Sunday, April 4, 2010

DAY 228 - Nearsighted and Blind?

Please click this NEW LINK to pray for us(March 9, 2010 to June 16)!!!

Today’s Reading: 2 Peter 1

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 2 Peter 1 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.)




For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 2 Peter 1: 8-9






Are you nearsighted and blind? How do you answer this question? Peter gives a check mark list of the seven virtues he listed to test whether we are nearsighted and blind. Please check yourself as below:

1. Goodness(Greek:arete) An attribute of Christ himself to be sought by his people. Anything opposite to goodness happen in you life like anger, bitterness, envy, rage...



2. Knowledge(gnosis) The advance into the will of God. Those who know God to live a godly life. You may know lots of things in the Bible but you can't live it out fruitfully.



3. Self-control(Greek: egkrateia) The manifestation of the Spirit's work in man resulting in the human activity Paul speaks of in Romans 8: 13, "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."



4. Perseverance(Greek: hypomone) The ability to continue in the faith and resist the pressures of the world system.



5. Godliness(Greek: eusebeia) Piety or devotion to God, a very practical awareness of God in every aspect of life.



6. Brotherly kindness(philadelphia) The warmth of affection that should characterize the fellowship of believers.



7. Love(Greek: Agape) Self-sacrificing love flows from God who is himself love.



What I heard today from Jesus is that any time we fail in this check list, we are nearsighted and even blind so that we will fall into the trap and mine field of sin again (v.10) and our lives become ineffective and unproductive(v.8). How are you doing today?




Dear Holy Spirit,
Lead me that I may be able to participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 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. Philip Hill Jones

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

The Light of Christ Church, Nanaimo


Rector/Senior Pastor: Rev. Kathy King




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


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