Day 94 - 4 April 2021 reflections
Day 94, 4 Apr 2021 Happy Resurrection Sunday 2021
Today at https://www.calvarycommunity.ca/ the Serman was focused on
The Power of Love.
1] The Power of Love lays down its life for others
Roman 5:7-8
7 Rarely for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man some
would even dare to die.
8 (Jn 15:13; 1Pe 3:18) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 3:16
16 (Php 2:17; Jn 3:16) By this we know the love of God: that He laid down
His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Acts 4:33
33 (Ac 1:8; 1:22) With great power the apostles testified to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.
John 13:35
(Jn 17:21) "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.â€
2] The Power of Love is an unstoppable force.
Romans 8:38
38 (Eph 1:21; 1Pe 3:22) For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present
nor things to come,
Songs 8:6-8
6 (Isa 49:16; Jer 22:24) Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its fires of desire are as ardent flames,
a most intense flame.
7 (Pr 6:35) Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
it would be utterly condemned.
8 We have a little sister,
and she has no breasts.
What will we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for?
1 Cor 13:1-8
1 (2Co 12:4) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 (Mt 17:20; 21:21) If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 (Col 3:12; Pr 10:12) Love suffers long and is kind; love envies not;
love flaunts not itself and is not puffed up,
5 (1Co 10:24; Php 2:21) does not behave itself improperly, seeks not its own,
is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;
6 (2Jn 1:4; Ro 1:32) rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 (1Co 13:4)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
and endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they shall fail;
if there are tongues, they shall cease; and if there is knowledge,
it shall vanish.
3] The Power of Love never gives up
1 Cor 3:7
7 (1Co 13:4)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
and endures all things.
4] The Power of Love Transforms the world around us
Matthew 5:44
44 (Lk 23:34; Ac 7:60) But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those
who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Judges 13-15
JUDGES 13
The Birth of Samson
1 ()Jdg 2:11; 1Sa 12:9) Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight
of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines
for forty years.
2 (Jos 19:41; 15:33) There was a certain man from Zorah,
from the tribe of Dan. His name was Manoah. His wife was infertile
and had borne no children.
3 (Lk 1:13; Jdg 6:11-12) The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman
and said to her, "Indeed, you are infertile and have borne no childen,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
4 (Nu 6:2-3; Jdg 13:14) Now be careful, I pray, that you drink no wine
or strong drink and that you do not eat anything ritually unclean.
5 (Nu 6:5; 1Sa 1:11) For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor may
touch his head, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb.
He will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines."
6 (Jdg 13:17-18; Dt 33:1) Then the woman went to her husband and said,
"A man of God came to me. He looked like a very fearsome angel of God.
I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 He said to me, 'You will conceive and bear a son. So now, do not drink
wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything ritually unclean,
for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day he dies.' "
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, "O my Lord, let the man of God whom
You sent come again to us, so that he can teach us what we should do
for the boy who will be born."
9 God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again
to the woman. She was sitting in the field;
but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 The woman hurried and ran to tell her husband,
"The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me."
11 So Manoah got up and went after his wife.
He came to the man and said to him,
"Are you the man who spoke to my wife?"
He said, "I am."
12 Then Manoah said, "Now may your words come true! What will be the boy's way
of life and his work?"
13 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Your wife must observe everything
that I said to her.
14 (Jdg 13:4) She must not consume anything that grows on the vine.
She must not drink wine or strong drink, and she must not eat anything
ritually unclean. She must observe everything that I commanded her."
15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "Please let us detain you,
and let us prepare a young goat for you."
16 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "If I stay, I will not eat your
food, but if you want to make an offering to the Lord, you should offer it."
(For Manoah did not know that he was an angel of the Lord.)
17 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name,
so that we can honor you when your words come true?"
18 (Ge 32:29; Isa 9:6) The angel of the Lord said to him,
"Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful."
19 (Jdg 6:19-21) Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering
and offered them to the Lord upon a rock. Then he did a wondrous
thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20 (Lev 9:24; 1Ch 21:16) When the flame went up from the altar
toward the heavens, the angel of the Lord went up in the flames
from the altar. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell face down on the ground.
21 (Jdg 6:22) The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah
and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.
