Monday, March 2, 2015

DAY 13 - New Commitment: Control Your Lust (Please click here for English podcast)


Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence
2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace. 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.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

        I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
                                in the night also my heart instructs me.
8           I have set the Lord always before me;
                          
      because he is at my right hand, 
           I shall not be shaken.     Psalm 16:7-8
                                                                       
Confession and repentance

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “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. 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


  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."                 Matthew 5:27-32
                                            

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

My Listening
     
     The topic that Jesus is dealing with is divorce, but Jesus talks about how to control our lust, which is the starting point that leads to divorce. 

     We have quite a number of significance passages in the Bible teaching us not to divorce(Malachi 2.14-16, Mark 10.2-12, Luke 16.18, Matthew 19:3-9 and 1 Corinthians 7.10-16). Yes, the rate of divorce is higher and higher nowadays. Why? Jesus says it's because of two reasons. First, we can't control our lust; second, we have no integrity and do not keep our marriage oath. We'll talk about the second reason tomorrow.

Bishop N.T. Wright says :

     Divorce normally happens when lust and lies have been allowed to grow up like weeds and choke the fragile and beautiful plant of marriage...
     Sexual desire, though itself good and God-given, is like the fire of Gehenna(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehenna), which needs firmly keeping in place.  Saying 'no' to desire when it strikes inappropriately - in other words, outside the context of marriage - is part of the most basic Christian discipline.

N.T. Wright. Matthew for Everyone, Part 1. Louisville,KY:Westminster         John Knox Press, 2004, p.47-49.

     Do you believe if we can control our lusts then there would be less divorce? Are you able to control your lusts?
     
     What I received from Jesus today is a self-examination of our present lifestyle. Jesus reminds me of two situations.

     The first one comes from the past six years of research for my Doctoral thesis: Micro Discipleship. I did a wide spectrum research on daily devotions. The result is that there is less than 10% of Christians who have daily devotions. The shocking phenomenon is that most people, including pastors, do not think that's a problem. Most of them told me it is a fact, not a big deal!

     The second one is that when I ask pastors and Christians about the percentage of Christians watching pornography and the answer is almost the same as the first one but reverse. Some pastors told me they read the results of some research indicating that 60 -80 percent of Christians are watching pornography, and it is a fact and not a big deal. 

     So, brothers and sisters, Jesus is asking you now. If you are those 60 - 80% of Christians watching pornography you have to stop today. Repent and be willing to listen to Jesus' command to control your lust. Let me tell you, you do not have the power to control your lusts. You need to ask Jesus to help you. Actually this Break.Build blog is to help all people to break their addiction including pornography. Why not have a "short win" to stop for 40 days. Then you have a better chance to pull that sin out permanently with the help of Jesus. 

     You may have other addiction that you need to stop. Today is a good time for you to stop 40 days in order to break that and to build a lifestyle of Christlikeness. Are you willing to enter into this new journey to be with Jesus and to be more like Him?

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to control our lusts so that we can be more like you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 

Reflect on these questions:
1. Do you know any relative or friend who is divorced? Do you know the reason why they are divorced?

2. Do you agree with Jesus' teaching that as we control our lust, we can help more people from getting divorced? Why do you agree or disagree?

3. What do you think is the best and most effective way to control your lust? What are practical steps you can take?


Family Corner:

Today's devotional may be challenging for family discussion because it requires great vulnerability and is generally considered taboo in the family. 

If you are chatting with your spouse, pray for courage to share your own reflections first, rather than trying to dig out your spouse's sin. 

1. In your family, do you create spaces for each other to be vulnerable and share about your sinful struggles? Or, do you simply condemn sin? Or, do you ignore the discussion altogether? 


Praise and Thanksgiving
Let's give thanks for God with us. Let us praise Him:

10,000 Reasons


Please click this link to the app. Andy Ng wrote. You really need to use that if you have an Android cel. Andy said he is going to do the App. for iPhone later:

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The best way to keep you being with Jesus for these 40 days is to find two more friends coming together weekly using this blog/podcast and encouraging each others to use it daily. This is what I call "Discipler123" - One discipler having two friends being with Jesus daily for 40 days first then hopefully can continue for a period of three months.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

第十二天 - 新的友情: 快去,復和 (請按此處收聼廣東話 )



安靜
1.  停下來. 靜一靜
2.  等候主. 深呼吸經歷主之平安. 呼出你的憂慮

讚美及感恩
1.  思想你上星期使你開心歡笑的時刻
2.  為那些時刻及有關的人感恩
3.  敞開心懷讚美主

     我 必 稱 頌 那 指 教 我 的 耶 和 華 ; 我 的 心 腸 在 夜 間 也 警 戒 我 。
      我 將 耶 和 華 常 擺 在 我 面 前 , 因 他 在 我 右 邊 , 我 便 不 致 搖 動 。
                                                                           詩篇 16:5-6                                                        

認罪悔改  
1.  求聖靈在你生命中工作
      "親愛的聖靈, 求你光照我心靈的深處, 使我看見我的罪, 我和主耶穌的阻隔,
        求主幫助, 奉主耶穌基督名求。阿們。"

