Daily Devotion

Voice: Li Huan

---

Today is Tuesday, 9th of June. Let’s gather our scattered thoughts and be still in His presence.

We pray:

Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely
to the beginning of this day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

---

Psalm 32

¹    Blessed is the one whose  transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.

²Blessed is the man against whom the  Lord    counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit  there is no deceit.

³For when I kept silent, my  bones wasted away
through my  groaning all day long.

⁴For day and night your  hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up  as by the heat of summer.  Selah

⁵I  acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I  will confess my transgressions to the  Lord ,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.   Selah

⁶Therefore let everyone who is  godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you  may be found;
surely in the rush of  great waters,
they shall not reach him.

⁷You are a  hiding place for me;
you preserve me from  trouble;
you surround me with  shouts of deliverance.  Selah

⁸I will  instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will  counsel you with my eye upon you.

⁹    Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with  bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.

¹⁰    Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who  trusts in the  Lord .

¹¹    Be glad in the  Lord , and rejoice, O righteous,
and  shout for joy, all you  upright in heart!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

---

Luke 12:13-21

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

---

“BBS”

If you read this parable carefully, the man was not called a fool because he was rich. Nor was he criticised simply for having wealth. After all, a full barn was often seen as a sign of God’s blessing. In Deuteronomy 28:8, God promises His people, “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake.”

There is nothing inherently wrong with being prosperous. Neither is there anything wrong with resting and enjoying the fruits of one’s labour. One should certainly eat, drink, and be merry.

The problem is that this rich man was fully prepared for this life, but not the next.

St Paul alludes to this mindset when he writes, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Corinthians 15:32). His point is that life would be ultimately meaningless if death had the final word.

But in this parable, the rich man’s reasoning is different. He did not say, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Rather, he assumed that he would have many years ahead of him. He believed his future was secure. His wealth had given him a false sense of permanence.

Then comes the shocking interruption in verse 20: “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’”

Tonight, the life that has been entrusted to you will be over.

The phrase “required of you” reminds us that we are merely stewards of our lives and possessions. God has loaned them to us for a season, and one day He will call us to return them.

Our lives are not freehold.

They are leasehold.

The rich man lived as though death happened only to other people, or at least far into the future. He never imagined that life could suddenly come to an end. So he spent his energy enlarging his barns rather than deepening his relationship with God.

Perhaps we could call this the “Bigger Barn Syndrome”—BBS.

This ancient parable still speaks powerfully today.

Did any of us wake up this morning considering that our lives could one day come to an end? Perhaps sooner than we expect?

We are all stewards of what God has entrusted to us. And when the day comes for us to leave this world, our bank accounts, investments, properties, and possessions will immediately become someone else’s concern.

Our own wealth will effectively fall to zero.

So, are we spending our lives enlarging our barns, or are we building God’s Kingdom?

---

In closing, be blessed by this song, Sermon On The Mount by April Cheah

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Theirs is the kingdom of God
Blessed are the grieving acquainted with tears
For they will find Him near

​Blessed are the meek and gentle
They shall inherit the earth
Blessed are the starving for justice and light
They shall be satisfied

Cause us to seek first Your kingdom
Teach us to carry Your peace
That we’ll be called children of God most high
All those who seek will find
All those who seek will find

Blessed are the mercy givers
They will receive it in turn
Blessed are hearts that are pure
They will see Your risen reality

Stir us to love like You love us
Free us to give what we keep
Knowing our Father sees the secret things
Our treasure is in the King
Our treasure is in the King

Lord speak to my worries and help cut me free
Of this bondage to comfort and vanity
When I see You again on that one final day will You know me
I want to know You
Will You know me
Help me know You

Blessed are the peacemakers
They are Yours for You call and they come
Those blessed to suffer for righteousness’ sake
Your kingdom is theirs to partake

​Lead us to walk with the suffering
Restore us to choose the harder road
That we will hear and do the word of Christ
Your way alone leads to life
Your way alone leads to life

 Cause us to seek first Your kingdom
Teach us to carry Your peace
That we’ll be called children of God most high
All those who seek will find
Treasures where You are cannot be destroyed
And Your way alone leads to life

Visit this link for more information about the song writer and message behind this song.

Link to full Morning Office