22 (Ge 32:30; Dt 5:26) Manoah said to his wife,
"We are certainly going to die, for we have seen God."
23 (Ps 25:14) Yet his wife said to him, "If the Lord wanted to kill us,
He would not have taken the burnt offering and grain offering from us.
He would not have shown us these things, nor let us hear things such
as these at this time."
24 (1Sa 3:19; Lk 1:80) So the woman bore a son, and she called him Samson.
The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.
25 (Jdg 3:10; Jos 15:33) The Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him
at Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
JUDGES 14
Samson's Wedding
1 (Ge 38:12-13; Jos 15:10) Samson went down to Timnah
and saw a woman from the daughters of the Philistines.
2 (Ge 34:4; 21:21) He came back up and told his father and mother,
"I have seen a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines;
now get her for me as a wife."
3 (Jdg 15:18; 1Sa 14:6) His father and mother said to him,
"Are there no women among your relatives, or all of our people,
that you are intending to take a wife
from among the uncircumcised Philistines?"
Yet Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well."
4 (Jos 11:20; Jdg 13:1) His father and mother did not know that this was
from the Lord, for He was seeking an opportunity to act against the Philistines.
At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
5 Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah.
As they came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young
lion came roaring toward him.
6 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily
upon him, and though unarmed, he tore the lion in two as one might
tear a young goat in two. However, he did not tell his father and his mother
what he had done.
7 So Samson went down and spoke with the woman, and she pleased Samson.
8 After a while, when he returned to take her, he turned aside to see
the carcass of the lion. And a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass
of the lion.
9 He scooped it out into his hands and ate it as he went along.
He came to his father and mother and gave some to them,
and they also ate. Yet he did not tell them he had scooped
the honey out of a lion's carcass.
10 Then his father went down to the woman. Samson put on a feast there,
for this is what young men would do.
11 When the Philistines saw him,
they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 (Ge 45:22; Eze 17:2) Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle.
If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast,
then I will find thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes to give you.
13 However, if you are not able to explain it to me, then you will give me
thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes."
They said to him, "Tell us your riddle, so we can hear it."
14 He said to them,
"Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet."
They could not explain the riddle after three days.
15 (Jdg 15:6; 16:5) On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife,
"Trick your groom into telling us the riddle, or we will burn you
and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us to steal
what we have? Is that not so?"
16 (Jdg 16:15) So Samson's wife wept all over him and said,
"You must hate me. You do not love me. You have told a riddle
to the young men and did not tell it to me."
Then he said to her, "I have not told it to my father and mother.
Why should I tell it to you?"
17 (Jdg 16:16) She wept on him for the seven days of the feast,
then on the seventh day he told it to her because she had nagged him.
Then she explained the riddle to her people.
18So on the seventh day before sunset, the men of the city said to Samson,
"What is sweeter than honey,
and what is stronger than a lion?"
Then he said to them,
"If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle."
19 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord mightily came upon him,
and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of their men.
He took their clothes and gave them to the ones who had explained the riddle.
His anger burned and he went up to his father's house.
20 (Jdg 15:2; Jn 3:29) So Samson's wife was given to his companion,
who had been his best man.
JUDGES 15
Samson's Revenge
1 (Ge 38:17) After a while, during the wheat harvest, Samson went to
visit his wife, taking a young goat. He said, "I'm going in to my wife
in her bedroom," but her father would not let him go in.
2 (Jdg 14:20) Her father said, "I thought that you thoroughly hated her,
so I gave her to your best man. Is not her younger sister better than she?
Please, let her be your wife instead."
3 Samson said to them, "This time I cannot be blamed by the Philistines
when I do them harm."
4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches
and turned the foxes tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails.
5 He set fire to the torches and sent the foxes into standing grain
of the Philistines. He burned the harvested grain, standing grain,
vineyards, and olive trees.
6 (Jdg 14:15) The Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They said,
"Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because the Timnite
took the bride of Samson and gave her to his best man."
So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
7 Samson said to them, "Because you have done this, I will take revenge
on you, and afterwards I will stop."
8 He struck them down with a mighty blow,
then went to live in a cave in Etam Rock.
9 (Jdg 15:17; 15:19) Then the Philistines went up and set up camp in Judah.
