that was one of the entrances to the Temple.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 7:51

So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, grant me even more wisdom than You gave Solomon. I ask for enough wisdom to last me an entire lifetime, not for just the first few years. I need You 24/7! In the Name of another Descendant of King David, Jesus, my Saviour and Lord, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

For some reason I’m thinking of building projects in which I have been involved in a leadership role. The first was a new roof on a little church building in Castleton, Ontario. The next was a new church building in Deep River, Ontario. Then there was the construction of another church building in Sudbury. All these projects were built under budget and paid for in short order. But then 25 years later came the necessity of building a new 143,000 square foot studio and office building for Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. I was confident that we could once again build for less than the estimated costs, but the project went considerably over cost. It took lots and lots of fervent prayer, much sacrificial giving, and the daily pressures of also paying regular operating costs in order to prevail. There was no overlay of gold, just drywall, brick, and the most reasonable materials available. Nevertheless, the former Chairman of Canada’s Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, Keith Spicer, did pronounce the Crossroads Centre in Burlington the finest TV production facility in Canada. Every day, we sought to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” And through the amazing investment of God’s people in the purchase of mortgage certificates and in giving so very generously, the charity, Crossroads, became free of debt in ten years. It may seem foolish to draw any comparison to the Temple of Solomon, but it seems to me the same principles are involved, i.e. putting God first!

Yours for seeking first the Kingdom of God,

David

THE TEMPLE

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 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).

The Western Wall Tunnel is an underground tunnel exposing the full length of the Western Wall and is located under the buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem. While the open-air portion of the Western Wall is approximately 60 metres (200 ft) long, the majority of its original length is hidden underground. The tunnel allows access to an additional 485 metres (1,591 ft) of the wall.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 6:12

Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray for greater growth in the Fruit of the Spirit. Patience, and all the other flavours of the Fruit of the Spirit is absolutely essential. Therefore, I’m waiting on Your timing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Back in 1972 we produced and released something called “The Grey Cup Christian Celebration.” Our Crossroads offices were in Hamilton, and the Grey Cup Championship of the Canadian Football League was to be in our home stadium. I became convinced we needed to use the occasion for a testimony for Christ. On the Saturday before the game, we did two services in the McMaster gymnasium-auditorium complex. We brought in big name football players from the NFL, as well as Canadian football stars. Dale Evans was there. Art Linkletter was there. The Imperials sang. Astronaut Jim Irwin, who was just back from the moon, was also there. All testified to their faith in Christ. Prime time television was purchased all across Canada for the one-hour TV special. It was a first for Canadian TV. Everything was going very well until it came time to pay the bills. The bank loaned us the money we needed, but then came the payments to the bank. I wrote out one of God’s promises in large handwriting and placed the paper in my middle desk drawer on top of everything else. Every day (sometimes several times) I would open the drawer and read, “MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS” (Philippians 4:19). It took two years to pay off the debt. In God’s time it was accomplished. I was learning lessons that would be a big help to my faith in the years to come.

Yours for God’s timing,

David

The biggest stone in the Western Wall, often called the Western Stone, is also revealed within the tunnel and ranks as one of the heaviest objects ever lifted by human beings without powered machinery. The stone has a length of 13.6 metres (45 ft), height of 3 metres (9.8 ft), and an estimated width of between 3.5 metres (11 ft) and 4.5 metres (15 ft). Estimates place its weight at 570 tons.

This portion of the wall where you see a walkway is now underground in Jerusalem. To the right you can see where today visitors can go up to the Western Wall.

WISDOM

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 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).

Zedekiah’s Cave, also known as King Solomon’s Quarries, is a 5-acre underground limestone quarry that runs the length of five city blocks under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was carved over a period of several thousand years and is a remnant of the largest quarry in Jerusalem. Seen in this photo is the largest room in the quarry. The stones for Solomon’s Temple may have been hewn and taken from this quarry around 970 BC (1 Kings 6:1, 5:15-18).

