My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you!

  



 

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CShfGjdg6LE

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


      10,000 Reasons

      
     Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

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 97:1-6, Job 40:1-42:17;  2 Corinthians 5:11-22; Proverbs 22:14

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:  

    Then Job replied to the Lord:

“I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.

“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.’
My ears had heard of you
    but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
    and repent in dust and ashes.”

After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 


                                                        Job 42:1-10


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: My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you!

      Do not be afraid of suffering! 
      Because when God allows suffering to happen to you it is always an opportunity for you to have a better relationship with Him!

    How did Job having a better relationship with God through his sufferings?

    From "my ears had heard of you" to "now my eyes have seen you"!

     The Hebrew word of the word "heard" is "shama" and it means "hear". "Shama" is the most important word in the law of Moses and is the first word of the morning and evening prayer of all Israelites since Moses time until now. You can find the Shama in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and the content of the whole hearing in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41.

      "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

    Jesus used "the Shama" in His Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22:37-40.


    Actually, Israelites still pray like that! They put "the Shama" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) in a black box and tie on their forehead and to tie that on their left arm. As you can see from the photos I took in February 2013 by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. 

    



    My catch today is that Job changed to be a man from listening and obeying God's command through the Law to a man who saw God face to face! Real Experiencing God!

    And because of this life renewal through deep sufferings, Job's three friends could also be able to have that experience too!

    And we can see Job had a character change because he could forgive how his friends attacked him and hurt him! Job prayed for his friends!

    Then, God blessed Job and double all he had lost, including his children. He had seven children who died and in heaven and he had another seven children! 

    I sincerely hope and pray for you to have a daily intimate relationship with Jesus and love to chat with Jesus everyday!

   
     Dear Lord Jesus,  
     Help us to be able to see you face to face each day that we will be richly blessed. 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 97 blog: 
       
     
       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Job 40:1-42:17 blog and video:

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


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

       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

     

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