They deployed against Lehi.
10 The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?"
They said, "It is to take Samson prisoner that we have come up,
to do to him what he did to us."
11 (Jdg 13:1; 14:4) So three thousand men from Judah went to the cave
in Etam Rock and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines
are ruling us? Why have you done this to us?"
He said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.â€
12 They said to him, "We have come to take you prisoner,
to give you into the hands of the Philistines."
Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not attack me."
13 They said to him, "No, we will bind you securely and give
you into their hands, but we will not kill you." They bound him
with two new ropes and took him away from the rock.
14 (Jdg 14:19; 3:10) He came to Lehi, and the Philistines shouted
as they approached him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.
The ropes on his arms became like burned flax and the ties
on his hands dissolved.
15 (Lev 26:8; Jos 23:10) Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey,
reached out his hand and took it, and with it struck down a thousand men.
16Samson said,
"With a jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps.
With a jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men."
17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away
and called that place Ramath Lehi.
18 He was very thirsty, and he called out to the Lord,
"You gave this great deliverance through Your servant,
but now may I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"
19 (Ge 45:27) So God split open the basin at Lehi, and water flowed out
of it. He drank, was refreshed, and revived. Because of this he called
the place En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.
20 (Jdg 13:1; 16:31) Samson judged Israel for twenty years
in the days of the Philistines.
2) Our Daily Bread for 4 Apr 2021
https://www.odb.org/CA/2021/04/04/in-the-garden-2
entitled In The Garden
John 20:11-18
The Appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene
Mk 16:9-11
11 But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping. As she wept,
she stooped down and looked into the tomb,
12 and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus
had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
13 (Jn 20:15; 2:4) They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord,
and I do not know where they have put Him."
14 (Mt 28:9; Mk 16:9) When she had said this, she turned around
and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 (Jn 1:38; 18:4) Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you seeking?"
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if You have
carried Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will take Him away."
16 (Jn 1:38) Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to Me, for I have not yet ascended
to My Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to
My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.' "
18 (Lk 24:10; Mt 28:10) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples
that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
My dad loved to sing the old hymns. One of his favorites was "In the Garden."
A few years back, we sang it at his funeral. The chorus is simple:
"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own,
and the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known."
That song brought joy to my dad—as it does to me.
Hymn writer C. Austin Miles says he wrote this song in spring 1912 after
reading chapter 20 of the gospel of John. "As I read it that day, I seemed
to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment
in Mary's life when she knelt before her Lord and cried, 'Rabboni [Teacher].'"
In John 20, we find Mary Magdalene weeping near Jesus' empty tomb.
There she met a man who asked why she was crying.
Thinking it was the gardener, she spoke with the risen Savior-Jesus!
Her sorrow turned to joy, and she ran to tell the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord!" (v. 18).
We too have the assurance that Jesus is risen! He's now in heaven
with the Father, but He hasn't left us on our own.
Believers in Christ have His Spirit inside us, and through Him
we have the assurance and joy of knowing He's with us, and we are "His own."
By: Alyson Kieda
Reflect & Pray
How is it comforting to know that you don't have to do this life on your own?
When have you intimately felt Jesus’ presence?
Jesus, I'm so thankful You’re alive and that as Your child You live in me!
To learn more about the resurrection of Jesus,
visit https://ChristianUniversity.org/resurrection .
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 1 Knowing God's Word Day 1 - God's Perspective
Philip 4:13
13 (2Co 12:9–10; Eph 3:16) I can do all things because
of Christ who strengthens me.
Many of us live out self-fulfilling prophecies. We believe
what we tell ourselves - or what we have been told by others:
"You're stupid", "You're ugly", "You'll never amount to anything,"
"You can't do anything right."
We programme ourselvesfor spiritual failure as well.
"I just can't memorise Scripture," we say. "It comes and goes,
and I can't seem to get it to stay." Yet daily we memorise
volumes of information that is less significant than the
Sciptures - telephone numbers, identification codes,
songs lyrics, advertising jingles.
