GREAT THINGS

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 11-12

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

The Tomb of Samuel is located atop a steep hill at an elevation of 908 metres above sea level. It is situated to the north of the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ramot. The tomb is in an underground chamber where a small synagogue is located.

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

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 12:23-24

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

Israel now has a king. Samuel is still very much present as the spiritual leader of the people. Prayer “without ceasing” is the most important leadership quality if we want God’s will to be done. David will be king over the united tribes in about 10 years. A Psalm of David indicates his daily preparation to lead as he writes, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up” (Psalm 5:3). Psalm 55:17 tells us that David prayed at “evening, morning and at noon.” There is no record of Saul praying like Samuel and David did. Saul’s reign could’ve been so different.

As a New Testament meditation, let us consider 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18: “Pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.” This praying continuously is not as difficult as it sounds. It’s based on the knowledge that I am in Christ and He is in me. We are never apart. Therefore, we are to be ever aware of His Presence.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, Your servant Paul wrote, “We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26b). I pray that my Spirit will constantly pray within me when my conscious mind is occupied in other necessary matters. I believe this happens continuously as Your promise states. In Your Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Finding the will of God through much prayer and being confident that the right decisions are being made has been my biggest challenge. In several World Expos with our Crossroads’ sponsored “Pavilions of Promise” we had to employ what is called “artistic license” in communicating the message on such a world stage. For example, we had male and female ballet dancers play the part of Adam and Eve in Theatre One. I could give other examples from our production that upset some people, but I was convinced that God was pleased. The entertainment values guaranteed that millions of precious souls heard the Gospel in a way they could understand for the first time. In the overall effort at four Expos, we recorded over 100,000 first-time decisions for Christ, with their names, addresses, and telephone numbers. They signed up for a Bible correspondence course and were followed up in their home countries with diligence. One evangelist was very judgmental toward me. He could not find it in his heart to celebrate with me the fact of thousands of people coming to know Christ. It has been my experience that Christians who are successful personal soul winners (not only pulpit evangelists) understand the creative Holy Spirit-inspired variety that it takes to lead people into a personal relationship with Jesus.

Yours for being personal soul winners,

David

Ruins surrounding the building that covers the tomb of Samuel.

FINDING DONKEYS

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 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).

This donkey is employed full-time in Petra, Jordan, helping to transport tourists over the difficult terrain.

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

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 10:9

So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, how often I have been perplexed, frustrated in not finding what I think I’m looking for, when all along You had everything under Your guidance. I pray for a deeper understanding of Your overarching providence, and for a simpler faith in Your promise to “work all things after the counsel of Your will.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

I’ve just read all of Ephesians chapter one as my New Testament reading for today. What assurance! (click here).

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, and I’ve been thinking back on a Crossroads/100 Huntley Street outreach to Ireland called, “To Ireland With Love.” Violence was raging between ungodly Protestant and equally ungodly Roman Catholic factions, so we determined to send a team of Christians, RC’s and Protestants, to work with local groups of Christians who were fasting and praying for God to intervene. The churches were packed and hundreds came forward at the invitation to receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Not long after those days, the powers of hell were driven back and a time of tranquility and evangelism emerged.

I can’t remember why I was in Winnipeg back in 1976. I may have been “looking for donkeys,” but that was the occasion when I first met a local Jesuit priest. He had let it be known amongst the charismatic prayer meetings that he was to perform an exorcism and he wanted a Pentecostal Pastor to accompany him. I ended up being that Pastor. Before agreeing to accompany him, he gave me his testimony of personal salvation and I gave him mine. The Lord found a couple of donkeys, the priest and me, and that day, God delivered an immigrant man from Brazil, who had become deeply involved in voodooism.

Yours for God’s intervention while looking for donkeys,

David

A father and son tending their sheep and goats at Nazareth Village. This village, in modern-day Nazareth, is run by a Christian ministry and it depicts what life was like at the time of Jesus.

CONTENTMENT

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 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).

Ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheatre in Bet Guvrin at the Maresha National Park in Israel.