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 3:9

Therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord God, because of Your love for me, You have offered me, in the promises I find everywhere in the Bible, many blessings. Grant me a selfless attitude, an outlook on life that is “others” centred. May I focus on Your will and not mine. I pray these mercies in Jesus’ Name. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I would like to simply rejoice with Solomon, but I know what is coming later in his life. It could have been so different if he had made the right choices consistently. The previous book in our readings was the Apostle Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia. I’m reminded of a very sad comment Paul made about those people. Paul wrote, “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:7). God has blessed me greatly with His Salvation in Jesus Christ, with a wonderful family, and with many ministry opportunities. I must be so very careful to make wise decisions in my old age. It would be so easy to sit on the couch watching TV (other than 100 Huntley Street, the news and some other wholesome programs) and be inundated by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Oh, it wouldn’t be deliberate on my part, but ever so gradually, spiritual strength would drain away, leaving me weak and almost helpless in the face of life’s challenges. I am more determined than ever to make the right choices, to pray fervently each day, to read God’s Word each day, and to share Jesus, as the opportunity arises. By having a Christian will, my wife and I do not intend to leave anything to the government. Yes, we are remembering our children, but God’s work is a priority. We want those causes that God has called us to support to continue to prosper. It would be fine if my epitaph read, “He ran well, and he kept on running well!”

Yours for doing well and finishing well,

David

P.S. May I suggest an extra reading of one of Solomon’s wise writings: Proverbs 3.

Walking into the depths of King Solomon’s Quarries.

Here is an entrance to the quarry. It is cut into the bedrock below the city walls of Jerusalem.

SUCCESSOR

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 2

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

King David’s Tomb is a site traditionally viewed as the burial place of David, King of Israel. It is located on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, near the Hagia Maria Sion Abbey.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 2:3

And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray for grace to obey Your instructions in all matters. With all my heart and mind, I desire to walk in Your ways. In the Name of Jesus, the only One who ever walked 100% of the time in Your ways, I ask this request. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Five of our Circle Square Ranches were given by Crossroads in 2011 to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to join with their already very successful Pioneer Camps. The other ranches are now operated by other worthy ministries. It’s time to register our children and our teens at a Christian summer camp. Check out the camp nearest you, run by various Christian organizations across Canada…click here. Or if you’re in the USA, click here. When I first received the vision from God for the Circle Square Ranch ministry, I became convinced that an in-depth work of God’s Spirit and His Word could be accomplished in one week at a Bible camp, more than in any other way, such as seven Sundays in Sunday School. Don’t get me wrong. I’m the biggest fan of faithful Sunday School attendance. But that concentrated week, day and night, at camp is very, very effective. Because of the television opportunities we enjoyed, our registration records showed approximately 60% of the campers came from homes where the children had no church background. From 1978 to 2010, Circle Square Ranches hosted approximately 250,000 children and teens for at least a week each. It has been estimated that as many as 100,000 of these infinitely precious souls made first-time decisions to give their lives to Jesus. I’m praying fervently for a great response this summer at every camp which is committed to serving Jesus.

Yours for future generations of followers of Christ. “Indeed, [One] greater than Solomon is here” (Luke 11:31b),

David

THE NEW KING

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 1

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

Jesus would have walked on this now crumpled road that runs along the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. You see on the left openings where shops once were, and it was also the support structure for the walkway that led up into the Temple Mount. On the wall near the top you can see where the base of the walkway bridge was. It is called Robinson’s Arch, after Biblical scholar Edward Robinson who identified its remnants in 1838 (see the extra photos below for some close-up views and an artists rendering of how the walkway likely looked at the time of Jesus).

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 1:48

Also the king said thus, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord Jesus, have dominion over my life, my family, the church worldwide, as well as my local congregation. May Your influence be strong in the governing of our land and other lands. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and the other Arab states. I pray for Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, China and the Koreas. Please raise up people in those and in other states who call upon You, Lord God. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

The tragedy of the slaughter of the innocents in abortion, with no protection whatsoever in Canadian law, came about in the 1970’s. However, I thought that all was not lost in regard to the protection of these little ones when our government changed the words of our national anthem to include “God Keep Our Land.” These words are belted out at every hockey game, baseball game, football game, etc. For many who sing them, it may only be lip service, but for me it’s a fervent prayer. The other thing that encouraged me was that God was recognized in our new constitution in the early 1980’s. I was so hopeful when the Minister of Health, the Hon. Jake Epp, presented a bill to Parliament in the mid 1980’s, which would have protected the lives of some precious ones still in the womb. This bill passed with the votes of the elected members of the House of Commons but failed by one vote in the Senate. These people, most of whom were appointed by a previous government, overturned the will of the people as expressed by the elected members of the House. God takes most seriously, I believe, the commitment of Canada’s founders, who made Psalm 72:8 the motto of our Land: “He shall have dominion from sea to sea.” That scripture is carved in stone at the entrance to our Houses of Parliament. Therefore, I haven’t given up hope that somehow our representatives will all come to their senses and do something to stop these little bodies from being poisoned or torn apart in their mothers’ wombs. While Jake Epp’s bill would not have stopped all abortions, it is apparent that at least 100,000 Canadians are with us today as a result of the threat of passing that bill, which stopped many hospitals from performing abortions for a brief time. May God have mercy on us!