The answer to the dilemma of negativism is not positive
thinking, but right thinking - biblical thinking, according
to what the Bible reveals of God's perspective. God says,
"You are worthwhile. You are valued. You are loved. I created you
just as you are, and whatever I call you to do,
I will give you the strength to do it.:
The context of Phillipians 4:13 shows that Paul had learned
this important secret of spiritual strength. Paul had known
poverty and plenty, trouble and victory. But he also knew
he did not have to let circumstances dtermine his response to God's will.
We need not be controlled by the negative messages life throws in our paths
- even those self-defeating pronouncements we make to ourselves.
Rather, we can respond according to God's perspective, with the
conviction that God has given us strength we need to meet the
challenges we face.
Application
a) What challenges do I face that make me realise my own insufficiencies?
IS memorising Scripture one of those challenges for me?
b) How does today's memory verse help me face those challenges?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
2 Chr 26:5
5 (2 Ch 24:2; Da 1:17) And he sought after God in the days of Zechariah,
the one who instructed him in the fear of the Lord. And in the days
that he sought after the Lord, God caused him to succeed.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Gift of Salvation
Ps 40:1-3,9-11
PSALMS 40
1 I waited patiently for the Lord,
and He turned to me, and heard my cry.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
and established my steps.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) He has put a new song in my mouth,
even praise to our God;
many will see it, and fear,
and will trust in the Lord.
...
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) I have proclaimed righteousness
in the great congregation;
I have not held back my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) I have not hidden Your righteousness
within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
from the great congregation.
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) Do not withhold Your compassion from me, O Lord;
may Your lovingkindness and Your truth always guard me.
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?)
Manitoba
Quick facts on Muslims in Manitoba
Saskatchewan 2015 population 1 282 000
est Muslim Population 21 349
CNMM Networks: Winnipeg
The Muslim population of Manitoba, understandably centred in Winnipeg, is very
diverse and represents some 48 different cultural and ethinic backgrounds.
Conservative estimates put their number at 21000 , with some suggesting
it might be twice that size.
Some outreach among Muslims has started, yet in comparison to the size
of this community, there is the need and opportunity for far more engagement.
Continued influx of new immigrants and refugees continues to see the growth
of this Muslim centre in Manitoba.
We rejoice in the Arabic fellowship meeting there and the energetic workers
among Muslims in Winnipeg.
Let us intercede in unity for:
- new Christian workers among Manitoba's growing Muslim population
- new church ministries focused on prayer, equipping and reaching Muslim
communities around them, as well as training new workers
- the Arabic fellowship and their ministries of discipiling new Muslim
background believers and for effectiveness in outreach
- for the recent Somali woman who found faith in Jesus and stood her ground
in the face of opposition to her new faith.
- for current workers among Muslims to be blessed, refreshed and encouraged
with great support
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
From https://www.30daysprayer.com/
WHAT IS IT AND WHY?
The 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World, is an international movement that began in 1993. It calls the church to make a deliberate but respectful effort to learn about, pray for and reach out to our world’s Muslim neighbors. It coincides annually with the important Islamic month of religious observation — Ramadan, a time of the year when Muslims are much more deeply aware of spiritual matters.
While Media sound bites about Islamic extremism can too easily incite anger, fear and even hatred towards Muslims, we seek to resist this temptation to generalize, and instead, resolve to respond and pray with the mind and heart of Christ.
Join the millions of Christians around the world, and churches and ministries from many denominations, who regularly participate in this largest ongoing prayer focus on the Muslim world. A new full-color prayer guide booklet — available each year in both adult and kids versions — is a proven tool to help Christians to understand and to persistently pray for Muslim neighbors and nations.
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
4nd Day of the Month
a) Pray for the preservation of godly values in Canada (Prov 14:34 -
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
)
b) Pray the political leaders will be awakened by God to the right use
of power and the right stewardship of their positions.
Conclusion:
Pray ot the Lord that you know the Power of Love.
Pray to the Lord to give Thanks for the Resurrection of Chriast and its Power.
Pray to the Lord to recall the verses you study in the Word every day
Pray to the Lord to seek His will.
Pray to the Lord to proclaim His righteousness.
Pray for Muslims in Manitoba to receive Christ as Saviour .
Pray for the preservation of godly values in your countru.
Pray the political leaders will be awakened by God to the right use
of power and the right stewardship of their positions.
