Monday, November 30, 2015

Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english
Luke 22:47-53
 
...the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, 'Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?'  When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, 'Lord, should we strike with our swords?'  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.  But Jesus answered, 'No more of this!'  And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
 
After Jesus prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane, He got up from prayer, but His disciples got up from a good sleep; they both got up, but the results were drastically different.  Jesus got up with peace and assurance in His heart, and even when He was facing Pilate, trial by the government and whipping, He was still filled with strength and wisdom.  That's why even Pilate didn't know what to do with Him, because His words were filled with authority.  The disciples who got up from sleeping, however, immediately went into chaos; someone hurt the ear of the servant of the grand priest, Peter was filled with fear and denied Jesus three times in front of servants and maids, and the rest of them saw danger coming and quickly dispersed.
 
Praying and not praying will produce drastically different results!  After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciple prayed in their house for ten days while waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  After they received Holy Spirit, they were filled with wisdom and authority!  In the four gospels, the disciples were weak, lazy, greedy for money and power, and afraid of hardship and death; in other word, they were just like you and me.  In the book Acts, however, disciples were not afraid of death and beating; when they were locked up in the prison, they still sang, they preached the gospel, healed the sick, cast out demon with great power, so the different between praying and not praying was truly amazing!
 
Actually, it's not difficult to know God's will at all; as long as you pray earnestly, pray eagerly, or even pray and fast, pray overnight, God will never hide His will from you!  What really confuses us is usually not God, but ourselves.  Therefore, James 1:5-7 say that "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord..."  When we face different types of pressure, trial and suffering, do we want to pray watchfully with Jesus and claim victory, or do we want to be like the disciples, who fell asleep and stumbled to failure?
  
Pray with Pastor Tong     
    
Dear Lord, please teach us to pray with you watchfully, and starting today let us bring everything before you in prayer.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!



                                                                                                   
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River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english
Luke 22:45-46
 
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.  'Why are you sleeping?' he asked them.  'Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.'
 
As we face our daily life, we must learn to pray!  Prayer will give you spiritual wisdom and insight, and give you spiritual power to overcome any attack from the devil Satan.  When Jesus was facing the way to the cross, He was filled with pain inside, so He led the disciples to pray together.  He was really hoping that the disciples would pray with Him in one accord!  The more Jesus Christ prayed, the more power He had, and more faithful He became.  At that time, the disciples were filled with fear and sadness, but they all fell asleep.
 
How about your prayer life?  Aren't we often like those disciples?  Our workplace is like a war zone, and we need to take care of house chores and kids after work; when we finally have some quietness, it's time to sleep.  Many people pray before they go to sleep, but won't stay awake long enough to say amen all night; as soon as we open the Bible, we feel sleepy.  Very often our hearts are willing but our flesh is weak.  The Lord told us that we must pray to avoid being deceived; most of the time we become weak and fall because we didn't pray!  Leviticus 33:25 says that "your strength will equal your days."  If our days begin with prayer, then our day will be filled with the presence of God, we will have wisdom at work, we will have more love in front of our family; if our days begin with rushing around halfheartedly, then the whole day will be filled with fear, depression, pressure and anger.
 
"Your strength will equal your days."  May the Spirit of God help us, and let us always start our day with prayer!
     
Pray with Pastor Tong     
    
Lord, I thank you because you have set an example of prayer for us.  May the Lord remind us to learn to retrieve grace, strength and wisdom from you through prayer.  Please let our spirit never sleep again, but to watch and pray with you, and to be led into victory.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!


                                                                                                   
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River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english
Luke 22:39-44
 
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.  On reaching the place, he said to them, 'Pray that you will not fall into temptation.'  He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.'  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 
And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
 
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was in great pain, but was it because he was fear of facing death?  Or was He scared of what He was going to face on the cross?  Actually, the Lord's heart was hurt because He knew that when He was nailed on the cross, He would take on all the sin of the human beings, and also at that instance His beloved Father God would close the eyes on Him.
 
The trinity relationship in the true God is very intimate and unbreakable, but when Jesus, the Lamb of God, was nailed on the cross for the sin of the people, He experienced breaking up of His relationship with God the Father, which never happened before.  Therefore, when He was praying for what will happen, He was really struggling inside.  By His flesh, He didn't want to endure such suffering, and the pain of breaking apart from God; however, according to God's will, He knew that He came to the world precisely for that moment.  Therefore, He prayed to Father God, saying "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
 
Because the Lord's obedience to Father God, He took on the path to the cross.  When He obeyed Father God, the resulting action was love.  When Lord was on the cross, it wasn't a scene of romance and love, but it was simply a heart of obedience to Father God to offer Himself, and because of such obedience, the power of love has been released.  "Love your enemy" doesn't mean having a feeling of God towards the enemy, but it's to have an obedient heart in obeying Father God and to pray blessing for the enemy.  You will soon discover that God's love will be released through you.  Brothers and sisters, are you willing to learn to obey God in such way starting today?
     
