Day 207 - 26 July 2021 reflections
Day 207, 26 July 2021
Isaiah 44 - 48
Isaiah 44
God's Blessing on Jacob
1 (Isa 41:8; Jer 30:10) Yet now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 (Dt 32:15; Isa 41:10) Thus says the Lord
who made you, and formed you from the womb,
who will help you:
Do not fear, O Jacob, My servant, and you,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 (Joel 2:28; Isa 59:21) For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
and floods on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants,
and My blessing on your offspring;
4 (Ps 1:3) and they shall spring up as among the grass,
as willows by the water courses.
5 One will say, "I am the Lord's";
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
and another will write on his hand, "Belonging to the Lord,"
and name himself by the name of Israel.
Idolatry Condemned
6 (Rev 1:8; Isa 41:4; 43:1) Thus says the Lord the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
besides Me there is no God.
7 (Isa 41:26; 41:22) Who is like Me? Let him proclaim
and declare it, and recount it in order for Me,
since I appointed the ancient people.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming,
and shall come.
8 (Isa 43:10; Dt 4:35; 1Sa 2:2) Do not fear, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old, and declared it?
You are My witnesses!
Is there a God besides Me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.
9 (Isa 41:24; Ps 97:7) Those who make a graven image are, all of them, vain,
and their delectable things shall not profit;
and they are their own witnesses;
they do not see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10 (Jer 10:5; Hab 2:18) Who has formed a god or molded a graven image
that is profitable for nothing?
11 (Isa 42:17; 45:16) All his companions shall be ashamed;
and the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together; let them stand up,
yet they shall fear; they shall be ashamed together.
12 (Isa 40:19; 41:6-7) The smith with the tongs
both works in the coals
and fashions it with hammers,
and works it with the strength of his arms.
He becomes hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
13 (Jdg 17:4-5; Ps 115:5-7) The carpenter stretches out his measuring line;
he marks it out with a line;
he fits it with planes,
and he marks it out with the compass,
and makes it after the figure of a man,
according to the beauty of a man,
that it may remain in the house.
14 (Isa 40:20) He hews down cedars for himself,
and takes the cypress and the oak,
which he raises for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.
15 (2Ch 25:14 ) Then it shall be for a man to burn,
for he will take some of it and warm himself;
he kindles it and bakes bread;
he also makes a god and worships it;
he makes it a graven image and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
over this half he eats meat;
he roasts it and is satisfied.
Also he warms himself and says,
"Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire."
17 (Isa 45:20) And the rest he makes into a god, even his carved image.
He falls down to it, and worships it,
and prays to it, and says,
"Deliver me, for you are my god."
18 (Ps 81:12; Isa 29:10 ) They have not known nor understood;
for He has shut their eyes so that they cannot see,
and their hearts so that they cannot understand.
19 (Dt 27:15; 1Ki 11:5) No one considers in his heart,
nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned part of it in the fire;
I also have baked bread on the coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
and shall I make the rest into an abomination?
Shall I fall down to a block of wood?â€
20 (Job 15:31; Ps 102:9 )He feeds on ashes;
a deceived heart has turned him aside
so that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say,
"Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
Israel Not Forgotten
21 (Isa 44:1–2) Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you; you are My servant;
O Israel, you shall not be forgotten by Me.
22 (Isa 43:25; 1Co 6:20) I have blotted out, as a thick cloud,
your transgressions, and your sins, as a cloud.
Return to Me,
for I have redeemed you.
23 (Ps 69:34; Isa 49:3 ) Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it.
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorified Himself in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
24 (Isa 42:5; 43:14; 44:2) Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb:
I am the Lord
who makes all things,
who stretches out the heavens alone,
who spreads abroad the earth by Myself,
25 (2Sa 15:31; Ps 33:10) who frustrates the omens of the boasters
and makes fools out of diviners,
who turns wise men backward
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 (Zec 1:6) who confirms the word of His servant
and performs the counsel of His messengers,
who says to Jerusalem, "You shall be inhabited,"
and to the cities of Judah, "You shall be built."
And I will raise up her ruins again;
27 (Isa 42:15; Jer 50:38) it is I who says to the deep, "Be dried up!"
And I will dry up your rivers;
28 (2Ch 36:22-1:3; Isa 45:1) it is I who says of Cyrus, "He is My shepherd,
and shall perform all My desire";
and he declares to Jerusalem, "You shall be built,"
and to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."
Isaiah 45
Cyrus, God's Anointed
1 (Isa 41:13; Ps 73:23) Thus says the Lord to Cyrus, His anointed,
whose right hand I have held-
to subdue nations before him
and to loosen the loins of kings,
to open doors before him
so that the gates will not be shut:
2 (Ps 107:16; Isa 40:4) I will go before you
and make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
and shatter the bars of iron.
3 (Isa 43:1; Jer 50:37) And I will give you the treasures of darkness
and hidden riches of secret places
so that you may know that I, the Lord,
who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel.
4 (Isa 41:8-9; Ac 17:23) For Jacob My servant’s sake
and Israel My chosen one,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you,
though you have not known Me.
5 (Isa 44:8; Ps 18:39; Job 12:21) I am the Lord and there is no other;
there is no God besides Me.
