DAY 810 - Disasters Are God's Mercy (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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                               Today's Reading: Revelation 9:13-21

** 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:

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Please click this link to read Revelation 9:13-21

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation 9&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=启 示 录 9&version=CUV

Bible Study

     More and more disasters, more and more people died. Why?

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

     All of this was to be unleashed so that  - and this is the point of it all - humans might be challenged to repent (verses 20,21)
     Well, one might say, but it didn't work, did it?  All those threats, all that torture, all that death, and still people didn't repent…
     If God were simply to wipe out his creation, the whole thing would be a massive failure.  But if he allows people space to repent, to come to their senses, to worship him as the source of life rather than demons and idols which are the source of death (verse 20,21), then that patient mercy always risks the possibility that people will use the breathing space to make matters worse.  
     
N.T. Wright. Revelation for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.90.

      Would more disasters make more people to repent? Why human beings are so stubborn and stone-hearted? 

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: Disasters are God's mercy

    What I got from Jesus today is a different angle to look at disasters. All those disasters turn out not to be a completely wipe out and total destruction is purely God's mercy! He gives lots of space so that more people can repent.

    Verse 20 talks about those who were not killed by all those plagues still did not repent and did not stop worshiping demons, and idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

    Similar thing happened last week when one of our parishioners asked me to pray for her elder sister's two years old daughter. Both the parents of the two years old are Christians but did something very wrong. Because their daughter always woke up at night since she was born and cried loudly, they gave a few thousand dollars to a kind of witch three months ago asking him to do something to stop that. That person gave the two years old and the parents special clothes, special idols hanging around everywhere in their home. And a necklace on the two years old's neck, a ring with the daughter's name in her mom's finger and more. After that, the two years old did not stop to wake up at night and cried, but cried even louder and like a ghost sound, very scary. They came to Vancover to visit and stay in our parishioners home. They had a BBQ and invited me and Michelle to join them last Sunday. I asked them to repent and they did, then I asked them to take out the necklace, the ring and every idols and related things and put in in a bag. We prayed for them and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I expelled the demon from her daughter's soul. Then from that day on, everything stopped. We had lunch with them after Sunday service today, the whole family with the Grandparents too. Since last Sunday, the two years old has been sleeping well and it never happened like that almost since she was born! It is so real! The two years old's grandfather saw all these and he said, "Wow! That is so simple." But, he refused to receive Jesus even after this miracle. He said, "That may be a time." I said, "This is the time." Let's pray for this old, stubborn man to receive Jesus before it is too late!

    This is a real and good example just happened to prove that disaster sometimes can lead people to repent and people will be healed. Yes, disasters are God's mercy! 

Dear Lord Jesus,
We pray for you to show forth your power to the two years old's Grandfather so that he can repent and believe in you. And we pray that her parents can become mature and faithful disciples of you after they experienced this healing miracle. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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從心合一

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

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman

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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): 

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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