DAY 240 - Open Your Ear to Listen!

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Today’s Reading: Revelation 2

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 Revelation 2 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 Revelation 2:
Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation 2&version=CUV

NIV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation 2&version=NIV

ESV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation 2&version=ESV

Message: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation 2&version=MSG

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 2: 7,11,17,29; 3:6,13 and 22

Michelle was in tears when she told me that what she received today from Jesus is this important concluding sentence at the end of each warning to the seven churches. The 'ear' is in singular number, meaning not your two ears but your inner ear of your soul. Michelle said, "I know I need to have daily devotion but I have not done that for I had many reasons not doing that because of business. And now, I have no excuse not doing that and I regret why I did not listen!"

I think if Jesus did not tell me many months ago before I became a bishop to write this daily blog, I would not have been having daily devotion myself, even though I am a "bishop"! The word "Repent" appears five times in this chapter and each church had various sins to repent. But the most important sin that we have been committing is:

1. Open our "ear" to many other things than God himself.

2. Know how to "listen" but not obey!

3. It needs a daily intimate relationship for us to be willing and ready to open our "ear" to listen and obey. Just like lovers longing to see each others daily, even to talk on the phone for an hour is enough. An "hour"! How come we don't have even 10 minutes of 'dating' with Jesus? Who is Jesus in your life? Your King, your Lord, your God? There must be something wrong in our lives!

Yes I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2: 4-5

So many lampstands have been removed from many Christians so that they are just club members enjoying or hating church but without fruits, fruit of the Spirit and fruits to bear for His Kingdom's sake!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to open our ear to listen to you daily and to enter into an intimate relationship with you! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

As you can see in the picture Michelle is well today, though she is always very tired! At least she does not vomit or have drowsiness since she came to the hospital. It is already a blessing! Thanks for all your prayers and fasting, it shows!

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. Charles Hurt (Chuck) Murphy, III

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

St. Timothy’s, North Vancouver

Rector/Senior Pastor: Rev. Ken Bell

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