My Lord and my God!

 

Please click this link for the video version of this blog:   https://youtu.be/0fQzTxlvNHs

Bible in one year by Nicky Gumbel:

https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/

Nicky Gumbel's Bible in one year today:

https://preview.mailerlite.com/g7w1p1a1s5/1962090270241593765/y2v6/

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 sins 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."

    

    The link to today's Time with Abba passages:   http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/

    Time with Abba passages: (Psalm 124:6-8, 2 Samuel 18:1-19:10; John 20:1-31; Proverbs 16:14-15)

    Today's key passage: 

   24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:24-31

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 today from Jesus is: My Lord and my God!

    

    John 20:19-23 tells us about how the risen Jesus breathed on his ten apostles for them to receive the Holy Spirit and to be the Sent Ones to do what Jesus has shown them what he has been doing the past three years.

But, Thomas was not there and he did not believe what the ten apostles told him until Jesus appeared the second time. He needed to see Jesus himself and to hear Jesus himself to believe.

How about you? Are you the Thomas before seeing the risen Christ or the Thomas after seeing the risen Christ?

Have you said to Jesus as Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!"

Because Jesus ascended to heaven already so according to John 20:19-23 you need the Holy Spirit so that you can see Jesus Christ and be able to experience His presence. Because the Triune God is not to be separated, so you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that you can experience the presence of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit greatly!

     Dear Holy Spirit,  

     May you fill us each day, every minute and every second that we can see Jesus and experiencing Jesus. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
     

     Reflect on these questions:

     1. How can you be filled with the Holy Spirit at all time so that you can see Jesus and experiencing Jesus ?
     

     

      2.  What is your next step to make that happen?

      Family Corner:

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

     

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