OT DAY 457 - God Led David into Victory through Corrupted Power Struggles (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

       I have set the Lord always before me;
           because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

        Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

           my flesh also dwells secure.

                                     Psalm 16:8-9

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 (2 Samuel 3:1-4:12)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2 Samuel 3&version=ESV

       

       31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” And King David followed the bier. 32 They buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 And the king lamented for Abner, saying,

“Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound;
    your feet were not fettered;
as one falls before the wicked
    you have fallen.”

     And all the people wept again over him. 35 Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!” 36 And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people. 37 So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put to death Abner the son of Ner.
          2   Samuel 3:31-37

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

          Please read today's two chapters from 2 Samuel 3:1 to 4:12 first and not just 3:31-37. If you really read these two chapters, you would find that it is a very dirty and wicked story of human sins through power struggles. So many people died!

           But, David was not involved! How can that be? 

    Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 

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

           The deaths of people such as Abner and Ish-bosheth are extremely convenient for David, but he can claim to have had nothing to do with bringing them about and to have honoured the victims and/or brought the killers to justice. He is the man after God's heart, the man God chose. God makes things work out for David through the wrongdoing of the people around him. 

         

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.124.

       Human's sins lead human restless and hopeless. The consequence is to kill each others for money, power and sex. It's all there in today's two chapters!

       What can you do to get away from this kind of darkness and wickedness?

       Follow David's model to be the one after God's heart! To be close to God each day, follow Him, listen to Him and obey His commands. Then, even you are surrounded by those sinful and wicked people, God will have His own way to lift you out of that darkness and to raise you up to be His powerful, anointed and blessed disciple.

       Do you believe that can happen? Are you willing to follow David's example? 

Dear Lord Jesus,

    Help us to be willing to follow David's model to be the one after your heart so that we can be your faithful disciples.  In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 

Reflect on these questions:

   1. What do you think of today's sinful and wicked stories?

2. Do you think you might have a chance to be caught up into similar sinful and wicked culture? How can you get away from that?

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Praise and Thanksgiving

10,000 Reasons

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

四十天的"破. 立"靈修:

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Today is our 106 days non stop Morning Prayer Monday through Friday 6:30a.m. to 7:30a.m. Saturday 8a.m. to 9:45a.m., Sunday 7:30a.m. to 8:30a.m.

The offering of our First Fruit every morning have changed lots of things: unity, lifestyle, character …and many more!

Prayer sheet for our daily 6:30a.m. Copying the Bible to pray and 7a.m. Prayer Meeting today: