Wednesday, December 23, 2015

OT DAY 408 - Don't Judge Anymore, but to Bring God's True Response (Please click here for English podcast)

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

   Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.
                    Psalm 145:3

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 (1 Samuel 1:12-18)

12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
                 1 Samuel 1:12-18

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"

My Listening
         It is so easy for us as Christians especially Christian leaders to wrongly judge and easily judge someone. Here we have a perfect example of Eli being in the position of the top religious leader judging Hannah and could change his attitude in just a short period of time to bring God's true response. 

         Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 
    
         As the word "pleading" suggests, when the Old Testament refers to prayer it doesn't have in mind something like meditation or reflection, something designed to change us. Prayer is something more like the relationship of a child to its father or mother. When a child is hurt or scared, it comes to its parents to get them to do something about it, and they assure the child that they will. Eli knows that his job as a pastor in this connection is to bring God's response to Hannah's prayer. God's response to prayers in the Old Testament is not always positive, like the response of parents to their children's pleas. There will be occasions when Eli's initial response in which he rebukes Hannah is the right one. Now he sees that this is not such an occasion and brings God's true response. 
          
John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.14-15.

       
           Have you been in similar situation making the same mistake as Eli made to sit on God's seat judging other people? Have you brought God's true response after you made your mistake or you insisted on your own judgement was correct hurting other people? How can you learn from today's example so that you can bring God's true response and not your own wrong judgement? 

Dear Lord Jesus, 
    Help us to repent if we have wrongly judging other people. Open our eyes to see the truth and to be able to bring your true response. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect on these questions:
1. Have you been in similar situation making the same mistake as Eli made to sit on God's seat judging other people? Have you brought God's true response after you made your mistake or you insisted on your own judgement was correct hurting other people?

    2. How can you learn from today's example so that you can bring God's true response and not your own wrong judgement?

3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Today's Time with Abba daily reading:
Psalm 145:8-13
Zechariah 4:1-5:11
Revelation 14:1-20
Proverbs 30:21-23

Photos of my copying the Bible yesterday using Time with Abba passages 






Praise and Thanksgiving

Let's give thanks for God with us. Let us praise Him:
10,000 Reasons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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:

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



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Daily Devotion on Fire: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/
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世世代代頌讚你的作為，傳揚你的大能!

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