I strengthen you,
though you have not known Me,
6 (Mal 1:11; Isa 37:20) so that they may know from the rising of the sun
and from the west
that there is no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
7 (Am 3:6 ) I form the light and create darkness;
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 (Hos 10:12; Ps 72:6 ) Drip down, O heavens, from above,
and let the clouds pour down righteousness;
let the earth open up,
and let them bring forth salvation,
and let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 (Isa 29:16; 64:8) Woe to him who strives with his Maker,
the potsherd with the potsherds of the earth!
Shall the clay say to the potter,
"What are you making?"
Or the thing you are making say,
"He has no hands"?
10 Woe to him who says to his father,
"What are you begetting?â€
Or to the woman,
“To what are you giving birth?"
11 (Isa 29:23; 43:7) Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and his Maker:
Ask Me of things to come
concerning My sons,
and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
12 (Isa 42:5; Ge 2:1; Ne 9:6) I have made the earth
and created man on it.
I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens,
and I have ordained all their host.
13 (Isa 41:2; 2Ch 36:22-23) I have raised him up in righteousness,
and I will direct all his ways;
he shall build My city,
and he shall let My captives go,
neither for price nor reward,
says the Lord of Hosts.
The Only Savior
14 (Isa 49:23; Jer 16:19; Zec 8:20-23) Thus says the Lord:
The products of Egypt and merchandise of Ethiopia
and of the Sabeans-men of stature-
shall come over to you,
and they shall be yours;
they shall come after you;
in chains they shall come over,
and they shall fall down before you.
They shall make supplication to you, saying,
"Surely God is with you, and there is no other;
there is no other God."
15 (Ps 44:24; Isa 57:17) Truly You are a God who hides Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 (Isa 42:17; 44:9) They shall be ashamed and also humiliated, all of them;
the craftsmen of idols shall go away in confusion together,
17 (Isa 26:4; 54:4) but Israel shall be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you shall not be ashamed nor humiliated
to all eternity.
18 (Isa 42:5; Ge 1:2) For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens,
who is God,
who formed the earth and made it,
who has established it,
who did not create it in vain,
who formed it to be inhabited:
I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
19 (Isa 48:16; 2Ch 15:2) I have not spoken in secret
in a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,
"Seek Me in a waste place";
I, the Lord, speak righteousness;
I declare things that are right.
20 (Isa 43:9; 46:1) Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together, you fugitives of the nations.
They have no knowledge who set up the wood of their carved image,
and pray to a god that cannot save.
21 (Isa 43:9; 43:11) Declare and set forth your case;
let them take counsel together.
Who has declared this from ancient times?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
And there is no God besides Me,
a righteous God and Savior;
there is no other besides Me.
22 (Nu 21:8-9; 2Ch 20:12) Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (Php 2:10; Ps 63:11) I have sworn by Myself,
the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness
and shall not return,
that to Me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall take an oath.
24 (Isa 41:11) Surely, one shall say, "Only in the Lord
are righteousness and strength."
Men shall come to him,
and all who are incensed at Him shall be ashamed.
25 (Isa 41:16) In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel
be justified and shall glory.
Isaiah 46
The Idols of Babylon
1 (Isa 21:9; Jer 50:2) Bel bows down, Nebo stoops,
their idols are appointed to the beasts and the cattle.
The things that you carry are burdensome;
they are a burden to the weary beast.
2 (Jdg 18:17-18; 2Sa 5:21) They stoop, they bow down together;
they could not deliver the burden,
but themselves have gone into captivity.
3 (Dt 1:31; Ps 71:6) Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who are borne by Me from birth
and are carried from the womb:
4 (Ps 71:18; Isa 43:13) And even to your old age I am He,
and even to your graying years I will carry you;
I have done it, and I will bear you;
even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 (Isa 40:18; 40:25 ) To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal,
and compare Me that we may be alike?
6 They lavish gold out of the bag,
and weigh silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god;
they fall down and worship it.
7 (Isa 45:20; Jer 10:5) They lift it on the shoulder, they carry it,
and they set it in its place, and it stands;
from its place it does not move.
If one shall cry to it, it cannot answer
nor save him out of his trouble.
8 Remember this, and show yourselves men;
bring it to mind again, O transgressors.
9 (Dt 32:7; Isa 42:9) Remember the former things of old,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 (Pr 19:21; Ps 33:11) declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
"My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all My good pleasure,"
11 (Nu 23:19; Isa 41:2) calling a ravenous bird from the east,
the man who executes My counsel from a far country.
Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it; I will also do it.
12 (Ps 119:150; Isa 46:3) Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted,
who are far from righteousness;
13 (Isa 61:3; 44:23) I bring My righteousness near;
it shall not be far off,
and My salvation shall not tarry.
And I will grant salvation in Zion,
and My glory for Israel.
Isaiah 47
The Fall of Babylon
1 (Ps 137:8; Isa 3:26) Come down, and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground; there is no throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans.
For you shall no more be called
tender and delicate.
2 (Mt 24:41; Ex 11:5) Take the millstones and grind meal.
Uncover your veil,
strip off the skirt, uncover the leg,
pass over the rivers.
3 (Na 3:5) Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
and your shame shall be seen;
I will take vengeance,
and I will not meet you as a man.
4 (Isa 41:14; 43:14) As for our Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts is His name,
the Holy One of Israel.
5 (Isa 47:7) Sit silently, and go into darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans;
for you shall no more be called
the queen of kingdoms.
6 (Dt 28:50; 2Ch 28:9) I was angry with My people;
I have polluted My inheritance
and given them into your hand.
