Month: March 2019

God Is In Control of All Events

God sends a series of nine national
calamities of insects, disease and
nature, to impress upon Pharaoh
the importance of obedience.
In halfhearted rebellion, Pharaoh
repeatedly refuses to honour his
promises and release the people.
But the tenth plague, the slaying
of the firstborn, both man & animal,
in every Egyptian household brings
about the long awaited deliverance
of Israel. To escape the terrible
judgment on the firstborn, each
Israelite household observes the
Passover by substituting the death
of a Lamb for the death of a child.
With no further resistance, all
Israel begins its Exodus from Egypt.

Dear Lord, thank you for the
account of history in Exodus
that shows You heard the cries
of Your people and You rescued
them through mighty miracles.
Help us to be people of Prayer.
Help us trust Your faithfulness &
that U are In Control of all events.
Help us be Marked by Your Blood.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we will be people of Prayer:
And the locusts went up over all
Egypt… and they ate every herb
and all the fruit of the trees…
Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses
and Aaron and said: I have sinned
against the Lord your God and
against you. Now forgive my sin
once more and pray to the Lord
your God to take this deadly
plague away from me (Ex10:14-17)
Lord, help me to learn to pray in
power. And increase my faith to
believe for answers to my prayers.
Enable me to become intercessor
for others, especially those who
do not know You. Grant that I will
become a person of great faith
and power in prayer. And that
people around me can trust in
the God to whom I pray. Amen.

Lord, praise U for being In Control:
Then the Lord said to Moses: I will
strike Pharaoh with one more blow.
After that Pharaoh will let you leave
this country.Moses had announced
to Pharaoh: This is what the Lord
says: At midnight tonight I will pass
through the heart of Egypt. All
the firstborn sons will die in every
family in Egypt, from the oldest
son of Pharaoh to the oldest son
of his lowliest servant girl… Now
the Lord had told Moses earlier,
Pharaoh will not listen to u but then
I will do even more mighty miracles
in the land of Egypt (Exo 11:1-9).
Holy Spirit, the final plague proves
there is one true God and that
He is in control of events. Help us
not to be stubborn that will lead
to disobedience but instead to
submit to God and His will. Amen.

Lord, we’ll be Marked by Yr Blood:
Moses called all the elders of Israel
together and said: Go, pick out
a lamb for each of your families,
and slaughter the Passover animal..
And no one may go out through
the door until morning. For the Lord
will pass through the land to strike
down the Egyptians. But when He
sees the blood on the top & sides
of the doorframe, the Lord will pass
over your home. He will not permit
his death angel to enter your house
and strike You down (Ex12:21-23)
Father, due to our fallen nature,
we can really do absolutely nothing
to ensure safety from judgment.
Instead we must trust and thank
You for providing the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world
Give everyone in our cell group
a deep sense of gratitude to You;
and also the need for their life
to Be Marked by the Blood. Amen

God Hears the Cries of His People

As Jacob’s descendants continue
to multiply and prosper in Goshen,
they pose a growing threat to the
new Egyptian ruler. His plan to
kill all newborn Hebrew boys is
thwarted by courageous midwives;
and in this context of danger,
the child Moses is born. Destined
to become the deliverer of God’s
people, Moses enjoys the finest
education in Pharaoh’s court.
But when he seeks to deliver Israel
in his own time and way, Moses
finds himself fleeing for his life
to the desert if Midean. There he
spends the next 40 years tending
sheep and awaiting God’s instructn
When confronted by God in the
burning bush, Moses is far from
convinced he is the right man for
the job! But once his objections
have been answered, Moses
goes forth to confront Pharaoh
armed with supernatural signs.

Dear Lord, we learn from Exodus
that when the Israelites were
enslaved in Egypt, God heard
their cries and rescued them. And
we can be confident that God still
hear the cries of his people & will
deliver them from evil & challenges
So, we will Cry out to You for help.
We purpose Not to Give Excuses.
And when we have been rescued
we’ll Testify & Worship You. Amen.

Lord, we will Cry Out to U for help:
The children of Israel were fruitful
and the land was filled with them.
Now there arose a new King over
Egypt who did not know Joseph.
He said: Look the children of Israel
are more and mightier than we…
So they set taskmasters to afflict
them with their burdens (Ex 1:7-11)
Then… Israel groaned because of
the bondage, and cried out to God.
So God heard their groaning and
remembered His covenant with
Abraham, Isaac & Jacob(E2:23-24)
Lord, we recognise Your answers
to prayers may not happen on our
timetable. Help us to be patient
and continue to pray for as long
as it takes & not stop believing that
You are a God of miracles. Amen.

