Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Corinthians+005

 

CHAPTER 5 (ESV)

1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Courage to endure the radical call of the Christian claim on our lives comes from the belief that the eventual reward will outweigh the temporary suffering we incur by challenging the world’s values as Jesus and Paul did. When our valiant struggle for God’s better way goes unappreciated and misunderstood, we have the hope of the Emmanuel God—God with us—utter delight at being in the divine presence.  But we also have the happiness of experiencing our own growth into the splendour of divine wisdom, so that our groaning here for the redemption of our bodies is not without reward in its own right.
2. Which do I spend more time preparing and thinking, my earthly tent (body) or my heavenly dwelling? If I only spend several decades in my earthly tent, but millions of years in heaven, which one should I devote more thoughts and energy on?

 

PRAYER:

1. Come before God with hope for eternal life in the future, and ask God to grant me greater faith. May I live in God’s faithfulness and promises, never forgetting that I am a citizen of heaven. Strive to store up treasures in heaven and yearn for the more beautiful heavenly homeland more than anything on earth.
2. Ask God to give me greater courage, so that when faith and worldly values clash, I may boldly challenge worldly perspectives and live a heavenly life on earth, being a witness for the Lord.

 

HYMN:

This World is Not My Home – youtu.be/vJP5XGFbcUQ

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Corinthians+004

 

CHAPTER 4 (ESV)

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Paul was contrasting the weak and ordinary character of the messenger with the overwhelming power of the message. Paul found himself under pressure, perplexed, persecuted, knocked to the ground.  Everything in his experience reminded him that the dynamic power that had marked his ministry had no source in him.  He credited Jesus, who saves all those who believe in Him, with the fact that despite his weaknesses he had not been crushed, nor drowned in despair, nor abandoned or destroyed.
2. Don’t let a sense of personal weakness keep you from serving God. The fact that we are weak is the backdrop against which the incomparable power of God is revealed.
3. Sing (or read) quietly this hymn as a prayer to God:


I am weak but Thou art strong Jesus keep me from all wrong
I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk let me walk close to Thee
Just a closer walk with Thee grant it Jesus is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee oh let it be dear Lord let it be.

 

PRAYER:

1. Come before God with a grateful heart, recognizing that everything I have achieved is from God, even my breath of life is a gift from Him; give all praise and glory to Him.
2. Cry out to God for my weaknesses, asking Him to grant me strength so that I can overcome my weaknesses, crucify my old self, and allow my new life to continually grow, becoming more and more like my Lord Jesus Christ.

 

HYMN:

I am weak but Thou art strong – youtu.be/-ARRg9IS9QM

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Corinthians+003

 

CHAPTER 3 (ESV)

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

 

REFLECTION:

1. When we rest in the splendour of God revealed by Christ, we find ourselves changed by it. Gradually, by degrees, we incline toward the divine glory and it begins to overtake us.  This is by the power of the Spirit, which prepared us for such growth beginning at baptism.  We are being transformed into His likeness, the way that God had intended for us to be when He created us.
2. Though there are still warts and blemishes all too visible, I am growing and changing. In the ever-increasing glory of the transformation taking place, “The Christian is the person who makes it easy for others to believe in God.”  Lord, help me to reflect more of Your glory and to become easier for others to believe in You.

 

PRAYER:

1. Approach the presence of God with a heart filled with reverence, and seek God’s glory to shine upon me. Lay bare the darkest and impure corners of my inner being before God, and ask Him to purify my heart, so that I may live a life of holiness.
2. Pray that the Lord’s Spirit may be with me every day, teaching me in all things, so that I may attain true freedom.

 

HYMN:

Altar – www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKwtIVBJi_0

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Corinthians+002

 

CHAPTER 2 (ESV)

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The Corinthian church here has punished one of its members and Paul writes to them, encouraging them to forgive and comfort him. The point of Paul’s writing is not to focus on the punishment, but rather to encourage the congregation to care for the health of the whole community.  It is important for the community to pursue forgiveness in order to prevent Satan from accomplishing his schemes against the Church.
2. Do I know any believer that may need to re-enter the church community right now? If so, ask God for wisdom and love to forgive, comfort and restore this person into God’s family.

