Tuesday, 16-Cheshvan 5994 / 31 October 2023

Day 304 Readings

Torah: Vayeira, 3rd Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 19:1-20

15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the [m]punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men grasped his hand and the hand of his wife and the [n]hands of his two daughters, because the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out and put him outside the city. 17 When they had brought them outside, [o]one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay [p]anywhere in the surrounding area; escape to the [q]mountains, or you will be swept away.” 18 But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! 19 Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your compassion, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the [r]mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) [s]so that my life may be saved.”

Bible Study Together

Judges 20

Civil War, Benjamin Defeated

18 Now the sons of Israel set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, “Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Then the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

19 So the sons of Israel got up in the morning and camped against Gibeah. 20 The men of Israel went to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel lined up for battle against them at Gibeah. 21 Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and [o]struck to the ground on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel. 22 But the people, the men of Israel, showed themselves courageous and lined up for battle again in the place where they had lined themselves up on the first day. 23 And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall we again advance for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”

24 So the sons of Israel [p]came against the sons of Benjamin on the second day. 25 And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and struck to the ground again eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all of these drew the sword. 26 Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel, and they wept and remained there before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I stop?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

Dear AVI,

How Great YOU are O GOD MOST HIGH O HOLY ONE of Israel!!!! YOU are wonderful and everlasting, Faithful and True and there is no ONE Like YOU! But O KING of the Universe, how dreadful it is that YOU want YOUR children to follow YOUR will but even when we follow YOU we still have to lose before we win. Israel the righteous one in this War lost so many fighting soldiers towards the wicked sons of Benjamine. They lost 30,000 soldiers while Benjamin only lost 25,000. It is sad and I would have probably lost courage the first time Israel inquired to fight from YOU and yet still lost, yet they inquired 3 times until they finally won. O GOD please help me to be patient and to endure, to wait on YOU and to work with YOU in all the wars that YOU send me even if I lost O GOD, please do not let me be dismayed or discouraged. But let YOUR good purpose and YOUR will be done in my life, let me follow YOU diligently and grant me success. I pray that YOU will continue to soften Stephen's heart, and speak to him and his mom about me. Please encounter them, visit their home, send YOUR angels to protect and defend them please O GOD, take care of Stephen preserve him for me. I feel so much for him and I pray he will does even more for me because it's not fair O GOD, please heal him from all his past trauma and pain, make him all that YOU want him to be. Fill him with YOUR HOLY SPIRIT and with YOUR overwhelming love, fill him, let him experience and see how much YOU love him. Please ABBA, do not say no to me for HERE I AM always doing what YOU want me to do, I am abiding in YOU each day, please hear me and don't make it anymore difficult for me. Let him love me more than I ever could and I will love him and care about all that matters to him. Please JESUS I ask all this, please JESUS make my family support our love and union and marriage. Please JESUS let it be one of the best love stories only YOU could ever write. I pray that YOU prepare for me a beautiful wedding next year in Plantation bay or anywhere Stephen might love to have. Please JESUS, it's almost 3 decades that I have been waiting for YOU to answer my prayers. Please JESUS let this man YOU have chosen love me beyond himself, let him love me like YOU do. Please JESUS, let him fall deeply in love with us, with YOU. Toda Raba ABBA. I ask these things because I am already in love with him without him telling me anything, his actions spoke so much and moved my heart. YOU made me love him when YOU told me his is the man YOU have chosen because YOU have my heart, YOU control my heart, YOU are the KING of my heart and my heart follows YOU. So I pray that YOU will move his heart in such a way because YOU own him too. Please release him from the wrong relationship, release him from her in JESUS Name because YOU Said he is my husband therefore he is mine and I take authority over this Promsie and claim it for myself - Stephen LYu is mine in JESUS Name, Amen!!! For YOURS belong all the glory, honor and power O GOD, all thanksgiving and worship belongs to YOU! Amen!

Luke 10:25-37

New American Standard Bible

25 And behold, a [a]lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? [b]How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God [c]with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Good Samaritan

30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and [d]beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two [e]denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think [f]proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do [g]the same.”

365 Daily Kingdom Living

Pay Attention - God Is Speaking

We all must have experienced situations when we are in conversation with someone else, that we notice the other person’s attention has wondered, the person is not fully attentive to what is being said. And perhaps, we ourselves have also sometimes not been attentive and listened fully to someone else while that person was speaking. What about when God speaks? Are we attentive? Do we listen, understand and then apply what he teaches us? If we do not pay attention to his words and his speaking, we can easily drift away and walk in pathways that are not pleasing to him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you speak to us, through your word and by your Holy Spirit. Let us have listening ears and always pay attention when you speak to us. Let us not drift away in what we do but follow your directions and guidance so that we live in all the goodness of the salvation you have blessed us with. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Scripture

Lamentations 4

1 How dark the gold has become, How the pure gold has changed!

The sacred stones are spilled out At the [a]corner of every street.

2 The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against pure gold,

How they are regarded as earthenware jars, The work of a potter’s hands!

3 Even jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young;

But the daughter of my people has proved herself cruel, Like ostriches in the wilderness.

Lamentations 5

19 You,Lord,[v]rule forever; Yourthrone is from generation to generation.

20 Why will Youforget us forever? Whydo You abandon us for[w]so long?

21 Restore us to You,Lord, so that we may be restored; Renewour days as of old,

22 UnlessYou have utterly rejected us And are exceedinglyangry with us.

Hebrews 2

New King James Version

Do Not Neglect Salvation

1 Therefore we must give [a]the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just [b]reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts[c] of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

The Son Made Lower than Angels

5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels.

6 But one testified in a certain place, saying:

“What is man that You are mindful of him,Or the son of man that You take care of him?

7 You have made him [d]a little lower than the angels;You have crowned him with glory and honor,[e]And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made [f]a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Bringing Many Sons to Glory

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who [g]sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying:

“I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”

13 And again:

“I will put My trust in Him.”

And again:

“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”

14 In as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not [h]give aid to angels, but He does [i]give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being [j]tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Psalms 103:1-10

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.

A Psalm of David.

1 Bless the Lord, my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your guilt,Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with favor and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

6 The Lord performs [b]righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the sons of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always contend with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds.

Proverbs 26:23