Don't give your leftovers to God!

  

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZInbZ_9yvsU

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 149:1-9; Malachi 1:1-2:17; Revelation 21:1-27; Proverbs 31:10-24

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

Key passage:

6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty.

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

7 “By offering defiled food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.

9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord.14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.  "                                                                                          Malachi 1:6-14

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:  Don't give your leftovers to God!

The name Malachi means "my messenger." He was a deeply devoted Jew living in Judah after the exile.  Malachi lived during the same period as Nehemiah.  Malachi was most likely a priest as well as a prophet.  His message placed a firm emphasis on faithfulness to God's covenant.  He also took a bold stand against thoughtless and insincere worship(1:7-2:9), idol worship(2:10-12), divorce (2:13-16) and robbing God of tithes and offerings (3: 8-10).

The book consists of a six-part "Oracle" (prophetic message) introduced by the phrase, "the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi" (1:1).  The statements from God are intermingled with a series of ten rhetorical and sarcastic questions that represented Israel's attitude toward God at that time.

Chapter 1 consists of the first oracle that God affirmed and reemphasized his love for Israel (1: 2-5). The second oracle is from 1:6 to 2:9 that God charged the priests with being unfaithful leaders and guardians of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. They were showing a complete lack of respect for God by offering to him animals that were crippled or diseased; this was contrary to God's law, which required unblemished sacrifices, the best of their flocks and herds. They were charged to give the leftovers to God rather than the best to God as he commanded.

Chapter 2 consists of part of the second oracle(1:6-2:9), then the third oracle(2:10-16) and part of the fourth oracle(2:17-3:6).

Chapter 2 starts with the remaining part of the second oracle points out that one of the priests' role was to pronounce God's blessing on the people; but because the priests had corrupted the ministry God entrusted to them, their blessings had become useless curses.  They did not honor God by proclaiming his message, and they disgraced his name by failing to maintain a godly lifestyle.  Because of this, God would disgrace them and curse their ministry.

The third oracle consists of the message that God rebuked the people for breaking the covenant God had established with their ancestor. And the fourth oracle reminded Israel of the certainty of God's judgment for defying, disregarding and breaking their covenant with God.

Same things are happening now all over the world. How can this warning help us not to follow the same pattern the Israelites did? How can we be truly faithful to our loving God and to live a holy life honoring His holy name?

Do you give your best to God or just your leftovers?

If you think you have given God the best, how do you know that is really the best? 

If you know that you are giving your leftovers to God, what can you do to stop making that big mistake? 

Dear Holy Spirit,

Shine on us that we can be able to see what we have been offering to you, our leftovers or our best.  Help us to repent if we are giving our leftovers to you and that we can be able to have that faith to give you the best.  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, 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. 

     

     You are welcome to join our Monday to Friday 7am-7:30am(Pacific time (Vancouver)) Worship, Devotion, Prayer

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3962567042?pwd=4qqbcGJ2zQl3tlTUvus4Qv6g7byZKy.1&omn=88167363288

Meeting ID: 396 256 7042

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Please click this link to worship with us - 

Open the eyes of heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViBNqNukgzE&list=RDViBNqNukgzE&start_radio=1

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

   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/

       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

 

 

Connecting Workshop 2025(Session 2)

Bishop Silas Ng on Three Streams

 https://youtu.be/xiSOSFF9Iw0?si=puDWFD9Cx01ADm-o