Dave Yadallee's personal blog

Day 17 , 17 Jan 2021







Gen 19 - 21



GENESIS 19



Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed



1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting

at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them he rose up to meet them, and he

bowed himself with his face toward the ground.

2 Then he said, "Here, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house

and spend the night and wash your feet; and then you may rise early

and go on your way."

They said, "No, we will stay in the open square all night."

3 But he strongly insisted, so they turned aside with him

and entered his house. Then he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread,

and they ate. 4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom,

both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.

5 They then called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men

who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us,

so that we may have relations with them."

6 So Lot went out through the door to them and shut the door behind him.

7 Then he said, "Please, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.

8 Look, I have two daughters who have not been with a man.

Please, let me bring them out to you,

and you may do to them as you wish.

Only do nothing to these men,

for they have come under the shelter of my roof."

9 But they replied, "Stand back!" Also, they said,

"This man came here as an alien, and he keeps acting like a judge.

We will deal worse with you than with them."

So they pressed hard against Lot, and came close to breaking down the door.

10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house

with them and shut the door.

11 Then they struck the men that were at the door of the house,

both small and great, with blindness so that they wore themselves

out groping for the door.

12 Then the men said to Lot,

"Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone

you have in the city, take them out of this place!

13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against

its people has grown great before the presence of the Lord,

and the Lord has sent us to destroy it."

14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law,

who had married his daughters,

and said, "Get up, get out of this place,

for the Lord will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law

he seemed to be joking.

15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying,

"Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here.

Otherwise you will be consumed in the punishment of the city."

16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his and his wife's hands,

along with the hands of his two daughters,

the Lord being merciful to him,

and brought him out and set him outside the city.

17 When they had brought them out, one of them said to them,

"Escape for your lives! Do not look behind you or stay anywhere in the plain.

Escape to the mountain, lest you be destroyed."

18Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords!

19 Your servant has found grace in your eyes, and you have shown your mercy,

which you have shown to me by saving my life. However, I cannot escape to

the mountain. Otherwise some evil will overtake me, and I will die.

20 Look, this city is close enough to flee to, and it is a little one.

Please, let me escape there (is it not a little one?),

and my life will be saved."

21 He said to him, "I have granted your request in this matter also.

I will not overthrow this city of which you have spoken.

22 Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there."

Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

23 The sun had risen over the land when Lot entered Zoar.

24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.

It was from the Lord out of heaven.

25 So He overthrew those cities, all the valley,

all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

26 But his wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 Now Abraham got up early in the morning and

went to the place where he stood before the Lord.

28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah,

and toward all the land of the valley,

and he saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of a furnace.

29 So it was that when God destroyed the cities of the valley,

God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the destruction,

when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.



Lot and His Daughters



30 Then Lot left Zoar, and lived in the mountains,

along with his two daughters who were with him,

for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar.

He and his two daughters lived in a cave.

31 And the firstborn said to the younger,

"Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to have relations

with us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Let us make our father

drink wine and let us lie with him,

so that we may preserve the lineage of our father."

33 So they made their father drink wine that night,

and the firstborn went in and had relations with her father.

He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

34 On the next day the firstborn said to the younger,

"Indeed, last night I had relations with my father.

Let us make him drink wine tonight also,

so that you may go in and have relations with him,

so that we may preserve the lineage of our father."

35 So they made their father drink wine that night also.

Then the younger arose and lay down with him,

and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

36 Therefore both the daughters of Lot were pregnant by their father.

37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab.

He is the father of the Moabites to this day.

38 The younger also gave birth to a son and called his name Ben-Ammi.

He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.



(Lot thought he was a self made success story.

It ends with disgrace and scandal)



GENESIS 20

Abraham and Abimelek

(Ge 12:10–20; 26:1–11)

1 Abraham journeyed from there toward the Negev,

settled between Kadesh and Shur, and then he sojourned in Gerar.

2 Then Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister."

So Abimelek, king of Gerar, sent for her and took Sarah.

