DAY 226 - Rejoice to participate in the sufferings of Christ

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Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 4

Welcome! The purpose of this blog is to encourage Christians to have daily devotion - a wonderful and intimate time with Jesus.

There are three reasons for you to use this blog as your daily devotion:

1. A healthy spiritual diet - One chapter of the Bible daily. We really need at least one chapter of Bible daily so that we are well fed.

2. A good example of Spiritual Journaling - What I have committed for 1,189 days(the Bible has 1,189 chapters)to write this daily post is not for teaching purposes but this is my daily spiritual journal - I write down what I hear from Jesus and how I experience His intimate relationship with me each day. I have launched a wide-spectrum research on daily devotion and have found out that there are less than 10% of Christians that are having daily devotion. Out of that 10%, many having daily devotion are doing so because of guilt (they know that they are Christians and need to have daily devotion and feel guilty if they don’t do that), duty (they need to fulfill their duty as a Christian) or study(lots of Christians primarily use their daily devotion as a time to study the Bible). I do pray and hope that you will make up your mind to have a relational daily devotion so that you can have an intimate time with Jesus. I pray that you will write your own spiritual journal as well.

3. An online discipler – One of the reasons that so many Christians do not have daily devotion is because they do not have a disciple. A discipler can help them build up this basic element of discipleship when they first become Christians. The best way for you is to have a discipler to walk with you for a certain period of time so that daily devotion become a good habit. Or, you may have a small group of two to three people to encourage and be accountable to each other so that you won’t stop your daily devotion. I offer myself as your online disciple to walk with you daily to enrich your spiritual journey. So, shall we start this journey with Jesus Christ our Lord now!

Please read 1 Peter 4 and listen to what the Lord Jesus Christ would like to tell you before reading my Spiritual Journal below. If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from this blog. You may click this link directly for the method:Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf . (You may begin with a song to praise the Lord and complete you devotion by singing another praise song.)

Please click the links below to 1 Peter 4:

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204&version=CUV
NIV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204&version=NIV
ESV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204&version=ESV
Message: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204&version=MSG

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4: 12-13

Today is Good Friday, a day for us to remember how Jesus died for us, how His blood cleanses our sins and how we are called to rejoice in the sufferings of Christ.

To carry our cross following Christ and renouncing our sins is never easy. A brother told me just an hour ago what a painful trial he has gone through during the past year. He left our church a few years ago because he loved other things more than loving Jesus. He came back a year ago, for he now knows that that path he had been in was a dead end. He has been in a life-transformation journey in which he threw away all the obscene DVDs, cut the relationship with his girl friend and chose to live a holy life! He said, "Silas, It is so painful to do all this for Jesus. But it is so good the past few months to be taking up my cross to follow Christ!"

Yes, it is a painful trial but we need to rejoice to participate in the sufferings of Christ. Our dear brother's 'dying' experience is a vivid example of how painful these trials can be and how overjoyed we will be if we dare to face all those painful trials involving evil human desires, debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, detestable idolatry,being abused and insulted.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you for dying on the cross for our sins! Help me to die with you so that I can lead a holy life and rejoice to participate in the sufferings of you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Prayer items today:

For ACiC/AI

Bishop: Rt. Rev. Silas Ng

Network Leader: Rev. Peter Klenner
Network Leadership Team: Rt. Rev. Silas Ng, Rev. Peter Klenner, Rev. Ed Hird, Rev. Simon Neill
Bishop’s Chaplain: Rev. Ed Hird
Clergy Formation Advisor: Rev. Ken Bell
Administrator: Mrs. Zenia Cheng

Pray for one AMiAs bishop one day at a time

The Rt. Rev. Thomas William(TJ) Johnston, Jr.

Pray for one ACiC/AI church one day at a time

Richmond Emmanuel Church

Rector/Senior Pastor: Rt. Rev.SilasNg

Evangelist: Pastor Marcus Ho

Teaching Pastor: Pastor Eliza Poon

English/Children: Mr. Jim Kelly

Music Ministry: Emily Yeung

Record for our 2nd phase of 100 days of prayers : this new link to participate in our 2nd phase 100 days/24 hours Prayer Campaign (Nov 29, 2009 to March 8, 2010)

Record for our 1st phase of 100 days of prayers(2nd part 60 days): this link(August 20 to Nov. 28, 2009)

Record for our 1st phase of 100 days of prayers(1st part 40 days): http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AbI_guJWaO4DZGRnYjNqZzRfMTRmZHFndjMzZA&hl=en