 

PRAYER:

1. Approach the presence of God with a humble heart, and reflect on whether I have strayed from God due to sin or stumbling. If so, confess and repent before God, seeking His forgiveness and acceptance, so that I may return to the embrace of God.
2. Are there brothers or sisters around me who have stumbled and fallen? If so, pray for them, that they may find the faith and courage to confess and repent. Also, pray for the church and small groups, asking God to grant everyone greater wisdom and love, to welcome them back into the house of God.

 

HYMN:

You Raise Me Up – www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzW4m1iMsaQ

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Corinthians+001

 

2 Corinthians

Introduction

Paul’s first letter to the believers in Corinth gives us a glimpse into his deeply personal and tumultuous relationship with this gathering of Jesus-followers. The letter we know as 2 Corinthians further reveals the triumphs and struggles that result when life in the present age meets up with the in-breaking reality of God’s kingdom. Here we see Paul working to repair relationships, explain various changes in travel plans, make practical arrangements for collecting a gift for the struggling believers in Jerusalem, and directly confront challenges to his own leadership by the self-proclaimed “super-apostles.”

In the four main parts of the letter, each introduced by a reference to a place, Paul envisions himself in different locations, recalling or anticipating his relationship with the Corinthians. The single theme running through these sections is that God will comfort us in all our troubles, and we will offer this comfort to each other. This models the life of Jesus himself, who suffered first and then was comforted. Like the crucified Messiah, we are weak, yet we live in God’s power.

In the final section, however, Paul feels he has no choice but to make the Corinthians uncomfortable, to help them face their present condition. But he ends the letter hopefully, calling on them to rejoice in God’s grace, love and fellowship.

www.bible.com/zh-TW/bible/111/2CO.INTRO1.NIV

 

CHAPTER 1 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Christians may suffer because of the faith that we have. But when we suffer and are persecuted because of Jesus, we can also be comforted because we know that God is at work, seeking reconciliation between God and men and that Christ is the one who comforts us.  When we suffer for the gospel, we are put into a position of needing to be dependent on God.
2. When was the last time I felt like in a pressure cooker? What happened?
3. Whom do I know that is under pressure right now? How would Paul encourage me to pray for him/her this week?  Spend a few minutes praying for this person.  Give this person a call, in a few days, or write him/her an email or message asking how things are and telling him/her that you are praying for him/her.

 
PRAYER:

1. Be still before God, and consider in what kind of pressure I am now. Why do I feel pressured? I pray that God purifies me, so that in all things I may seek His pleasure. I ask God for a peaceful heart, so that I do not worry about worldly matters, but trust that God will provide all things.
2. Think about who else around me is going through pressure and hardship. Pray for them, asking God for grace and mercy to help them overcome their difficulties.

 
HYMN:

Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) – youtu.be/qOkImV2cJDg

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Samuel+024

 

CHAPTER 24 (ESV)

1 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around to Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

10 But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. “The Lord……incited David against them. (v1)” 1 Chron 21:1 says that Satan inspired David to take the census. Although Scripture is clear that God does not cause anyone to sin (James 1:13-15), it is also clear that evil acts of man, and of Satan are under God’s sovereign control. Even so, David is ultimately responsible for his own choices.
2. We too are subject to many influences. The author, Gary Smalley, of “the DNA of Relationship” wrote about the three important elements of relationships: you are made for relationships, you are made with the capacity to choose, and you are made to take responsibility for yourself.
3. Why is it so important to face this truth and accept responsibility for our failures? Because to admit fault is the first necessary step we take on our journey toward God. When we accept the fact of our sin, we are preparing our hearts to seek, and to find, the forgiveness offered us in God.

 

PRAYER:

Invite the Holy Spirit to examine me: When I encountered frustrations or made mistakes, do I usually pass the buck or blame others? How easy is it for me to admit wrong and ask forgiveness? Ask the Holy Spirit to help me to face my wrongdoings honestly and courageously. And lead me to the path of repentance and restoration.’’’

