DAY 717 - Perfection! Is That What You Want? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

I would like to invite you to join us in a 100 days of prayer (From April 9 to July 17) for Michelle, our family and my ministry. Please click this link to join us to pray:
New 100 Days Prayer Campaign (2014.04.09-2014.07.17)

What you need to do is very simple. Choose one hour slot for the whole week to pray for Michelle, our family and my ministry. 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 us. I encourage you to participate. We need you to join us! Trust in the power of prayers!

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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: Hebrews 7:11-19

** 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 Hebrews 7:11-19

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews 7&version=ESV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=希 伯 來 書 7&version=CUV

Bible Study

     The author continues the argument of Jesus' role following the line of Melchizedek, not the Levi. But, he is on a different focus - perfection. What about perfection? 

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      It appears on close inspection, though, to be something subtly different.  The 'perfection' in question could also be translated completeness; it's what you get when everything has been put into place for the final great purpose to be achieved.  What is this great purpose? Nothing less, it seem, than God's intention for the whole created world.  This includes human behaviour, but goes much wider.  The world is God's great project. Jesus as a bride and bridegroom plan their wedding day, and work to make it perfect, God is working at bringing his world to perfection and doing what is necessary to make it complete…
     The author is not saying that the ancient Israelite system was a bad thing, with its Temple, its law and its Levitical priesthood.  What he is saying is that the new dispensation which has arrived in and through Jesus is even better than what went before.  Now at last 'perfection' is in sight and Jesus has achieved it for us.  Let us then press on in faith and hope so that we may fully grasp the perfection, the glorious new world, which God has by this means prepared for us. 

N.T. Wright. Hebrews for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.74,76.

      I do not know whether you are a perfectionist or not. If you are, then you must have experienced some very difficult time. Why? Because nothing is perfect actually! Have you got some new insight for you to understand more about what perfection really means? 
     

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: Perfection! Is that what you want?

    The message I got from Jesus today is a life or death question. Why? Because I have seen too many people who are perfectionists fall into darkness and never can get up.

    In Jesus, is the only way to taste the sweetness and the power of perfection. Away from Jesus, perfection is an unattainable goal which can bring discouragement, dissatisfaction, insecurity, darkness, depression and more…

    On the other hand, when we are closer and closer to Jesus we can have a chance to be more perfect. 

    Let me give you an example. I wrote in my blog yesterday about the special time for Michelle and me to be with Nicky Gumbel and Pippa yesterday. What Nicky told us about he has been writing his blogs 16 days ahead gives me an inspiration and insight that I need to write my blog at least a few days ahead so that I can post each day's blog on time, 12a.m. Vancouver time. So, I start to do this now and please pray for me that I can continuously to do that to make my blog/podcast to be more "perfect", yet never to be really perfect. I woke up 2:30a.m.today and just finished yesterday's blog and now finishing today's blog at 5:30a.m. Need another 20 minutes to record the podcast and should be 5:40a.m., London time!

     Praise the Lord that Nicky's way of doing God's Kingdom work and the message in Hebrews today gives me a call and confirmation to be more "perfect" in doing my blog and podcast from now on. Jesus lives!
     
Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to be willing to follow you each day that we have a better chance to taste the sweetness of perfection and to experience your great life-changing power. 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

Because He Live: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-zwE33zHA

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/


Rev. Nicky Gumbel's daily devotion: Bible in One Year
http://www.htb.org.uk/bioy