You did not show them mercy;
on the aged
you have laid your yoke very heavily.
7 (Dt 32:29; Isa 47:5) You said, "I shall be a queen forever,"
but you did not take these things to heart,
nor remember the outcome of them.
8 (Zep 2:15; Isa 32:9; 45:6) Therefore, now hear this,
you who are given to pleasures,
who dwell carelessly,
who say in your heart,
"I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow,
nor shall I know the loss of children";
9 (Na 3:4; Ps 73:19) but these two things shall come to you
in a moment, in one day,
the loss of children and widowhood.
They shall come upon you in their fullness
because of the multitude of your sorceries
and for the great abundance of your enchantments.
10 (Ps 52:7; Isa 5:21) For you have trusted in your wickedness;
you have said, "No one sees me";
your wisdom and your knowledge have perverted you;
and you have said in your heart,
"I am, and there is no one besides me."
11 (1Th 5:3) Therefore, evil shall come upon you,
which you shall not know from where it rises.
And disaster shall fall upon you,
for which you shall not be able to atone.
And desolation shall come upon you suddenly,
which you shall not know.
12 Stand fast now with your enchantments,
and with the multitude of your sorceries
in which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you shall be able to profit,
perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 (Isa 44:25; 57:10) You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels;
let now the astrologers, the stargazers,
the monthly prognosticators stand up
and save you from these things that shall come upon you.
14 (Na 1:10; Mal 4:1) Surely they shall be as stubble,
the fire shall burn them;
they shall not deliver themselves
from the power of the flame;
it shall not be coal to be warmed by
nor a fire to sit before.
15 Thus those shall be to you
with whom you have labored,
even your merchants, from your youth;
they shall wander, everyone to his quarter.
No one shall save you.
Isaiah 48
Israel Refined for God's Glory
1 (Ps 68:26; Jer 4:2) Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel,
and have come forth from the waters of Judah;
who swear by the name of the Lord,
and invoke the God of Israel,
but not in truth or in righteousness;
2 (Mic 3:11; Isa 10:20) for they call themselves after the holy city,
and lean on the God of Israel;
the Lord of Hosts is His name:
3 (Isa 41:22; 42:9) I have declared the former things from the beginning;
and they went forth from My mouth, and I announced them.
Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
4 (Ex 32:9; Dt 31:27) Because I knew that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew,
and your brow bronze;
5 (Isa 48:3; Jer 44:15-18) I have even from the beginning declared it to you;
before it came to pass I announced it to you,
lest you should say,
"My idol has done them,
and my carved image and my molded image has commanded them."
6 (Isa 42:9) You have heard; see all this.
And will you not declare it?
I have shown you new things from this time,
even hidden things, and you did not know them.
7 They are created now and not from the beginning;
even before the day when you did not hear them,
lest you should say,
"Yes, I knew them."
8 (Ps 58:3) You have not heard, you have not known,
indeed, from long ago your ear has not been open.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
and that from birth you have been called a rebel.
9 (Ps 78:38; Ne 9:30-31) For My name's sake I will defer My anger,
and for My praise I will restrain it for you
so that you are not cut off.
10 (Dt 4:20; Jer 9:7) See, I have refined you, but not with silver;
I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
11 (Isa 42:8; Eze 20:9) For My own sake, even for My own sake, I will do it;
for how can My name be polluted?
And I will not give My glory to another.
The Lord’s Call to Israel
12 (Isa 41:4; Rev 22:13) Listen to Me, O Jacob
and Israel, whom I called:
I am He;
I am the First, and I am the Last.
13 (Isa 40:26; Ex 20:11) My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand up together.
14 (Isa 43:9; 13:4-5) Assemble, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord has loved him;
he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken,
and I have called him;
I have brought him,
and his way will prosper.
16 (Isa 45:19) Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me
and His Spirit.
17 (Ps 32:8; Isa 43:14) Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 (Dt 32:29; Isa 66:12) Oh, that you had listened to My commandments!
Then your peace would have been as a river
and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
19 (Ge 22:17; Isa 10:22) Your descendants also would have been as the sand
and your offspring like grains of sand;
their name would not have been cut off
nor destroyed from before Me.
20 (Isa 52:9; Jer 50:8; 51:6) Go forth from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing declare,
proclaim this,
utter it even to the ends of the earth;
say, "The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob."
21 (Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11) They did not thirst when He led them
through the deserts;
He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them;
He also split the rock,
and the waters gushed out.
22 Isa 57:21 "There is no peace," says the Lord, "for the wicked."
2) Our Daily Bread for 26 July 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/07/26/look-whats-blooming
entitled Blooming for Jesus
John 13:31-35
31 (Jn 7:39; 14:13) When he had gone out, Jesus then said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in Him God is glorified.
32 (Jn 12:23; 17:1) If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him
in Himself and will immediately glorify Him.
33 (Jn 7:33-34; 1Jn 2:1) "Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
You will seek Me. And as I said to the Jews, so now I tell you,
'Where I am going, you cannot come.'
34 (Lev 19:18; Eph 5:2) "A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.
35 (Jn 17:21) By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
I wasn't truthful about the tulips. A gift from my younger daughter,
the packaged bulbs traveled home with her to the US from Amsterdam
after she visited there. So I made a show of accepting the bulbs
with great excitement, as excited as I was to reunite with her.
But tulips are my least favorite flower. Many bloom early and fade fast.
The July weather, meantime, made it too hot to plant them.
