<\/p>\n
(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)<\/em><\/p>\n By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!<\/strong>) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and\/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!<\/p>\n Scripture Reading: Mark Ch. 9 (ESV)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (<\/span>vv.\u00a0<\/span>1-13)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>After\u00a0<\/span>Jesus\u00a0<\/span>had said to his disciples,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power<\/span><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/b>, Peter, James, and John had the opportunity to go up the mountain with Jesus. There they witnessed Jesus\u2019 transfiguration, displaying his glory. Such a sight left the disciples baffled and terrified. Meanwhile a familiar voice came out of the cloud,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>This is my beloved Son; listen to him<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u201d Not\u00a0long ago\u00a0Peter confessed the identity of Jesus as the Christ! Now the voice of the\u00a0<\/span>Heavenly\u00a0<\/span>Father once again confirmed\u00a0<\/span>Peter\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>statement<\/span>!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Also appearing with Jesus were Elijah<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>one of the prophets<\/span>)<\/span>\u00a0and Moses<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>a teacher of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>L<\/span>aw<\/span>)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>As described in the Gospel of\u00a0<\/span>Luke<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>the disciples talked about\u00a0<\/span>what Jesus was about to accomplish in Jerusalem<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(Luke 9:30-31). God’s plan of salvation for\u00a0<\/span>the people had been\u00a0<\/span>revealed gradually<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>fulfilled<\/span>\u00a0eventually<\/span>!<\/span>\u00a0To these disciples,\u00a0<\/span>Jesus\u2019 resurrection\u00a0<\/span>made\u00a0<\/span>th<\/span>eir<\/span>\u00a0experience on the mountain even more\u00a0<\/span>unforgettable<\/span>!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Are you like some of Jesus\u2019 disciples that you\u00a0<\/span>still\u00a0<\/span>do\u00a0<\/span>not fully understand\u00a0<\/span>His\u00a0<\/span>resurrection<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>Mark\u00a0<\/span>9:10<\/span>)\u00a0<\/span>It is true that\u00a0<\/span>Jesus\u00a0<\/span>wa<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0declared to be the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>This is the foundation of our faith!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n (vv. 14-29) Jesus showed his glory on the mountain and then manifested his power under the mountain. After that, he encountered a man whose son was possessed by a spirit that made him mute. Jesus\u2019 disciples attempted to help this man, but they had no success in casting out this unclean spirit from his boy. Jesus himself demonstrated and taught the disciples how to drive out this kind of unclean spirit. As shown in this passage, his teaching focused on \u201cfaith\u201d. At first Jesus said,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>O faithless generation…<\/span><\/b>\u201d;<\/span><\/b>\u00a0then he said to the boy\u2019s father,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>If you can\u2019! All things are possible for one who believes.<\/span><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0 As illustrated in Jesus\u2019 response, it\u2019s not a matter of what Jesus can or cannot do (He is God. Nothing is impossible with Him!). It\u2019s a matter of whether or not people believe in Him. The boy\u2019s father quickly learned about this and humbly said,<\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span><\/b>I believe; help my unbelief!<\/span><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0This is the most concise yet powerful prayer indeed!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, the generation we live in, is full of unbelief. We are more or less influenced by the values and trends of the world. As we learned about the process of how Jesus casted out demons,\u00a0<\/span>let\u2019s humble ourselves just like the boy\u2019s father. W<\/span>e can admit our weaknesses and ask Jesus to help us overcome our weaknesses. Let us grow our faith first before we tackle the challenges in front of us!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n (<\/span>vv.\u00a0<\/span>30-50)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Jesus began his journey to Jerusalem, and once again he told his disciples that he was going to be killed there and after three days he would rise.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In the incident where disciples argued with one another about who was the greatest, Jesus taught them to serve each other humbly<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>To set an example, Jesus\u00a0<\/span>took a child before them<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>reminded\u00a0<\/span>them<\/span>\u00a0that if they were willing to receive one such child, they would receive the one who sent him.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Such\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>wisdom in Jesus\u2019 teaching<\/span>!<\/span>\u00a0There is no great<\/span>er<\/span>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>lesser<\/span>\u00a0ministry<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in serving the Lord, nor\u00a0<\/span>does your personal status matter<\/span>. Know that what you are doing is for the Almighty King<\/span>. Take the form of a\u00a0<\/span>servant<\/span>\u00a0in everything you do.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>R<\/span>eceive anyone whom God brings before you<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Once you have th<\/span>e servanthood<\/span>\u00a0established<\/span>\u00a0in your heart<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>you\u00a0<\/span>might be able to avoid\u00a0<\/span>many\u00a0<\/span>unnecessary disputes, frictions and conflicts<\/span>. O<\/span>therwise, you\u00a0<\/span>might\u00a0<\/span>suffer losses for yourself,\u00a0<\/span>impacting\u00a0<\/span>your co-workers and your service<\/span>s<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus said,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.<\/span><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This reminds us of two things. First, when\u00a0<\/span>we\u00a0<\/span>indulge ourselves in<\/span>\u00a0the world<\/span>ly\u00a0<\/span>matters<\/span>, we will\u00a0<\/span>gradually\u00a0<\/span>be assimilated\u00a0<\/span>by th<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0world\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>began deteriorating<\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span>\u00a0like\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>salt<\/span>\u00a0that has<\/span>\u00a0lost its saltiness and its function.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Second<\/span>ly<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>only if we \u201chave salt in ourselves\u201d, we can be at peace with\u00a0<\/span>one another. Verse 49 says\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/b>For everyone will be salted with fire.<\/span><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Only t<\/span>hrough refinement and purification,\u00a0<\/span>one can experience\u00a0<\/span>forgiveness,\u00a0<\/span>forbearance<\/span>, acceptance<\/span>, and\u00a0<\/span>peace\u00a0<\/span>within\u00a0<\/span>one another<\/span>\u00a0in his\/her life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: \u201cDear Lord, what\/where are you going to lead me to today?”)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abiding-in-the-lord","category-pastor-mickey-hsiao"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2228"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2231,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228\/revisions\/2231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Worship<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Thanksgiving<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Scripture Reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Meditation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Devotional<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pray<\/strong><\/h3>\n