Today's Reading: Luke 8: 16-25
**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.
Please click this link to read Luke 8: 16-25
Bible Study
I think quite a number of Christians played a game like this:
You write down five most important priorities of your life in a paper, like God, family, career, health, exercise, sleep etc. Then you cross out one that is not so important and share why. And then another one, and then another one till one left. Usually the last one is always God or Jesus. But, is it really so? Today's passage gives us an answer.
It seems not easy to understand this passage because of Jesus attitude to his family. Does he has an attitude problem? How can we link his attitude with his mother and brothers with the calming of storm?
Well, to explain in the most simple way of what Luke wants to tell us, it is this: Family first, storm and crisis first or God first!
N.T. Wright says:
Jesus is like the most caring family person you can imagine, who nevertheless knows that hearing and doing God's word is even more important...
The lesson is made plain for the disciples on the lake, as it is for us whenever we come to the end of our own resources and discover that we have to throw ourselves on the mercy of Jesus because there's no one and nothing else that will help. The choice of faith is absolute. Either we trust him or we are left at the mercy of the storm.
So, when you say Jesus first, is it really so?
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"
Spiritual Journal
What I heard from Jesus today is: Jesus first, really?
What I received today from Jesus is a critical question for all of us. I think most Christians would say Jesus first and no other people and thing can replace the first place of Jesus in their priority. But, when we have to make a choice, most Christians do not choose Jesus but family, career or other priority. Or, we so often let our fear, crisis and disaster to take over our lives thinking that Jesus has already disappeared!
Yesterday I got a new experience. I was in a dark mood yesterday and was somewhat feeling discouraged and angry. The weird thing was that I did not fully understand why I was so discouraged and angry about! Then I understand something new. For the past three years I have been trying my best to help people to have a daily intimate personal relationship with Jesus and I started that with myself. Most of the time I am good. But not yesterday. Then I understand that sometimes I have isolated my two hours with Jesus to be that daily experience forgetting that I need Jesus every minute with me so that I won't be taken over by those "storms" suddenly coming towards me.
So, what I got today is that the meaning of Jesus first is we need to have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus all the time! It's every minute, every second! That's Jesus first!
Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to be with you every minute and second everyday that we can experience the freedom and power of Jesus first day after day. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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Chinese praise song - 我的心你要稱頌耶和華 Praise the Lord, O My Soul
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