DAY 765 - Blessed during Painful Trial (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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Confirmation from John Stott in 2009: 
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
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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: 1 Peter 4:12-19

** 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 1 Peter 4:12-19

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Peter 4&version=ESV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=彼 得 前 書 4&version=CUV

Bible Study

     Have you experienced painful trial? What kind of painful trial? For Peter in today's passage, the painful trial he means is being accused, abused and persecuted for the name of Jesus. Whenever that happen, blessing will come. 

Let's take a look at what Bishop N.T. Wright says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :

      
      The heart of the passage is in verse 14: 'If you are abused because of the name of the Messiah, you are blessed by God because the spirit of glory and of God is resting upon you.'
     Those who are at present persecuting the church will meet their own judgment in due course, and God's people are called in the meantime to faith and patience…They are to entrust their lives to God by doing what is good…'Doing good' means bringing fresh goodness, fresh love, fresh kindness, fresh wisdom into the community, into the family, to the people we meet on the street.    

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.88,90.

      So, when you are abused because of the name of Jesus, do you have faith that you are going to be blessed and can bring fresh goodness to all people?

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: Blessed during painful trial

    The message I got from Jesus today is beyond assurance of being blessed when we are under painful trial. It is also a direction for us to bring fresh goodness during those most painful time.

    It is somewhat like chicken and egg. You will be blessed because you bring fresh goodness. And, because you bring fresh goodness in your most difficult and painful time, you will be blessed. 

     Listen carefully of what Peter says: bringing fresh goodness. That's why Peter keep on telling his readers that we need to have great joy when we are in suffering (1: 6,8 and 4:13). 

     So, if you are under painful trial, don't worry.  Instead, the blessing from our Lord Jesus Christ will replace those worries to great joy. If and only if you are close to Jesus! 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to be close to you so that we can receive your blessing during painful trial and that we can bring fresh goodness. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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從心合一

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

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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