Journey to see God: Bible reading - Holy Spirit way

The 5 am Bible reading meeting came about when a newly Spirit-filled Christian wanted to know more about God Who is Spirit. So another Christian agreed to meet with him daily Monday to Friday initially. Three others decided to join them and soon it was extended to daily Monday-Saturday. 

The small group meet and read Bible as the Lord leads them. Each day a new group of passages from the Bible came forth as the Holy Spirit lead them. Often they start reading chapters from one book in the Bible and are led to read chapters in other books as well. As they read, the words speak and their spiritual eyes and ears are opened. The words of God become life and spirit to them. Deep meanings and significance which were hitherto hidden are now revealed clearly. 

The only hindrance is they do encounter the common spirit of stupor. One Holy Spirit Christian admits that whenever he reads the Bible (even at home) he just feels sleepy after a short while. Another two also face the same problem in the small group. Often it becomes difficult and tiring to get up in time to gather together to read the words of God. Soon other hindrances like suffering from lack of adequate sleep sets in as well.

The watchman observes that when a person decides to give in to the flesh and miss one session, the act of absence soon becomes a habit without any effort. How does the watchman keeps the session going even when alone? The key to success is the Holy Spirit.

For example, one day he will get up real early and start sweep and mopping the floor, or the courtyard, enjoying the fresh morning air and cool breeze. Another day he will pray in the spirit and sing in the spirit. Today he got up around 2.30 am and walked about, did a bit of house cleaning, getting the place ready, taking a cold shower, reading the Bible, praying for awhile, and soon it was time for the meeting. He does not follow a fixed pattern. He just does what his spirit receives at the moment from the Lord. How does he know what book and chapters in the Bible to read for the day? He prays and asks the Lord. When the others arrive and start asking questions or sharing, they will then know what passage to read. The issues at hand are always met by the Lord Holy Spirit’s choice of the passages.

Today they met after most participants went outstation for a short break attending reunion gatherings with their siblings and parents. During the sharing a common issue came up. They wished their spouses were more spiritually alert when important decisions needed to be made over family matters. The difference is explained in 1 Corinthians 2. The Holy Spirit has declared that the unspiritual man tries to make sense of everything. Otherwise he just cannot comprehend. The answer is therefore to pray and intercede for your spouse to become a spiritual man or woman.

1 Corinthians 2 (J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS))

I came to you in God’s strength not my own

2 1-5 In the same way, my brothers, when I came to proclaim to you God’s secret purpose, I did not come equipped with any brilliance of speech or intellect. You may as well know now that it was my secret determination to concentrate entirely on Jesus Christ and the fact of his death upon the cross. As a matter of fact, in myself I was feeling far from strong; I was nervous and rather shaky. What I said and preached had none of the attractiveness of the clever mind, but it was a demonstration of the power of the Spirit! Plainly God’s purpose was that your faith should not rest upon man’s cleverness but upon the power of God.

There is, of course, a real wisdom, which God allows us to share with him

6-8 We do, of course, speak “wisdom” among those who are spiritually mature, but it is not what is called wisdom by this world, nor by the powers-that-be, who soon will be only the powers that have been. The wisdom we speak of is that mysterious secret wisdom of God which he planned before the creation for our glory today. None of the powers of this world have known this wisdom—if they had they would never have crucified the Lord of glory!

9-10a But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him’. But God has, through the Spirit, let us share his secret.

10b-12 For nothing is hidden from the Spirit, not even the deep wisdom of God. For who could really understand a man’s inmost thoughts except the spirit of the man himself? How much less could anyone understand the thoughts of God except the very Spirit of God? And the marvellous thing is this, that we now receive not the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God himself, so that we can actually understand something of God’s generosity towards us.

This wisdom is only understood by the spiritual

13 It is these things that we talk about, not using the expressions of the human intellect but those which the Holy Spirit teaches us, explaining things to those who are spiritual.

14-16 But the unspiritual man simply cannot accept the matters which the Spirit deals with—they just don’t make sense to him, for, after all, you must be spiritual to see spiritual things. The spiritual man, on the other hand, has an insight into the meaning of everything, though his insight may baffle the man of the world. This is because the former is sharing in God’s wisdom, and ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ Incredible as it may sound, we who are spiritual have the very thoughts of Christ!