Lord, we’ll be Rescued for Worship:
The Lord said: I have certainly
seen the oppression of my people
in Egypt. I have heard their cries
of distress because of their harsh
slave drivers. Yes I am aware of
their suffering. So I have come
down to rescue them from the
power of the Egyptians and lead
them out of Egypt into their own
fertile and spacious land… When
you have brought the people out
of Egypt, you will worship God at
this very mountain (Ex 3:7-8, 12).
Lord, when things aren’t moving
as quickly as we would like and
in the way we like, we will wonder
if You’ve heard our cries. But we
know that You hear and will rescue.
Rescue us from things that enslave
us to what’s evil & transform us
into glad worshippers. Amen.

Lord, we’ll try Not to Give Excuses:
Moses pleaded with the Lord: I am
not very good with words, even
though you have spoken to me.
I get tongue-tied. Then the Lord
asked Moses: Who makes person’s
mouth? Who decides whether
people speaks or do not speak.
Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I’ll be
with you as you speak, and I will
Instruct you in what to say. But
Moses again pleaded: Lord please!
Send anyone else (Exo 4:10-13)
Lord, we have tendency to give
excuses to avoid responsibility
as it may be inconvenient to do.
We may also feel inadequate when
called to perform tasks that seems
too difficult. Prod us Lord not to
hide behind inadequacies but step
out in faith for You will Provide
resources to do the work. Amen.

Preview on Exodus

Whilst the Holy Bible is largely
theological history, it is arranged
by types of writings: laws, history,
poetry, prophets, gospel & letters.
To enable you better appreciate
the Bible especially the flow of OT,
exposition will be chronological.
Continuing from book of Genesis,
we meditated 3 weekends on Job
who lives during time of Abraham.

Next, we go to Exodus: During the
400 yrs since the close of Genesis,
the descendants of the patriarchal
family have grown into a nation of
several millions. But they became
oppressed slaves in Egypt. So,
Exodus is a book of redemption
from bondage to Pharaoh into a
covenant relationship with God.
From Egypt to Sinai, Israel learns
of the might and power of God
and the importance of worship.

We’ll cover Exodus over 3 week-
ends in the following six divisions:
E1-6: Israel Cries & Moses’ Call
E7-12: Plagues, Passover & Exodus
E13-18: Israel Complains in Desert
E18-24: Israel Receives law at Sinai
E25-31: Plan for Tabernacle/Priests
E32-40: Is Idolatry & Tabernacle Up
Let’s meditate thro Exodus and be
boosted in our faith in God. Amen

Thank God for Work & Retirement

Making sense out of life isn’t easy.
This is the problem facing the
preacher of Ecclesiastes as
he thinks his way through what
he has seen & experienced in life.
Every enterprise he has undertaken
from acquiring wisdom to amassing
wealth, has ended in emptiness.
In a sudden burst of emotion
the preacher realises that God
does indeed appoint the times
and purposes of life. But his insight
fades as he focuses on the futility
of life under the sun & overlooks
the One who alone can put life
together into a meaningful whole.

Lord, we give thanks in all things:
To everything there is a season.
A time for every purpose under
heaven… He has made everything
beautiful in its time…and every man
should eat & drink and enjoy the
good of all his labour (Eccl 3:1-13)
It is good and fitting… to enjoy
the good of all his labour in which
he tolls under the sun all the days
of his life which God gives him…
As for every man to whom God
has given… wealth, and rejoice
in his labour – this is the gift of God
For… God keeps him busy with
the joy of his heart (Eccl 5:18-20).

Lord thank you for blessing us
with work in this disruptive age.
We ask for divine Wisdom and
strength to tide over any problem
that may crop up. Help us whatever
we do at work, that we work at it
with all our heart as unto You.
May the work that we do and the
way we do it bring smile to all we
come in contact with and bring
You glory. And we ask for Your
grace into the workplace. Amen.

Lord, Thank You for the gift of
weekend when we can recreate.
Thanks for leave & season where
we are not assigned many tasks
and that’s your gift of rest to us.
And thanks in times of weariness,
we can find Rest in U. For U said
in Isa 30:15: In returning and rest
you shall be saved; In quietness
shall be your strength. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the opportunity
to step aside from the hustle and
bustle of work and the opportunity
to enjoy a slower pace of life.
Thank You for the way You have
blessed me throughout my busy
working career and pray that You
wont forsake me in my retirement.
May I live the rest of my days in
closer fellowship as I seek to do
Your will in every area of my life.
Open new horizons to serve You
in ways that will bless many and
bring glory to Your name. Amen.