Thursday, February 2, 2023

Is the Lord among us or not?

    


   

Please click this link for the video version:



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.”



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."

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 Word, Time with Abba (Psalm 18:37-50, Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Proverbs 6:20-26)

    Today's key passage:
     The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”
But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.And he called the place Massah[g] and Meribah[h] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
    Exodus 17:1-7

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 isIs the Lord among us or not?

     Today's Exodus recorded the Israelites had no water and food three times. Three times they grumbled and quarrelled, testing God saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"

     Why the Bible uses "testing God" to describe the relationship with the Israelites with God? In what kind of circumstance, what kind of act do we do means testing God?


1. Do not believe God is the one who save you, provide you, listen and answer you, exalted you  (Psalm 18:37-50)
       
      2.  Do not understand even you have God with you, you would still have no water, no food, lacking lots of things. Because God wants to use those time to train your faith so that you experience His salvation and provision, lead you to experience what Psalm 23:1 says "I shall not want"  (Exodus 15:19-17:7)
    
3.  To grumble and quarrel against God's servants in the midst of lacking something (Exodus 15:23-24, 16:1-3, 17:1-2, 7)

May you won't cause grumbling and quarrelling against God's servants in your home church so that you can truly experience God with us, God with you, Emmanuel! 

 
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us not to cause grumbling and quarrelling against God's servants in our home church so that we can truly experience God with us, God with me, Emmanuel. 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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