Yours for decisions that will please God in every area of human life,

David

Here is an up-close view of the shops and support structure that led up to the Temple Mount.

Robinson’s Arch

Robinson’s Arch and Temple Mount at the time of Jesus.

LIBERTY! FREEDOM!

Today’s Reading: Galatians 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).

Ruins of the theatre of ancient Pergamos, one of the seven cities of Revelation (Rev. 2:12-17), located in north-western Turkey. Galatia is not far from here.

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

Key Verse: Galatians 5:6

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

The word “circumcision” is used in one form or another 10 times in today’s reading. I think Paul wants us to pay attention! The practice of circumcision was the most unique demand of the Law. The Jewish man was set aside in this way from all other men. Paul, himself, would have been circumcised, as was Jesus, on the eighth day after His birth. Dr. Nelles Silverthorne, renowned pediatrician, said on a 100 Huntley Street telecast that on the eighth day of a child’s life, the blood congeals more quickly than at any other time. God, who initiated this practice, chose the right day of a boy’s life. In today’s reading, Paul addresses those who wanted to convert non-Jewish believers in Jesus into Jews and were insisting that men, whether they be 30 or 70, must go through this practice in order to be saved. This is why Paul, the Apostle of Jesus, made such a strong statement: “Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). Both Jewish and non-Jewish believers in Jesus are a new creation. Jesus has changed lives and practices dramatically! What a glorious difference He makes!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, I thank You for the liberty You bring. It’s fine for a non-Jew to remain as they are in terms of the outward physical sign of circumcision. I need Your Life in me to produce the outward manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit. This is Your new law! Help me to “through love serve one another,” and to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Thank You for reminding me through Paul that “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this, you shall love your neighbour as yourself, but if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:14-15). I pray that I will learn these lessons well. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

It’s amazing to me that the same kind of people who sought to put the Galatian men into bondage are still at it today. One of my grandsons, David Shaheen, once worked in a warehouse where he unloaded trucks from suppliers and then loads other trucks for distribution to the big box stores. His co-worker, a man in his 30’s, came in one day in great discomfort. He was obviously in some pain, and my grandson had to do work which had been shared between them in the past. Finally, my grandson learned the truth. This man from Latin America was in a cult that demanded men, non-Jews, to be circumcised in order to fulfill the Law. I wonder what Paul meant in Galatians 5:12 where he wrote, “I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!” Paul used very strong language to make his point absolutely clear.

Yours to encourage us to “stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,”

David

ABBA!

Today’s Reading: Galatians 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).

Looking up the stairs from the Chapel of Saint Helen in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, you can see hundreds of crosses that have been carved into the stone walls.

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

Key Verse: Galatians 4:6

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father God, I pray for the Spirit of Your Son to fill me now. I pray in faith believing that You are now keeping Your promise to me. The promise of the Spirit was given to me by Jesus, Himself, when He said, “How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:11-13). I’m asking, Abba Father, and You are more willing to give of Your Spirit than I am to receive. Therefore, I am receiving the Holy Spirit at this very moment. I praise You! I thank You! I worship You! Hallelujah! Glory to Your Holy Name! Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

As a child and in my early teens, I would go forward to the altar at church from time to time, asking Jesus to come into my heart and to write my name down in His “Book of Life.” I was confident that He did this at the time. However, when I did something that I knew was wrong, that confidence was gone, and I would give up until the next time I came forward to kneel at the front. We called the bench in front of the pulpit “the penitent form.” Sometimes it was called “the mourners’ bench.” Of course, I knew I was to be “penitent” and I was to “mourn” over my sins. It was not until I was 16 that I realized that I truly am a child of God by faith and faith alone. I believed that even as my human father would not ever cease to be my father, even so God, my Father, my Abba, would not ever take an eraser and rub my name out of His Book. The day after I fully believed that, I went down to the creek behind my sister’s house at Shady Nook, just outside of Pembroke, Ontario, and quoted over and over John 6:37. Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out.” I came to Him! He does not lie! Therefore, He does not cast me out. He receives me! What freedom and confidence that fact has given me right up to this day, over 64 years later.

Yours for believing Ephesians 2:8-9 (our next New Testament book after we read 1 & 2 Kings): “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast,”

David