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
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 shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:
“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 and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
"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."
“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 and having Jesus as my Lord. 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, Time with Abba (Psalm 142:1-7, 2 Kings 17:1-18:12; Acts 20:1-38; Proverbs 18:6-7)
TWA Bible link: http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/
Today's main passage:
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Acts 20:28-38
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 to Jesus as you listen to him.
My Listening
The topic I received today is: Paul showed us his model: It is more blessed to give than to receive!
Today's Acts 20:18-38 is one of the most moving passages in the Bible. Paul found the church in Ephesus during his second missionary journey and established the first centre to train evangelists of the Early Church. Today's passage is almost the last stop of his third missionary journey. He stopped at Miletus and invited all the elders of the church of Ephesus to go there for him to have his final address and to say good bye to them.
Paul's last word in his address has a great influence to the Christian world until now: It is more blessed to give than to receive!
Paul said it was from Jesus but we cannot find that in Jesus sayings. It is believed that it is an oral tradition and being recorded but not in the Bible.
Paul taught his disciples as Jesus taught to set himself as a model for others to follow. And, Paul tells us that the most important model he demonstrated is:
It is more blessed to give than to receive!
I sincerely hope and pray that you can also live out Paul's model to demonstrate through your life that "It is more blessed to give than to receive!"
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to be able to live out our life witness as Paul showed to others that it is more blessed to give than to receive. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
Reflect on these questions:
1. How can you be able to live out Paul's wonderful model?
2. What is your next step to make this happen?
Family Corner:
Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message.
Please click "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone" to receive more messages from Jesus to you and the fresh anointing from the Holy Spirit:
To know, learn and practice this method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org
Please click this link if you have an Android Cel to listen to the most recent ten podcasts:
Time with Abba, Depression Out:
Break.Build: 破.立 Break.Build: http://breakbuild.blogspot.com/2015/02/day-1-new-message-go-home-please-click.html
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