How to become a blessed one who has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit?

Rev. Dr. Bob Lo's prayer for Richmond Emmanuel Church after listening to my testimony 

of how Jesus used Jeremiah 18 to give me direction of my life at 

St. Christopher Home in July 1994. Please listen to today's video to know the testimony of my first time experience to hear Jesus voice and direction of my life.

羅祖澄牧師在2025年7月6日聽完我於1974年7月於大埔聖基道兒童院領受主耶穌

用耶利米書18章之指引的見證後為以馬內利堂的祈禱:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzDdIFMd_4c  

  

香港聖公會教區大埔聖基道兒童院小聖堂 (St. Christopher Home Chapel)

   香港聖公會教區大埔聖基道兒童院 (孤兒院)(St. Christopher Home):

  

      History of  St. Christopher Home, Anglican Church of Hong Kong in Chinese 香港聖公會教區大埔聖基道兒童院 (孤兒院)簡介:

       https://echo.hkskh.org/issue.aspx?lang=2&id=20449

 

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

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 114:1-8, Jeremiah 16:16-18:23;  1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Proverbs 25:6-7

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:  

 “  This is what the Lord says:

     “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,

    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

     That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;

    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

“    But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.

      They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

                                                                Jeremiah 17:5-8

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: How to become a blessed one who has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit?

      Today's Jeremiah 17:5-8 tells us the difference between a blessed one and a cursed one. The blessed one is the person who trusts in the Lord and the cursed one is the one whose heart turns away from God. Furthermore, verse 8 tells us that those blessed will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream so that they won't have worries in a year of drought and will always bear fruit!

     Also, Jeremiah tells us that what does it mean by trusting in the Lord. It is first to admit that we are only a piece of clay and if we allow God as the potter to shape us into His useful vessel, that's how it means we really trust the Lord.

    Let's listen to Jeremiah 18:1-10:

    This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

      

      Jesus reminds me of a scene 52 years ago when I was waiting for the result of whether I could get into the Chinese University of Hong Kong for my B.A. degree. I was in a three days choir members' retreat in St. Christopher Home (an orphanage) in Hong Kong. I was so worried that few weeks and I was waken up by the Lord early in the morning around 6p.m.. I went outside and I saw the chapel. I was so worried of my future and so I went in the chapel to pray. I saw a bright light shining on the large size bible on the altar and I went in to take a look at the Bible. It was turned to Jeremiah 18. I read and I was in tears and in a "holy shock"! What I got from Jesus that time is exactly what I got today but 42 years later: Be teachable, not stubborn! I am just a clay and if I am willing for the Lord to shape me then I will be built and plant as in His plan. Don't stick to my own plan but to be teachable to be transformed into His plan. 

It's been 52 years since I experienced many times of His calling to a place to receive His message. 

It is because of that big Bible opened to Jeremiah in St. Christopher Home that I asked Charmain, our Administrative Assistant to put our red big Bible on the Altar facing the front door each week from Monday to Friday. I sincerely hope one day that will be someone like me 52 years ago who go in our church and read Jeremiah 18 and received a direct message from Jesus Christ our Lord!

    

     Dear Lord Jesus,  

    Help us to admit that we are only a piece of clay and be able to allow you as the potter to shape us into Your useful vessel. 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 114 blog: 

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/06/day-114-2021-i-wish-we-can-tremble-at.html

       

     

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Jeremiah 16:16-18:23 blog and video:

https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningenglish.blogspot.com/2025/10/be-teachable-not-stubborn.html

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 25 blog:  

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/08/day-175-2021-how-to-have-more-gold.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

Archbishop Yong’s MISSION 113 videos, October 16, 2022:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp0-JPx4Vac

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyO6hMcOMOI

    Archbishop Yong's born again testimony:

    1st part: https://youtu.be/eogu1rMpvTQ

   2nd part: https://youtu.be/BhyUU1ov1RM