____________________________________

How did this small group become spiritual? By earnestly and diligently seeking the Lord, reading the Bible and praying, asking according to the will of God, just as Jesus has commanded His disciples. There is no shortcut for them. Of course they do things that do not make sense to the natural minds!

Journey to see God: See as Mary sees

In this message today, the Spirit of the Lord showed us three disciples of Jesus and how they differed in seeing God -Jesus. The disciples are: Mary, Lazarus, and Judas Iscariot. ____________________________Here are the Bible verses. The watchman’s notes are after the Bible verses.

John 12:1-11 (ESV) Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for Him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound[a] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it[c] for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus[d] was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Footnotes:

1.John 12:3 Greek litra; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams

2.John 12:5 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

3.John 12:7 Or Leave her alone; she intended to keep it

4.John 12:9 Greek he

_____________Watchman’s notes

 Jesus was the main character. He came to a home where they prepared a dinner for Him. A number of His disciples and even large crowd were there. The hostess, Martha served them. There were three other main characters: Lazarus, Mary and Judas Iscariot, all disciples of Jesus.

 Lazarus, a disciple who was raised to life from dead: There was no record of his spoken words. He merely testified Jesus, the Son of God, and the mighty work of God, the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus operated in, by being himself. He was alive and well. He sat close to Jesus. He was not afraid of death (or the threat of death from the chief priests) anymore. He became an overcomer just by being with Jesus.

 Mary, a disciple who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to His teaching, believed Him, and was the only disciple who acted according to what she received from HIs Spirit-filled message (which all other disciples had failed to hear or understood as they continued to be hindered by their flesh). She was the first and only disciple who discerned spiritual things which Jesus spoke about prior His crucifixion and death on the cross. The rest of the disciples had to wait till after the Lord's resurrection and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day. How did Mary make it ahead of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit?

 The key is in what Jesus said in Luke 11:34-36. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” Mary had spent her life soaking in Jesus' presence and His words. Her eyes were filled with His light. Jesus knew and spoke of her eternal reward.

 Today, disciples of Jesus can receive the same from the Holy Spirit. The following verses explain this: 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (ESV) 16 But when one[a] turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord[b] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[c]are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Judas Iscariot: the disciple who was a thief. He later betrayed His master Jesus for the same price that Mary had given up for the same Lord Jesus. Jesus knew what he did and what he would do. Yet Jesus spoke to him and commented on his statement about the poor. Why? Jesus gave him another chance, “But you do not always have Me.” Judas still could not comprehend. He was filled with the world and was led by his flesh. He could not even wait a bit longer as he heard of Jesus’ forthcoming death. He did not want to lose the one last way of making some earthly fortune from Jesus. what good would Jesus be to him as a dead person? He figured.

Alas, this is the usual way an unspiritual man thinks. The signs and wonders are all supernatural but he just could not comprehend. His eyes are veiled when he reads the Bible. Only when oney turns to the Holy Spirit, the veil will be removed.

God’s Way is spiritual. Spiritual way is narrow and hard but it is the only way to life. Only the Spirit of life can show us this way.

Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Footnotes:

 1.Matthew 7:13 Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy

Journey to see God: no eye has seen, no ear has heard

For those who want to know the mysterious things of God, you just need the Holy Spirit and His power. God does not reveal His truth to anyone except those who have the Spirit of the Lord. The power of the Holy Spirit is the power of God. The power of God is the wisdom of God.
The mystery of God speaks of His plan for us.
God tells those who love Him His deep secrets, His thoughts, His plan which only His Spirit knows.
Those who have received God's Spirit, can know too. So we can know the wonderful things that God has freely given us. Isn't life in Christ (Spirit of Christ), being led by God's Spirit (as sons of God are led by the Spirit of God) wonderful?


Paul’s Message of Wisdom (（1 Corinthians 2 New Living Translation (NLT)

2 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.[b] 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God[c]—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared

for those who love him.”[d]

10 But[e] it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.
11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.
12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.[f]
14 But people who aren’t spiritual[g] can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it,

for “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.
16 For, Who knows enough to teach him?”[h]

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes:

a.1 Corinthians 2:1 Greek brothers.

b.1 Corinthians 2:1 Greek God’s mystery; other manuscripts read God’s testimony.

c.1 Corinthians 2:7 Greek But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery.

d.1 Corinthians 2:9 Isa 64:4.

e.1 Corinthians 2:10 Some manuscripts read For.

f.1 Corinthians 2:13 Or explaining spiritual truths in spiritual language, or explaining spiritual truths to spiritual people.

g.1 Corinthians 2:14 Or who don’t have the Spirit; or who have only physical life.

h.1 Corinthians 2:16 Isa 40:13 (Greek version).

