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Nicky Gumbel's Bible in one year today:
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 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 gifts 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 gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."
The Word, Time with Abba (Psalm 5:4-12, Genesis 16:1-18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Proverbs 2:1-5)
TWA Bible link: http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/
Today's main passage:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell face down, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
1. 7 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”
Genesis 17:1-17
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 from Jesus is: Vision, Action, Mission
1. Vision
Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint"
Abraham received three visions that needed his action:
a. Circumcision: every male who is eight days old must be circumcised.
b. Have a son: Abraham was 99, Sarah was 90, and they needed to make love and had a son.
c. Very fruitful: They did not even have a son, how come very fruitful.
2. Action
Please think of how difficult it is to have that three visions to have action, it is nearly impossible!
a. Circumcision: to have every male to go through circumcision and that they were wiling to do that, that is impossible!b. Have a son: a 99 years old man to make love with his wife, even if he wanted, he did not have that strength to do that. And, to have his 90 years old wife to be willing to make love with him. I think she would say, "Don't even think of that! Don't touch me!" So, another impossible!
c. Very fruitful: After 99 years old to have more sons! Impossible!
With these three "impossible", Abraham really took action and did it. Also, after Abraham's wife Sarah died (Genesis 23:1), according to Genesis 25:1-2, Abraham had taken another wife, Keturah and had six sons. That's why God told Sarah, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
3. Mission
God knew that beforehand that Abraham would take the visions into action. So God gave him a new name, from Abram, meaning exalted father to Abraham, meaning father of many nations. And, God gave Sarah a new name, from Sarai, meaning my lady, to Sarah, meaning noble woman. Because Abraham did an act of faith that no one dares to do, he becomes the father of faith, the father of many nations!
Could you follow Abraham's good model to live a life of vision, action and mission?
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to follow Abraham's good model to live a life of vision, action and mission. 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.
To know, learn and practice this method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org
A 40 days of daily devotion during Lent - Break.Build: 破.立 Break.Build: http://breakbuild.blogspot.com/2015/02/day-1-new-message-go-home-please-click.html
Welcome to use my first blog: Read one chapter of Bible a day
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