DAY 136 (2021) - God's love is beyond your imagination! (Please go to FaceBook(silastyng) to watch my video of this blog)

 

                      This drawing is according to Psalm 136:7-9

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 136

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

13 to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.

17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.

23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

 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: God's love is beyond your imagination!

Jesus asked me today to count how many "His love endures forever" in this chapter. It's not difficult to count because each verse finish with "His love endures forever" and there are 26 verses.

Then He asked, "How many verses you can write to give thanks to me if you write this Psalm and what are you going to write?" Wow! That's quite a question!

I have more than 26 verses and I need sometime today to write it down myself! 

Let me try some now:

Give thanks to you for saving my life when I was three years old having a critical operation and stayed in the hospital for three months. Your love endures forever.

Give thanks to you for giving me my wife Michelle, our elder son Ignatius, his wife Anna, their daughter our granddaughter Zoe and our younger son Athanasius. Your love endures forever.

Give thanks to you for giving me my Dad, my Mom, my sister Ada and my brother Dennis. Your love endures forever.

Give thanks to you for giving me so many challenges in my life that I can have more space to grow. Your love endures forever.

Give thanks to you for giving me so many failures in my life that I learn to correct my mistakes and be willing to listen to other people's suggestions. Your love endures forever...

I can write more, more than 26 verses. How many do you think you can have?

Then He said, "After you give thanks to me for all those you can think of, you need to be sure that you are always in my mind, I love you, I am the only One who can save you from your enemies and I am your Provider!"

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you for reminding us to live a life of thanksgiving and that we can be sure that your love is beyond our imagination.

 

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.