___________________________

Romans 8:14 New King James Version (NKJV)

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Journey to see God: God is the One Who both saves and heals you

After a person is divinely healed he can enter either of two situations. He continued to keep his healing or he becomes worse. The Holy Spirit has illustrated these two situations of persons having been healed.

In John chapters 5 and 9 two persons received miraculous healing from Jesus. Jesus visited both men divinely personally. One saw God and one continued to see man.

Case number one: in chapter 5, there was a man paralyzed for 38 years who waited in vain at at the place( Bethesda pool) where he hoped that someone would carry him and place him into the supernatural healing process (pool water being stirred by an angel at a certain time) at the right time when the miracle took place. Jesus came and healed him. The consequences of this healing are summarized as follows:

1. The formerly paralyzed man was not grateful for the physical healing.
2. He missed his divine encounter with God (Jesus).
3. The man was warned by the religious leaders as he broke the Sabbath law.
   
4. He immediately put the blame on Jesus conveniently.
   
5. Jesus knew of this sin and duly warned him not to sin further.
   
6. The man did more sinning by reporting Jesus to the religious leaders.
   
7. The religious leaders were more adamant to kill Jesus as they had a further piece of evidence that Jesus healed on Sabbath day.
   
8. There was no transformation in the man's life as he continued sinning, filled with unbelief and self.
9. A worse thing would come upon this man just as Jesus had warned him. He would be judged by Jesus.

______________Case One verses: John 5:1-18 (New King James Version)
A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda
5 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda,[a] having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.[b] 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’”
12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Honor the Father and the Son
16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him,[c] because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
Footnotes:

1. John 5:2 NU-Text reads Bethzatha.
2. John 5:4 NU-Text omits waiting for the moving of the water at the end of verse 3, and all of verse 4.
3. John 5:16 NU-Text omits and sought to kill Him.

New King James Version (NKJV) The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Case number two: Another healing was a man who was born blind and was healed by Jesus. He was born blind and was a grown up. Jesus came to Jerusalem, saw him and healed him. The consequences of the healing are summarized as follows:

1. The formerly blind man was very grateful for his healing.
   
2. He started thinking of God. He saw God through his encounter with Jesus.
3. His life was being transformed as he allowed his mind to be renewed. He looked away from himself and saw God.
   
4. He no longer thought like a beggar.
5. He was not afraid to declare he was the man who was healed.
6. He was not afraid to give testimony.
7. He was not afraid of being cast out from the Jewish religious system. (Even his parents were afraid of the outcast punishment).
8. He became a true believer and disciple of Jesus.
9. Those who persecuted him were judged by Jesus.

_____________________________Case two verses: John 9:1-41 (New King James Version)
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I[a] must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind[b] said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”
9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.”[c]
He said, “I am he.”
10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of[d] Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?”
He said, “I do not know.”
The Pharisees Excommunicate the Healed Man
13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.”
Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”
25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”
30 The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.
True Vision and True Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”[e]
36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”
38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
Footnotes:

1. John 9:4 NU-Text reads We.
2. John 9:8 NU-Text reads a beggar.
3. John 9:9 NU-Text reads “No, but he is like him.”
4. John 9:11 NU-Text omits the pool of.
5. John 9:35 NU-Text reads Son of Man.

New King James Version (NKJV) The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The word today is 'draw near'!

DRAW NEAR! THE LORD SAYS.

