OT DAY 74 - How Easy It Really Is to Say YES to God (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Starting from four days days ago we add one important thing to our daily devotion. We start our devotion with one to two verses from the Psalms to praise God. We always have so limited vocabulary when we want to praise God. Let's learn from the Psalms so that we can be able to praise God in a better way:

 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!      Psalm 8:3-9

Today's Reading: Genesis 24:49-25:6

** If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from my Devotion on Fire blog:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

To use this simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:

 .Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf

Please click this link to read Genesis 24:49-25:6

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=創 世 記 24&version=CUV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=創 世 記 24&version=CUV

Bible Study

      Today's passage tells us about something we rarely do but we should do. What is it? It is about the problem of saying YES to God! For most Christians, saying YES to God is always not easy. But that doesn't make sense! If we are certain that it is from God, how come we can say NO? What good it can be if we say NO to God, right? So, the reality is, when we say NO to God, most cases we do not think it is from God. What do you think?

Let's take a look at what Professor John Goldingay says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

    

     The servant talks about commitment, but now the question concerns not God's commitment but that of Bethuel and Laban.  The question is whether they still feel a family commitment to Abraham despite his having parted from the family decades ago. If the answer is "No," the servant will have to look elsewhere.  But they recognize they have no right to behave as if the decision is theirs.  God has already make it.  Their little daughter and little sister has been hoisted into that purpose of God, whether they like it or not - like Moses, Jeremiah, Jonah, Saul on the Damasscus road, and Abraham himself.  Of course in theory you may have opportunity to say, "No" (though quite likely God will not accept your refusal, to judge from those examples).  So once again the servant bows in worship to the God who continues to make his mission successful.    

John Goldingay. Genesis for Everyone - Part Two. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.65-66.

      Everyone wants to have a successful life in God's eye. And that concerns with our saying YES to God as often as we can. How come we are so used to say NO to God? What is happening? 

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

Spiritual Journal

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: How easy it really is to say YES to God

    What Jesus tells me today is an invitation to have an examination deep down in our lives. We can see it is so easy to have Bethuel, Laban and Rebekah saying YES to God once they know it is really from God. And, their saying YES to God is such a difficult thing to decide. Think carefully now. When did the word of God came in to the three of them so that they can say YES so easily?

    What Jesus tells me now is that it all concerns with Abraham's relationship with God and his servant believing in what Abraham says and he himself experienced God's miraculous provision. That makes him to have the courage and boldness to say what he needs to say in the mighty Name of God. 

    And, it's done! A done deal in just less than 24 hours time! 

    And, it all starts with prayers, many prayers and the act of worship. Once Abraham's servant is sure of God's mighty power, he bowed and worshipped God as we can see in v.26 and v.52.

    If we dare to say NO to God, there must be a relational problem deep down in our souls. Why? Because if you are sure that is from God, why you say NO?You say NO because you do not have a good relationship with God and that gives you a "foolish" moment to puzzle, hesitate and to exercise your will power to stop God's invitation and plan. In fact, how can we stop God's plan! The consequence is we would become less and less successful and fruitful in God's eye!

    God loves you, brothers and sisters. He creates you to be fruitful and multiply. In order to live your life to be more fruitful and multiply, you need to know it is really easy to say YES to God! 

    Say YES to God right now! No matter what He is asking you now.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Only you can tell us now that the message today is from you. Tell us now that it is from you so that we can say YES to you right now no matter what you are asking us now. And, help us to say YES next time, and next time, and next time. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

    Please click this link to the app. Andy Ng wrote. You really need to use that if you have an Android cel. Andy said he is going to do the App. for iPhone later:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.rec.app

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWZQyLzDRQ

Amazing Grace My Chains are Gone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I

You may choose to follow my other daily blog: 

Daily Devotion on Fire 2(2 years plan -One year New Testament, one year Old Testament): 

http://bishopsilas2.blogspot.ca/

Daily Devotion on Fire (3 years and 3 months plan, one chapter a day to finish reading the whole Bible): 

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/

Break.Build (40 days daily devotion- For Renewal or First Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/

This blog:

Discipler 123 (Daily devotion using N.T. Wright's NT for Everyone as source)

http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/

Rev. Nicky Gumbel's daily devotion: Bible in One Year

http://www.htb.org.uk/bio