DAY 135 (2021) - How do you know you are a servant of the Lord? (Please go to FaceBook(silastyng) to watch my video of this blog)

 

                      This drawing is according to Psalm 135:5-6

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Sing a song to praise God (you are welcome to use "Father, I adore you" which I have been singing every morning for the past 20 years or your own choice to praise God)

          Father, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Jesus, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Spirit, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

      

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

(Please click this link to see how God used John Stott to change my life: https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/)

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross. and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

    Bible link: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%207&version=NIV

    Today's passage:

   

Psalm 135

1 Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise the name of the Lord;
    praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who minister in the house of the Lord,
    in the courts of the house of our God.

3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
    sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
    Israel to be his treasured possession.

5 I know that the Lord is great,
    that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him,
    in the heavens and on the earth,
    in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
    he sends lightning with the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    the firstborn of people and animals.
9 He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations
    and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
    Og king of Bashan,
    and all the kings of Canaan—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,
    an inheritance to his people Israel.

13 Your name, Lord, endures forever,
    your renown, Lord, through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and have compassion on his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
    eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
    nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
    house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20 house of Levi, praise the Lord;
    you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
    to him who dwells in Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.

 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 to Jesus as you listen to him. 

    My Listening

    The topic I received from Jesus is: How do you know you are a servant of the Lord?

Well, how do you know someone works for Apple? Very simple, he or she will tell people every good thing Apple creates and on the market. They will tell you how good they as a staff are being treated and how good they enjoy working as a staff in Apple.

Psalm 135 tells us that a servant of the Lord is more than that. Because I think a staff of Apple or any company would not like to be in the shop all the time. But a servant of the Lord loves to be in the house of the Lord, to serve and to worship the Lord in His Holy Temple. 

So, how do you know you are a servant of the Lord? If you love to praise Him always and love to worship the Lord in His Holy Temple and that is your home church! 

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to praise you as often as we can and taste the power and joy of praising you and being a servant of you.

 

In Jesus name we pray,

 

Amen.

       

      Reflect on these questions:

     1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

      

      2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus?

    

           Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

     

        

Please click this link to worship with us - 

I Was Glad (Prince William & Kate's Royal Wedding)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=rtyFC2Nl_6Y

    I was Glad (Schola Cantorum Emmanuel conducted by Rt. Rev. Dr. Silas Ng) 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycimy2HhG_o&ab_channel=RichmondEmmanuelChurch

     To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org

       

    Since January 1, 2021, I started to lead you to read one Psalm everyday for 150 days that you can experience a powerful experience to use Psalm to pray and sing praises to the Lord. If you watch my daily morning prayer "Time with Abba, Singing and Praising" video, I am going to sing with you one song to praise the Lord!

    

    Praise the Lord that after a few months of preparation for this new series with a good friend, Alice Cheung, you can see a brand new look in my daily blog. Alice who is now the Vice Principal of Diocesan Girls' School (https://www.dgs.edu.hk/) is going to draw a painting each day to highlight the key message of that day's Psalm. You can see the photos below of Alice, one pictures was taken in Hong Kong of Michelle and me, and Alice and her husband Johnson. The other picture is with her Doctor of Education gown standing besides the Alumni Wall of DGS and with her name and the year 1984, the year she graduated in that school. She had been a principal of a high school for seven years and worked as a Vice Principal two years ago.