Finally, however, in late September, I planted "my daughter's" bulbs-thinking
of her and thus planting them with love. With each turn of the rocky soil,
my concern for the bulbs grew. Giving their plant bed a final pat, I
offered the bulbs a blessing, "sleep well," hoping to see blooming tulips
in the spring.
My little project became a humble reminder of God's call for us
to love one another, even if we're not each other's "favourites."
Looking past each other's faulty "weeds," we're enabled by God
to extend love to others, even in temperamental seasons.
Then, over time, mutual love blooms in spite of ourselves.
"By this," Jesus said, "everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another" (John 13:35).
Pruned by Him, we're blessed then to bloom,
as my tulips did the next spring-on the same weekend my daughter
arrived for a short visit. "Look what's blooming!" I said. Finally, me.
By: Patricia Raybon
Reflect & Pray
Whom is God asking you to love, even if that person isn't your "favourite"?
What can you do to show that person more of the love of Christ?
Dear Jesus, prune my heart so I can learn to love others in Christ.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 1 Knowing God's Word Day 2 - Growing Up
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 (Ro 15:4) All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction
in righteousness,
17 (1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 2:21) that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
"I can't wait till I get big!" Marc, age 5, declared. "Then I do
what I want!" Most of us, as children, shared Marc's statement.
We looked forward to that "magic age" - 16, 18, 21 - when we
would be adults: mature, able to make our own decisions.
We find, of course, that adulthood has its own share of
difficulties and conflicts. But even in our spiritual lives
we often long for a "magic moment" of maturity. As one woman
confessed, "Ever since I became a Christian, I've hoped I'd wake up
one morning to find myself mature."
But growth in the spiritual life comes gradually, like growth in
the physical world. In 2 Tim 2:16-17, Paul gives the young pastor
Timothy an important key to spiritual growing up - the Word of God.
The Word is "profitable" or "useful," Paul says, for "teaching" - that is,
for developing a right concept of God. Scripture offers "rebuke" when
we go wrong, "correction" to set us on the right path, and "training
in righteousness" so that we can grow in the image of Christ.
The purpose of Scripture's work in our lives, Paul emphasises,
is that we may be "perfect" - mature, equipped for the good things
God has for us to do. Such maturity does not come easily
or instantaneously, but it does come - sometimes imperceptibly -
as we submit our lives to the transforming power of God's Word.
Application
a) In what areas of my life do I need to grow? How can I benefit
from the Bible's
i) teaching?
ii) rebuke?
iii) correction?
iv) training in righteousness?
b) How can memorising God's Word help me grow in those areas?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Deut 30:19-20
19 (Dt 4:26; 30:1) I call heaven and earth to witnesses against you this day,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.
Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
20 (Dt 10:20; Ps 27:1) that you may love the Lord your God,
that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him,
for He is your life and the length of your days;
and that you may dwell in the land that the Lord
swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Freeing Forgiveness
Ps 103:1-14
PSALMS 103
A Psalm of David.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits,
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) who forgives all your iniquities,
who heals all your diseases,
4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) who satisfies your mouth with good things,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8–9) The Lord does righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 (Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3) He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the people of Israel.
8 (Job 35:10; Ps 63:6) The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) He will not always accuse,
neither will He keep his anger forever.
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) He does not treat us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord gives compassion to those who fear Him.
14 For He knows how we are formed;
He remembers that we are dust.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Where do Muslims live?
Canada is a land of immigrants. And Muslims are coming in increasing numbers
to our shores. Where do they live? How can we prayfor these areas? Use this as
your more effectively for Muslims in Canada.
Data for those population figures is extrapoled for the 2011 National
Household Survay and population growth projections by Pew Forum. These have
also been adjusted by +40% as reliable sources state that on 60% of Muslims
self-identify on government surveys and forms. These estimates are still on
the conservative end of the spectrum. Percentages represent that of the total
Canadian population, not provincial
BC - 136493 - 7.5%
AB - 195240 - 11%
SK - 17279 - 1%
MB - 21349 - 1.2%
ON - 1001542 - 55%
QC - 418946 - 23%
NB - 4543 - 0.003%
NS - 14629 - 0.1%
PEI - 1127 - 0.0006%
NFLD - 2065 - 0.001%
Yukon - 69 - 0.00004%
NWT - 473 - 0.0003%
NU - 86 - 0.00005%
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 26 of the Month
a) Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ (Matt 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
)
b) Pray for the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut
I) Pray for the leaders of Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut,
that God's Spirit would influence then to act justly,
serve with integrity
and honour high moral standards. ( 1 Tim 2:1 - 4
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone,
2 (Ezr 6:10) for kings and for all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
3(1Ti 1:1; Lk 1:47) for this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 (Eze 18:23; 18:32)who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
II) Pray for the churches of the province,
that they would be lighthouses
beaming forth the illuminating truth of God's Word.
III) Pray that the Lord would use
the Finding the Hope Campaign
and booklet to turn many hearts to Jesus
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to come back to Him despite your wrongs.
Pray to the Lord "Dear Jesus, prune my heart
so I can learn to love others in Christ."
Pray to the Lord and ask him to help you memorise and understand The Word.
Pray to the Lord and ask Him to strengthen your faith in Him
Pray to the Lord and ask to be blessed in His Holy name
Pray for Muslims in Canada to know Jesus as Saviour.
Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have God's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ.
