Return to God before Building God's Temple!

  

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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 144:9-15; Zechariah1:1-21; Revelation 12:1-13:1; Proverbs 30:17

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

Key passage:

A Call to Return to the Lord

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo:

2 “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophetsproclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. 5 Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?

“Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’”

The Man Among the Myrtle Trees

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo.

8 During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.

9 I asked, “What are these, my lord?”

The angel who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.”

10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth.”

11 And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”

12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 So the Lordspoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, 15 and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.’

16 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LordAlmighty.

17 “Proclaim further: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfortZion and choose Jerusalem.’”

Four Horns and Four Craftsmen

18 Then I looked up, and there before me were four horns. 19 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?”

He answered me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”

20 Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. 21 I asked, “What are these coming to do?”

He answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise their head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”[a]

                                                      Zechariah1:1-21 

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:  Return to God before Building God's Temple!

The book of Nehemiah states that Zechariah was the head of the priestly family of Iddo (Ne 12:16), indicating he was from the tribe of Levi and that he served in Jerusalem after the exile as both a priest and a prophet.

Zechariah was much younger than the prophet Haggai, who ministered during the same period and primarily to the same people.  Ezra 5:1 indicates that both prophets stirred up the Jews throughout Judah and in Jerusalem to resume building the temple during the time when Zerubbabel was governor and Joshua was the high priest.

Chapters 1-8 (dated 520-518 B.C.) is identical to that of Haggai.  As a result of Zechariah's and Haggai's ministries, the temple was completed and dedicated in 516/515 B.C.  While Zechariah was a young man when he prophesied alongside Haggai, he apparently was an old man by the time he wrote chapters 9 - 14(480 - 470 B.C.).

The book of Haggai has two major parts:

1. Chapters 1-8: the visions were given to encourage the Jews who had returned to Judah to resume building the temple and to inspire them to stick with it until the task was completed.

2. Chapter 9-14: these chapters were to encourage the same people after the temple was finished because many of them became disheartened when the Messiah did not come as they expected once the temple was completed. 

This whole book starts with a call to return to God, to give up their own rebellious ways, live by God's standards and follow his purposes. God reminds them of how he had given their ancestors the same call but they did not listen.  As a result, they suffered the consequences of their sin.

In February of 519 B.C., God gave Zechariah a vision of a man on a red horse in a grove of myrtle trees, with various other horses behind him. Some believe this was an appearance of Christ as "the angel of the Lord".  A different angel interpreted the vision by explaining that these horses had patrolled the whole world and found it at rest and in peace. This angel was interceding on behalf of Israel and Jerusalem to bring an end to the 70 years of God's judgment on Jerusalem and the temple, which were destroyed in 586 B.C., exactly 70 years later.

God used wicked nations to bring his judgment on Jerusalem.  In their greed for wealth and power, these nations went too far and God would judge these evil nations for their selfish pride and disregard for God.

The four horns in verses 18-19 represent Assyria, Egypt, Babylon and Medo-Persia. The came the four craftsmen represent four empires that brought God's judgment on the four horns and overthrew each of them in succession as world powers. The last craftsman would represent Greece, which followed Persia as the predominant power. The prophesy shows that all enemies and oppressors of God's people eventually will be defeated and ultimately experience his judgment.

What I received from Jesus today is the call Zechariah had to the people - to return to God first before doing anything.

We like to do so many things for God but without returning to God first we are not able to do anything! Without returning to God, God's standard cannot be established in the nation and in people's life and there is no way to rebuild God's temple. (v.16)

Let's return to God, restore God's standard in our lives, a lifestyle of Chrislikeness and that we can build God's temple or other jobs the Lord commands us to do!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to return to you first before we do anything for you.  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. 

     

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

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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