1. Psalm 73:28
   But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.
   Psalm 73:27-28 (in Context) Psalm 73 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2. Ecclesiastes 5:1
   [ Fear God, Keep Your Vows ] Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
   Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 (in Context) Ecclesiastes 5 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
3. Isaiah 45:20
   “Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.
   Isaiah 45:19-21 (in Context) Isaiah 45 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
4. Zephaniah 3:2
   She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the Lord, She has not drawn near to her God.
   Zephaniah 3:1-3 (in Context) Zephaniah 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
5. Luke 19:37
   Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
   Luke 19:36-38 (in Context) Luke 19 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
6. Hebrews 7:19
   for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
   Hebrews 7:18-20 (in Context) Hebrews 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
7. James 4:8
   Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
   James 4:7-9 (in Context) James 4 (Whole Chapter) Other TranslationsDR

Journey to see God: a servant's journey of faith

Not many would notice the record of an unnamed servant who worked for Abraham. However, the record spanned practically the whole chapter 24 ( in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, all 67 verses except for the first and last verse of the chapter, the longest in the book). Why did the Holy Spirit find it important to keep such detailed record of this episode of a humble servant? The watchman asked.
Then he opened the Bible and was led to read the account of Jesus in John 13, in which Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. Jesus was fully aware of Who He was, the Son of God, and yet He chose to obey His Father in heaven to take a most humble position. 

 “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (John 13:3-5)

Jesus knew His superior position as their Teacher and Lord (13:13). He also made sure they knew that they were His servants ( Matt.10:24-25; 18:23; 25:14) and He their Master and that they were not greater than Him (13:16; 15:20). Yet He washed the disciples' feet. He set them an example that they should do as He had done to them (13:15). “If you know theses things blessed are you if you do them” (13:17), He promised. Jesus specifically declared to the twelve disciples that “if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table or he who serves? Is he not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.” (Luke 22:25-27)
“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;” “and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master...” “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.” (Luke 12:35, 36, 37)
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)
In summary, Jesus expects His disciples to wait for His return, taking the faithful position of a servant, vigilant, waiting and ready at all hours, serving.
Where in the Bible is an example of a faithful selfless servant? In Abraham's time there was a record of one such person.
______Genesis 24 (the longest chapter in the book of Genesis)
This chapter recorded one main character, the servant whom Abraham entrusted to go to get a wife for Abraham's son, Isaac. The facts are summarized below:

1. This servant is not named here but it is believed that he is the same as mentioned in Gen.15:2, Eliezer of Damascus, whom Abraham thought would be his heir as he was childless then.
   
2. He is described as the oldest servant of Abraham's house, who ruled over all that he had. (v2) “All his master's goods were in his hands.” (v 10)
   
3. Abraham's instruction and mission for this servant was: go to Abraham's former country and his father's family to take a wife for his son. (v4,7)
   

What the Scripture revealed the servant's characteristics:

1. He believed and obeyed every word of his master, Abraham.
   
2. He was totally focused on his mission. He did not waste one minute like taking his dinner before first telling Abraham's cousin his mission (v33), and he did not even want to stay one day longer than necessary despite the long journey of 800km using camels to travel. (v 56)
   
3. He knew his master very well. He repeated his master's instructions accurately. He knew Abraham's words would come to pass. He believed when Abraham told him that God would send His angels to lead him and prosper his way.
   
4. He even knew of the qualities of the daughter-in-law to be for his master. (There was no record of what Abraham had told him on this subject, but his action showed that he knew what the master required.)
   
5. He shared his master's belief in God and his godly values in the kind of wife suitable and just right for his master's son. (Note his prayer that specified the conditions/attributes of the right person to be confirmed)
   
6. He feared, honored, and trusted God. He prayed, worshiped and testified for God at anytime the Spirit led him. He gave glory to God.
   
7. He spoke of himself as a servant of Abraham. His action confirmed his word.
   
8. He spoke only of Abraham's instruction, God's promises to Abraham, and how God had led him, answered his prayers, given success to the whole mission just as God has promised Abraham. (Not the number of times he spoke of the 'Lord God', 'the Lord', 'my master Abraham', 'my master'.)
   
9. He acknowledged and testified openly the success of his mission depended entirely on God, who would show His kindness to Abraham.
   
10. He was not even concerned with his own possible personal needs, feeling, rights or comforts. He did not simply get someone for Isaac. He could have been the heir if not for Isaac. Not only he was not jealous he even made sure Isaac got the best woman as a wife, exactly the one appointed by God for his wife! (Note he spoke twice of the word 'appointed' v14 and v 44).
    