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

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 8:5

…and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, may I be given grace every day to be content. You are my King, my absolute Monarch. I want to obey You in all things. I receive my instructions from You. I pray that I will steadfastly resist the pressures to conform to the world around me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

For my personal devotions I’ve just read Romans 8:26-30 and also Romans 11:25-36/ Romans 12:1-2. The answer to the human problem of being faithful to God is here. It takes a positive and a negative charge to release electrical power. So it is with the release of the power of God in my life. Positive – “Be conformed to the image of His Son.” Negative – “Do not be conformed to this world.” Again I think of the electrical analogy. We have a built-in transformer. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Not long ago, as I drove along Burnt Hills Road just north of Kingston, an electrical storm was raging. Lightening hit a transformer and it exploded in front of me. Of course, everyone’s lights went out in the area. There is a storm raging all around, a storm that can knock out my connection to God’s power. I count on God’s power crew, the Word and the Spirit, to be on hand constantly to keep me in complete union with Him.

Yours for a constant flow, without interruption, of God’s power,

David

P.S. In 2012 I was given a life expiry date of two years (Mayo Clinic and Juravinski Clinic). My “best before” month was March, 2014. I often told my family, “I’m indestructible until God is finished with me in this life.”  Thanks for your prayers!

The view from walking in the tunnels of the amphitheatre ruins in Bet Guvrin at the Maresha National Park in Israel.

DAGON FALLEN

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 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).

This is some of the landscape that the Children of Israel of would have beheld as they sojourned in the desert before entering the Promised Land. This is Timna National Park in Southern Israel.

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

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 6:20

And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I come boldly to Your throne of grace. According to Your Word in Hebrews 4:16, I receive mercy and find grace in my time of need. Please help me to always approach You with all reverence and total respect, knowing that Jesus, our great High Priest, has gone before me with His blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat of the Ark in the heavens. In His Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I lived on my uncle’s farm for six years while my Dad was away from our family during WW2. Three years after his return, Dad accepted a call to two rural congregations filled with farmers. I spent much time on their farms, learning all about cattle, and then I worked full time on farms for five summers. I know first-hand that the natural way for a cow that has just given birth to a calf to behave is to remain beside that calf. What we read about today is not natural but supernatural. God always retains the right to intervene, changing patterns of behaviour to bring about His purposes. Animals are not made in God’s image as humans are. They function by pre-programmed instinct. I’ve learned that I am not like that. I must deliberately give my will over to God’s will, obeying His instructions. When I decide to follow Him, I know that supernatural provision for my journey will be provided as I go.

Yours for decisions to follow God’s instructions more closely,

David

The Ark of the Covenant, as depicted in a replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle at Timna Park in Israel.

LORD, REVEAL YOUR GLORY!

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 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).

The Ark of the Covenant, as depicted in a replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle at Timna Park in Israel. We read today how the sons of Eli carried the Ark into battle where it was captured by Israel’s enemies.

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

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 3:10

Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

The first verse of our reading is a sad commentary on the spiritual life of Israel. “Rare” and “no widespread revelation” says it all. But God spoke to Samuel and Eli was knowledgeable enough to recognize that God wanted someone to listen to Him. God is a communicating God, but are we listening? It’s hard to hear that “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life. This is one of the main reasons why getting up early each day to wait on God is so very important.

God cut Eli’s family off from His blessing because, as our reading informs us, Eli did not restrain his sons from their vile behaviour. This resulted in the tragic capture of the Ark by the enemies of Israel, the death of Eli’s sons, and Eli himself. Most tragic of all was the name of Eli’s grandson, “Ichabod,” meaning that the glory of God had departed from Israel. In our churches, let us reverse the decline and bring God’s glory in Jesus Christ into sharp focus. John said of Jesus, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14b).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, I take time right now to spend listening for Your voice. In the quietness of this moment, I wait on You. I meditate on the revelation of Your glory! Hallelujah! Grant that I may help to make that revelation widespread throughout the whole world. Please keep me from being so selfish as to keep that revelation to myself. In Your empowering Name I pray, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Eli was the ripe old age of 98 when he died. I was thinking of Eli’s passing this past week. If I live as long as Eli, I’ve got 18 years to go. Whatever time I may have left, I want to serve God faithfully. I want to serve you, dear blog readers. I want to serve the leaders of the Crossroads Family of Ministries. I’m absolutely sure that God did not allow me to live this long in order that I may sit around and twiddle my thumbs! At my age Winston Churchill was serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I’m asking God for wisdom as to what I should spend my remaining days doing!

Yours for the glory of God, even in humour,

David

P.S. I’m thankful that, unlike Eli’s sons, my sons are serving God well. The eldest, David Reynold, is a missionary in Africa, and along with his wife, Kathy, leads a ministry called “World Embrace.” He is our blog photographer.  My youngest son, Ronald Wesley, is now, along with his wife, Ann, leading a marriage and marriage enrichment ministry called “A Better Us.” Ron and Ann work with me daily on this blog.