2. 透過聖靈的工作, 安靜一刻, 省察自己, 之後祈禱:
     「親愛的主耶穌,感謝你為我的罪釘死在十字架上,我願意在你面前承認我的罪(凡聖靈光照到的,請逐一說出),求你用你的寶血赦免我的罪,我願意打開心門讓你作我的救主,求你救贖我,我願意一生跟隨你讓你作我生命的主,求你帶領我。聖靈,求你充滿我,使我得著恩賜及力量去事奉主、見證主。奉主耶穌基督名求,阿們。」


聆聽主話


你 們 聽 見 有 吩 咐 古 人 的 話 , 說 : 不 可 殺 人 ; 又 說 : 凡 殺 人 的 難 免 受 審 判 。
 只 是 我 告 訴 你 們 : 凡 向 弟 兄 動 怒 的 , 難 免 受 審 斷 ; 凡 罵 弟 兄 是 拉 加 的 , 難 免 公 會 的 審 斷 ; 凡 罵 弟 兄 是 魔 利 的 , 難 免 地 獄 的 火 。
 所 以 , 你 在 祭 壇 上 獻 禮 物 的 時 候 , 若 想 起 弟 兄 向 你 懷 怨 ,
 就 把 禮 物 留 在 壇 前 , 先 去 同 弟 兄 和 好 , 然 後 來 獻 禮 物 。
 你 同 告 你 的 對 頭 還 在 路 上 , 就 趕 緊 與 他 和 息 , 恐 怕 他 把 你 送 給 審 判 官 , 審 判 官 交 付 衙 役 , 你 就 下 在 監 裡 了 。
 我 實 在 告 訴 你 , 若 有 一 文 錢 沒 有 還 清 , 你 斷 不 能 從 那 裡 出 來 。

                                                          馬太福音 5: 21-26

現在讓你有一段安靜的時間, 給聖靈一個空間, 讓主耶穌可能以藉着你剛才讀過的經文, 對你說話:


我的聆聽
要享受神國度的大能, 我們的生活模式需要一個很大的改變。我們有很多要破除的地方, 以致我們能建立一個活像基督的生活模式。主耶穌今日給我們一個很重要的改變: 與你的仇敵復和。

如果你有傷害你和你家人的敵人, 這似乎這是一個不可能完成的使命。你怎樣能開始這復和的召喚呢?

著名的神學家N.T. Wright説:

耶穌在登山寶訓這一段用神的誡命去作為能使人能過一個完滿及榮耀生命的藍圖。這條耶穌作為先驅的新路徑,實在是深入人品格的根源,展現出一個不再一樣的行為模式。

這是先由一個人對自己關係很接近的人產生的烈怒開始。雖然未必引至謀殺; 但十誡的不可殺人不祇是殺人的行動,思想殺某些人也不可以想…每一次你容許憤怒在你生命中燃燒,你又少了一些作為完全人的質數,你已决定看低你自已。

有其他的選擇嗎?耶穌提出二個非常獨特及實際的方法,就是去復和, 再是朋友。看似簡單,實際卻是非常困難及要付很大的代價。

最特別的是復和要先於敬拜…每次崇拜前你必需没有對親友的憤怒。無可能?耶穌說是有可能的,他作給我們看…交朋友,無敵人。


N.T. Wright. Matthew for Everyone, Part 1. Louisville,KY:Westminster         John Knox Press, 2004, p.22.

今日我從主領受的主題是: 新的友情: 快去,復和
這是一個我們聽了去行出來的命令。這不是一個理論使你對自己說:"我得啦!OK啦!" 這是主耶穌給你的命令。一個要我們真正去復和的命令。

你有没有需要說對不起及請求原諒的?快造,否則可能太遲啦! 耶穌說那些叫自己弟兄做蠢蛋的有可能在地獄的火裏。這段用的"地獄"原文是形容耶路撒冷城外燒廢物及動物屍體成為灰的地方,奇臭無比。他們叫那地方做"地獄"。

如果我們不快去復和,我們會處於有如廢物被拋棄及燒燬的危機中! 憤怒的火已活生生地吞滅了很多人! 不要發生在你身上啊!

快去,復和!

親愛的主耶穌,
求你除去我們的石心給我們一個肉心,使我們可以去復和。奉主耶穌基督名求,阿們。

省察問題
1. 你有沒有敵人或因某些衝突在憤怒的掙扎中? 

2.  你有沒有人需要講對不起及請求原諒?

3.  經過今日的反省,你有否任何和你的敵人復和的計劃?請你現在求聖靈帶領給你看見去復和的人,立即行動,否則可能太遲了! 

家庭角落
1. 你如何處理家庭中的憤怒?那些憤怒是否隱藏着或在心中深處?或,憤怒已在爆發的邊沿?或,你經常實踐復和?

2. 你的家庭現在是否需要復和? 

感恩讚美
讓我們為神同在感恩讚美主:
10,000 Reasons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

如果你有 Android cel. 請按此處上載程式,可直接一按收聽最近之十次廣播:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.rec.app

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