Pray for ministry prtners seeking to bless persecuted Christians in China
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
Isaiah 44 - 48
Isaiah 44
God's Blessing on Jacob
1 (Isa 41:8; Jer 30:10) Yet now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 (Dt 32:15; Isa 41:10) Thus says the Lord
who made you, and formed you from the womb,
who will help you:
Do not fear, O Jacob, My servant, and you,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 (Joel 2:28; Isa 59:21) For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
and floods on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants,
and My blessing on your offspring;
4 (Ps 1:3) and they shall spring up as among the grass,
as willows by the water courses.
5 One will say, "I am the Lord's";
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
and another will write on his hand, "Belonging to the Lord,"
and name himself by the name of Israel.
Idolatry Condemned
6 (Rev 1:8; Isa 41:4; 43:1) Thus says the Lord the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
besides Me there is no God.
7 (Isa 41:26; 41:22) Who is like Me? Let him proclaim
and declare it, and recount it in order for Me,
since I appointed the ancient people.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming,
and shall come.
8 (Isa 43:10; Dt 4:35; 1Sa 2:2) Do not fear, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old, and declared it?
You are My witnesses!
Is there a God besides Me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.
9 (Isa 41:24; Ps 97:7) Those who make a graven image are, all of them, vain,
and their delectable things shall not profit;
and they are their own witnesses;
they do not see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10 (Jer 10:5; Hab 2:18) Who has formed a god or molded a graven image
that is profitable for nothing?
11 (Isa 42:17; 45:16) All his companions shall be ashamed;
and the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together; let them stand up,
yet they shall fear; they shall be ashamed together.
12 (Isa 40:19; 41:6-7) The smith with the tongs
both works in the coals
and fashions it with hammers,
and works it with the strength of his arms.
He becomes hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
13 (Jdg 17:4-5; Ps 115:5-7) The carpenter stretches out his measuring line;
he marks it out with a line;
he fits it with planes,
and he marks it out with the compass,
and makes it after the figure of a man,
according to the beauty of a man,
that it may remain in the house.
14 (Isa 40:20) He hews down cedars for himself,
and takes the cypress and the oak,
which he raises for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.
15 (2Ch 25:14 ) Then it shall be for a man to burn,
for he will take some of it and warm himself;
he kindles it and bakes bread;
he also makes a god and worships it;
he makes it a graven image and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
over this half he eats meat;
he roasts it and is satisfied.
Also he warms himself and says,
"Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire."
17 (Isa 45:20) And the rest he makes into a god, even his carved image.
He falls down to it, and worships it,
and prays to it, and says,
"Deliver me, for you are my god."
18 (Ps 81:12; Isa 29:10 ) They have not known nor understood;
for He has shut their eyes so that they cannot see,
and their hearts so that they cannot understand.
19 (Dt 27:15; 1Ki 11:5) No one considers in his heart,
nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned part of it in the fire;
I also have baked bread on the coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
and shall I make the rest into an abomination?
Shall I fall down to a block of wood?â€
20 (Job 15:31; Ps 102:9 )He feeds on ashes;
a deceived heart has turned him aside
so that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say,
"Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
Israel Not Forgotten
21 (Isa 44:1–2) Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you; you are My servant;
O Israel, you shall not be forgotten by Me.
22 (Isa 43:25; 1Co 6:20) I have blotted out, as a thick cloud,
your transgressions, and your sins, as a cloud.
Return to Me,
for I have redeemed you.
23 (Ps 69:34; Isa 49:3 ) Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it.
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorified Himself in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
24 (Isa 42:5; 43:14; 44:2) Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb:
I am the Lord
who makes all things,
who stretches out the heavens alone,
who spreads abroad the earth by Myself,
25 (2Sa 15:31; Ps 33:10) who frustrates the omens of the boasters
and makes fools out of diviners,
who turns wise men backward
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 (Zec 1:6) who confirms the word of His servant
and performs the counsel of His messengers,
who says to Jerusalem, "You shall be inhabited,"
and to the cities of Judah, "You shall be built."
And I will raise up her ruins again;
27 (Isa 42:15; Jer 50:38) it is I who says to the deep, "Be dried up!"
And I will dry up your rivers;
28 (2Ch 36:22-1:3; Isa 45:1) it is I who says of Cyrus, "He is My shepherd,
and shall perform all My desire";
and he declares to Jerusalem, "You shall be built,"
and to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."
Isaiah 45
Cyrus, God's Anointed
1 (Isa 41:13; Ps 73:23) Thus says the Lord to Cyrus, His anointed,
whose right hand I have held-
to subdue nations before him
and to loosen the loins of kings,
to open doors before him
so that the gates will not be shut:
2 (Ps 107:16; Isa 40:4) I will go before you
and make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
and shatter the bars of iron.
3 (Isa 43:1; Jer 50:37) And I will give you the treasures of darkness
and hidden riches of secret places
so that you may know that I, the Lord,
who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel.
4 (Isa 41:8-9; Ac 17:23) For Jacob My servant’s sake
and Israel My chosen one,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you,
though you have not known Me.
5 (Isa 44:8; Ps 18:39; Job 12:21) I am the Lord and there is no other;
there is no God besides Me.
