DAY 165 - As Foolish and Bewitched as the Galatians

Today’s Reading: Galatians 3

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 Galatians 3: 1 – 29 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 Galatians 3:
Chinese: http://www.o-bible.com/cgibin/ob.cgi?version=hb5&book=gal&chapter=3
ESV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203&version=ESV
NIV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203&version=NIV
Message: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203&version=MSG


You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Galatians 3: 1-2


By telling the Galatians that he could oppose Peter face to face when Peter was wrong, Paul opposed the Christians that he had personally taught, calling them as “foolish” and “bewitched”.

The word used here is not moros, so often used in Christ's parables (Matt 5:22; 7:26; 25:2 ff.). Moros refers to one who is mentally deficient or who plays the fool, particularly in the moral or spiritual realm. In Galatians, the word is anoetos which, quite differently, suggests the actions of one who can think but fails to use his powers of perception. Paul used this strong term and did not call them brothers but Galatians and “bewitched” because they were going the wrong way. They made a doctrine of salvation by works and not faith, foolishly denying Paul’s teaching of justification by faith.

Today Jesus shows me a modern version of a similar situation regarding Christians nowadays . In Paul’s time, the Galatians went back to practicing the Old Testament law by working hard to obeying to those laws and not believing in Jesus by faith. Faith is always a relationship and not workmanship. As in my research, less than 10% of Christians are having daily devotion and instead many are doing lots of things in the church. They can take all kinds of courses, lots of learning, lots of information but not transformation. We are no different from 2,000 years ago. Of those 10% of Christians who are having daily devotion, many “work” on it because of “guilt”, “duty” or “study”. Even if we have daily devotion, it may not be relational and transformational. We really need to enter into this daily intimate, sweet and personal relationship with Jesus. If not, we are just as “foolish” and “bewitched” as the Galatians were!


Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for saving me, walking with me and loving me daily. Help me to not step into those old ways of life so that my life can be transformed daily and my love to you can be increased more dearly. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.


Prayer items today:

For ACiC/AI
Bishop: Rt. Rev. Silas Ng
Network Leader: Rev. Peter Klenner
Administrator: Mrs. Zenia Cheng

Pray for one ACiC/AI church one day at a time
Victoria Church Plant, the Table
Church Planter: Rev. Josh Wilton
Church Planter: Rev. Andy Withrow


We have started our 2nd phase of 100 days of prayer. I am calling you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to fill in your names in the new list below. Many wonderful things have happened in the past 100 days. Can we follow our King, our Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ to use an hour’s time to pray for His protection and blessings to my new ministry as the Bishop of ACiC/AI, all our ACiC/AI clergy, leaders and people? Pray that in the Holy and Mighty Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we can win over Satan's tricks, in order to strengthen our brothers and sisters so that His Kingdom will be extended. Please click this new link to participate in our 2nd phase 100 days/24 hours Prayer Campaign (Nov 29, 2009 to March 8, 2010)