OT DAY 23 - Are You In God's Good And Positive Production Line? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

 Today's Reading: Genesis 4:25-26

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Please click this link to read Genesis 4:25-26

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis 4&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=創 世 記 4&version=CUV

Bible Study

     This passage shows us a new start and beginning as in Adam and Eve's third son, Seth. We have seen through the posts of the past two days that the line of Cain was full of pride and killing.  We can see clearly the new line of Seth coming up in chapter 5. What does that mean? 

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

    

     The Genesis story reaches a low point.  Then it backtracks to the birth of another baby to Adam and Eve.  A pattern in Genesis thus makes its first appearance.  Genesis will focus on the live of descent through which God's purpose for the world is fulfilled, but it often first outlines what happens to the line through which God is not working in this vital way.  It tells of the line of Noah's sons Ham and Japhet before focusing on Shem's line, of Ishmael's line before focusing on Isaac's, and of Esau's line before focusing on Jacob's.  There is nothing wrong with not being the line through which God's ultimate purpose is being fulfilled, because God is just as much involved with those other lines.
     While the lines that are not "chosen" or "elect" are not thereby rejected, the story concentrates on the line through which God is bringing blessing to the whole world.  In this process, God characteristically works through the line you would not expect.  Specifically, God does not work through the line of the eldest son.  It is a sign of how God overturns what we anticipate, overturns the patterns society sets up.  Cain, Ishmael, and Esau were the eldest sons; in each case, God works through the little brother. 
     In Genesis 4, the backtracking makes it possible to set the positive note of the birth of Adam and Eve's new baby against the negative note on which the story of Cain's line has stopped.  

John Goldingay. Genesis for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.82.

      Are you in a good and positive production line? 

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: Are you in God's good and positive production line?

    The message I receive from Jesus today is a clue to explain why there are so many problems in families, churches and everywhere. 

     When people are in a negative production line as Cain was, everything is being seen as negative, people are full of pride and anger. The result is separation and killing. Do you have such kind of negative people in your church? Those who see things always in a negative way. Those who brings rumours, false accusation, persecution and killing.

     When people are in a positive way, everything is being seen as positive, people are humble and willing to appreciate and encouraging others. That's God's positive production line.

     Which line are you in actually?  
    

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to join your positive production line so that appreciation and encouragement can happen in our families and churches. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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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): 

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

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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): 

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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/bioy