I strengthen you,
though you have not known Me,
6 (Mal 1:11; Isa 37:20) so that they may know from the rising of the sun
and from the west
that there is no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
7 (Am 3:6 ) I form the light and create darkness;
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 (Hos 10:12; Ps 72:6 ) Drip down, O heavens, from above,
and let the clouds pour down righteousness;
let the earth open up,
and let them bring forth salvation,
and let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 (Isa 29:16; 64:8) Woe to him who strives with his Maker,
the potsherd with the potsherds of the earth!
Shall the clay say to the potter,
"What are you making?"
Or the thing you are making say,
"He has no hands"?
10 Woe to him who says to his father,
"What are you begetting?â€
Or to the woman,
“To what are you giving birth?"
11 (Isa 29:23; 43:7) Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and his Maker:
Ask Me of things to come
concerning My sons,
and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
12 (Isa 42:5; Ge 2:1; Ne 9:6) I have made the earth
and created man on it.
I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens,
and I have ordained all their host.
13 (Isa 41:2; 2Ch 36:22-23) I have raised him up in righteousness,
and I will direct all his ways;
he shall build My city,
and he shall let My captives go,
neither for price nor reward,
says the Lord of Hosts.
The Only Savior
14 (Isa 49:23; Jer 16:19; Zec 8:20-23) Thus says the Lord:
The products of Egypt and merchandise of Ethiopia
and of the Sabeans-men of stature-
shall come over to you,
and they shall be yours;
they shall come after you;
in chains they shall come over,
and they shall fall down before you.
They shall make supplication to you, saying,
"Surely God is with you, and there is no other;
there is no other God."
15 (Ps 44:24; Isa 57:17) Truly You are a God who hides Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 (Isa 42:17; 44:9) They shall be ashamed and also humiliated, all of them;
the craftsmen of idols shall go away in confusion together,
17 (Isa 26:4; 54:4) but Israel shall be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you shall not be ashamed nor humiliated
to all eternity.
18 (Isa 42:5; Ge 1:2) For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens,
who is God,
who formed the earth and made it,
who has established it,
who did not create it in vain,
who formed it to be inhabited:
I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
19 (Isa 48:16; 2Ch 15:2) I have not spoken in secret
in a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,
"Seek Me in a waste place";
I, the Lord, speak righteousness;
I declare things that are right.
20 (Isa 43:9; 46:1) Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together, you fugitives of the nations.
They have no knowledge who set up the wood of their carved image,
and pray to a god that cannot save.
21 (Isa 43:9; 43:11) Declare and set forth your case;
let them take counsel together.
Who has declared this from ancient times?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
And there is no God besides Me,
a righteous God and Savior;
there is no other besides Me.
22 (Nu 21:8-9; 2Ch 20:12) Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (Php 2:10; Ps 63:11) I have sworn by Myself,
the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness
and shall not return,
that to Me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall take an oath.
24 (Isa 41:11) Surely, one shall say, "Only in the Lord
are righteousness and strength."
Men shall come to him,
and all who are incensed at Him shall be ashamed.
25 (Isa 41:16) In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel
be justified and shall glory.
Isaiah 46
The Idols of Babylon
1 (Isa 21:9; Jer 50:2) Bel bows down, Nebo stoops,
their idols are appointed to the beasts and the cattle.
The things that you carry are burdensome;
they are a burden to the weary beast.
2 (Jdg 18:17-18; 2Sa 5:21) They stoop, they bow down together;
they could not deliver the burden,
but themselves have gone into captivity.
3 (Dt 1:31; Ps 71:6) Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who are borne by Me from birth
and are carried from the womb:
4 (Ps 71:18; Isa 43:13) And even to your old age I am He,
and even to your graying years I will carry you;
I have done it, and I will bear you;
even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 (Isa 40:18; 40:25 ) To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal,
and compare Me that we may be alike?
6 They lavish gold out of the bag,
and weigh silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god;
they fall down and worship it.
7 (Isa 45:20; Jer 10:5) They lift it on the shoulder, they carry it,
and they set it in its place, and it stands;
from its place it does not move.
If one shall cry to it, it cannot answer
nor save him out of his trouble.
8 Remember this, and show yourselves men;
bring it to mind again, O transgressors.
9 (Dt 32:7; Isa 42:9) Remember the former things of old,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 (Pr 19:21; Ps 33:11) declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
"My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all My good pleasure,"
11 (Nu 23:19; Isa 41:2) calling a ravenous bird from the east,
the man who executes My counsel from a far country.
Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it; I will also do it.
12 (Ps 119:150; Isa 46:3) Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted,
who are far from righteousness;
13 (Isa 61:3; 44:23) I bring My righteousness near;
it shall not be far off,
and My salvation shall not tarry.
And I will grant salvation in Zion,
and My glory for Israel.
Isaiah 47
The Fall of Babylon
1 (Ps 137:8; Isa 3:26) Come down, and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground; there is no throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans.
For you shall no more be called
tender and delicate.
2 (Mt 24:41; Ex 11:5) Take the millstones and grind meal.
Uncover your veil,
strip off the skirt, uncover the leg,
pass over the rivers.
3 (Na 3:5) Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
and your shame shall be seen;
I will take vengeance,
and I will not meet you as a man.
4 (Isa 41:14; 43:14) As for our Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts is His name,
the Holy One of Israel.
5 (Isa 47:7) Sit silently, and go into darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans;
for you shall no more be called
the queen of kingdoms.
6 (Dt 28:50; 2Ch 28:9) I was angry with My people;
I have polluted My inheritance
and given them into your hand.
You did not show them mercy;
on the aged
you have laid your yoke very heavily.