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.
Today at https://www.calvarycommunity.ca/ the Serman was focused on
The Power of Love.
1] The Power of Love lays down its life for others
Roman 5:7-8
7 Rarely for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man some
would even dare to die.
8 (Jn 15:13; 1Pe 3:18) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 3:16
16 (Php 2:17; Jn 3:16) By this we know the love of God: that He laid down
His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Acts 4:33
33 (Ac 1:8; 1:22) With great power the apostles testified to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.
John 13:35
(Jn 17:21) "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.â€
2] The Power of Love is an unstoppable force.
Romans 8:38
38 (Eph 1:21; 1Pe 3:22) For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present
nor things to come,
Songs 8:6-8
6 (Isa 49:16; Jer 22:24) Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its fires of desire are as ardent flames,
a most intense flame.
7 (Pr 6:35) Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
it would be utterly condemned.
8 We have a little sister,
and she has no breasts.
What will we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for?
1 Cor 13:1-8
1 (2Co 12:4) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 (Mt 17:20; 21:21) If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 (Col 3:12; Pr 10:12) Love suffers long and is kind; love envies not;
love flaunts not itself and is not puffed up,
5 (1Co 10:24; Php 2:21) does not behave itself improperly, seeks not its own,
is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;
6 (2Jn 1:4; Ro 1:32) rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 (1Co 13:4)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
and endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they shall fail;
if there are tongues, they shall cease; and if there is knowledge,
it shall vanish.
3] The Power of Love never gives up
1 Cor 3:7
7 (1Co 13:4)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
and endures all things.
4] The Power of Love Transforms the world around us
Matthew 5:44
44 (Lk 23:34; Ac 7:60) But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those
who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Judges 13-15
JUDGES 13
The Birth of Samson
1 ()Jdg 2:11; 1Sa 12:9) Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight
of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines
for forty years.
2 (Jos 19:41; 15:33) There was a certain man from Zorah,
from the tribe of Dan. His name was Manoah. His wife was infertile
and had borne no children.
3 (Lk 1:13; Jdg 6:11-12) The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman
and said to her, "Indeed, you are infertile and have borne no childen,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
4 (Nu 6:2-3; Jdg 13:14) Now be careful, I pray, that you drink no wine
or strong drink and that you do not eat anything ritually unclean.
5 (Nu 6:5; 1Sa 1:11) For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor may
touch his head, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb.
He will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines."
6 (Jdg 13:17-18; Dt 33:1) Then the woman went to her husband and said,
"A man of God came to me. He looked like a very fearsome angel of God.
I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 He said to me, 'You will conceive and bear a son. So now, do not drink
wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything ritually unclean,
for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day he dies.' "
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, "O my Lord, let the man of God whom
You sent come again to us, so that he can teach us what we should do
for the boy who will be born."
9 God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again
to the woman. She was sitting in the field;
but her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 The woman hurried and ran to tell her husband,
"The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me."
11 So Manoah got up and went after his wife.
He came to the man and said to him,
"Are you the man who spoke to my wife?"
He said, "I am."
12 Then Manoah said, "Now may your words come true! What will be the boy's way
of life and his work?"
13 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Your wife must observe everything
that I said to her.
14 (Jdg 13:4) She must not consume anything that grows on the vine.
She must not drink wine or strong drink, and she must not eat anything
ritually unclean. She must observe everything that I commanded her."
15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "Please let us detain you,
and let us prepare a young goat for you."
16 The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "If I stay, I will not eat your
food, but if you want to make an offering to the Lord, you should offer it."
(For Manoah did not know that he was an angel of the Lord.)
17 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name,
so that we can honor you when your words come true?"
18 (Ge 32:29; Isa 9:6) The angel of the Lord said to him,
"Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful."
19 (Jdg 6:19-21) Manoah took the young goat and the grain offering
and offered them to the Lord upon a rock. Then he did a wondrous
thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20 (Lev 9:24; 1Ch 21:16) When the flame went up from the altar
toward the heavens, the angel of the Lord went up in the flames
from the altar. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell face down on the ground.
21 (Jdg 6:22) The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah
and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.
22 (Ge 32:30; Dt 5:26) Manoah said to his wife,
"We are certainly going to die, for we have seen God."
