Day 333 - 29 November 2021 reflections
Day 333, 29 November 2021
1)
1 Corinthians 9 - 11
1 Corinthians 9
The Rights of an Apostle
1 (1Co 3:6; Ac 9:3) Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen
Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet indeed I am to you.
For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my answer to those who examine me.
4 (1Th 2:6; 2Th 3:8-9) Do we have no right to eat and to drink?
5 (Mt 8:14; Jn 1:42) Do we not have the right to take along a believing
wife as do other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 (Ac 4:36) Or is it only Barnabas
and I who have no right to refrain from working?
7 (Dt 20:6; Pr 27:18) Who goes to war at any time at his own expense?
Who plants a vineyard, but does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock,
but does not drink of the flock's milk?
8 Do I say these things as a man? Or does the law not say the same thing also?
9 (Dt 25:4; 1Ti 5:18) For it is written in the Law of Moses,
"You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox
while it treads out the grain." (Dt 25:4.) Is God concerned about oxen?
10 (2Ti 2:6) Or does He say it completely for our sake? For our sake,
no doubt, this is written so that he who plows should plow in hope,
and that he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope.
11 (Ro 15:27; Gal 6:6) If we have sown for you spiritual things, is it
a great thing if we shall reap your material things?
12 (1Co 9:18; 2Co 11:12) If others partake of this right over you,
should not we instead?
Nevertheless, we have not used this right, but suffer all things,
lest we might hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 (Lev 6:26; Nu 18:8-20) Do you not know that those who minister
unto holy things live from the things of the temple?
And do you not know that those who wait at the altar partake of the altar?
14 (Mt 10:10; 1Co 9:4) In the same way, the Lord has ordained that those
who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
15 (Ac 18:3; 1Co 9:12) But I have used none of these rights,
nor have I written these things that it should be so done to me.
For it would be better for me to die than allow anyone
to make my boasting void.
16 (Ro 1:14; Ac 9:15) Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of,
for the requirement is laid upon me. Yes, woe unto me
if I do not preach the gospel!
17 (Gal 2:7; 1Co 3:8) So if I do this willingly, I have a reward,
but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a commission.
18 (1Co 7:31) What is my reward then? Truly that when I preach the gospel,
I may present the gospel of Christ without charge,
so that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.
19 (Mt 18:15; 1Co 9:1) For though I am free from all men, I have made myself
servant to all, that I might win even more.
20 (Ac 16:3; 21:20-26) To the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might win
the Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might
win those who are under the law;
21 (Ro 2:12; 2:14) to those who are outside the law, as outside the law
(being not without God's law, but under Christ's law) that I might win
those who are outside the law.
22 (Ro 11:14; 1Co 10:33) To the weak, I became as weak, that I might win
the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means
save some.
23 (This I do for the gospel's sake, that I might partake of it with you.
24 (Gal 2:2; Heb 12:1) Do you not know that all those who run in a race run,
but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain it.
25 (Jas 1:12; Rev 2:10; 1Ti 6:12) Everyone who strives for the prize
exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to obtain
a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one.
26 So, therefore, I run, not with uncertainty. So I fight, not as one who
beats the air.
27 (Ro 8:13; Jer 6:30) But I bring and keep my body under subjection,
lest when preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 10
Warning Against Idolatry
1 (Ex 14:29; Ps 66:6) I would not want you to be unaware that all our fathers
were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,
2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 (Ex 16:35; Dt 8:3) all ate the same spiritual food;
4 (Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11) and all drank the same spiritual drink,
for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them,
and that Rock was Christ.
5 (Heb 3:17; Jude 1:5) But with many of them God was not well pleased,
and they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 (Nu 11:4; 1Co 10:11) Now these things were our examples to the intent
that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted.
7 (Ex 32:19; 32:4) Neither be idolaters as were some of them.
As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel."
(Ex 32:6.)
8 (Nu 25:1-9; 1Co 6:18) Neither let us commit sexual immorality
as some of them committed, when twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
9 (Nu 21:5-6; Ex 17:2) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also
tempted and were destroyed by serpents.
10 (Ex 12:23; Nu 16:41) Neither murmur, as some of them also murmured
and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 (Ro 13:11) Now all these things happened to them for examples.
They are written as an admonition to us, upon whom the end of the ages
has come.
12 (Ro 11:20) Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall.
13 (1Co 1:9; 2Pe 2:9) No temptation has taken you except what is common
to man. God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted
above what you can endure, but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.
14 (1Co 10:7; 1Jn 5:21) So, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
15 (1Co 8:1; 1Th 5:21) I speak as to wise men.
Judge for yourselves what I say.
16 (Mt 26:26-28; Ac 2:42) The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break,
is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 (Ro 12:5; 1Co 12:12) For we, being many, are one bread and one body,
for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18 (Ro 4:1) Consider Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat
of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
19 (1Co 8:4) What am I saying then, that the idol is anything
or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?
20 (Rev 9:20) But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. I do not want you to have
fellowship with demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.
You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.
22 (Dt 32:21; 32:16) Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?
Are we stronger than He?
Do All to the Glory of God
23 (1Co 6:12; 8:9) "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are
helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things edify.