3But God came to Abimelek in a dream by night and said to him,

"You are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken,

for she is a man’s wife."

4 Abimelek had not gone near her, and he said,

"Lord, will You slay a righteous nation?

5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and did not even she herself say,

'He is my brother'? In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands

I have done this."

6 And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this

in the integrity of your heart. For I also kept you from sinning

against Me. Therefore, I did not let you touch her. 7 Therefore return

the man's wife, for he is a prophet and he will pray for you.

Moreover, you will live. However, if you do not return her,

know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours."

8 So Abimelek rose early in the morning, and called all his servants

and told them all these things, and the men were very afraid.

9 Then Abimelek called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us?

How have I offended you that you would bring on me

and on my kingdom a great sin?

You have done things to me that should not have been done."

10,Then Abimelek said to Abraham, "What were you thinking of,

that you did this thing?"

11 Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God

in this place, and they will slay me because of my wife.

12 Still, indeed, she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father,

but not the daughter of my mother. She became my wife.

13 When God caused me to travel from my father's house, I said to her,

'This is your kindness which you must show me: Every place where we go,

say concerning me, He is my brother.'"

14 Then Abimelek took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants,

and gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him.

15 Abimelek said, "My land is before you; settle wherever it pleases you."

16 To Sarah he said, "I have given your brother a thousand shekels of silver.

It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you,

and before everyone you are vindicated."

17So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife,

and his female servants. Then they bore children.

18 For the Lord had closed up all the wombs of

the house of Abimelek because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.



(At least Abraham did not get kicked out, by why be dishonest?)



GENESIS 21



The Birth of Isaac



1 The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah

as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his

old age, at the set time that God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called

the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old,

as God had commanded him.

5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. All who hear will laugh with me."

7 Also she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse

children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."



Hagar and Ishmael Depart



8 So the child grew and was weaned. Then Abraham made a great feast

the same day that Isaac was weaned. 9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian,

whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham,

"Throw out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman

shall not be heir with my son, Isaac."

11 This matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.

12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not be upset concerning the boy

and your slave wife. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen

to what she says, for in Isaac your descendants will be called.

13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the slave woman,

because he is your offspring."

14 So Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread

and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder,

and sent her away with the child.

So she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone,

she placed the child under one of the shrubs.

16 Then she went and sat down across from him

at a distance of about a bowshot, for she said to herself,

"Let me not see the death of the child." She sat across from him,

and lifted up her voice and wept.

17 And God heard the boy's voice. Then the angel of God called

to Hagar out of heaven and said to her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar?

Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

18 Arise, pick up the boy and hold him in your hands,

for I will make him a great nation."

19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.

And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy; and he grew and lived in the wilderness

and became an archer. 21 He lived in the Wilderness of Paran,

and his mother found a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.



The Treaty With Abimelek



22 Now it came to pass at that time that Abimelek and Phicol,

the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you

in all that you do. 23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will

not deal deceitfully with me, or with my children, or with my descendants.

Instead, according to the kindness that I have shown to you,

you will show to me and to the land where you have lived."

24Abraham said, "I will swear."

25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water

that Abimelek's servants had violently seized.

26 And Abimelek said, "I do not know who has done this.

You did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today."

27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelek,

and the two of them made a covenant.

28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 And Abimelek said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs

that you have set by themselves?"

30 And he said, "You shall take these seven ewe lambs

from my hand so that they may be a witness that I have dug this well."

31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba,

because the two of them swore an oath there.

32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelek rose with Phicol,

the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called

on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.

34 Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.



1 Chron 1

The Generations of Abraham



28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.





2) Our Daily Bread for 18 Jan 2021

https://odb.org/CA/2021/01/18/ entitled A Legacy of Acceptance



Romans 15:5-13







5 Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you

to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ

Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.



The Gospel for Jews and Gentiles Alike



7 Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed us,

for the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become

a servant to the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God,

to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,

9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

"For this reason I will acknowledge You among the Gentiles,

and I will sing praises to Your name."

10 He also says:

"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!"