11. He knew God and feared God. Note his prayers. How he prayed. The words he used. Here is a brief summary of the most 'unusual' way to get the right girl for his master's son:
    

• He went and stood by the well of water (instead of going straight to Abraham's brother's house) where the daughters of the men of the city were coming out to draw water. (v 13)
  
• He believed and expected that God would bring the appointed girl to him. (v 14)
  
• He set the conditions of the right girl's character, knowing his master's requirements and values. (v 14)
  
• His faith in God was so steadfast that he did not realize that he was setting very difficult terms to meet all at once: 1. the girl must come out at the right time, as he was waiting there with all his men and precious loads of gifts; 2. the right girl must come out (Abraham's close relative); 3. the right girl must also fit all the other characteristics of his master's requirements, hardworking, hospitable, well-mannered, kindhearted even to animals, obedient, humble, young, a virgin, and very beautiful to behold; 4. the right girl must be willing to go back to his master's house with the servant (who is a total stranger) even though she has never met the bride-groom to be or even been to the place where she will live for the rest of her life!
  In all these what did he gain for himself, this faithful servant?
  

Note the way the servant described what he considered as his fulfillment:

“And he said, 'Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren.” (v 27)

“and I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take my master brother's daughter for his son.” (v 48)

“And he said to them, 'Do not hinder me, since the Lord God has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.” (v 56)

 This servant was indeed greatly rewarded. He saw the hand of God in his faith journey!

Journey to see God: See God’s reality in Abraham’s life

Abraham’s journey -one hundred years of faith living!

In this journey to see God through Abraham, the watchman and friends see how the Lord appeared to Abraham whom He called His friend. Note that the Lord actually took the initiative and conversed with Abraham a number of times. Abraham was a watchman and intercessor. He could understand spiritual matters and he believed in God and every words spoken by God. He had no Bible or even the Laws of Moses to guide him at that time. But he listened carefully to what the Lord spoke to him, and he remembered the conversations, acted on them and continued his journey by faith into the unseen future.
What did God do? God honored His own words.
GOD’S CALLING OF ABRAHAM & PROMISES (by faith Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home; he went without knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8. Romans 4:16-22)

1. Genesis 12:1 [ Promises to Abram ] Now the Lord had said to Abram:“Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2. Genesis 12:7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
3. Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
4. Genesis 12:8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
5. Genesis 13:4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
6. Genesis 13:14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
7. Genesis 13:18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.
8. Genesis 14:22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,
9. Genesis 15:1 [ The Lord’s Covenant Promise to Abram ] Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
10. Genesis 15:2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
11. Genesis 15:4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”
12. Genesis 15:5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
13. Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)
    
14. Genesis 15:7 Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
15. Genesis 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.
16. Genesis 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River
17. Genesis 17:1 [ Abram Is Named Abraham ] When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.

BIRTH OF ISAAC （child of the promise, born by the power of the Spirit. Galatians 4:28-29; Romans 9:8)

1. Genesis 18:1 [ The Son of Promise ] Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2. Genesis 18:13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’
3. Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
4. Genesis 21:1 [ Isaac Is Born ] And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.

OFFER ISAAC (compare to God giving His only Son, John 3:16)

22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide;[b] as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
INTERCESSION BY ABRAHAM  (James 2:23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.)

1. Genesis 18:17 And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 
2. Genesis 18:19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
3. Genesis 18:20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
4. Genesis 18:22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
5. Genesis 18:26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
6. Genesis 18:27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:
7. Genesis 18:30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
8. Genesis 18:31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
9. Genesis 18:32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
10. Genesis 18:33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

SARAH (ABRAHAM’S WIFE: an incident of walking by flesh and not by faith and the consequence)

1. Genesis 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
2. Genesis 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.”

HAGAR (EGYPTIAN MAID received God’s message and the mercy of God)

1. Genesis 16:7 Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
2. Genesis 16:9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”
3. Genesis 16:10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.”
4. Genesis 16:11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her:“Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction.
5. Genesis 16:13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

SERVANT OF ABRAHAM (completed his mission to TAKE WIFE FOR ISAAC faithfully because he believed in Abraham’s God, Who remained faithful to His promises. The servant encountered and testified God’s reality!

1. Genesis 24:27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
2. Genesis 24:31 And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”
3. Genesis 24:40 But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.
4. Genesis 24:42 “And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,
5. Genesis 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.
6. Genesis 24:56 And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.”__________________________________