Saturday, September 8, 2012

DAY 152 - From Imperfect to Perfect, Who Can? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)



**1100 DAYS of prayers now!!!
Please sign up for the new 11th 100 days 24 hours prayer campaign,
I need your prayers!!!
Please click link below.

**NEW link for the 11th 100 days 24 hours prayer campaign(from August 25 to December 03, 2012).

The easiest way is to take one hour slot for the whole week. What you need to do is very simple. Choose one dayThe easiest way is to take one hour slot for the whole week to pray for me, my family and my ministry, remembering the ministry of ACiC(ACiC has two Networks: ACiC, Anglican Coalition in Canada and AI, Asian Initiative). You may use the whole hour in prayer or you can still do you work in your office but use as much time as you can to pray and the other time work prayerfully that hour to pray for our ministry. This campaign is also to teach you that you need somebody to pray for you daily. I have been prayed for hourly the past 1,100 days and I have never experienced this kind of peace and protection before. It's just beyond words can express. If I did not listen and obey to Jesus call 1,100 days ago to start this prayer movement, I think I would be pulled into darkness and discouragement already! I deeply believe that this is a way to draw as many participation as we can in prayers. I encourage you to participate. We need you to join us! Trust in the power of prayers!

Today's Reading: Matthew 1: 1-17

**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.

Please click this link to read John 1: 1-17

Bible Study

We start a new book, the Gospel of Matthew, in the Bible today!

Today's passage is about the genealogy of Jesus. Boring? Interesting? Challenging? Inspiring? Renewing?

God had promised that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham(Ge 12:3; 22:18; Gal 3:16) and King David (2Sa 7: 12-19; Jer 23:5). By tracing Jesus' legal ancestry back to these two men, Matthew demonstrates to the Jews that Jesus had the proper genealogy to qualify as the Messiah.

As we take a closer look at the types of people mentioned in Jesus' family line. Several have major failures (Judah, Rahab, Manasseh) or even not an Israelite, Ruth was a Moabite. Matthew traces Jesus' family history through the paternal line (i.e., his earthly father's side) as was Jewish custom. There are only five women's names mentioned and all have their important story, mostly of their imperfect past except Jesus' mother Mary. Why God allow this imperfect genealogy to happen to Jesus? Why not make it a perfect and pure one?

We need to know that God is the only One who can work His highest purposes through anyone, regardless of their background and failures. God is the only One who can work through imperfect to perfect, not any human. Because no one is perfect! No one can be perfect other than God!

To pursue for excellency is what we need to do following Jesus to be more Christlike. But to pursue to be perfect is pride, the No. 1 in the seven deadly sins because only God is perfect. And yet, there are so many people on earth who live a life as a perfectionist causing all kinds of troubles, hurting themselves and other people! Why?

So, what have you got today?

Have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"



Spiritual Journal

What I heard from Jesus today is: From imperfect to perfect, who can?

Today Jesus gives us a time to reflect our way of doing things through his genealogy. He wants to challenge us if we belongs to those who want to make everything perfect and yet they have already fell into a deep hole of darkness that no one, nothing can satisfy them! They are always living in a painful life, always look at people and things in a negative way, always push themselves to perfect in the name of "pursuing for excellency"! I have seen so many good marriages broke up, I have seen lots of pain and anger in parents and their children, I have seen good friends turns to be enemies, I have seen much and that's enough! Enough!

No, it's not like that! The reality is when we want to take God's role to be God not knowing that we can never be perfect and never be God we fall into a deep hole of darkness!

Admit to God that you can never be perfect. Following Jesus each day to be more Christlike and you will enjoy your life every minute and to be able to pursue for excellency! That's real Christlikeness!

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to admit that we can never be perfect and pull us out from that deep hole of darkness to be a perfectionist. Lead us to follow you each day that we can be more like you and to be able to have you helping us to pursue for excellency extending your mighty Kingdom. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ar5EfvAcU

Chinese praise song - 愛是不保留 Unreserved Love


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