40 days "Break.Build" blog and podcast, Day 25:
https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2020/03/day-25-new-path-not-easy-to-follow.html
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)
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 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."
Today's Psalm is a lament of the Israelites not being able to worship God in the Temple in Jerusalem because of their rebellion they lost their country and being taken away from home to Babylon! It is a lament and cry for the salvation of God!
Before the pandemic, whenever I read this Psalm, I usually thought: You guys deserved that disaster! You left God, you should know that's the consequence!
But now, most churches in the world stop their Sunday services for two years since March 2020 due to the pandemic. We started to have online life streaming worship on March 15, 2020, the third Sunday of March. And, we stopped our daily 6am Time with Abba and 7am Holy Communion on March 16,2020 which lasted for five years and four months in our church until three years ago!
Those Israelites waited for 70 years for them to be able to return to Jerusalem, to be able to worship in the Holy Temple again!
Praise to the Lord! We resume everything a year ago, March 20, 2022!
“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 Word, Time with Abba (Psalm 42:1-5, Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Proverbs 11:23)
Today's key passage:
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:1-5
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
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: I finally understand not being able to go to church worshipping God is so painful!
Today's Psalm is a lament of the Israelites not being able to worship God in the Temple in Jerusalem because of their rebellion they lost their country and being taken away from home to Babylon! It is a lament and cry for the salvation of God!
Before the pandemic, whenever I read this Psalm, I usually thought: You guys deserved that disaster! You left God, you should know that's the consequence!
But now, most churches in the world stop their Sunday services for two years since March 2020 due to the pandemic. We started to have online life streaming worship on March 15, 2020, the third Sunday of March. And, we stopped our daily 6am Time with Abba and 7am Holy Communion on March 16,2020 which lasted for five years and four months in our church until three years ago!
Those Israelites waited for 70 years for them to be able to return to Jerusalem, to be able to worship in the Holy Temple again!
Praise to the Lord! We resume everything a year ago, March 20, 2022!
I sincerely hope and pray that we will cherish more of our being able to worship God in our own church, in the Holy Temple!
Don't take it for granted that you can go to worship in your church anymore!
Dear Lord Jesus,
We give thanks to you that after two painful years we cannot worship you in your sanctuary. Help us to cherish this precious opportunity and do not take it for granted. 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 closer to Jesus?
Family Corner:
Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message.
No comments:
Post a Comment