Thursday, June 16, 2016

OT DAY 497 - God Doesn't Need Your Ability, He only Needs You to Listen And Obey (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence
2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile
2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people
3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

      The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
                                     Psalm 23:1

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Kings 13:1-5)


       And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings. And the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’” And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. 
                                         1 Kings 13:1-5

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"

    My Listening

          The message I received from Jesus today makes me to tremble! We tends to find leaders who have talent and ability to do the job we want them to do. And, there are so many leaders all around the world or even at churches make a big mess. Why? Because talent and ability can not prove someone will become a good leader. Then, you may want to ask, "What is the key for someone to be a good leader?" 

    Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 
     (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) : 
           Unlike Saul and David, before Jeroboam's designation by Ahijah he had already proved himself the stuff of which leadership is made and the kind of person who either might have aspirations to the kingship or might be drafted by his people; Solomon's attempt to kill him shows that he could see that this was so. So sometimes God takes someone with no leadership ability because God isn't dependent on people's ability. Sometimes God takes someone who is too young to have had a chance to show leadership ability and takes a chance on how things will turn out, as happened with David. The results are then ambiguous. Sometimes God lets human willfulness and plotting take their course, as happened with Solomon… Sometimes God harnesses human ability, as happens with Jeroboam.  
         
John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Kings for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.63.

          There are two terrible happenings that God warned Jeroboam in this chapter. We are going to learn about the first one and the second one for tomorrow's devotion. But, after two terrible happenings and the severe warning to Jeroboam, you can see as in 1 Kings 13: 33-34 that Jeroboam did not change his evil ways that led to his downfall and its destruction:

     33 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. 34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

          You need to be very sure that God does not need your talent nor ability. He only needs you to listen and obey. If you can listen and obey totally, He is going to use you as His servant and vessel to bring forth His Word and blessings to many. 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us not to be so stupid and stubborn as Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Lead us to experience your daily presence and follow your lead each day.    In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.


Reflect on these questions:
    1. Before today, do you think your talent and ability is the most important thing for you to lead a successful life? 

2. What have you got from today's message? What are the things that your eyes got opened and see differently? 

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?


10,000 Reasons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E


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