7 (Dt 32:29; Isa 47:5) You said, "I shall be a queen forever,"
but you did not take these things to heart,
nor remember the outcome of them.
8 (Zep 2:15; Isa 32:9; 45:6) Therefore, now hear this,
you who are given to pleasures,
who dwell carelessly,
who say in your heart,
"I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow,
nor shall I know the loss of children";
9 (Na 3:4; Ps 73:19) but these two things shall come to you
in a moment, in one day,
the loss of children and widowhood.
They shall come upon you in their fullness
because of the multitude of your sorceries
and for the great abundance of your enchantments.
10 (Ps 52:7; Isa 5:21) For you have trusted in your wickedness;
you have said, "No one sees me";
your wisdom and your knowledge have perverted you;
and you have said in your heart,
"I am, and there is no one besides me."
11 (1Th 5:3) Therefore, evil shall come upon you,
which you shall not know from where it rises.
And disaster shall fall upon you,
for which you shall not be able to atone.
And desolation shall come upon you suddenly,
which you shall not know.
12 Stand fast now with your enchantments,
and with the multitude of your sorceries
in which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you shall be able to profit,
perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 (Isa 44:25; 57:10) You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels;
let now the astrologers, the stargazers,
the monthly prognosticators stand up
and save you from these things that shall come upon you.
14 (Na 1:10; Mal 4:1) Surely they shall be as stubble,
the fire shall burn them;
they shall not deliver themselves
from the power of the flame;
it shall not be coal to be warmed by
nor a fire to sit before.
15 Thus those shall be to you
with whom you have labored,
even your merchants, from your youth;
they shall wander, everyone to his quarter.
No one shall save you.
Isaiah 48
Israel Refined for God's Glory
1 (Ps 68:26; Jer 4:2) Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel,
and have come forth from the waters of Judah;
who swear by the name of the Lord,
and invoke the God of Israel,
but not in truth or in righteousness;
2 (Mic 3:11; Isa 10:20) for they call themselves after the holy city,
and lean on the God of Israel;
the Lord of Hosts is His name:
3 (Isa 41:22; 42:9) I have declared the former things from the beginning;
and they went forth from My mouth, and I announced them.
Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
4 (Ex 32:9; Dt 31:27) Because I knew that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew,
and your brow bronze;
5 (Isa 48:3; Jer 44:15-18) I have even from the beginning declared it to you;
before it came to pass I announced it to you,
lest you should say,
"My idol has done them,
and my carved image and my molded image has commanded them."
6 (Isa 42:9) You have heard; see all this.
And will you not declare it?
I have shown you new things from this time,
even hidden things, and you did not know them.
7 They are created now and not from the beginning;
even before the day when you did not hear them,
lest you should say,
"Yes, I knew them."
8 (Ps 58:3) You have not heard, you have not known,
indeed, from long ago your ear has not been open.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
and that from birth you have been called a rebel.
9 (Ps 78:38; Ne 9:30-31) For My name's sake I will defer My anger,
and for My praise I will restrain it for you
so that you are not cut off.
10 (Dt 4:20; Jer 9:7) See, I have refined you, but not with silver;
I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
11 (Isa 42:8; Eze 20:9) For My own sake, even for My own sake, I will do it;
for how can My name be polluted?
And I will not give My glory to another.
The Lord’s Call to Israel
12 (Isa 41:4; Rev 22:13) Listen to Me, O Jacob
and Israel, whom I called:
I am He;
I am the First, and I am the Last.
13 (Isa 40:26; Ex 20:11) My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand up together.
14 (Isa 43:9; 13:4-5) Assemble, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord has loved him;
he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken,
and I have called him;
I have brought him,
and his way will prosper.
16 (Isa 45:19) Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me
and His Spirit.
17 (Ps 32:8; Isa 43:14) Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 (Dt 32:29; Isa 66:12) Oh, that you had listened to My commandments!
Then your peace would have been as a river
and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
19 (Ge 22:17; Isa 10:22) Your descendants also would have been as the sand
and your offspring like grains of sand;
their name would not have been cut off
nor destroyed from before Me.
20 (Isa 52:9; Jer 50:8; 51:6) Go forth from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing declare,
proclaim this,
utter it even to the ends of the earth;
say, "The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob."
21 (Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11) They did not thirst when He led them
through the deserts;
He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them;
He also split the rock,
and the waters gushed out.
22 Isa 57:21 "There is no peace," says the Lord, "for the wicked."
2) Our Daily Bread for 26 July 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/07/26/look-whats-blooming
entitled Blooming for Jesus
John 13:31-35
31 (Jn 7:39; 14:13) When he had gone out, Jesus then said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in Him God is glorified.
32 (Jn 12:23; 17:1) If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him
in Himself and will immediately glorify Him.
33 (Jn 7:33-34; 1Jn 2:1) "Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
You will seek Me. And as I said to the Jews, so now I tell you,
'Where I am going, you cannot come.'
34 (Lev 19:18; Eph 5:2) "A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.
35 (Jn 17:21) By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
I wasn't truthful about the tulips. A gift from my younger daughter,
the packaged bulbs traveled home with her to the US from Amsterdam
after she visited there. So I made a show of accepting the bulbs
with great excitement, as excited as I was to reunite with her.
But tulips are my least favorite flower. Many bloom early and fade fast.
The July weather, meantime, made it too hot to plant them.
