Tuesday, March 5, 2013

DAY 330 - How Well Do You Do Business for Jesus? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)



Please join our new Mentor 123 campaign starting this coming Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013!

What you need to do is to find two more people meeting once a week for three months, encouraging each others to have daily devotion - a daily intimate personal relationship with Jesus!

To create a momentum to this new yearly campaign I am going to start a new blog and podcast on that day. I will direct my two blogs and podcasts to that new site to have a 40 days BREAK.BUILD daily devotion. For a preliminary format please go to this site: http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/ . 

You can see the layout and titles of all 40 days. Come on , let's get two more people to start a daily tasting of Jesus wonderful banquet specially prepared for us! 

Today's Reading: Luke 19: 11-27

**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:

Please click this link to read Luke 19: 11-27

Bible Study

     This passage is about how we can use the resources from God and use them well. N.T. Wright says:
     Jesus is telling a story about the king who comes back to see what his servants have been doing, and he tells it for the same reason as he told almost all his parables: to explain what he himself was doing, and what it meant.  He was coming to Jerusalem, the end and goal of his long journey.  And he was challenging his hearers to see and understand this event as the long-awaited return of Israel's God, the sovereign one, the rightful king...
     Within the world of first-century Judaism, as we have seen before, a story about a king and his servants would naturally be read as a story about God and Israel.  How should one then interpret the period of time between God's leaving Israel at the time of the exile and this eventual return?  The answer of this parable is: as the time in which Israel has been given tasks to perform, which God on his return will investigate.  Jesus has been warning, throughout the previous ten chapters, that judgment will fall on the nation, the city and the Temple itself if they do not finally heed his call.  Now God himself is coming and the servant who has hidden his master's money in a handkerchief will be found out.

     Do you understand all you have is from God and you cannot take anything away when you leave this world?  How well do we use all those resources in our life time for God's purposes decide what kind of servants we are.
     So, what kind of servant are you really? 
     
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"



Spiritual Journal

     What I heard from Jesus today is: How well do you do business for Jesus?

     What I received from Jesus today might be a shocking message for you because you have never thought that we are doing business for Jesus, right?
      But, that's what Jesus says in this passage. Those money and other resources He gives us is to expect us to use them well for His Kingdom purposes.
      Jesus reminds me of two stories:
1. Robert, kids ministry leader of Hillsong Church, Amsterdam
    Michelle and I went to Hillsong Church in Amsterdam yesterday of their noon time Sunday service. (Please click here for the blog I wrote just two days ago: http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/2013/03/day-328-lord-i-want-to-see-cantonese.html )
Robert was one of their three leaders who came to welcome us. He told us how they teach kids to tithe: They show them a big bag of raisins and tell them all those raisins belongs to God. Then they give each kid ten raisins and then ask them to give back one raisins to teach them the concept of tithing. I asked him starting from what age do they use this simple method. He said, "Start from one year old." I was shock and thankful to hear his sharing. That's the best and practical method I have ever heard to teach children and everyone how to use the resources God gives us in a good way.

2. Rick Warren's testimony
    I heard Pastors Rick Warren sharing how he and his wife make their offerings many times. They started with tithing(10%), then 11%, 12%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%,70%, 80% the a few years ago before he wrote the best seller Purpose Driven Life they offer 90% of their income! 

I can't do that and God is not calling me to do that because he knows that I don't have that kind of faith. You may say that they can live on their 10%  but is already far more than most people on earth. The reality is that they did that before he wrote his best seller! Watch out carefully for this example,don't get me wrong because it is not telling you that you offer more and God will give you more. No! Rick Warren's example is a classic example of listen and obey. God calls them to offer more and more, step by step and they listen and obey. Now, God gives them more resources so that by their way of using God's resources many organizations, churches and people are being richly blessed.
    The most important word I heard from Rick is this: "God gives me more because He trusts my way of using His money!" 

    I do hope we all learn from Hillsong Church and Rick Warren's example and then this world will be richly blessed because we know how to do business for Jesus! 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to hear from you personally of how you would like us to use what we have to glorify your name and to extend your mighty Kingdom. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please see pictures of Pastor Rick with Michelle and me, he preached in my Consecration Service on Sept. 9, 2009. And Robert and Michelle's picture.








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