Today's Word is taken from Exodus 9:27-35 (NIV)
[27] Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he said to them. "The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. [28] Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't have to stay any longer." [29] Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord's. [30] But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God." [31] (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. [32] The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.) [33] Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. [34] When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. [35] So Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.
1. In today's QT, I learnt that we must always keep our hearts soft towards God & towards one another. All the plagues of our lives is not harden the heart of our old sinful nature "represented by the Pharoh of Egypt" but to reveal how deceitful & hardened are the hearts of our old self. We need to constantly seek God to renew our hearts and gives unto us a new heart, a heart of flesh & not stone, a heart that will after God's own heart. Lord, please let me NEVER have a heart of stone...
2. Dear Lord, may I NOT be blind to the sins in my own life, may You cleanse me and prompt my heart towards true repentance. May You grant me strength to be faithful and keep my promises to You. May there be no deceit found in me or on my lips so that Your presence be with me and so that I can draw near to You all the time :-)
Closing Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that in You no lie or deceit can dwell. I pray thatYou would mold me more & more into Your Son's image, and that I would live a life of truth & holiness. Would You continue to save me from my sinful nature. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
QT on 22nd March 2012
Today's Word is taken from Exodus 9:13-26 (NIV)
[13] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, `This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, [14] or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. [15] For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. [16] But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. [17] You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. [18] Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. [19] Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.' " [20] Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. [21] But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field. [22] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt---on men and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt." [23] When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; [24] hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. [25] Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields---both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. [26] The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
1. We must remember that everything we do is for God's glory. At work, school, home, and in our communities, our calling is to know Christ and make Him known.
2. Sometimes the Lord allows storms in our lives is so that we can be set free from "the pharoh of Egypt" (the sins & bondages of our old sinful nature). And those storms (which could be the worst storms ever happened in our lives) could be part of the plans / purpose of God so that our Lord God Almighty can show us His Power and so that the Lord's name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Closing Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that often times I failed to have a balanced view of who You are. You are above our comprehension, yet You kindly make Yourself known to humanity. Please come and meet me in a more intimate way. In Jesus' name. Amen.
...
[13] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, `This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, [14] or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. [15] For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. [16] But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. [17] You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. [18] Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. [19] Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.' " [20] Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. [21] But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field. [22] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt---on men and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt." [23] When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; [24] hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. [25] Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields---both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. [26] The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
1. We must remember that everything we do is for God's glory. At work, school, home, and in our communities, our calling is to know Christ and make Him known.
2. Sometimes the Lord allows storms in our lives is so that we can be set free from "the pharoh of Egypt" (the sins & bondages of our old sinful nature). And those storms (which could be the worst storms ever happened in our lives) could be part of the plans / purpose of God so that our Lord God Almighty can show us His Power and so that the Lord's name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Closing Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that often times I failed to have a balanced view of who You are. You are above our comprehension, yet You kindly make Yourself known to humanity. Please come and meet me in a more intimate way. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Wednesday, March 21, 2012
QT on 21st March 2012
Today's Word is taken from Exodus 9:1-12 (NIV)
[1] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, `This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me." [2] If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, [3] the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field---on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. [4] But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.' " [5] The Lord set a time and said, "Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land." [6] And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. [7] Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go. [8] Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. [9] It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land." [10] So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals. [11] The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. [12] But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.
1. As I read the Word for my QT today, I felt the Lord is saying to me NOT to depend on the livestock, like how the Egyptians in that time did with their livestocks... We should NOT to put our security on wealth, security & food. When such security in our lives are being threatened, we will NOT be affected easily if our trust in God is that He will provide.
2. The furnance that Moses took the handfuls of shoot from to toss it into the air in front of Pharoh represents the "oppression" that the Israelites went through as slaves trying to produce bricks for the Egyptians. Our God is the God of Justice. Look around the world and see all the injustices that grieves God's heart. Our intimacy with the Lord should compel us to go, move, reach out, give more, serve & love.
Closing Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to see beyond my immediate circumstances and fix my eyes on You who are everlasting. May I become more like Jesus who fought for justice, and loved relentlessly. May I be Your ambassador of freedom, justice, peace, and love. In Jesus' name. Amen.
...
[1] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, `This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me." [2] If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, [3] the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field---on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. [4] But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.' " [5] The Lord set a time and said, "Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land." [6] And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. [7] Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go. [8] Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. [9] It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land." [10] So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals. [11] The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. [12] But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.
1. As I read the Word for my QT today, I felt the Lord is saying to me NOT to depend on the livestock, like how the Egyptians in that time did with their livestocks... We should NOT to put our security on wealth, security & food. When such security in our lives are being threatened, we will NOT be affected easily if our trust in God is that He will provide.
2. The furnance that Moses took the handfuls of shoot from to toss it into the air in front of Pharoh represents the "oppression" that the Israelites went through as slaves trying to produce bricks for the Egyptians. Our God is the God of Justice. Look around the world and see all the injustices that grieves God's heart. Our intimacy with the Lord should compel us to go, move, reach out, give more, serve & love.
Closing Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to see beyond my immediate circumstances and fix my eyes on You who are everlasting. May I become more like Jesus who fought for justice, and loved relentlessly. May I be Your ambassador of freedom, justice, peace, and love. In Jesus' name. Amen.
...