24 (1Co 10:33; 13:5) Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's
well-being.
25 (1Co 8:7) Eat whatever is sold in the meat market,
asking no question for the sake of conscience,
26 (Ps 24:1; 50:12) for "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
(Ps 24:1.)
27 If any of those who do not believe invite you to a feast,
and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you,
asking no question for the sake of conscience.
28 But if anyone says to you, "This was offered in sacrifice to idols,"
do not eat it for the sake of him that mentioned it and for the sake
of conscience, for "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." (Ps 24:1.)
29 (1Co 9:19) Conscience, I say, not your own, but that of the other.
For why is my liberty judged by another man's conscience?
30 (Ro 14:6; 1Ti 4:3-4) If I partake with thankfulness,
why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?
31 (Col 3:17; 1Pe 4:11) Therefore, whether you eat, or drink,
or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.
32 (Ac 20:28; 1Co 8:13; Ro 14:13) Give no offense, neither to the Jews,
nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God,
33 (1Co 10:24) just as I try to please all men in all things,
not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 11
1 (1Co 4:16; Php 3:17) Follow me as I follow Christ.
Covering the Head in Worship
2 (2Th 2:15; 1Co 4:17; 11:17) I praise you, brothers, that you remember me
in all things and keep the traditions as I delivered them to you.
3 (Ge 3:16; 1Co 3:23; Eph 4:15) But I would have you know that the head
of the woman is the man, the head of every man is Christ,
and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying having
his head covered dishonors his head,
5 (Dt 21:12; Ac 21:9) but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head
uncovered dishonors her head, for that is the same as if she were shaved.
6 For if the woman is not covered, let her also cut off her hair.
But if it is a shame for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved,
let her be covered.
7 (Jas 3:9; Ge 5:1) For a man indeed ought not to cover his head,
because he is the image and glory of God.
But the woman is the glory of the man.
8 (1Ti 2:13; Ge 2:21-23) The man is not from the woman,
but the woman from the man.
9 (Ge 2:18) The man was not created for the woman,
but the woman for the man.
10 For this reason the woman ought to have a veil of authority over her head,
because of the angels.
11 (Gal 3:28) Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman,
nor the woman without the man in the Lord.
12 (Ro 11:36) For just as the woman came from the man,
so the man comes through the woman, but all things come from God.
13 (Lk 12:57) Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray
to God uncovered?
14 Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair it is
a shame to him?
15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given
her for a covering.
16 (1Co 7:17; 1Th 2:14) But if anyone seems to be contentious,
we have no such custom, nor have the churches of God.
Abuses at the Lord's Supper
17 (1Co 11:2; 11:22) Now in what I have to say to you, I do not praise you.
You have come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 (1Co 3:3; 1:10-12) First of all, when you come together as the church,
I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 (1Jn 2:19; Dt 13:3) For there must also be factions among you so that
those who are genuine may become evident among you.
20 Therefore when you come together into one place,
it is not to eat the Lord's Supper.
21 (Jude 1:12; 2Pe 2:13) For in eating, each one eats his own supper
ahead of others. One goes hungry, and another becomes drunk.
22 (1Co 10:32; Pr 17:5) What? Do you not have houses to eat and to drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?
What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
The Lord's Supper
Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:14-20
23 (1Co 15:3; Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24) I have received of the Lord that
which I delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which
He was betrayed, took bread.
24 When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take and eat.
This is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me."
(Mt 26:26; Mk 14:22; Lk 22:19.)
25 (Lk 22:20; 2Co 3:6) In the same manner He took the cup after He had
supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
(Mt 26:27-28; Mk 14:24; Lk 22:20.)
26 (Jn 21:22; 1Co 4:5) As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
Partaking of the Supper Unworthily
27 (Nu 9:10; 9:13) Therefore whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup
of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 (2Co 13:5; Gal 6:4) Let a man examine himself,
and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation
to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this reason many are weak and unhealthy among you, and many die.
31 (1Jn 1:9) If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord,
so that we would not be condemned with the world.
33 So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 (1Co 4:19; 11:21-22) If anyone hungers, let him eat at home,
so that you may not come together into condemnation.
I will set the rest in order when I come.
2) Our Daily Bread for 29 November 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/11/29/even-if-3
entitled Trusting God in Opposition
Daniel 3:13-18,25-27
13 (Da 2:12; 3:19) Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. Then they brought these men
before the king.
14 (Isa 46:1; Jer 50:2) Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them, "Is it true,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods
or worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 (Ex 5:2; 2Ki 18:35) Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,
and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made,
very well. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast the same hour into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that god who can deliver
you out of my hands?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king,
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer in this matter.
17 (Job 5:19; Ps 27:1-2) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us
out of your hand, O king.
18 (Isa 51:12-13) But even if He does not, be it known to you,
O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image
which you have set up."
Protection in the Fiery Furnace
25 (Isa 43:2; Job 1:6) He answered and said, "But I see four men loose
and walking in the midst of the fire, and they are unharmed.
And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!"
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God
26 (Da 3:17; 4:2) Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning
fiery furnace, and spoke, and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here!"
