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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)
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."
Yesterday we meditated on the first four verses of Psalm 61 and we learned from David of how he turned from anxiety, helplessness, hopelessness, darkness and depression to have the hope and confirmation for the unknown future because of God's prompting!
“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 61:5-8, Judges 9:22-10:18; Luke 24:13-53; Proverbs 14:11-12)
Today's key passage:
For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.6 Increase the days of the king’s life,
his years for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.
Psalm 61:5-8
For you, God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Increase the days of the king’s life,
his years for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
his years for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.
and fulfill my vows day after day.
Psalm 61:5-8
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: David's vows to God? Your vows to God?
Today we meditate on the last four verses of this Psalm. We may be able to have a clue from verse six that David was already a King at that time and he should be running away from his son Absalom's chasing to kill him. And from verse seven we can see that because of that running away, he could not sing praises and worship God daily in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem.
Oh! That was the vows David made to God and it is for him to be able to sing praises to God and worship God daily in the Holy Temple!
I am having the same feeling as David had! I think there has not been a time in the past two thousand years of the history of the Christian Church and not in the Old Testament time that no one can be able to go to the holy temple to sing praises to God and worship God! Never happen before!
Praise the Lord that starting last year, many churches reopen but less than half of most congregations are willing to go back to church to worship but to choose online or other ways!
So, my vows are the same as what King David had, that we can be able to go back to our church to sing praises to God and worship God again! No other wish or vow is great than this!
What are your vows to God now?
Dear Lord Jesus,
Hear my vows today as you heard King David vows that we can be able to go back to our church to sing praises to you and worship you as soon as possible. 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 the method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org
