DAY 776 - Has Darkness Blinded Us? (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 John 2:3-14

** 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 John 2:3-14

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 John 2&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=約 翰 一 書 2&version=CUV

Bible Study

     John talks about the importance of walking in the light in the last chapter.  Now, he talks about how we can walk in the light and not walk in darkness. It is just one word: love. 

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

    The major theme in this passage is that of God's commandments…
    For John, as for Paul, and above all as for Jesus, the commandments are all summed up in one word: Love.  The Life of God's New Age is revealed as the Lord of God's New Age.  All other commandments - the detail of what to do and not to do - are the outflowing of this love, the love which has been newly revealed in Jesus, the love which God now intends should be revealed in and through all those who follow Jesus…
     Love is the word that best describes the life of God's New Age, and we get to taste it and practise it in the present time.
     That's why, of course, it's difficult.  It's so much easier to collapse back into living the old way, the way of suspicion and hatred.  But that means going back into the darkness (verses 9 and 11), whereas the life of love means going forward into the light.  That is both the command and the promise of these verses.  

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.141-142.

      Could your love moves away all kinds of darkness, suspicion and hatred to lead you into the light each day? 

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: Has darkness blinded us?

    The message I got from Jesus today is in a very special timing. This morning I had a colonoscopy procedure. I could not eat anything 40 hours before this morning and could not drink anything 14 hours before the procedure. I had to wait in the bed for two hours and was thinking lots of things. I knew that I was going to be completely anaesthetized for about 20 minutes and the feeling was not good.

    Darkness came and that was the time to exercise what I have been teaching other people of how to get away our darkness because of Jesus. Jesus reminded me at that time was to memorize Psalm 23 slowly. A strong feeling of love came, light came and I was so peaceful and secure. I was empowered by the love of Jesus and was counting His blessings of all those love surrounding me. The fear of having colon cancer was away. The fear of being hurt and attacked by other people was away. And, what was there was love and peace!

    When I was having the preparing kit yesterday night to clean my bowel. I was most of the time in the toilet from 6p.m. to 10p.m. I got a phone call at 9:30p.m. from Mrs. Florence Yeung that her husband Mr. Yuk Chi Solomon Yeung was in ER of Richmond Hospital having an emergency operation. I could not go to the hospital to pray for them. I sent messages to all Council members and in 30 minutes time, Rev. Dr. Philip Tse, our warden Eddie, our prayer ministry team member Marian and my wife Michelle was in the hospital. Mr. Yeung had a successful operation and Mrs. Yeung told me this afternoon that it was a miracle that Mr. Yeung could survive last night. I went to pray for Mr. and Mrs. Yeung once I got out of Burnaby Hospital today. There are so much love today I have experienced!

    Yes, just as John says in todays message, hatred could blind us and so as many other fearful things and people. But, love prevails! 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to be sure that you love us and that we can love all other people, even those who hate and attack us. 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

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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