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire.
27 (Heb 11:34; Isa 43:2) The officials, governors, and captains,
and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men upon
whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed,
neither were their coats changed, nor had the smell of fire even come
upon them.
Raised in a tribe in the Philippines opposed to belief in Christ,
Esther received salvation through Jesus after an aunt prayed
for her during Esther's battle with a life-threatening illness.
Today, Esther leads Bible studies in her local community in spite
of threats of violence and even death. She serves joyfully, saying,
"I can't stop telling people about Jesus because I've experienced
the power, love, goodness, and faithfulness of God in my life."
Serving God in the face of opposition is a reality for many today
just as it was for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three young
Israelites living in captivity in Babylon. In the book of Daniel,
we learn that they refused to pray to a large golden image
of King Nebuchadnezzar even when threatened with death.
The men testified that God was capable of protecting them,
but they chose to serve Him "even if" He didn't rescue them (Daniel 3:18).
When they were thrown into the fire, God actually joined them
in their suffering (v. 25). To everyone's amazement,
they survived without even "a hair of their heads singed" (v. 27).
If we face suffering or persecution for an act of faith,
ancient and modern examples remind us that God's Spirit is present with us
to strengthen and sustain us when we choose to obey Him, "even if"
things turn out differently than we hope.
By: Lisa M. Samra
Reflect & Pray
What are some ways you’ve chosen to follow God "even if"?
What are ways He's been with you?
God, thank You for loving me so generously.
Help me to follow You with joy even in the face of opposition.
3) From The Billy Graham Evangelical Ministry Association
Words in Season - Scripture Memory Tools
Week 3 - Saved Now and Forver - Day 2 - The Right of Family
John 1:11-12
11 (Jn 3:32) He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.
12 (Gal 3:26; 1Jn 3:23) Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power
to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name,
"Dad, can I ask you something?" Jimmy leaned across the back of his
father's chair. HIs father lowered the newspaper and reached around,
settling Jimmy on his lap.
"Sure. Son," he answered. "You can ask me anything you want. The answer
might not be Yes, butyou always have the right to ask."
For many who have grown up in homes where the father was absent, or when
present, abusive or silent, the scenario of Jimmy and his father may
seem unrealistic. Often we aren't given the right by our parents to ask
what we want, to communicate openly, to express our needs and desires.
But god clearly indicates that no matter what our human families have been
like, in his family there are no barriers to belonging,
to open communications. When we commit our lives to Christ and submit to his
lordship, we have the right to become the sons and daughters of God.
In Christ, we have the right to approach him, to pray, to seek wisdom,
to ask advice, to make requests, to verbalise our needs and desires. We don't
have to be afraid of sounding stupid or being rejected, because in Christ
we belong to him, and he loves us.
The KJV uses the word "power" in verse 12 - "to them gave he power to become
the sons of God." Power implies ability, that we are equipped by the Spirit
to be children of the King. We have the right and we have the power to become
who God has called us to be - his children.
Application
a) Under what circumstances in my life have I felt that I didn't
have the right to express my wishes or feelings?
b) How do today's verses give me confidence in approaching God?
4) Prosperity verses from Kenneth Copeland
Deut 28:11
11 (Dt 28:4; 30:9) The Lord will make you overflow in prosperity,
in the offspring of your body, in the offspring of your livestock,
and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore
to your fathers to give you.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are lonely
1 John 4:16b-18
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
17 (1Jn 2:5; 2:28) In this way God's love is perfected in us,
so that we may have boldness on the Day of Judgment, because as He is,
so are we in this world.
18 (Ro 8:15; 2Ti 1:7) There is no fear in love,
but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
Whoever fears is not perfect in love.
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?)
Newfoundland & Labrador
Total population 527000
Muslim population (est.) 2065
As of Autumn 2014, St. John's does not have a local CNMM network. Pray with us
for God's people to come together in prayer
and cooperative efforts to reach Muslims with the Good News.
St. John's has one mosque and 2 more musallas , or prayer locations, which
may grow into mosques of their own. The mosque is called Masjid an Noor,
The Mosque of the Light, and mosque historical documents record a trip in 1986
to Saudi Arabia to raise funds for the land purchase and construction costs.
A small number of Muslim families had come prior to 1964, but moved on to
other places after a short time. After this date, a small community began
to remain and grow , reaching about 25 families in the 1980s. A number
of international students also join the community annually
ranging from 25 to 60.
In 2014 the mosque website reports the community is made up of some 200
families and many university students attending Memorial University. A
small number of native Newfoundlanders have also converted to the Islamic
faith, one saying of this religion in Newfoundland, "Islam is a growing face".
With the growth of the community, the current challenge is lack of space
in the mosque, which they are now looking at expanding.
Pray for
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
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 29 of the Month
a) Pray that God will enlighten those in medicine and health care
to acknowledge the sanctity of life and server with true
integrity and compassion (
Ps 139:13-16
13 You brought my inner parts into being;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise you, for You made me with fear and wonder;
marvelous are Your works,
and You know me completely.
15 My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
and intricately put together in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw me unformed,
yet in Your book
all my days were written,
before any of them came into being.
