Tuesday, February 2, 2016

OT DAY 436 - Don't Make Foolish Promise to God (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

         Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
               let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
           Let them praise his name with dancing,
               making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
           For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
               he adorns the humble with salvation.

           
                    Psalm 149:2-4

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 14:24-52)


       
       24 And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. 25 Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. 28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were faint. 29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”
                                                                 1   Samuel 14: 24-30


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

          Saul made foolish promises in today's passage. If not for his people's rejection, Saul would have killed his own son just like Jephthah killed his own daughter in Judges 11. What's wrong with this kind of promises? Have you made similar promises to God thinking that God would grant what you want? I had, many times when I was young and was not a born again Christian!

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 
    
           In the Old Testament, promises designed to encourage God to give victory are inclined to rebound; here, Saul's action reminds us of the story of Jephthah in Judges 11…
           In connection with this event, relations between Saul and his men are reversed. Whereas Saul thinks the same way as Jephthah(a promise is a promise is a promise), even Saul's ordinary soldiers know that God is not a legalist and that it's possible to raise with God the question whether circumstances make it feasible to renegotiate a promise. Some kind of offering can be made to God that can take the place of the life that was promised. So Jonathan's life is saved.    
          
John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.72.




         We are tempted to make all kinds of foolish promises, especially when we are still in a kind of "baby" stage as Christians. We really need to grow up in order that we won't make those foolish promises thinking that God would grant those promises because we have promised to make big sacrifice! If that is a clear call from God, of course making big sacrifice is good. But, if that is your way of pushing God to do something for you, then you are just a fool! 

Dear Lord Jesus, 
    Help us to grow up as mature Christians so that we won't make foolish promises to you.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect on these questions:
    1. Have you made foolish promises before? How about recently? Why do you do that?

2. What kind of promise you think God wants you to make?

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?


Today's Time with Abba daily reading:




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






Photo of yesterday 6:30a.m. Copying Bible to pray and 7a.m. Prayer Meeting








Praise and Thanksgiving
10,000 Reasons

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