Trust in God's timing!

  

Please click this link for the video version of today's blog :

https://youtu.be/xjfh-wT1FYM?si=TcwR2i0qRzrYPO0p

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 the Lord

      

     Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

      https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/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 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 read 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."

Today's Time with Abba:  Psalm 72:15-20; 2 Samuel 7:1-8:18; John 14:15-31; Proverbs 15:33

Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

Key passage: 

     The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 

                                                                             2 Samuel 7: 11-13 

       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.    

     The topic I received today from Jesus is: Trust in God's timing!

!     God has His own timing! Do you believe that? 

David's heart was to build a house for the Lord. Even the prophet Nathan thought that was good and that would be done. But God said, "No, not yet. After you die, then your offspring will build a house for me. I will establish a house for you first."

"Trust in God's timing!" 

God told David that He was going to establish David's house first, which means first to establish his own family, his people. Then when God's time came, his offspring would build God's house. 

We all know that David did not do a good job in establishing his own family. Solomon built a house for himself first and then for God. But because of Solomon not listening to God's command many times, his kingdom was divided and later perished!

Many new church plants always praying for their own land and own church building like what David did. But, we really need to build up our people first before thinking of building God's house. If we have less than 10% of Christians having daily devotion, how can we build God's Kingdom and house? 

I was in total surprise when I was in Rwanda the first time and that was 2011 when I was invited to attend Archbishop Rwaje's Installation Celebration. At that time I was about to complete my book "Micro Macro Discipling". I asked almost all Rwanda bishops the same question which I asked in many countries, "What is the percentage of Christians having daily devotion?" All of them said it was less than 5% or even 1%. All of them told me that this is the biggest problem worldwide but nobody is doing anything about it. 

Bishop John Rucyahana gave me an example,"It's like our water in Rwanda is not drinkable but many people still drink it. They don't care!" 

We need to know that Anglican Church of Rwanda is one of the most fast growing churches in their nation. They have more than one million Anglicans with only one Archbishop and 13 Dioceses. And yet they acknowledged the reality of the devastating situation regarding daily devotion!

Yes, we don't care whether we have daily devotion or not because we never taste the sweetness of having a daily intimate relationship with God! If we do, how can the worldwide church has such a devastating situation like that - less than 10% of Christians or less are having a daily intimate relationship with Jesus? 

Let's build our "house" first, to nurture each of our people into being mature Christians who has taste the sweetness of what a daily intimate relationship with God means. Then everything according to God's preparation will happen!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to trust in your timing and try all our best to build up mature Christians first before building anything. In Jesus name I 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, to be holy - that is to do what Jesus wants you to do and not to do what Jesus wants you not to do?

    

    Family Corner:

   Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

    Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible four passages: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

     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.    

   For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):

    https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningchinese.blogspot.com

     

     To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link:http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

     If you would like to follow my "Subject shifting Devotion Method" from the "Time with Abba, Praising Singing", you are welcome to follow the direction below and then go back to the top of this blog to read today's key passage and my listening and sharing:

        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 the Lord

      

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/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 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."

 My first blog "Devotion on Fire"  was written in English only  (July 17, 2009年7月17日至November 22, 2012年11月22日). Each day one chapter of Bible, from New Testament and then Old Testament. Completed in four months and three years:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/blessings-from-rev-dr-john-stott.html

My second blog "Discipler 123"  was written in both Chinese and English (March 6,2011to December 31, 2016 ):

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-1-choose-light-away-from-darkness.html

and "Time with Abba" blog and video (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2024): 

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2017/01/1-2017.html