)
b) Pray that the Church in Canada will remember the poor
and compassionately respond to their plight (
Gal 2:10
10 (Ac 24:17) Only they requested that we should remember the poor,
which I also was eager to do.
)
Advent Day 2
Phillippians 2:6-7
6 (Jn 5:18; 10:33) who, being in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.
7 (Mt 20:28; Jn 1:14) But He emptied Himself,
taking upon Himself the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men.
From C.S. Lewis a Grand Miracle
"The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe,
became mot only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a fetus inside
a Woman's body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like
to become a slug or a crab." -C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity p.179
The Distance He traveled
My longest trip took me from the Midwestern USA to the Southeast Asian
city of Singapore, a distance of 9290 miles as the crow files.
Astronauts have traveled almost 250 000 miles , the distance from
Earth to the moon. Since 1977, Voyager 2 has traveled to 4 planets
and their moons, passing Neptune in 1989 and moving beyond the solar system.
Today it is more than 8 000 000 000 miles from the Sun.
God traveled even further than that, although we're not measuring
the distance in miles. The infinite Creator stepped inside an unborn baby,
the weakest of humans. Paul says it this way,
"who, being in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.
But He emptied Himself," That's a long trip, from majesty to humility,
from deity to humanity, from God to God-man.
For God to make himself nothing is to travel from the infinite ot the finite.
Try as we might, we cannot fully comprehend that distance. The best
we can do is to make comparisons. Lewis compares the Incarnation of God
to the idea of becoming a slug or a crab. That brings a smile to our faces.
That would be a huge distance to travel, a humbling of oneself,
changing from human to animal. I can't really imagine it. Can you?
What Jesus did is all the more remarkable.
Jesus, Immanuel, Thank You for going the distance to
become one of us, God with us. Amen.
From Follow the Story by Marva J. Dawn
FIRST Monday OF ADVENT
Credentials
Luke 1:5-7
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest
named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And his wife was
of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren,
and they both were now well advanced in years.
Luke, the historian, want to inform us that Zechariah was
a real man. He places him carefully in the datable reign
of King Heard of Judea and in the priestly order of Abijah.
To add to his credentials, Luke tells us that Zechariah's wife
Elizabath was also of the Aaronic priestly order. Not only were
they righteous, but they were blameless in following all the
Lord's precepts. We know that no one is perfect, for "All have sinned"
(Romans 3:23), but they had done their best to keep God's statutes
and had come as close to rectitude as possible for human beings.
So what went wrong? Why is Elizabeth barren and looked down on in
and by their culture for being so? Is their goodness not
sufficient to merit God's favour? No, and none of ours is.
Rather this text and its emphasis on her growing older is
setting us up for an extraordinary divine intervention.
Isn't it arresting that God blows the rules of nature to
accomplish his purposes?
Prayer
God , thank you for beginning this Advent with you astonishing
- and love-inducing- works! Amen.
The AH-HAs of Advent by Rich Bimler
Ps 130:5-6
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait;
I long for His Word!
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
FIRST MONDAY OF ADVENT
AH-HA! Ambassadors of Health, Hope and ANEW!
We may find it hard to wait for Christmas to come, especially since
we have been hearing Christmas carols in the shopping malls since
Labour Day and seeing smiling stuffed Santas on neighbourhood lawns
since Halloween! but in a way, that's all right, because it helps us to remind
ourselves that the Lord comes to us anew each day, to renew us anew in out Baptism!
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait;
I long for His Word!
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
Seeing advent anew occurs when we do more watching and waiting for
God's presence and promise in and around us and when we do less
waiting and worrying about peripheral things. Watch and wait to see how
the weighty issues of worries, woes and wars fall into new and refreshing
ways of looking at life in the Lord! Advent renews us to remember that
Christ came to us in the manger ... that Christ will come again ...
and that Christ comes to us each day - in water and Word, in words and
wonders, in wows and other winsome ways.
Prayer
Lord, thanks for calling us to be your AH-HA people. Thanks for refreshing
is anew with your love, your forgiveness and your precious presence among us.
It's a new day, Lord, in you.
In Jesus' name. Amen ... and AH-HA!
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to be a strong witness and to flee temptation.
Pray to the Lord "God, thank You for loving me so generously.
Help me to follow You with joy even in the face of opposition."
Pray to the Lord and thank Him for he has given you power as a believer.
Pray to the Lord and pray to uphold His covenant with you.
Pray to the Lord and thank Him for He is love.
Pray for in Newfoundland and Labrador
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
Pray that God will enlighten those in medicine and health care
to acknowledge the sanctity of life and server with true
integrity and compassion
Pray that the Church in Canada will remember the poor
and compassionately respond to their plight
Pray Jesus, Immanuel, Thank You for going the distance to
become one of us, God with us. Amen.
Pray God , thank you for beginning this Advent with you astonishing
- and love-inducing- works! Amen.
Pray Lord, thanks for calling us to be your AH-HA people. Thanks for refreshing
is anew with your love, your forgiveness and your precious presence among us.
It's a new day, Lord, in you.
In Jesus' name. Amen
Pray that Christians in Uzbekistan will remain strong during difficult times.