A FAITHFUL PRIEST

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 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 statue of a monk reading God’s Word with a cross in his hand is on the wall of a Franciscan monastery just outside of the Zion Gate in Jerusalem. Franciscans adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of Saint Francis of Assisi. The current Pope chose the name Francis in his honour.

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

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 2:35

Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Thank You, Lord, for the prophetic prayers of Mary and Hannah. I pray that You would grant me a revelation of Your greatness, and give me words to express to You my heart and mind. Words which are just between You and me, Lord Jesus!!! Here goes……………………………. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I love the fact that after waiting so long for her first child (Samuel), Hannah had five more children. With my Mother, Hazel Pritchard Mainse, it was the opposite. My oldest sister, Willa, is eight years older than me, and my second sister, Elaine, is six years older than me. After Elaine was born, the wait began, according to my Dad. Our mother had several miscarriages, and then I made my appearance in 1936. There were no more children in our family. We don’t have a record of our mother praying a prophetic prayer as Hannah did, but my Dad did write a poem. If I can find it, I’ll add it in a P.S. below. My mother died when I was 12, and my most vivid memory of her is seeing her on her knees, praying for others, and particularly for her husband and her children. In order to spend a long time on her knees without tiring, she would either kneel with her back straight, or down on what we called her “hunkers.” She would sit back on her ankles. I’ve tried that but it doesn’t work for me. The straight up posture is my best and most comfortable kneeling position. My back does not tire as it does if I bend at the waist. This is probably more information than needed, but I find that as time goes by, I’m more and more comfortable writing this daily blog! I hope you don’t mind.

Yours, asking the Lord as the disciples did, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Amen!

David

P.S. Here is the poem my father wrote about me on March 29, 1944. He was serving as a missionary in Egypt. He was unable to return home to us for six years, due to restricted travel for civilians during the Second World War…

“Sonny”

A FERVENT SPIRIT

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 1

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

“Shiloh” is referred to in 1 Samuel 1:3. Its ancient ruins are in this hill area where an Israeli settlement now stands.

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

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 1:10

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, I pray, as Your disciples asked You, “Lord, increase our [my] faith!” Your response to this request called for some “fervent” action on the part of the “learners” from You. Please grant me the grace to put into practice Your means of increasing my faith (read Luke 17:1-10).

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’ve just gone back to one of my previous blogs when I did a paragraph on Luke 17. Understanding Jesus’ answer to the “increase our faith” petition can teach us much. I thought it was worth repeating, and I need the reminder regularly (here is a link back to that blog posting).

Eli, the Priest, thought Hannah was drunk. I’ve seen drunken people, particularly when I was a Pastor. I’ve never been drunk with alcohol, and I don’t intend to ever find out what it’s like. However, I’m sure I’ve had the symptoms from time to time in the anguish of strong intercessory prayer. I’ve been overcome with powerful emotions as I have identified with the crushing hurts of humanity. This is good! This kind of prayer “avails much.” Jesus, Himself, while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, “being in anguish, prayed more earnestly” (Luke 22:44). The result was that in His humanity He received the strength to endure the Cross. Hallelujah!

Yours to help us all learn and practice strong intercession,

David

This is in the area of the Garden of Gethsemane, beside the present day Church of All Nations, on the Mount of Olives.

GOD’S PLANS

Today’s Reading: Ruth 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).

Boaz was from Bethlehem. The fields of Boaz (in the foreground) are now taken up with communities, roads and tunnels with protective walls such as this one. You can see Bethlehem just behind the first hill on the right.

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

Key Verse: Ruth 4:13

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, You are my Kinsman Redeemer. You were born right there in Bethlehem, where Ruth gave birth to Your ancestor, Obed. Help me, dear God, to trust Your long-term plans which are for my good. Also, help me to trust Your short-term plans. You had everything arranged for Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. I’m trusting You to guide each step I take. In Your caring Name I pray, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My sister-in-law, Evelyn, lost her first husband and her only two children in a tragic car accident many years ago. She could have been in total depression, and one would’ve expected her to withdraw from life. But instead, she went from church to church telling of the grace of God which she was experiencing. As a result, many came to faith in Christ, including members of her family. Like Ruth, she declared her faith in God and God restored her. She married my brother-in-law, Ralph Rutledge, and God gave her three more children, Ruth, David, and Jonathan. Malachi 3:6 tells me about God’s faithfulness, “I am the Lord, I do not change.”

