OT DAY 95 - Don't let Deceiving And Messiness to Continue (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Let us praise the Lord:

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 
                                                            Psalm 27: 4-6

Today's Reading: Genesis 38:1- 30

** 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 38:1-30

Chinese(CUV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=創 世 記 38&version=CUV
English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis 38&version=ESV

Bible Study

      You may not want to read this chapter. It is so filthy, deceiving and crazy! If you are writing your own biography, would you put down your filthy, deceiving and crazy messiness there? I don't think so. Do you have the courage to tell your filthy, deceiving and crazy messiness to other people? I don't think so unless you have some really good friends who can share something deep down inside. But, the Bible records this kind of messiness. Why?  

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

    

     Once again deceit plays a key role in the story of Judah and Tamar…
     Once again we are astonished and encouraged that stories with all the messiness of our stories are there in the Bible.  And this is the man who gives his name to one of Israel's most important clans, the one from which David and Jesus are born; and this is the Tamar who appears in Jesus' genealogy (Matthew 1:3) 

John Goldingay. Genesis for Everyone - Part Two. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.135, 137.

      Do you have any new insight after reading this chapter? Are you willing to be transparent to other people like 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: Don't let deceiving and messiness to continue

    What Jesus tells me today is if we acknowledge our own weakness and brokenness, we have a better chance to become a new person. Do you know how important the tribe of Judah is to human history, not only the history of Israel. Do you know how important Tamar is as her name is in the third verse of the beginning of the New Testament. Wow!

     Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." 
                                                                   Matthew 5: 8

     John Stott explains the pure in heart means those who are transparent before God and people. Yes, we hide quite a lot of secrets and brokenness inside never telling other people. Most people don't have even one close friend to share their brokenness. 

      Today, this passage tells you that your messiness is OK. You are just a human! But, you need help so that you can have transformation from a filthy man to a holy man, from a worrying woman to a woman full of faith.

       Open yourself to those who Jesus prepares for you to give you friendship, encouragement and healing. 

       Don't let deceiving and messiness to continue! 
     
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to open ourselves so that we can be saved by you and not bury ourselves into our own messiness. 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

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWZQyLzDRQ

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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