SUCCESSOR

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 19

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

A view of the Sea of Galilee from the north shore. Jesus commanded, “Peace be still.”

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 19:12

After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I’m listening for Your gentle whisper. Father, in spite of the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, I pray that I will hear Your “still small voice.” In the Name of the One who said, “My peace I give unto you,” the Lord of all, Jesus Christ (John 14:27), Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I have great memories from 1978 when Norma-Jean and I saved for quite a while to take our sons to Israel. The girls had come to Israel with us a couple of years before this. The boys’ high school principal, David Craig, told us, “Your sons will learn more in that month than they could ever learn in the same time in high school. You have my permission to take them out of school for a month.” Reynold, Ron and I backpacked from place to place, and Norma-Jean, with a friend’s van, would meet us with supplies from time to time.

On Mt. Carmel we read the chapters we’ve been reading in this blog for the past two days, and we wondered how Elijah could arrive back in Samaria before Ahab got there (18:45-46). Then as we climbed down the east side of Mt. Carmel, we realized that Elijah probably went down the way we were taking, while Ahab, with his horses and chariots, had to go down the gentle slope of the mountain which went in a westerly direction, the opposite direction from Samaria, before he could turn east again.

In a very real sense, I’m travelling every day through the land of the Bible as I read, meditate, pray, and write this blog. After I have finished writing between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m., I am “still.” The telephone never rings. No one knocks at the door, except Jesus. The old hymn says, “Blessed quietness, holy quietness, blest assurance in my soul!” (click here for the lyrics).

Yours for waiting on God in the quiet place,

David

ELIJAH

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 17-18

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 ancient Samaria-Sebaste, capital of King Ahab and the northern 10 tribes of Israel. The prophets of Baal, Jezebel’s religion, dominated here when Elijah showed up. The ruins populate the hillside and comprise remains from six successive cultures dating back thousands of years: Canaanite, Israelite, Hellenistic, Herodian, Roman and Byzantine. This photo was taken in the modern Palestinian authority territory.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 18:22

Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.”

Who would have guessed that the odds favoured the one against so many formidable opponents? Yet that is precisely what happened. This dramatic confrontation has frequently drawn the comment, “One person with God is always a majority.” However, as Elijah learned, there were actually 100 other prophets of the Lord hiding (in 2 caves of 50 each), waiting for the day when they could boldly take a public stand once again. We should never give in to a “poor me pity party.” God ensures that we are never alone.

The Apostle Paul, in words to Timothy, felt very alone (Read 2 Timothy 4:9-16). But then he rallied and declared, “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen”!!! Take time to worship God along with our prayers! He promised never to leave us alone. He’s over us, under us, around us and in us. Rejoice!!!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, Your eternal Word, which will never pass away, declares, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b). Please grant me a constant awareness of Your presence. May I be as Paul urged me, “Be filled with Your Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). In the Name of the One who was filled at all times with the fullness of God, my Friend who sticks closer than a brother, the Lord Jesus. AMEN!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’m very aware that there are more ungodly leaders featured here in Kings than godly ones. Therefore, I’m taking comfort in the fact that, while there are bad leaders in our world today, there are also some good ones. Over the last two days I’ve mentioned President Reagan of the USA and Canada’s second leader, Prime Minister MacKenzie. I’ve also mentioned a very godly leader of Great Britain, Prime Minister Gladstone, who sponsored missions all over the U.K. where people were led to Christ. He was the one who negotiated with our Canadian leaders for separation without violence. The 13 British colonies to the south fought a bloody war for separation. It would seem that in the case of the United States, while there were some godly leaders on the American side, they did not have godly people to deal with in England. The colonies to the north waited about 90 years, but Canada was born without bloodshed. One of the people on the Canadian side was a man whom God used by the name of Sir John A. MacDonald, our first Prime Minister. I sat for at least an hour beside his grave in Kingston, Ontario, meditating on all I had read about him over the years. Yes, he had an alcohol problem. Yes, he was a flawed human being like all of us, but he dreamed big dreams. I sat in his seat in the Presbyterian Church he attended in Kingston. I was the guest of the minister, Rev. Max Putnam, who was serving as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. I had studied history but learned for the first time from Max that John A. MacDonald had undergone an experience of genuine conversion to Christ, and for the last years of his life he shunned alcohol. Sometime later, in Grimsby, Ontario, I was shown a poster advertising a Methodist camp meeting at which our first Prime Minister was guest preacher. Finally, the press got it right in an article in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper headlined, “THE DAY SIR JOHN A. MET JESUS!” I’ll try to attach the article within the next couple of days, if I can locate it.

Yours to help encourage people in whom we can believe to run for leadership positions in all areas of human concern,

David

Sir John A. MacDonald, 1815-1891, first Prime Minister of Canada, 1867-1873. He served a second term as PM from 1878-1891.

GODLY CHARACTER IN LEADERS

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 15-16

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

At the entrance to the modern city of Jerusalem is the Light Rail Bridge, known as the Jerusalem Chords Bridge. It was built in 2008 and symbolizes King David’s harp.

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

Key Verses: 1 Kings 15:11 & 14b

Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David……Asa’s heart was loyal to the Lord all his days.