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.
1)
1 Corinthians 9 - 11
1 Corinthians 9
The Rights of an Apostle
1 (1Co 3:6; Ac 9:3) Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen
Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet indeed I am to you.
For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my answer to those who examine me.
4 (1Th 2:6; 2Th 3:8-9) Do we have no right to eat and to drink?
5 (Mt 8:14; Jn 1:42) Do we not have the right to take along a believing
wife as do other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 (Ac 4:36) Or is it only Barnabas
and I who have no right to refrain from working?
7 (Dt 20:6; Pr 27:18) Who goes to war at any time at his own expense?
Who plants a vineyard, but does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock,
but does not drink of the flock's milk?
8 Do I say these things as a man? Or does the law not say the same thing also?
9 (Dt 25:4; 1Ti 5:18) For it is written in the Law of Moses,
"You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox
while it treads out the grain." (Dt 25:4.) Is God concerned about oxen?
10 (2Ti 2:6) Or does He say it completely for our sake? For our sake,
no doubt, this is written so that he who plows should plow in hope,
and that he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope.
11 (Ro 15:27; Gal 6:6) If we have sown for you spiritual things, is it
a great thing if we shall reap your material things?
12 (1Co 9:18; 2Co 11:12) If others partake of this right over you,
should not we instead?
Nevertheless, we have not used this right, but suffer all things,
lest we might hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 (Lev 6:26; Nu 18:8-20) Do you not know that those who minister
unto holy things live from the things of the temple?
And do you not know that those who wait at the altar partake of the altar?
14 (Mt 10:10; 1Co 9:4) In the same way, the Lord has ordained that those
who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
15 (Ac 18:3; 1Co 9:12) But I have used none of these rights,
nor have I written these things that it should be so done to me.
For it would be better for me to die than allow anyone
to make my boasting void.
16 (Ro 1:14; Ac 9:15) Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of,
for the requirement is laid upon me. Yes, woe unto me
if I do not preach the gospel!
17 (Gal 2:7; 1Co 3:8) So if I do this willingly, I have a reward,
but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a commission.
18 (1Co 7:31) What is my reward then? Truly that when I preach the gospel,
I may present the gospel of Christ without charge,
so that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.
19 (Mt 18:15; 1Co 9:1) For though I am free from all men, I have made myself
servant to all, that I might win even more.
20 (Ac 16:3; 21:20-26) To the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might win
the Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might
win those who are under the law;
21 (Ro 2:12; 2:14) to those who are outside the law, as outside the law
(being not without God's law, but under Christ's law) that I might win
those who are outside the law.
22 (Ro 11:14; 1Co 10:33) To the weak, I became as weak, that I might win
the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means
save some.
23 (This I do for the gospel's sake, that I might partake of it with you.
24 (Gal 2:2; Heb 12:1) Do you not know that all those who run in a race run,
but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain it.
25 (Jas 1:12; Rev 2:10; 1Ti 6:12) Everyone who strives for the prize
exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to obtain
a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one.
26 So, therefore, I run, not with uncertainty. So I fight, not as one who
beats the air.
27 (Ro 8:13; Jer 6:30) But I bring and keep my body under subjection,
lest when preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 10
Warning Against Idolatry
1 (Ex 14:29; Ps 66:6) I would not want you to be unaware that all our fathers
were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,
2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 (Ex 16:35; Dt 8:3) all ate the same spiritual food;
4 (Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11) and all drank the same spiritual drink,
for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them,
and that Rock was Christ.
5 (Heb 3:17; Jude 1:5) But with many of them God was not well pleased,
and they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 (Nu 11:4; 1Co 10:11) Now these things were our examples to the intent
that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted.
7 (Ex 32:19; 32:4) Neither be idolaters as were some of them.
As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel."
(Ex 32:6.)
8 (Nu 25:1-9; 1Co 6:18) Neither let us commit sexual immorality
as some of them committed, when twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
9 (Nu 21:5-6; Ex 17:2) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also
tempted and were destroyed by serpents.
10 (Ex 12:23; Nu 16:41) Neither murmur, as some of them also murmured
and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 (Ro 13:11) Now all these things happened to them for examples.
They are written as an admonition to us, upon whom the end of the ages
has come.
12 (Ro 11:20) Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall.
13 (1Co 1:9; 2Pe 2:9) No temptation has taken you except what is common
to man. God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted
above what you can endure, but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.
14 (1Co 10:7; 1Jn 5:21) So, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
15 (1Co 8:1; 1Th 5:21) I speak as to wise men.
Judge for yourselves what I say.
16 (Mt 26:26-28; Ac 2:42) The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break,
is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 (Ro 12:5; 1Co 12:12) For we, being many, are one bread and one body,
for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18 (Ro 4:1) Consider Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat
of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
19 (1Co 8:4) What am I saying then, that the idol is anything
or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?
20 (Rev 9:20) But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. I do not want you to have
fellowship with demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.
You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.
22 (Dt 32:21; 32:16) Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?
Are we stronger than He?
Do All to the Glory of God
23 (1Co 6:12; 8:9) "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are
helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things edify.
