Dare to ask from the Lord

My Sunday Scripture 2010.7.25


(It is so much pleasure to read the scripture in advance. It seems a light in advance has shine into my heart.

Sorry I have to list the scripture here before time. since I will not be in HK for two weeks, and I am not sure whether I can upload anying in Sheunghai. Richard, 2010.7.14)



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Then Yahweh said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin is so grave, that I shall go down and see whether or not their actions are at all as the outcry reaching me would suggest. Then I shall know.'

While the men left there and went to Sodom, Yahweh remained in Abraham's presence.

Abraham stepped forward and said, 'Will you really destroy the upright with the guilty? Suppose there are fifty upright people in the city. Will you really destroy it? Will you not spare the place for the sake of the fifty upright in it?

Do not think of doing such a thing: to put the upright to death with the guilty, so that upright and guilty fare alike! Is the judge of the whole world not to act justly?'

Yahweh replied, 'If I find fifty upright people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place because of them.'

Abraham spoke up and said, 'It is presumptuous of me to speak to the Lord, I who am dust and ashes: Suppose the fifty upright were five short? Would you destroy the whole city because of five?' 'No,' he replied, 'I shall not destroy it if I find forty-five there.'

Abraham persisted and said, 'Suppose there are forty to be found there?' 'I shall not do it,' he replied, 'for the sake of the forty.'

Abraham said, 'I hope the Lord will not be angry if I go on: Suppose there are only thirty to be found there?' 'I shall not do it,' he replied, 'if I find thirty there.'

He said, 'It is presumptuous of me to speak to the Lord: Suppose there are only twenty there?' 'I shall not destroy it,' he replied, 'for the sake of the twenty.'

He said, 'I trust my Lord will not be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.' 'I shall not destroy it,' he replied, 'for the sake of the ten.'

Genesis 18:20-32


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Now it happened that he was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'

He said to them, 'When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.'

He also said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;"

and the man answers from inside the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you."

I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.

What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake?

Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?

If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'

Luke 11:1-13


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My Reading Notes:
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When I read about the story of Abraham a long long ago, I did find it admiring. Yes, his courage is admirable. Who can talk to God like that? Who can bargain with God is such a way????

And the question is: Where does his courage come from? Why is he so courageous?

Yes, it is because of LOVE. He did love his people, so he can dare to ask.

And now Jesus had ENCOURAGED us to ask. Do I have the courage to ask God anything?

It is so much pleasure to read this two scriptures together. It explains many thing.

It is one thing I can assure for the whole world, that if we did ask anything, we are sure to receive it. All those in h
istory, all those who had fought hard, did have a result. Any one who did ask, did receive.

We worry so many things that is not needed

My Sunday Scripture 2010.7.18.

(Sorry I have to list the scripture here before time. since I will not be in HK for two weeks, and I am not sure whether I can upload anying in Sheunghai, Richard, 2010.7.14)



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In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to him speaking.

Now Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.'

But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha,' he said, 'you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.'

Luke 10:38-42

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My Reading Notes:
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Why we worry so many things that is not important? And now She wanted to take away the part Mary is doing.

What we do need worrying is the soul, not only my own soul, but a whole generation's soul need more care. If we could see into the reality, we shall know what to do.

It is not an excuse to escape from work, but to allow more burden on our shoulders.

Who is my neighbour?

My Sunday Scripture 2010.7.11


And now a lawyer stood up and, to test him, asked, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'

He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it?'

He replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.'

Jesus said to him, 'You have answered right, do this and life is yours.'

But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?'

In answer Jesus said, 'A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits; they stripped him, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead.

Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan traveller who came on him was moved with compassion when he saw him.

He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him.

Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper and said, "Look after him, and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have."

Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandits' hands?'

He replied, 'The one who showed pity towards him.' Jesus said to him, 'Go, and do the same yourself.'

Luke 10:25-37

Any one in need is my neighbour. Any one within the reach of my help, is my neighbour.

And to love is to extend a loving hand, to help.

To love is the action itself. To love is not a word. To love is a deed.

And this is the most important teaching from Jesus. We must love each other, and
we must help each other.

Yes I can do that

My Sunday Scripture, 2010.7.4.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself would be visiting.

And he said to them, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting.

Start off now, but look, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Take no purse with you, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.

Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, "Peace to this house!"

And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.

Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.

Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is put before you.

Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God is very near to you."

Luke 10:1-9

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My Reading Notes:
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The mose difficult part of this scripture is that, how can you travell without money, and no food, and no shoes. And how can you cure people.

It must be a metaphor. And the meaning is hidden. If you wanted to do something, but there is no resources, What can you do? You have no money, no food, no shoes, no nothing. How can you do that? With what power inside your mind, that you know you will fulfill that task? And you can cure people, too.

The question is, how can I do anything without resources????

Yes, I can do that.