DAY 238 - Staying Right at the Center of God's Love

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Today’s Reading: Jude

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 Jude 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 Jude:
Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%201&version=CUV

NIV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%201&version=NIV

ESV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%201&version=ESV

Message: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%201&version=MSG

But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!

Jude 20-21(The Message)

What Jesus told Michelle and myself today was in verse 20 to 21. Please go to the Message (click the link above) for a modern translation.

Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote this letter to remind Christians that the world will come to an end. In this end times, many bad people including rotten Christian leaders would surface. Among all those accusations, slandering, divisions and sufferings, it is really not easy to "staying right at the center of God's love"!

I have seen many fall into the trap of doubt, worries, discontent and even hatred. Just like what I wrote on "DAY 230 - What would happen in 2012?", are we ready for the end to come? I watched the movie 2012 in Hong Kong last November with my mom and sister. Some people like this movie and some people don't, but when watching this kind of "end of the world" movie, the question is always "Are you ready if this happens to you?" Actually after I wrote the DAY 230 devotion, I asked myself "Am I ready if a tragedy happens in my life or if the end of the world happens right in front of me?" At that time I said to Jesus, "Lord, I am ready." And in seven days Michelle was in the hospital with leukemia. Someone would say this is a coincidence; I say this is a preparation. This is how Jude wanted to prepare his disciples for the coming suffering in which most of the Christians would be killed and martyred!

This is why we need to be in a good church, carefully building up our faith so that we know how to pray through the Holy Spirit. In that way, you can have a personal relationship with Jesus in which no matter what happens, it won't pull you away from "staying right at the center of God's love". Michelle was smiling as she received this comforting word from the Lord. She feels in these five days overwhelmed by so much love from Jesus Himself and all of you! Come back to Jesus, for only by staying right at the center of His love, can we face this ever changing world, and experience His unchanging love!

Michelle is even better than yesterday, and for the first time had good appetite! Thanks to a number of brothers and sisters who are going to prepare good Chinese dinner daily for the two of us! This is a kind of love that is beyond words to express! And today one of the brothers in my church cut all the grass for our house, incredible! Another good thing is Michelle has not vomited or had drowsiness at all. She and I both slept very well in the hospital, sleeping like a baby in the arms of Jesus! As it says in Psalm 127: 2,

"It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?"(The Message)

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you Lord that Michelle and I can have lots of time together to talk, share our pains, read your Holy Word and pray many times a day. Help us to stay right at the center of your love in the midst of this crisis and may you turn everything into blessings. 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 AMiA bishop one day at a time

The Rt. Rev. David Loomis

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

Immanuel Church

Rector/Senior Pastor: Rev. Simon Neill

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/Docdocid=0AbI_guJWaO4DZGRnYjNqZzRfMTRmZHFndjMzZA&hl=en