24 (1Co 10:33; 13:5) Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's
well-being.
25 (1Co 8:7) Eat whatever is sold in the meat market,
asking no question for the sake of conscience,
26 (Ps 24:1; 50:12) for "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
(Ps 24:1.)
27 If any of those who do not believe invite you to a feast,
and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you,
asking no question for the sake of conscience.
28 But if anyone says to you, "This was offered in sacrifice to idols,"
do not eat it for the sake of him that mentioned it and for the sake
of conscience, for "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." (Ps 24:1.)
29 (1Co 9:19) Conscience, I say, not your own, but that of the other.
For why is my liberty judged by another man's conscience?
30 (Ro 14:6; 1Ti 4:3-4) If I partake with thankfulness,
why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?
31 (Col 3:17; 1Pe 4:11) Therefore, whether you eat, or drink,
or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.
32 (Ac 20:28; 1Co 8:13; Ro 14:13) Give no offense, neither to the Jews,
nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God,
33 (1Co 10:24) just as I try to please all men in all things,
not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 11
1 (1Co 4:16; Php 3:17) Follow me as I follow Christ.
Covering the Head in Worship
2 (2Th 2:15; 1Co 4:17; 11:17) I praise you, brothers, that you remember me
in all things and keep the traditions as I delivered them to you.
3 (Ge 3:16; 1Co 3:23; Eph 4:15) But I would have you know that the head
of the woman is the man, the head of every man is Christ,
and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying having
his head covered dishonors his head,
5 (Dt 21:12; Ac 21:9) but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head
uncovered dishonors her head, for that is the same as if she were shaved.
6 For if the woman is not covered, let her also cut off her hair.
But if it is a shame for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved,
let her be covered.
7 (Jas 3:9; Ge 5:1) For a man indeed ought not to cover his head,
because he is the image and glory of God.
But the woman is the glory of the man.
8 (1Ti 2:13; Ge 2:21-23) The man is not from the woman,
but the woman from the man.
9 (Ge 2:18) The man was not created for the woman,
but the woman for the man.
10 For this reason the woman ought to have a veil of authority over her head,
because of the angels.
11 (Gal 3:28) Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman,
nor the woman without the man in the Lord.
12 (Ro 11:36) For just as the woman came from the man,
so the man comes through the woman, but all things come from God.
13 (Lk 12:57) Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray
to God uncovered?
14 Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair it is
a shame to him?
15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given
her for a covering.
16 (1Co 7:17; 1Th 2:14) But if anyone seems to be contentious,
we have no such custom, nor have the churches of God.
Abuses at the Lord's Supper
17 (1Co 11:2; 11:22) Now in what I have to say to you, I do not praise you.
You have come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 (1Co 3:3; 1:10-12) First of all, when you come together as the church,
I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 (1Jn 2:19; Dt 13:3) For there must also be factions among you so that
those who are genuine may become evident among you.
20 Therefore when you come together into one place,
it is not to eat the Lord's Supper.
21 (Jude 1:12; 2Pe 2:13) For in eating, each one eats his own supper
ahead of others. One goes hungry, and another becomes drunk.
22 (1Co 10:32; Pr 17:5) What? Do you not have houses to eat and to drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?
What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
The Lord's Supper
Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:14-20
23 (1Co 15:3; Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24) I have received of the Lord that
which I delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which
He was betrayed, took bread.
24 When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take and eat.
This is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me."
(Mt 26:26; Mk 14:22; Lk 22:19.)
25 (Lk 22:20; 2Co 3:6) In the same manner He took the cup after He had
supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
(Mt 26:27-28; Mk 14:24; Lk 22:20.)
26 (Jn 21:22; 1Co 4:5) As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
Partaking of the Supper Unworthily
27 (Nu 9:10; 9:13) Therefore whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup
of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 (2Co 13:5; Gal 6:4) Let a man examine himself,
and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation
to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this reason many are weak and unhealthy among you, and many die.
31 (1Jn 1:9) If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord,
so that we would not be condemned with the world.
33 So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 (1Co 4:19; 11:21-22) If anyone hungers, let him eat at home,
so that you may not come together into condemnation.
I will set the rest in order when I come.
2) Our Daily Bread for 29 November 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/11/29/even-if-3
entitled Trusting God in Opposition
Daniel 3:13-18,25-27
13 (Da 2:12; 3:19) Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. Then they brought these men
before the king.
14 (Isa 46:1; Jer 50:2) Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them, "Is it true,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods
or worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 (Ex 5:2; 2Ki 18:35) Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,
and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made,
very well. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast the same hour into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that god who can deliver
you out of my hands?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king,
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer in this matter.
17 (Job 5:19; Ps 27:1-2) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us
out of your hand, O king.
18 (Isa 51:12-13) But even if He does not, be it known to you,
O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image
which you have set up."
Protection in the Fiery Furnace
25 (Isa 43:2; Job 1:6) He answered and said, "But I see four men loose
and walking in the midst of the fire, and they are unharmed.
And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!"
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God
26 (Da 3:17; 4:2) Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning
fiery furnace, and spoke, and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here!"
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire.