 

HYMN:

Create In Me A Clean Heart – youtu.be/6MIAuyyhKcQ

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Samuel+023

 

CHAPTER 23 (ESV)

1 Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man who was raised on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
When one rules justly over men,
ruling in the fear of God,
4 he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

5 “For does not my house stand so with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
For will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?
6 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away,
for they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 but the man who touches them
arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear,
and they are utterly consumed with fire.”
 

REFLECTION:

1. David’s last words praised God. More importantly, they show the basis on which David felt secure. “Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?” (v5)
2. Nearing the end of his life, David had the assurance of the promises God had made to him, he was certain of his own salvation and of a future after death.
3. David’s confidence reminds us that for the believer, death is not the end of existence, but the doorway to a glorious future. And David’s last words could be a model for what we might say at our own death.

 

PRAYER:

Meditate v5, using different versions to get a better understanding. Am I confident enough to say these words as David did? Talk to God about this.

 

HYMN:

Christ Our Hope In Life And Death – youtu.be/TPT5QEDf9bA

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Samuel+022

 

CHAPTER 22 (ESV)

1 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said,

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

5 “For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.

 

REFLECTION:

1. When David was escaping from Saul’s pursuit, he often ran through the wilderness, over the rocks, into the caves among the mountains. In many dangers, he desperately prayed God for protection. God answered his plead and rescued him according to His will. Therefore, David praised God for He indeed has been David’s rock, refuge, stronghold, and fortress.
2. This song of praise, very similar to Psalm 18, reflects David’s awareness that all he was and had become was a gracious gift of God. David reflected on the fact that God is faithful in keeping His promise to bless those who keep “the way of the Lord”.

 

PRAYER:

Read it very slowly vv2-4. Put me in the scenes described. Reflect: how God has become my rock, when God became my refuge, etc. Recall the incident, immerse in the situation then, remembering how God rescued, helped, comforted, encouraged. Close it with thanksgiving.

 

HYMN:

The Lord Is My Salvation – youtu.be/IOgdgLcvHAA

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Samuel+021

 

CHAPTER 21 (ESV)

1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3 And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” 4 The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” 5 They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, 6 let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The three years famine in David’s days was caused by the breach of a treaty between Israel and the Gibeonites. Saul ferociously attacked the Gibeonites, who still held land in Israel. David obliged the Gibeonites’ demand and ordered the execution of seven of Saul’s male descendants. Famine was stopped.
2. In today’s culture, we are not used to linking natural disasters to the evil deeds of men. However, we are whole people and, in us there exists both the physical and spiritual. Sin cannot be isolated but has causes and consequences. Is it possible that there is a closer relationship between the way people live and the kind of the world we live in?

 

PRAYER:

Faced with the rapid destruction of the ecology of the earth, I, as a steward of God’s creation, should be mindful not just of present but also future generations.

If I use God’s creation without regard for God’s creatures (present or future), violate the eighth commandment, “You shall not steal”. Lord, help me to be a good steward in my thoughts, behavior, morality, life style.(1 Pet 4:10)

 

HYMN:

Christ Be In My Waking – youtu.be/6c1b9hqzpaI

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Samuel+020

 

CHAPTER 20 (ESV)

4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5 So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him. 6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.” 7 And there went out after him Joab’s men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 And one of Joab’s young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” 12 And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. 13 When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Joab was a harsh man, but completely loyal to David. He acted at times without orders, or ignored orders if he thought his action was in the king’s best interest. Earlier Joab had assassinated Abner. In this battle Joab personally killed Absalom despite David’s command that he be spared. Now Joab murdered Amasa, who had commanded Absalom’s forces. While Joab might be commended for his loyalty, he merits no praise for his actions.
2. Many Christians seem to take Joab’s course. They proclaim their loyalty to God, and they do try to serve Him. But they want to serve God their way, without submitting to His word.

 

PRAYER:

Lord, indeed, often I am doing Your Thing in My Way. Forgive me; lead me in following You and obeying You completely.

 

HYMN:

Lord Of My Life – youtu.be/KrJ7SXM8j20