Pray with Pastor Tong     
    
Lord, please give us an obedience heart, so that we may bless everyone around us.  Right now we specially want to pray blessings on those who are against us.  May the Lord bring forth your love from the throne, pour down your love from the throne among the people, and pour down your love on all our relationships.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

                                                                                                   
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River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Friday, November 27, 2015

Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english
Luke 22:31-38
 
'Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.'  But he replied, 'Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.'  Jesus answered, 'I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.'
 
Before the Lord died, He prophesied that Peter will deny Him three times, but Peter insisted that "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."  That's Peter - He's always impulsive and used to count on himself; he was the personification of our natural life, which represents the flesh.  When we are serving God, we easily become dependent on our own strength; perhaps you and I are not as impulsive as Peter, but we may still say things like "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will" after carefully analyzing the situation.  Human rationality of part of our flesh, and anyone who tries to accomplish the work of the Lord with our natural life will ultimately fail completely.
 
When I was the chairman at a Bible study group in Philadelphia, I was anxious to serve God and wanted to see the Bible study group grow quickly.  When my coworkers were busy with school work and not interested in serving, I started writing letters to them every week.  I tried to encourage them to love the Lord, and also rebuked them for being unfaithful in ministry.  After a while it didn't seem like anyone had any response, so I wrote even more.  One day I went to coworker's house for dinner, and after dinner he told me that every time he received my letter, he didn't even dare opening it because he knew it would have a heavy message, so he just threw the letters away.  When I first heart it I was really hurt, but then I thought of what the Lord taught me - serving God by our flesh will bring out no result.
 
Brothers and sisters, a successful ministry doesn't depend on your personality or competence, because it only depends on the power of the Holy Spirit!  May the Lord help us to depend on Him wholeheartedly!
     
Pray with Pastor Tong     
    
Lord, I thank you because although we often fall, you are still full of mercy.  Please teach us not to depend on our flesh and abilities any more, but to depend on the Holy Spirit, so that your power can be manifested through us.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!


                                                                                                   
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River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english
Luke 22:24-30
 
Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.  Jesus said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.  But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.  For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.'
 
This must have been the scene of the disciples that hurt Jesus the most.  The Lord was explaining the meaning of the last supper on Passover, which was the most important moment of His time on earth.  He was prepared to take on the path to the cross, but the disciples were arguing who's the greatest of all.  They didn't understand the Lord's heart, because they thought the Kingdom of God is on earth.   They dreamed about how Jesus would become king on earth and thus they will land on a position in the government.  In fact, even after the resurrection of the Lord, they still had the same idea, and that's why they asked the Lord when He revealed Himself to them: Lord, is this the time you will revive the nation of Israel?  I believe that they finally realized that the Lord taught them after the Lord ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit came upon them.
 
When the Lord was on earth, He used the analogy of a servant to explain His will.  The Lord said that whoever wants to be the greatest must be the servant for all, and whoever wants to be the head must be the servant as well, because the Son of Man did not come to be served, but rather to serve others.  When you are serving, do you understand the Lord's heart?  When we serve others, it's obvious for the benefit of others, but we sometime also value the good names and praises that we receive from others.  If no one noticed what we did, we feel unhappy and hurt.  So who is it that you and I are serving?  Is it God or ourselves?  Many people suffer while they serve in the church because they don't have a servant's heart.
 
Without the attitude of a servant, everything will be difficult to do.  If you are asked to move a chair, you would ask "why should I do it?  Why not ask the other guy?"  Just like Martha, who told Jesus: "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"  If we only see ourselves when we are serving, then our ministry will be bitter.  Only when we willingly serve in the form of a servant, asking for no return, will our ministry bring true blessing to others.  Brothers and sisters, what is your attitude in serving?  May God come and change us!
     
Pray with Pastor Tong     
    
Lord, please give us a servant's heart, let us not seek to benefit ourselves, but to benefit you and the brothers and sisters.  Give us a soft and humble heart to become your vehicle, and let your grace flow out through us.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!


                                                                                                   
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River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054