27 (Heb 11:34; Isa 43:2) The officials, governors, and captains,
and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men upon
whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed,
neither were their coats changed, nor had the smell of fire even come
upon them.
Raised in a tribe in the Philippines opposed to belief in Christ,
Esther received salvation through Jesus after an aunt prayed
for her during Esther's battle with a life-threatening illness.
Today, Esther leads Bible studies in her local community in spite
of threats of violence and even death. She serves joyfully, saying,
"I can't stop telling people about Jesus because I've experienced
the power, love, goodness, and faithfulness of God in my life."
Serving God in the face of opposition is a reality for many today
just as it was for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three young
Israelites living in captivity in Babylon. In the book of Daniel,
we learn that they refused to pray to a large golden image
of King Nebuchadnezzar even when threatened with death.
The men testified that God was capable of protecting them,
but they chose to serve Him "even if" He didn't rescue them (Daniel 3:18).
When they were thrown into the fire, God actually joined them
in their suffering (v. 25). To everyone's amazement,
they survived without even "a hair of their heads singed" (v. 27).
If we face suffering or persecution for an act of faith,
ancient and modern examples remind us that God's Spirit is present with us
to strengthen and sustain us when we choose to obey Him, "even if"
things turn out differently than we hope.
By: Lisa M. Samra
Reflect & Pray
What are some ways you’ve chosen to follow God "even if"?
What are ways He's been with you?
God, thank You for loving me so generously.
Help me to follow You with joy even in the face of opposition.
3) From The Billy Graham Evangelical Ministry Association
Words in Season - Scripture Memory Tools
Week 3 - Saved Now and Forver - Day 2 - The Right of Family
John 1:11-12
11 (Jn 3:32) He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.
12 (Gal 3:26; 1Jn 3:23) Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power
to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name,
"Dad, can I ask you something?" Jimmy leaned across the back of his
father's chair. HIs father lowered the newspaper and reached around,
settling Jimmy on his lap.
"Sure. Son," he answered. "You can ask me anything you want. The answer
might not be Yes, butyou always have the right to ask."
For many who have grown up in homes where the father was absent, or when
present, abusive or silent, the scenario of Jimmy and his father may
seem unrealistic. Often we aren't given the right by our parents to ask
what we want, to communicate openly, to express our needs and desires.
But god clearly indicates that no matter what our human families have been
like, in his family there are no barriers to belonging,
to open communications. When we commit our lives to Christ and submit to his
lordship, we have the right to become the sons and daughters of God.
In Christ, we have the right to approach him, to pray, to seek wisdom,
to ask advice, to make requests, to verbalise our needs and desires. We don't
have to be afraid of sounding stupid or being rejected, because in Christ
we belong to him, and he loves us.
The KJV uses the word "power" in verse 12 - "to them gave he power to become
the sons of God." Power implies ability, that we are equipped by the Spirit
to be children of the King. We have the right and we have the power to become
who God has called us to be - his children.
Application
a) Under what circumstances in my life have I felt that I didn't
have the right to express my wishes or feelings?
b) How do today's verses give me confidence in approaching God?
4) Prosperity verses from Kenneth Copeland
Deut 28:11
11 (Dt 28:4; 30:9) The Lord will make you overflow in prosperity,
in the offspring of your body, in the offspring of your livestock,
and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore
to your fathers to give you.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are lonely
1 John 4:16b-18
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
17 (1Jn 2:5; 2:28) In this way God's love is perfected in us,
so that we may have boldness on the Day of Judgment, because as He is,
so are we in this world.
18 (Ro 8:15; 2Ti 1:7) There is no fear in love,
but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
Whoever fears is not perfect in love.
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?)
Newfoundland & Labrador
Total population 527000
Muslim population (est.) 2065
As of Autumn 2014, St. John's does not have a local CNMM network. Pray with us
for God's people to come together in prayer
and cooperative efforts to reach Muslims with the Good News.
St. John's has one mosque and 2 more musallas , or prayer locations, which
may grow into mosques of their own. The mosque is called Masjid an Noor,
The Mosque of the Light, and mosque historical documents record a trip in 1986
to Saudi Arabia to raise funds for the land purchase and construction costs.
A small number of Muslim families had come prior to 1964, but moved on to
other places after a short time. After this date, a small community began
to remain and grow , reaching about 25 families in the 1980s. A number
of international students also join the community annually
ranging from 25 to 60.
In 2014 the mosque website reports the community is made up of some 200
families and many university students attending Memorial University. A
small number of native Newfoundlanders have also converted to the Islamic
faith, one saying of this religion in Newfoundland, "Islam is a growing face".
With the growth of the community, the current challenge is lack of space
in the mosque, which they are now looking at expanding.
Pray for
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
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 29 of the Month
a) Pray that God will enlighten those in medicine and health care
to acknowledge the sanctity of life and server with true
integrity and compassion (
Ps 139:13-16
13 You brought my inner parts into being;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise you, for You made me with fear and wonder;
marvelous are Your works,
and You know me completely.
15 My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
and intricately put together in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw me unformed,
yet in Your book
all my days were written,
before any of them came into being.