23 (Ps 25:14) Yet his wife said to him, "If the Lord wanted to kill us,
He would not have taken the burnt offering and grain offering from us.
He would not have shown us these things, nor let us hear things such
as these at this time."
24 (1Sa 3:19; Lk 1:80) So the woman bore a son, and she called him Samson.
The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.
25 (Jdg 3:10; Jos 15:33) The Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him
at Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
JUDGES 14
Samson's Wedding
1 (Ge 38:12-13; Jos 15:10) Samson went down to Timnah
and saw a woman from the daughters of the Philistines.
2 (Ge 34:4; 21:21) He came back up and told his father and mother,
"I have seen a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines;
now get her for me as a wife."
3 (Jdg 15:18; 1Sa 14:6) His father and mother said to him,
"Are there no women among your relatives, or all of our people,
that you are intending to take a wife
from among the uncircumcised Philistines?"
Yet Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well."
4 (Jos 11:20; Jdg 13:1) His father and mother did not know that this was
from the Lord, for He was seeking an opportunity to act against the Philistines.
At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
5 Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah.
As they came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young
lion came roaring toward him.
6 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily
upon him, and though unarmed, he tore the lion in two as one might
tear a young goat in two. However, he did not tell his father and his mother
what he had done.
7 So Samson went down and spoke with the woman, and she pleased Samson.
8 After a while, when he returned to take her, he turned aside to see
the carcass of the lion. And a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass
of the lion.
9 He scooped it out into his hands and ate it as he went along.
He came to his father and mother and gave some to them,
and they also ate. Yet he did not tell them he had scooped
the honey out of a lion's carcass.
10 Then his father went down to the woman. Samson put on a feast there,
for this is what young men would do.
11 When the Philistines saw him,
they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 (Ge 45:22; Eze 17:2) Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle.
If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast,
then I will find thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes to give you.
13 However, if you are not able to explain it to me, then you will give me
thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes."
They said to him, "Tell us your riddle, so we can hear it."
14 He said to them,
"Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet."
They could not explain the riddle after three days.
15 (Jdg 15:6; 16:5) On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife,
"Trick your groom into telling us the riddle, or we will burn you
and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us to steal
what we have? Is that not so?"
16 (Jdg 16:15) So Samson's wife wept all over him and said,
"You must hate me. You do not love me. You have told a riddle
to the young men and did not tell it to me."
Then he said to her, "I have not told it to my father and mother.
Why should I tell it to you?"
17 (Jdg 16:16) She wept on him for the seven days of the feast,
then on the seventh day he told it to her because she had nagged him.
Then she explained the riddle to her people.
18So on the seventh day before sunset, the men of the city said to Samson,
"What is sweeter than honey,
and what is stronger than a lion?"
Then he said to them,
"If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle."
19 (Jdg 3:10; 13:25) Then the Spirit of the Lord mightily came upon him,
and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty of their men.
He took their clothes and gave them to the ones who had explained the riddle.
His anger burned and he went up to his father's house.
20 (Jdg 15:2; Jn 3:29) So Samson's wife was given to his companion,
who had been his best man.
JUDGES 15
Samson's Revenge
1 (Ge 38:17) After a while, during the wheat harvest, Samson went to
visit his wife, taking a young goat. He said, "I'm going in to my wife
in her bedroom," but her father would not let him go in.
2 (Jdg 14:20) Her father said, "I thought that you thoroughly hated her,
so I gave her to your best man. Is not her younger sister better than she?
Please, let her be your wife instead."
3 Samson said to them, "This time I cannot be blamed by the Philistines
when I do them harm."
4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches
and turned the foxes tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails.
5 He set fire to the torches and sent the foxes into standing grain
of the Philistines. He burned the harvested grain, standing grain,
vineyards, and olive trees.
6 (Jdg 14:15) The Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They said,
"Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because the Timnite
took the bride of Samson and gave her to his best man."
So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
7 Samson said to them, "Because you have done this, I will take revenge
on you, and afterwards I will stop."
8 He struck them down with a mighty blow,
then went to live in a cave in Etam Rock.
9 (Jdg 15:17; 15:19) Then the Philistines went up and set up camp in Judah.
