OT DAY 87 - Family Is The Most Important (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Starting last week 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:

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
    We will sing and praise your power.

                    Psalm 21: 13

Today's Reading: Genesis 31:30-54

** 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 31:30-54

Chinese(CUV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=創 世 記 31&version=CUV
English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis 31&version=ESV 

Bible Study

      Today's passage is all about family. It's about how misunderstanding, mistrust, anger and hate can destroy a family. And, how acceptance, understanding and reconciliation can rebuild the relationship of family members. 

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

    

     There are a few signs in this story that Jacob has some family feelings.  It would be unduly cynical not to see such feelings as at least one element in his fear that Laban may take away his daughters…No one can afford to trust anyone in this family…
     It was Laban who suffered through the departure of his daughters and their offspring…Parting with acrimony would make this much worse.  It is neat, then, that despite the failure to resolve the question about the effigies the two families become reconciled and finally part happily. 

John Goldingay. Genesis for Everyone - Part Two. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.107.

      Do you have similar problems in your family or your church as your spiritual family? How can you do your best to remove all those misunderstanding, mistrust, anger and hate from those family members? 

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: Family is the most important

    What Jesus tells me today is a very good way to love and protect our family and our church. Do you know the major effort of what the devil has been doing the past thousands of years is to destroy families and churches through all these misunderstanding, mistrust, anger and hate. It is so difficult to have reconciliation because reconciliation involves not only one person, but at least two parties or more, very complicated.

    Just an hour ago, Michelle and I had breakfast in a small Hong Kong Style restaurant in Hong Kong. Three waitress were chatting just three feet away from us. The conclusion said by one waitress is this:
    "No matter what, family is the most important."

    I think this is not a coincidence. Jesus is trying to tell you with everything He can that your family is the most important. Your wife, your husband, your children are the most important. Your parents, your siblings are the most important. Your church family, your pastors, leaders and brothers and sisters are the most important. Don't let the devil to steal, kill and destroy those relationship away from you. Let Jesus to come in to your life each day to bring love and reconciliation back to your family:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.                                  John 10:10

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to know that our family is the most important place for us to guard, love, care and pray. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

I have the honour to have Dr. Philemon Choi inviting me to speak to all the full-time staff of Breakthrough Youth Global Network in Breakthrough Village, Shatin, Hong Kong this Tuesday. After the talk, Dr. Choi asked them to pray for me, my family and ministry. 
Also, a photo with Dr. Choi and his younger son, Jonathan who is a staff of that Network.

    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