11And again:

"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;

let all the peoples praise Him."

12 And again Isaiah says:

"There shall be a root of Jesse;

He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,

in Him shall the Gentiles hope."

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

so that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.



In his book Breaking Down Walls, Glen Kehrein writes about climbing to the

roof of his college dorm in Chicago after the assassination of the civil

rights activist Fr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 . "The sound of gunfire

bounced eerily back and forth ogg the large buildings, and soon my rooftop

perch provided a near panoramic, yet horrorific, view ... How in the world

did I get from a Wisconsin corn field to a war zone in the inner city of

Chicago in less than 2 years?" Compelled by his love for Jesus and people

whose backgrounds were different from his, Glen lived on Chicago's West Side

and lead ministry there that provided food, clothing , shelter, and other

servies until his death in 2011.

Glen's life mirrors the efforts of believers in JEsus who've come to grips

with the need to embrace those who are different from themselves. Paul's

teaching and example helped Roman believers see that God's plan to rescue

wayward humanity included Jews and Gentiles (Romans 15:8-12). Believers

are called to follow His example of acceptance of others (v 7) ;

prejudice and discord have no place among those called to glorify God

with "one mind and one voice" (v 6). Ask God to help you cross barriers

and break down walls and to warmly embrace everyone, regardless of their

differences. Let's strive to leave behind a legacy of acceptance.



by Arthur Jackson



Reflect & Pray



How can you be more intentional with people who are different from you?

What steps do you need to take to be more in line with Jesus'

embrace of all people?



Father in heaven, help me to represent You and make adjustments in my

thinking and actions today as I strive to love others as well.



3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation



Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools







Week 6 Showing Grace to Others - Day 2 - The key to the Prison Cell





Matt 6:14-15



14 For if you forgive men for their sins, your heavenly Father will

also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men for their sins,

neither will your Father forgive your sins.



Ann had been badly wounded in a relationship that had ended in anger

and accusation. For more than a year, Ann nursed her bitterness, rallying

support for her attitudes from friends and colleagues. Any time she saw

her former friend, Ann put up an icy wall of hostility. She thought she was

"getting over" the hurt, but the very mention of her friend's name brought

back a flood of negative feelings. Ann was trapped, locked in a prison of

unforgiveness , a jail built block by block by her own unwillingness to

forgive. Ann didn't "get over it"; instead, her wounds festered

and her bitterness grew worse.

Then one day - she never knew how - Ann let go of her bitterness. The barriers

of hostility and anger melted away, and when she saw her firend again, she was

able to forgive. And Ann was finally able to turn to the Lord for her own

healing and forgiveness.

"If you fo not forgive," Jesus says - and the statement falls hard on

unforgiving hearts, "Neither weill you be forgiven." In one sense, God's

forgiveness is unconditional - we do not have to earn or deserve it, and it is

always available to us. But we cannot experience the forgiveness God has

extended to us when we harbour unforgiveness towards others and build walls

of bitterness in our hearts.

When we refuse forgiveness toward those who have hurt or betrayed us, we do

not keep them in bondage, but ourselves. We lock ourselves away for an

awareness of God's loving presence; we imprison ourselves in a cell of

revenge. But when we reach out to forgive, we turn in the lock;

the door is open for our own sins to be forgiven and our own hearts

cleansed and purified.



Application



a) Why is forgiving others a condition for experiencing forgiveness in my own

life?



b) How can these verses have a practical effect upon my willingness to forgive others?





4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland



Ps 1:3



He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that brings forth its fruit in its season;

its leaf will not wither,

and whatever he does will prosper.



5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:





When you are Angry of Vengeful



James 1:19-25





Hearing and Doing the Word



19 Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear,

slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for the anger of man does not work

the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and remaining

wickedness and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able

to save your souls.

22 Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man

viewing his natural face in a mirror. 24 He views himself, and goes his way,

and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But whoever looks into

the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it,

and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work,

this man will be blessed in his deeds.



6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)







2015 Population - 4631302 Muslims about 136493







British Columbia - British Columbia's Muslim Population is growing constantly.



