Key Verse: 1 Chronicles 27:23
But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because the Lord had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.

Abraham, known as the father of faith, was given the promise from God at least three different times that his children would be like the “stars of the heavens.” With the continued listing of names in today’s reading, we may want to read Genesis 22:1-17. God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) to multiply their people, and King David believed God’s promise. A thousand years later, the writer to the Hebrews picks up the story and reaffirms the fact of God’s promise (Hebrews 11:8-19). God’s promise has come true and is continuing to be fulfilled. The people of God are uncountable. All of us who are believers in the God of Abraham, and in the One who said, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” are in the heavenly census (read John 8:56-59). We too, along with David, are part of that number, “like the stars of the heavens.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, I thank You that by faith I am numbered in Your census, which shows Your children are more in number than the stars of the heavens. I pray that I will be a help in Your work of adding even more people to that number. I’m reminded, Lord, that Your prophet Daniel wrote, “Those who turn many to righteousness [shall shine] like the stars forever and ever.” Grant me the gift of faithfulness in prayer, in witness, and in supporting those who are also winning precious souls to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I have a vivid imagination. I can imagine the scene in Heaven when I first confessed Jesus as my personal Saviour and Lord. Jesus said, “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 10:32). So here’s the scene. It’s a Monday in the locker room at high school. The past Friday evening in the Glebe Collegiate auditorium, I had gone forward to receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord, and now I was determined to tell my fellow basketball players about it. I said something like this,”I have an announcement! You’ll see a different Mainse from now on. I have given my life to Jesus.” There was silence, some teasing, and then life went on. However, things happened in Heaven. I believe Jesus kept His Word and said something like this: “Father, David Charles Mainse has just confessed Me in front of his high school teammates.” According to Scripture, there was rejoicing in Heaven. Then I can imagine one of the angels, who was listening to Jesus, writing my name down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I was counted in God’s census. Okay, it may not have been exactly like that. I’ll find out some day. I do believe that I’m in that number…a greater number than the stars of the heavens!

Yours for increasing daily the number of the children of Abraham,

David