OT DAY 66 - Your Actions Can Risk Consequences for Others Lives (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Today's Reading: Genesis 20:14-21:14

** 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:

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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 20:14-21:14

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis 20&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=創 世 記 20&version=CUV

Bible Study

      Today we have our focus on the story of Abraham and King Abimelech. Can you believe that early in Abraham's time gentiles could talk to God like that? So, the Israelites didn't have to wait for Paul's time to have the Gospel delivered to the gentiles. Do you remember the wise men from the East who brought three gifts to Jesus? They were gentiles too, right? Here in today's passage we have a new theme to think of.  

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

    

     The story of Abraham and Abimelech is the scary way our actions can risk consequences for other people's lives. That is obviously so for Sarah when Abraham lets her be taken into the king's harem (again!), though Genesis does not comment on that.  Despite her agreeing to collaborate, one can imagine the feisty Sarah we know from Genesis 16 having a thing or two to say about this if we could ask her.  But Abraham's action also brings consequences for the king and people of Gerar, on whom the story focuses.  Toward the end of the story we discover that God prevented any of the women in the royal household from conceiving, not as a permanent disability but as a temporary loss that would force the king to look at what was going on. 

John Goldingay. Genesis for Everyone - Part Two. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.37-38.

      That's how God protects His servants and that's how God protects you. Do you believe that?   

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: Your actions can risk consequences for others lives

    What Jesus wants to give you today is to tell you that you are in His special protection even though sometimes you mess up His plan just like what Abraham did.

    The unusual happening in todays passage is to tell us that our action might cause other people's suffering because God wants to protect us. This I think you have not think of ever.

    Trust God's total protection and don't mess up God's plan for you that you risk other people's lives! See how chapter 21 reveals the sad consequence of Abraham and Sarah not trusting God making a big mess to their family.

    Do you think you have also made similar mistake?

    What does today's message teaches you?

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to truly believe that we are in your total protection that we are secure and safe in 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

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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): 

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