Every week there are immigrants ad refugees coming to the Greater Vancouver



and surrounding areas. There are also significant Muslim student populations



in our colleges and universities. Some have even suggested that there are



between 4000 and 5000 Saudi Arabian students alone, without counting all



other nationalities.







Greater Vancouver has an estimated 180000 Muslims, and there are significant



and growing communities in the Fraser Valley such as in Langley, Abbotsford,



Chilliwack, etc. Including these communities the total population for this



region is about 200000.



Of these, there are an estimated 100000 Iranians, 35000 Arabs, 15000 Ismailis,



more than 20000 Afghanis, 10000 South Asian Muslims, 3000 Turks, and small



numbers from other countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Albania, etc.



We are seeing some Muslims coming to Christ and we rejoice in that.



A few people also have some ongoing ministry to Muslims in the area,



for which we also rejoice. Let us agree in that







- the church will catch a vision to pray,



and a burden to train outreach to Muslims



- the church will press in to participate in effective



discipleship of these new Muslim background believers.







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 "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.



18 Even on My menservants and maidservants



I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.



19 And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below:



blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,



and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes.



21 And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."[a]







Footnotes



Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32.



- 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, ...) .







7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada



http://www.ehc.ca



18th Day of the Month



a) Pray that pastors will experience spiritual, emotional and physical

refreshing for the presence of the Lord

( Jer 31:25



25 For I satiate the weary souls and I replenish every languishing soul.



)





b) Pray that the Lord will protect and deliver our nation from

danger and adversity

( Ps 34:7



7 The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him,

and delivers them.



)





This month Calvarycommunity.ca is doing 21 days of Fasting

and prayer available at https://calvarycommunity.ca/prayandfast/



https://calvarycommunity.ca/prayandfast/Day15



Day 15: Greatest Commandment

Verse of the Day: Mark 12:30-31

30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

This is the first commandment. 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your

neighbor as yourself.'

There is no other commandment greater than these.



Who Is My Neighbor?



When we think of our neighbours, we most often think of those who

live next to us or in our neighbourhoods. Yet Jesus meant it to include

all people - even our enemies! Jesus told His famous parable of the

Good Samaritan to make it clear that "love your neighbour"

means to love all persons, everywhere.







Reflection:



Have I loved my neighbours?

What does it look like if I were to love my neighbours?



Prayer:



Dear Lord, open our hearts to love our neighbours as ourselves, teach us

to love people as You would have us love them and that we

would love them as we have loved ourselves. God reminds us as we

encounter people that they are our neighbours. You call us to not only

love those that love us but also to love those that persecute us.



Lord, You know this is hard to do. But You call us to love them.

I thank You and praise You for loving us this way,

gifting us all with

grace we do not deserve. Lord teach our hearts to give that gift as well.

Jesus in Your wonderfully powerful name we pray, Amen.



Scripture reflection:



Leviticus 19:18



18 You shall not take vengeance,

nor bear any grudge against the children of your people,

but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.



Luke 6:27



27 "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies,

do good to those who hate you"



Luke 10:27



27He answered, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind'

and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"



Romans 13:8-10



Brotherly Love

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for he who loves another

has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit

adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not give

false testimony, You shall not covet," and if there are any other

commandments, are summed up in this saying,

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

10 Love works no evil to a neighbor.

Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.



Romans 15:2



Let each of us please his neighbor for his good,

leading to edification.



Matthew 19:19



19 "Honor your father and your mother, and,

You shall love your neighbor as yourself."





Matthew 22:36-40



36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

37 Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first

and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it:

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang

all the Law and the Prophets."



James 2:8,



8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself,"



Galatians 5:14



14 For the entire law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."



Conclusion:



Pray to seek the Lord's will that you may have confidence in all you do.



Pray to show forgiveness in your life and those who who hurt you.



Pray for Security.



Pray to Love you neighbour as you love yourself.



Pray for forgiveness of sins and repentance.



Pray to accept Jesus in your life