Money! Money! Money!
Please click this link for the video version of today's blog :
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
Please click this link to worship with us - My Peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls01XGV7oA0
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.”
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 8:1-9; Genesis 26:17-27:46; Matthew 9:1-17; Proverbs 3:9-10
Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/
To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link:http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/
Key passages:
37 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”
“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”
20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” he replied. Genesis 27:18-24
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through today's passages we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to Him.
The topic I received today from Jesus is: Money! Money! Money!
There is a Chinese saying almost every Chinese knows:
Money is not everything, but without money you can't do anything!
The inspiration from today's four passages is:
Only God is everything, without God you can't do anything!
Today's Psalm 8 tells us about God's name is majestic! What is human beings that He cares for us!
Today's Genesis 27 leads us to see the sinful human nature. Jacob was the second son and he cheated Esau and got his birthright many years ago and in today's passage he had his mother to help him to steal Esau's blessing. Why? Money! Fight for possessions in his own family!
Today's Matthew talks about how Jesus called Matthew to follow him. And Matthew, as one of the tax collectors had a name with all the tax collectors as a man of greedy and corruption. He laid down his money and power to follow Jesus and worship Him as Lord, not money to lord him anymore! That's a miracle!
Can we do that if we were Matthew?
How can we know whether we are really following Jesus or in reality following money as our lord and king?
Today's Proverbs 3:9 gives us the best answer to my question. The question is whether you have honoured the Lord with your wealth, or you honoured yourself with your wealth.
If you have honoured the Lord with your wealth, then the promise of Proverbs 3:9-10 will surely be a real promise all the way of your life:
Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
The inspiration from today's four passages is:
Only God is everything, without God you can't do anything!
Today's Psalm 8 tells us about God's name is majestic! What is human beings that He cares for us!
Today's Genesis 27 leads us to see the sinful human nature. Jacob was the second son and he cheated Esau and got his birthright many years ago and in today's passage he had his mother to help him to steal Esau's blessing. Why? Money! Fight for possessions in his own family!
Today's Matthew talks about how Jesus called Matthew to follow him. And Matthew, as one of the tax collectors had a name with all the tax collectors as a man of greedy and corruption. He laid down his money and power to follow Jesus and worship Him as Lord, not money to lord him anymore! That's a miracle!
Can we do that if we were Matthew?
How can we know whether we are really following Jesus or in reality following money as our lord and king?
Today's Proverbs 3:9 gives us the best answer to my question. The question is whether you have honoured the Lord with your wealth, or you honoured yourself with your wealth.
If you have honoured the Lord with your wealth, then the promise of Proverbs 3:9-10 will surely be a real promise all the way of your life:
Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.Dear Lord Jesus,
Help me not to worship money as my lord any more and that I can be willing to take action to honour you with my wealth and worship you as my Lord and King so that I can live in your promise and blessings all the time of my life. 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.
Please click this link to today's Old Testament Psalm 8 blog:
Please click this link to today's Old Testament Genesis 26:17-27:46 blog and video: Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 3 blog:
For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):
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):
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 to today's Old Testament Psalm 8 blog:
Please click this link to today's Old Testament Genesis 26:17-27:46 blog and video:
Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 3 blog:
For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):
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):
Connecting Workshop 2025(Session 2)
Bishop Silas Ng on Three Streams
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