Because your love is better than life!

 

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.   Sing a song to praise God (you are welcome to use "Father, I adore you" which I have been singing every morning for the past 20 years or your own choice to praise God)

          Father, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Jesus, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Spirit, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

      

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/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.”

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 sins 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 gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

(Please click this link to see how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

    

    The link to today's Time with Abba passages:   http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/

    Time with Abba passages: (Psalm 63:1-11, Judges 13:1-14:20;John 1:29-51; Proverbs 14:15-16)

    Today's key passage: 

    

              You, God, are my God,

    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Psalm 63:1-11

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 from Jesus is:  Because your love is better than life! 

    During this time of pandemic and a lot of global crisis, lots of people live in fear each day, fear of losing their lives, death! Actually, it seems normal to fear death!

    "Because your love is better than life" from today's Psalm can help us to get out of the fear of having COVID-19, fear of losing life to enter into God's love. This promise from God can pull us out of sorrow and sadness! Because we have a better chance to live out the second part of this verse: my lips may glorify you!

    Yes, when we are sure of this promise and keep on experiencing our intimate relationship with the Lord and His unfailing love, we can live each day a day of praising God glorifying His Name, right?

    But, the story of being human beings is not like that! Most of the people on earth spend lots of time to seek and thirst for other things than God, rather than enter into God's love but sink in lots of things pulling us out of God's love, like:

    TV, computer, cel. phone, money, busy, work, work, work, drinks, food ...It's a pity!

    Today's Psalm uses ten different expressions to describe the lifestyle of those who live a life that God's love is better than life:

    Earnestly seek you

    Thirst for you

    Longs for you

    Have seen you

    Glorify you

    Praising you

    Singing to you

    Remember you

    Think of you

    Cling to you

    

     

     Dear Lord Jesus,  

     Help us to be able to live out "your love is better than life" daily that we won't live in fear anymore but to earnestly seek you, thirst for you, praise and follow you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

      Reflect on these questions:

     1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

      

      2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus?

    

      Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

     

Please click this link for the video version of this blog:   https://youtu.be/xqRYPfHE1PU

  

     To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org