They deployed against Lehi.
10 The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?"
They said, "It is to take Samson prisoner that we have come up,
to do to him what he did to us."
11 (Jdg 13:1; 14:4) So three thousand men from Judah went to the cave
in Etam Rock and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines
are ruling us? Why have you done this to us?"
He said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.â€
12 They said to him, "We have come to take you prisoner,
to give you into the hands of the Philistines."
Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not attack me."
13 They said to him, "No, we will bind you securely and give
you into their hands, but we will not kill you." They bound him
with two new ropes and took him away from the rock.
14 (Jdg 14:19; 3:10) He came to Lehi, and the Philistines shouted
as they approached him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.
The ropes on his arms became like burned flax and the ties
on his hands dissolved.
15 (Lev 26:8; Jos 23:10) Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey,
reached out his hand and took it, and with it struck down a thousand men.
16Samson said,
"With a jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps.
With a jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men."
17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away
and called that place Ramath Lehi.
18 He was very thirsty, and he called out to the Lord,
"You gave this great deliverance through Your servant,
but now may I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"
19 (Ge 45:27) So God split open the basin at Lehi, and water flowed out
of it. He drank, was refreshed, and revived. Because of this he called
the place En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.
20 (Jdg 13:1; 16:31) Samson judged Israel for twenty years
in the days of the Philistines.
2) Our Daily Bread for 4 Apr 2021
https://www.odb.org/CA/2021/04/04/in-the-garden-2
entitled In The Garden
John 20:11-18
The Appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene
Mk 16:9-11
11 But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping. As she wept,
she stooped down and looked into the tomb,
12 and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus
had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
13 (Jn 20:15; 2:4) They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord,
and I do not know where they have put Him."
14 (Mt 28:9; Mk 16:9) When she had said this, she turned around
and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 (Jn 1:38; 18:4) Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you seeking?"
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if You have
carried Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will take Him away."
16 (Jn 1:38) Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to Me, for I have not yet ascended
to My Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to
My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.' "
18 (Lk 24:10; Mt 28:10) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples
that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
My dad loved to sing the old hymns. One of his favorites was "In the Garden."
A few years back, we sang it at his funeral. The chorus is simple:
"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own,
and the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known."
That song brought joy to my dad—as it does to me.
Hymn writer C. Austin Miles says he wrote this song in spring 1912 after
reading chapter 20 of the gospel of John. "As I read it that day, I seemed
to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment
in Mary's life when she knelt before her Lord and cried, 'Rabboni [Teacher].'"
In John 20, we find Mary Magdalene weeping near Jesus' empty tomb.
There she met a man who asked why she was crying.
Thinking it was the gardener, she spoke with the risen Savior-Jesus!
Her sorrow turned to joy, and she ran to tell the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord!" (v. 18).
We too have the assurance that Jesus is risen! He's now in heaven
with the Father, but He hasn't left us on our own.
Believers in Christ have His Spirit inside us, and through Him
we have the assurance and joy of knowing He's with us, and we are "His own."
By: Alyson Kieda
Reflect & Pray
How is it comforting to know that you don't have to do this life on your own?
When have you intimately felt Jesus’ presence?
Jesus, I'm so thankful You’re alive and that as Your child You live in me!
To learn more about the resurrection of Jesus,
visit https://ChristianUniversity.org/resurrection .
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 1 Knowing God's Word Day 1 - God's Perspective
Philip 4:13
13 (2Co 12:9–10; Eph 3:16) I can do all things because
of Christ who strengthens me.
Many of us live out self-fulfilling prophecies. We believe
what we tell ourselves - or what we have been told by others:
"You're stupid", "You're ugly", "You'll never amount to anything,"
"You can't do anything right."
We programme ourselvesfor spiritual failure as well.
"I just can't memorise Scripture," we say. "It comes and goes,
and I can't seem to get it to stay." Yet daily we memorise
volumes of information that is less significant than the
Sciptures - telephone numbers, identification codes,
songs lyrics, advertising jingles.
