DAY 321 - Why Hardened Pharaoh's Heart?

Our 300 days 24 hours prayer campaign was successfully completed last Wednesday, June 16, 2010. Please click this new link to join our 400 days 24 hours prayer campaign! Please act now! We need your prayers!

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Today's Reading: Exodus 11

Please read Exodus 11 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 this link to worship with us - In Christ Alone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENtL_li4GbE&feature=related

Please click the links below to Exodus 11 :

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 11&version=CUV

NIV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 11&version=NIV

ESV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 11&version=ESV

Message: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 11&version=MSG

Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

Exodus 11: 10

Michelle asked me today after reading the same theme "but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart" so many days, "Why did the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart?"

Well, there are so many explanations according to various commentaries, my catch is these:

1. God allows Pharaoh's heart to be hardened for ten times, ten opportunities to change but he refused. I asked so many Christians the past few months why they still did not have their daily devotion even though they know that they need that. Their answers are the same, "I don't have an urge to do so." Our hearts are always hardened to listen to the Lord's call, although the Lord gives us so many chances like he gave Pharaoh!

2. It gave Moses and Aaron the knowledge that this was not their effort but only God could do it. There were many opportunities for them to experience God in an intimate way that they could learn to totally rely on God.

How is your heart today? Is your heart hardened or softened?

After I completed this post, I received a wonderful e-mail from someone I met two weeks ago when I flew back from Calgary. I was having my daily devotion on the plane and a Chinese sat beside me. Then, we started a "holy conversation" about daily devotion that last for hours. Wonderful!

Dr. Huang is a medical doctor and a deacon in a church here in Vancouver. I have his permission to copy his e-mail for your encouragement and a real example of the urgency of "daily devotion":

Dr. Paul Huang 5 July 2010

Dear Silas (if I may call you that as a brother): thank you and the Lord for our divine appointment on our flights home from Calgary; In following your blog/devotion and praying for Michelle, I am glad to read today that she is recovering. Indeed your words of not guilty or duty but the beauty of Christ as the motive for daily devotions that draws deeper dialogue and discernment will be my message to a class in 2 weeks, while knowing it is a fledgling action even for myself changing from “regular” to “daily”. May the Lord continue to bless you in your dedication and passion in serving/loving Him; blessings, Paul

Dear Lord Jesus,

Come in to my heart and make my heart softened that I can be able to listen and obey. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us - I Give You My Heart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWDU8rBBIJs&feature=related

Michelle is going to VGH for her first check up appointment after her 3rd(last) chemo at 8:30a.m.. She has to go to VGH every other day now and not daily.

Please click this new link to watch Athanasius' violin recital(June 7, 2010) with me playing the piano:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBxm_gFosQOY&h=7ba22

Prayer items today: We Fall Down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34yPZiD8OMs

For ACiC/AI

Bishop: Rt. Rev. Silas Ng (Michelle)

Network Leader: Rev. Peter Klenner (Jenny)

Network Leadership Team: Rt. Rev. Silas Ng, Rev. Peter Klenner, Rev. Ed Hird (Janice),

Rev. Simon Neill (Jo), Rev. Ken Bell (Sonya)

Bishop's Chaplain: Rev. Ed Hird (Janice)

Clergy Formation Advisor: Rev. Ken Bell (Sonya)

Administrator: Mrs. Zenia Cheng (Clarence)

Pray for one AMiA bishop one day at a time

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Doc Loomis (Ellen)

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

St. Simon’s, North Vancouver

Rector/Senior Pastor: Rev. Ed Hird (Janice)

Honorary Assistant priest: Rev. John Lombard (Beverly)

Deacon: Rev. Ron Gibbs (Beverly)

Face book version: http://www.facebook.com/silastyng?ref=profile

Twitter version: http://twitter.com/bishopsilasng

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 discipler. 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 discipler to walk with you daily to enrich your spiritual journey. So, shall we start this journey with Jesus Christ our Lord now!

New Link for the 4th 100 days 24 hours prayer campaign(June 17 to September 24, 2010)!!

Our 3rd phase of 100 days of prayers (March 9 to June 16, 2010).

Our 2nd phase of 100 days of prayers (November 29, 2009 to March 8, 2010)

Our 1st phase of 100 days of prayers

• Part 2: 60 days (September 29 to November 28, 2009)
• Part 1: 40 days (August 20 to September 28, 2009)