Finally, however, in late September, I planted "my daughter's" bulbs-thinking
of her and thus planting them with love. With each turn of the rocky soil,
my concern for the bulbs grew. Giving their plant bed a final pat, I
offered the bulbs a blessing, "sleep well," hoping to see blooming tulips
in the spring.
My little project became a humble reminder of God's call for us
to love one another, even if we're not each other's "favourites."
Looking past each other's faulty "weeds," we're enabled by God
to extend love to others, even in temperamental seasons.
Then, over time, mutual love blooms in spite of ourselves.
"By this," Jesus said, "everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another" (John 13:35).
Pruned by Him, we're blessed then to bloom,
as my tulips did the next spring-on the same weekend my daughter
arrived for a short visit. "Look what's blooming!" I said. Finally, me.
By: Patricia Raybon
Reflect & Pray
Whom is God asking you to love, even if that person isn't your "favourite"?
What can you do to show that person more of the love of Christ?
Dear Jesus, prune my heart so I can learn to love others in Christ.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 1 Knowing God's Word Day 2 - Growing Up
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 (Ro 15:4) All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction
in righteousness,
17 (1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 2:21) that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
"I can't wait till I get big!" Marc, age 5, declared. "Then I do
what I want!" Most of us, as children, shared Marc's statement.
We looked forward to that "magic age" - 16, 18, 21 - when we
would be adults: mature, able to make our own decisions.
We find, of course, that adulthood has its own share of
difficulties and conflicts. But even in our spiritual lives
we often long for a "magic moment" of maturity. As one woman
confessed, "Ever since I became a Christian, I've hoped I'd wake up
one morning to find myself mature."
But growth in the spiritual life comes gradually, like growth in
the physical world. In 2 Tim 2:16-17, Paul gives the young pastor
Timothy an important key to spiritual growing up - the Word of God.
The Word is "profitable" or "useful," Paul says, for "teaching" - that is,
for developing a right concept of God. Scripture offers "rebuke" when
we go wrong, "correction" to set us on the right path, and "training
in righteousness" so that we can grow in the image of Christ.
The purpose of Scripture's work in our lives, Paul emphasises,
is that we may be "perfect" - mature, equipped for the good things
God has for us to do. Such maturity does not come easily
or instantaneously, but it does come - sometimes imperceptibly -
as we submit our lives to the transforming power of God's Word.
Application
a) In what areas of my life do I need to grow? How can I benefit
from the Bible's
i) teaching?
ii) rebuke?
iii) correction?
iv) training in righteousness?
b) How can memorising God's Word help me grow in those areas?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Deut 30:19-20
19 (Dt 4:26; 30:1) I call heaven and earth to witnesses against you this day,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.
Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
20 (Dt 10:20; Ps 27:1) that you may love the Lord your God,
that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him,
for He is your life and the length of your days;
and that you may dwell in the land that the Lord
swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Freeing Forgiveness
Ps 103:1-14
PSALMS 103
A Psalm of David.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits,
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) who forgives all your iniquities,
who heals all your diseases,
4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) who satisfies your mouth with good things,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8–9) The Lord does righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 (Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3) He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the people of Israel.
8 (Job 35:10; Ps 63:6) The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) He will not always accuse,
neither will He keep his anger forever.
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) He does not treat us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord gives compassion to those who fear Him.
14 For He knows how we are formed;
He remembers that we are dust.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Where do Muslims live?
Canada is a land of immigrants. And Muslims are coming in increasing numbers
to our shores. Where do they live? How can we prayfor these areas? Use this as
your more effectively for Muslims in Canada.
Data for those population figures is extrapoled for the 2011 National
Household Survay and population growth projections by Pew Forum. These have
also been adjusted by +40% as reliable sources state that on 60% of Muslims
self-identify on government surveys and forms. These estimates are still on
the conservative end of the spectrum. Percentages represent that of the total
Canadian population, not provincial
BC - 136493 - 7.5%
AB - 195240 - 11%
SK - 17279 - 1%
MB - 21349 - 1.2%
ON - 1001542 - 55%
QC - 418946 - 23%
NB - 4543 - 0.003%
NS - 14629 - 0.1%
PEI - 1127 - 0.0006%
NFLD - 2065 - 0.001%
Yukon - 69 - 0.00004%
NWT - 473 - 0.0003%
NU - 86 - 0.00005%
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 26 of the Month
a) Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ (Matt 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
)
b) Pray for the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut
I) Pray for the leaders of Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut,
that God's Spirit would influence then to act justly,
serve with integrity
and honour high moral standards. ( 1 Tim 2:1 - 4
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone,
2 (Ezr 6:10) for kings and for all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
3(1Ti 1:1; Lk 1:47) for this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 (Eze 18:23; 18:32)who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
II) Pray for the churches of the province,
that they would be lighthouses
beaming forth the illuminating truth of God's Word.
III) Pray that the Lord would use
the Finding the Hope Campaign
and booklet to turn many hearts to Jesus
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to come back to Him despite your wrongs.
Pray to the Lord "Dear Jesus, prune my heart
so I can learn to love others in Christ."
Pray to the Lord and ask him to help you memorise and understand The Word.
Pray to the Lord and ask Him to strengthen your faith in Him
Pray to the Lord and ask to be blessed in His Holy name
Pray for Muslims in Canada to know Jesus as Saviour.
Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have God's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ.
Pray for ministry prtners seeking to bless persecuted Christians in China
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.