DAY 668 - Problems And Difficulties Are Good (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Want to know why I have been writing and recording my blogs and podcast daily since August 10, 2009? Click these three links:

Confirmation from John Stott in 2009: 
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
My MicroMacro Discipleship, A missing DNA in Discipleship Development: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/introduction-micromacro-discipleship.html
Subject Shifting Devotion Method(Inspired by John Stott in 1991: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

                               Today's Reading: Philippians 1:12-18a

** If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from my Devotion on Fire blog:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

To use this simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:

 .Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf

Please click this link to read Philippians 1:12-18a

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians 1&version=ESV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=腓 立 比 書 1&version=CUV

Bible Study

     Paul is faced with two main problems. The first one is that he is in prison and it seems that he can't do anything to spread the Gospel. The second one is that there are some people around him talking about the Gospel not because of good intention but just to create troubles for Paul. But, he doesn't care. What he cares is the Gospel is being spread out and so he is joyful!   

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      That's fine by me, Paul says.  As long as people are going around saying that Jesus is the world's true Lord, I shall be happy.
      Paul is saying all this, obviously, to encourage the church in Philippi. But it ought also to be a great encouragement to us.  How often are we tempted to feel discouraged because the plans we had were badly thwarted, or because malicious people were trying to make life difficult.  We need to learn from Paul the art of seeing God's purposes working out through problems and difficulties. 'God meant it for good.''The king is being announced, and I'm going to celebrate!' 

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:Te Prison Letters. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.90.

     How do you feel when you face with problems and difficulties? Lots of problems and difficulties, not just a few! Scare, discouraged, losing hope, losing faith? How can this passage help you to have a new paradigm when problems and difficulties come right at you?  
     

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

Spiritual Journal

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: Problems and difficulties are good

    The message I got from Jesus today is something we do not like to listen. How can that be? We do not like problems and difficulties, right? We can't sleep, can't eat or think when we are struggling with too many problems.

    Well, this is not what Paul thinks. What Paul wants to tell you today is that we need to see problems and difficulties in a new way. Just as in his case that he is in prison and many people have been preaching the gospel just to stir up troubles. And Paul doesn't mind. He believes that all those problems and difficulties mean for good in God's purpose.

    Do you think so? If you do, then you have a better chance to enjoy each day a good day and that you can serve the Lord with a joyful heart no matter what would happen.

    Just as Bishop N.T. Wright says, we surely need to know the art of seeing God's purposes working out through problems and difficulties. 
    
Dear Lord Jesus,
Open our eyes to see problems and difficulties in a new way, in your way so that we can enjoy each day a good day. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

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

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8&feature=related

You may choose to follow my other daily blog: 

Daily Devotion on Fire 2(2 years plan -One year New Testament, one year Old Testament): 

http://bishopsilas2.blogspot.ca/

Daily Devotion on Fire (3 years and 3 months plan, one chapter a day to finish reading the whole Bible): 

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/

Break.Build (40 days daily devotion- For Renewal or First Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/

This blog:

Discipler 123 (Daily devotion using N.T. Wright's NT for Everyone as source)

http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/