)
b) Pray that the Church in Canada will remember the poor
and compassionately respond to their plight (
Gal 2:10
10 (Ac 24:17) Only they requested that we should remember the poor,
which I also was eager to do.
)
Advent Day 2
Phillippians 2:6-7
6 (Jn 5:18; 10:33) who, being in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.
7 (Mt 20:28; Jn 1:14) But He emptied Himself,
taking upon Himself the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men.
From C.S. Lewis a Grand Miracle
"The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe,
became mot only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a fetus inside
a Woman's body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like
to become a slug or a crab." -C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity p.179
The Distance He traveled
My longest trip took me from the Midwestern USA to the Southeast Asian
city of Singapore, a distance of 9290 miles as the crow files.
Astronauts have traveled almost 250 000 miles , the distance from
Earth to the moon. Since 1977, Voyager 2 has traveled to 4 planets
and their moons, passing Neptune in 1989 and moving beyond the solar system.
Today it is more than 8 000 000 000 miles from the Sun.
God traveled even further than that, although we're not measuring
the distance in miles. The infinite Creator stepped inside an unborn baby,
the weakest of humans. Paul says it this way,
"who, being in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.
But He emptied Himself," That's a long trip, from majesty to humility,
from deity to humanity, from God to God-man.
For God to make himself nothing is to travel from the infinite ot the finite.
Try as we might, we cannot fully comprehend that distance. The best
we can do is to make comparisons. Lewis compares the Incarnation of God
to the idea of becoming a slug or a crab. That brings a smile to our faces.
That would be a huge distance to travel, a humbling of oneself,
changing from human to animal. I can't really imagine it. Can you?
What Jesus did is all the more remarkable.
Jesus, Immanuel, Thank You for going the distance to
become one of us, God with us. Amen.
From Follow the Story by Marva J. Dawn
FIRST Monday OF ADVENT
Credentials
Luke 1:5-7
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest
named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And his wife was
of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren,
and they both were now well advanced in years.
Luke, the historian, want to inform us that Zechariah was
a real man. He places him carefully in the datable reign
of King Heard of Judea and in the priestly order of Abijah.
To add to his credentials, Luke tells us that Zechariah's wife
Elizabath was also of the Aaronic priestly order. Not only were
they righteous, but they were blameless in following all the
Lord's precepts. We know that no one is perfect, for "All have sinned"
(Romans 3:23), but they had done their best to keep God's statutes
and had come as close to rectitude as possible for human beings.
So what went wrong? Why is Elizabeth barren and looked down on in
and by their culture for being so? Is their goodness not
sufficient to merit God's favour? No, and none of ours is.
Rather this text and its emphasis on her growing older is
setting us up for an extraordinary divine intervention.
Isn't it arresting that God blows the rules of nature to
accomplish his purposes?
Prayer
God , thank you for beginning this Advent with you astonishing
- and love-inducing- works! Amen.
The AH-HAs of Advent by Rich Bimler
Ps 130:5-6
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait;
I long for His Word!
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
FIRST MONDAY OF ADVENT
AH-HA! Ambassadors of Health, Hope and ANEW!
We may find it hard to wait for Christmas to come, especially since
we have been hearing Christmas carols in the shopping malls since
Labour Day and seeing smiling stuffed Santas on neighbourhood lawns
since Halloween! but in a way, that's all right, because it helps us to remind
ourselves that the Lord comes to us anew each day, to renew us anew in out Baptism!
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait;
I long for His Word!
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
Seeing advent anew occurs when we do more watching and waiting for
God's presence and promise in and around us and when we do less
waiting and worrying about peripheral things. Watch and wait to see how
the weighty issues of worries, woes and wars fall into new and refreshing
ways of looking at life in the Lord! Advent renews us to remember that
Christ came to us in the manger ... that Christ will come again ...
and that Christ comes to us each day - in water and Word, in words and
wonders, in wows and other winsome ways.
Prayer
Lord, thanks for calling us to be your AH-HA people. Thanks for refreshing
is anew with your love, your forgiveness and your precious presence among us.
It's a new day, Lord, in you.
In Jesus' name. Amen ... and AH-HA!
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to be a strong witness and to flee temptation.
Pray to the Lord "God, thank You for loving me so generously.
Help me to follow You with joy even in the face of opposition."
Pray to the Lord and thank Him for he has given you power as a believer.
Pray to the Lord and pray to uphold His covenant with you.
Pray to the Lord and thank Him for He is love.
Pray for in Newfoundland and Labrador
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
Pray that God will enlighten those in medicine and health care
to acknowledge the sanctity of life and server with true
integrity and compassion
Pray that the Church in Canada will remember the poor
and compassionately respond to their plight
Pray Jesus, Immanuel, Thank You for going the distance to
become one of us, God with us. Amen.
Pray God , thank you for beginning this Advent with you astonishing
- and love-inducing- works! Amen.
Pray Lord, thanks for calling us to be your AH-HA people. Thanks for refreshing
is anew with your love, your forgiveness and your precious presence among us.
It's a new day, Lord, in you.
In Jesus' name. Amen
Pray that Christians in Uzbekistan will remain strong during difficult times.
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.