The answer to the dilemma of negativism is not positive
thinking, but right thinking - biblical thinking, according
to what the Bible reveals of God's perspective. God says,
"You are worthwhile. You are valued. You are loved. I created you
just as you are, and whatever I call you to do,
I will give you the strength to do it.:
The context of Phillipians 4:13 shows that Paul had learned
this important secret of spiritual strength. Paul had known
poverty and plenty, trouble and victory. But he also knew
he did not have to let circumstances dtermine his response to God's will.
We need not be controlled by the negative messages life throws in our paths
- even those self-defeating pronouncements we make to ourselves.
Rather, we can respond according to God's perspective, with the
conviction that God has given us strength we need to meet the
challenges we face.
Application
a) What challenges do I face that make me realise my own insufficiencies?
IS memorising Scripture one of those challenges for me?
b) How does today's memory verse help me face those challenges?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
2 Chr 26:5
5 (2 Ch 24:2; Da 1:17) And he sought after God in the days of Zechariah,
the one who instructed him in the fear of the Lord. And in the days
that he sought after the Lord, God caused him to succeed.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Gift of Salvation
Ps 40:1-3,9-11
PSALMS 40
1 I waited patiently for the Lord,
and He turned to me, and heard my cry.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
and established my steps.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) He has put a new song in my mouth,
even praise to our God;
many will see it, and fear,
and will trust in the Lord.
...
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) I have proclaimed righteousness
in the great congregation;
I have not held back my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) I have not hidden Your righteousness
within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
from the great congregation.
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) Do not withhold Your compassion from me, O Lord;
may Your lovingkindness and Your truth always guard me.
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?)
Manitoba
Quick facts on Muslims in Manitoba
Saskatchewan 2015 population 1 282 000
est Muslim Population 21 349
CNMM Networks: Winnipeg
The Muslim population of Manitoba, understandably centred in Winnipeg, is very
diverse and represents some 48 different cultural and ethinic backgrounds.
Conservative estimates put their number at 21000 , with some suggesting
it might be twice that size.
Some outreach among Muslims has started, yet in comparison to the size
of this community, there is the need and opportunity for far more engagement.
Continued influx of new immigrants and refugees continues to see the growth
of this Muslim centre in Manitoba.
We rejoice in the Arabic fellowship meeting there and the energetic workers
among Muslims in Winnipeg.
Let us intercede in unity for:
- new Christian workers among Manitoba's growing Muslim population
- new church ministries focused on prayer, equipping and reaching Muslim
communities around them, as well as training new workers
- the Arabic fellowship and their ministries of discipiling new Muslim
background believers and for effectiveness in outreach
- for the recent Somali woman who found faith in Jesus and stood her ground
in the face of opposition to her new faith.
- for current workers among Muslims to be blessed, refreshed and encouraged
with great support
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
From https://www.30daysprayer.com/
WHAT IS IT AND WHY?
The 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World, is an international movement that began in 1993. It calls the church to make a deliberate but respectful effort to learn about, pray for and reach out to our world’s Muslim neighbors. It coincides annually with the important Islamic month of religious observation — Ramadan, a time of the year when Muslims are much more deeply aware of spiritual matters.
While Media sound bites about Islamic extremism can too easily incite anger, fear and even hatred towards Muslims, we seek to resist this temptation to generalize, and instead, resolve to respond and pray with the mind and heart of Christ.
Join the millions of Christians around the world, and churches and ministries from many denominations, who regularly participate in this largest ongoing prayer focus on the Muslim world. A new full-color prayer guide booklet — available each year in both adult and kids versions — is a proven tool to help Christians to understand and to persistently pray for Muslim neighbors and nations.
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
4nd Day of the Month
a) Pray for the preservation of godly values in Canada (Prov 14:34 -
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
)
b) Pray the political leaders will be awakened by God to the right use
of power and the right stewardship of their positions.
Conclusion:
Pray ot the Lord that you know the Power of Love.
Pray to the Lord to give Thanks for the Resurrection of Chriast and its Power.
Pray to the Lord to recall the verses you study in the Word every day
Pray to the Lord to seek His will.
Pray to the Lord to proclaim His righteousness.
Pray for Muslims in Manitoba to receive Christ as Saviour .
Pray for the preservation of godly values in your countru.
Pray the political leaders will be awakened by God to the right use
of power and the right stewardship of their positions.
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.
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