OT DAY 100 - God Allows That to Happen in order to Restore you (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Let us praise the Lord:

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

                                                            Psalm 30:1

Today's Reading: Genesis 42:1- 35

** 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 42:1-35

Chinese(CUV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=創+世+記+42&version=CUV
English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+42&version=ESV

Bible Study

      This is a strange chapter. It seems that Joseph is playing a game with his brothers. I doesn't make sense! It seems that he is still angry with his brothers for giving him all those sufferings. But, in verse 24, he wept. What does that weeping means? We know that he loves his brothers even they wanted to kill him. But, why he played that game to his brothers? 

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

    

     When Joseph named Manasseh, he said he had forgotten about his brothers and his suffering, but this is hardly so.  And it will be hard to tell why he is playing games with his brothers.  Is it because he needs to draw them to genuine repentance for the wrong they have done, and because they need to be pushed lower and lower into remorse and shame before it will be wise to let them rise from it?  I have had an occasion in my own life when that was so.  Centuries later, God will reckon Israel needs to be taken into the shame of exile and left to wallow there for some while in the shame of humiliation and refection by God before it will be wise to restore them. 

John Goldingay. Genesis for Everyone - Part Two. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.150.

      Do you have similar sufferings in you life that God used those painful experience to restore you to be a true and faithful disciple of Christ? 

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: God allows that to happen in order to restore you

    What Jesus tells me today is a wake up call to many people.  Lots of time we do not understand why those kind of painful things happened in our lives could happen if God loves us. Sooner of later, we might have a chance to have our inner eye, spiritual eye to be opened to see God uses all those kind of painful sufferings to restore our lives. 

    Professor Goldingay said he had one similar occasion. When Jesus recalled my memories just half an hour ago, I had many, many similar occasions. A few times I nearly completely collapsed, one time I nearly killed myself. But, God is good. He really restores me through all those painful sufferings. And, I am one of those stone-hearted guys who really need this kind of harsh restoration. How about you?

     Are you in pain, in severe suffering? Or, some of your friends are in sever suffering? Let God do His work of cleansing and restoration. Let God to use you to help your friend to restoration! 
     
Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to help those who are suffering to understand you love them and want to restore them into faithful disciples of you. 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

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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