Here’s some encouragement for us all. While kings who did evil in God’s eyes came and went with frequency in the northern 10 tribes, now called Israel, Asa, King of Judah, remained constant for 41 years. Character, formed by a rock-solid determination to always do what is right, will win in the long run. Often there are difficult times for the person who fervently desires to please the Lord, and sometimes it seems that a short cut would be advantageous, but we must resist. We need to ask God to harden our backbones, keeping us upright in all our decisions and deeds.

What a marked contrast between Asa in the south and Ahab in the north. “Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30). Nevertheless, God had a plan! We are about to witness the arrival of a firebrand preacher in the north by the name of Elijah.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord, someone asked, “Where is the God of Elijah?” The answer came back, “He’s waiting for an Elijah to call on Him!” I’m calling on You, Lord God! Others are calling on You! I pray that You will continue to show Yourself strong through me and others. In the Name of Someone greater than Elijah, the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!!!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

The character of our political leaders is so very important (Asa and Ahab). Our second Canadian Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, was solidly converted to Christ back in Scotland before he came to Canada. As our first Leader of Canada’s Loyal Opposition, he was involved in the negotiations with Britain for our peaceful separation from political and economic control. I’ve had the privilege to lecture on Mackenzie’s life to political parties; I extolled the virtues of this man before the Law Society of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Here’s just one story about this godly leader.

Prime Minister Mackenzie arrived at his office at 7:00 a.m. each morning. The Prophet Daniel, Mackenzie’s political hero, prayed with his window open each day (Daniel 6:10-13). Mackenzie, with the door open and on his knees, would pray out loud for God’s blessings on Canada for a new day. This was repeated at noon and again before he left for home at 7:00 in the evening. His staff, who were expected to arrive before him in the morning and leave after him at night, would gather around the door to listen to the Prime Minister pray. All Canadians need to know that this may be one of the main reasons why Canada has been blessed so greatly.

Yours for living “right in the eyes of the Lord,”

David

Rt. Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, 1822-1892, Canada’s second Prime Minister from 1873-1878.

JUDGMENT

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 13-14

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 during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 14:22

Now Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, the wheels of justice grind our deeds, as the saying goes, “exceedingly fine.” As Job 23:10 tells me, when You have tested me, may I “come forth as gold.” Grant me the grace to obey You as Job did, and most of all as Jesus, who lives within me, did. In His all-sufficient Name I pray, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

One story in my latest book is about my last grandson, Nathaniel Shaheen. The account is longer than I have space for here. You may be interested in ordering my book by calling Crossroads at 1-800-265-3100. He was born in the Hadassah hospital on Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, in November of 2000. A serious bowel restriction almost took his life at birth, but his Dad, Nizar, and his Grandma, Norma-Jean, took a handkerchief, poured oil on it, and had our tour group, who were visiting Israel at that time, lay hands on the cloth and pray. At least one of our group touched God, because as the hanky was laid on Nathaniel, he began to improve. Five months later, his mother, Ellen, travelled to Canada to visit us, and Nathaniel was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis. He was dying. He was rushed to McMaster Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery. As the surgeon came into the waiting room following the operation, I said, “Doctor, just before you tell us the results, take a look at the TV. There on the screen was a repeat of 100 Huntley Street which I had hosted earlier that day. The children in the studio audience were joining me in prayer for Nathaniel and his surgeon. Doctor Walton’s first words were, “Well it worked! I was able to remove the dead bowel tissue and connect perfect pink tissue. He will be fine.” Click here to see that video from 2001 (I want to thank Joan Rock of our Crossroads/CTS team for digging out the video from our archives).

Yours for knowing a personal God who cares about us all,

David

P.S. Below are photos of Nathaniel Shaheen as a baby and as a 14-year-old young man. Here, he was quarterback for his high school in Burlington, Ontario.

Nathaniel Shaheen, age 14.

DIVISION

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 12

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

Beyond the security fence, looking from Israel into Palestine, you can see the area that was ancient Bethany. It is now the present day Arab village of Al-Ezareyya, the Arabic name for Lazarus, the one Jesus raised from the dead in Bethany. This area is situated on the Eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.

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

Key Verse: 1 Kings 12:13

Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him…

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Yes, Lord, I pray right now for the peace of Jerusalem. Only You, Lord God, fully understand all the issues involved. Please give wisdom to the leadership of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas. There is nothing impossible for You. Just as You gave David and Solomon the wisdom to bring about decades of peace, please do it again. In the Name of Jesus, the One who is the Prince of Peace, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned the wisdom that can be found in the diligent study of God’s Word. People who have shown themselves to possess wisdom should also be read and studied. Another of my heroes that I’ve mentioned before is the late Rev. Tom Johnstone. He was what you would call “self-educated.” He was a voracious reader who had a brilliant mind, but he did not leave us his thoughts in books. It’s a pity. One time I was visiting the Seniors’ residence, Shepherd Village in Toronto, calling on some of my “old” friends. I noticed a very distinguished looking man around 50 years old who was just leaving the building. I said to Joan Telford, the Administrator, “Who is that man?” She said, “Oh, he’s a Professor of Mathematics from the University of Toronto. He’s been visiting Tom Johnstone.” Tom would’ve been about 95 then. She went on to say, “There are a number of Professors who visit him regularly to learn from him.” Why was I not surprised? He had learned deeply in many subjects. I visited him also. He was a friend who had been like a Grandfather to our children. There is great and wise advice found in James 1:1-7.

Yours, asking for wisdom from God, knowing that according to James, I will not be turned down,

David

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.