God allows us to have sufferings so that we can help those in sufferings to have comfort and salvation!

 

 

Please click this link for the video version of today's blog :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQCydlJR5s

Bishop Silas conducting Vancouver Oratorio Society, VOS Chamber and Schola Cantorum singing Parry's I was Glad:

https://youtu.be/Qr4RThsdEjY?si=wh3sT_i3QE8kTgX6

Bishop Silas conducting Schola Cantorum Emmanuel and Vancouver Oratorio Chamber Choir singing Palestrina's O Beata Trinitas:

https://youtu.be/O4wiyr8oa_Y?si=l_cp4aRfVMRzaL6b

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 the Lord

      Please click this link to worship with us - 

      

       Be with You: City Harvest Church, Singapore

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epkh71WTUFs&list=RDEpkh71WTUFs&start_radio=1

      10,000 Reasons

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3K3roEF36k

      

     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 read 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."

Today's Time with Abba: Psalm 93:1-5, Job 20:1-22:30;  2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Proverbs  22:2-4

Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

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

Key passage:  

     

"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you."  Job 22: 21

     

     Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.  If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.  And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

                                                                 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through today's TWA passages we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to Him.

The topic I received today from Jesus is:  God allows us to have sufferings so that we can help those in sufferings to have comfort and salvation!

      Quite a number of people have this kind of wrong motive: If I become a Christian, if I say that prayer of repentance and receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord of life, then prosperity will come to me. 

That was what Job's friend Eliphaz was talking about in today's Job 22:21. 

A traditional view of repentance thinking that it must be Job's sins to cause all his sufferings. And, if he repented and everything should be able to turn round. 

Actually, that was Satan's motive because Satan accused Job of serving God only for what he could get from God (1: 9-11), for his personal gain.

There was no love or compassion on Eliphaz to his friend Job. Eliphaz became an accuser just like what Satan has been doing since the beginning. 

Do you think you would make the same kind of mistake? To become an accuser to your pastor(s), your relatives and your friends thinking that you are helping them to repent and return to God? 

      Are you in that kind of same motive: to have prosperity and personal gain to be a Christian?      

     Today's 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 helps us to get rid of that wrong motive.

      Lots of time Christians do not understand why can't God gives us prosperity in all things but to experience lots of sufferings. Today's 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 gives us a clear answer. 

      When God allows sufferings happening to our lives, it is for us to receive Jesus' comfort and to understand those who are in sufferings so that we can comfort them and lead them to experience Jesus' comfort and salvation.

 

     Dear Lord Jesus,  

     Help us to understand when you allow us to suffer is for us to be able to comfort others and to bring your comfort and salvation to them. 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, to be holy - that is to do what Jesus wants you to do and not to do what Jesus wants you not to do?

    

     Family Corner:

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

       

       Please click this link to Old Testament Psalm 93 blog: 

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/05/day-93-2021-lord-reigns-please-go-to.html

       

     

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Job 20:1-22:30 blog and video:

https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningenglish.blogspot.com/2025/08/wrong-motive-to-be-christian.html

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 22 blog:  

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/08/day-172-2021-childrenyouth-ministry.html

   For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):

    https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningchinese.blogspot.com

     

     

       My first blog "Devotion on Fire"  was written in English only  (July 17, 2009年7月17日至November 22, 2012年11月22日). Each day one chapter of Bible, from New Testament and then Old Testament. Completed in four months and three years:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/blessings-from-rev-dr-john-stott.html

My second blog "Discipler 123"  was written in both Chinese and English (March 6,2011to December 31, 2016 ):

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-1-choose-light-away-from-darkness.html

and "Time with Abba" blog and video (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2024): 

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2017/01/1-2017.html

 

 

Connecting Workshop 2025(Session 2)

Bishop Silas Ng on Three Streams

 https://youtu.be/xiSOSFF9Iw0?si=puDWFD9Cx01ADm-o