Yours for trusting God in all things,

David

RUTH’S CHOICE

Today’s Reading: Ruth 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).

Ruth’s home country of Moab was located east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, and south of the Arnon (Numbers 21:10-15). Today, Moab is within the Kingdom of Jordan. It was in the Plains of Moab, opposite Jericho (Numbers 22:1, 26:63, Joshua 13:32) that the Israelites made their last encampment before they entered the Promised Land.

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

Key Verse: Ruth 1:16

But Ruth said:

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, Ruth and Boaz were your great-great, etc. grandparents. You are 100% Human and also 100% God. As a Human, You show me how to live as a man. You are my Mentor, my Example, and my Hero. Please give me grace to follow You more closely today than yesterday. In Your loving Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I was thrilled to participate in the wedding of our second daughter, Ellen, to Nizar Shaheen, an Israeli Arab who is ordained in the Nazareth Baptist Church. As a part of the ceremony, Ellen quoted, in the Arabic language, the words of our key verse. What a powerful moment. Israeli television co-operated with TV networks in Canada and the USA to carry the wedding live across North America. In advance, we had distributed thousands of copies of a document called, “A Marriage Covenant.” I encouraged married couples everywhere to renew their vows as Ellen and Nizar said theirs at the Church in Nizar’s home village of Cana of Galilee. Jesus, His mother, and several of the disciples were guests there at another wedding 2,000 years before, and Jesus did His first miracle of turning the water into wine (read John 2:1-11). The people of Cana still call the wedding of Nizar and Ellen “the other wedding” (click here for Ellen saying the words of Ruth to her beloved Nizar).

Today, Nizar and Ellen are all over the Arabic-speaking world on TV and on the internet, winning thousands of precious people to Jesus through Light For All Nations.

Yours for love and loyalty,

David

Madaba, Jordan, just near mount Nebo where Moses looked out over the Promised Land, has a church named The Church of the Map. The church is also known as Church of Saint George. The mosaic floor map (pictured below) has the oldest known map of Jerusalem and its surrounding Biblical regions.

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

THORNS

Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 12-13

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

Smyrna was the second city to receive a letter from the Apostle John in the book of Revelation. Acts 19:10 suggests that the church there was founded during Paul’s third missionary journey. Scholars believe the city grew to about 100,000 by the time of the Apostles Paul and John. That’s my eldest son and photographer Reynold in the picture.

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

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

The smaller we are in our own eyes, the bigger we see Christ to be. There’s more room for Jesus who lives in the believer when the believer does not have a large opinion of himself. We start next week in 1st Samuel where we will find King Saul. Samuel said of him, “When you were little in your eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17). Saul became so big that he thought he no longer had to obey God. This resulted in his loss of the throne. The Apostle Paul, before his conversion, was a “Mr. Big.” He went directly to the High Priest and received the authority to persecute the Christians. We don’t know what the “thorn in the flesh” was, but we do know God gave it to him to keep him from becoming “Mr. Big” again. When Paul was “Mr. Small,” God could be “Big” in his life and ministry. Paul, a most powerful man, was blinded and confused on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). For God to be strong in Paul, he had to become weak in himself, not depending on his own abilities, but in the strength of Christ, Himself.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, Your servant Paul prayed three times for deliverance from the “thorn.” Each time You answered, “No.” Please help me to learn this difficult lesson. You said that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). I bow at Your feet, and I exalt You above all in praise and worship. Use me, O Lord, in any way You desire. In Your exalted Name I pray, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

There is a big man (physically) who is one of my heroes in the Christian ministry. He’s also a humble man. He would never claim any exalted status for himself, but God exalted him. Many years ago, he was elected by those of us who are his peers as our District Superintendent for Western Ontario for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. He was over 90 when he passed into the immediate Presence of Christ.  I’m sure that if he were to write here, he would speak of weakness, and most of all he would testify to God’s strength in him. I’m referring to Rev. Homer Cantelon. His son, Jim, who hosted the 100 Huntley Street telecast for years and founded Visionledd, a mission to the AIDS sufferers of Africa, said on one occasion, “When I grow up, I want to be like Homer.” I feel the same way. I used to remind Homer from time to time that years ago he agreed to preach my funeral service. We had a good laugh. Here is a video of Jim interviewing his dad Homer a few years back on 100 Huntley Street (part one click here…part two click here). Throughout the years, I’ve found humble people who may be leaders or may be everyday people. I’ve sat at their feet and learned from them. I’m still learning!

Yours for growing bigger in Christ and smaller in self,

David