Time with Abba, Singing Praising 親親爸父，唱詩歌頌 : OT DAY 365 - Leader Gone, People Went Astray Again! (Please click here for English podcast)

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

OT DAY 365 - Leader Gone, People Went Astray Again! (Please click here for English podcast)

Please click the link below to my new 40 days Break.Build site any time you like to having a 40 days "Break.Build" daily devotion with one to two people as a discipler to help those Jesus prepares for you to disciple. You need to know that the call and purpose of my Break.Build and this Discipler123 blog/podcast is for you to become a discipler to help more people to have a daily intimate relationship with Jesus and then they can become disciplers too:
http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Please click these links to the app. Andy Ng wrote if you have an Android cel.:

Discipler123: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.rec.app

Break.Build: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.bb.app

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

   As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
  so the Lord surrounds his people,
  from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 125 :2

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 (Judges 8:1-35)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+8&version=ESV

28 So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon. 29 Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35 and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

Judges 8:28-35

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

My Listening

Today we understand more about how Judges 2: 18 - 19 means:

18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

That's what happened to all the judges we have read the past few days. When Deborah was alive leading the Israelites, they had 40 years of peace. Then the Israelites went astray again. When Gideon was alive leading the Israelites, they had 40 years of peace. Then the Israelites went astray again. What is God's message to us today?

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

It draws attention to their having failed to keep commitment with Gideon himself in response to all he had achieved for them. Yet their "acting immorally" is an example of the pattern running through Judges.

John Goldingay. Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.119.

The message I received from Jesus today is how can we raise up enough leaders to take the baton to lead on when experienced leaders are gone. How can another strong leader being raised up after a strong leader retire or die?

Are you willing to be led by God's anointed leaders? How can you be a good discipler raising up leaders?

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to know the importance of following your anointed and appointed leaders. Lead us to prepare more leaders for your Kingdom so that people won't go astray when we are gone. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:
1. Why do you think the Israelites went astray when Gideon died?

2. How willing are you to be raised up as a leader? How willing are you to raise up enough leaders for God's Kingdom ministry?

3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Today's Time with Abba daily reading that I recited loudly and copy the Bible is:

Psalm 119:97-104

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11

Hebrews 5:1-14

Proverbs 26:28

Photos of my copying the Bible using Time with Abba passages

Golden Verse