Today's Passage - Acts 16:34-40

Acts 16:34-40   The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God-he and his whole family. When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men." The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace." But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out." The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed... This scripture passage shows us the example set by the jailer and his family.  After he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, his life began to demonstrate the example of love. He took the apostles and washed their wounds, brought them to his house and set a meal before them.  This family is not only concerned about themselves. They are willing to live out the love of Christ.  In the church, sometimes in our conversations, we tend to "go by the books" and deal with people in a way that can sometimes hurt.  Let's pray for the church to be a place for healing, a place where we can wash each other's wounds, and not a place where wounds are created.   In addition, we need to honor and care for the people in need, so the physical needs can be met.  The Bible tells us it is more blessed to give than to receive. We hear this truth a lot, but it is rarely practiced.  The Chinese families in North America, typically live their lives, if not for themselves, for their children.  In fact, when you think of people who say they live for their children, the truth is that they still live for themselves. They rarely step out of their circle of friends to get to know the community they live in.  We are part of the community, and have the responsibility to improve society. There are many needs in the city - the low-income and the homeless people who need our help.  We need to remember those people, and not just focus on ourselves so we can live a life of giving.    In addition, when we think about the missionaries who have left the comfort of their own home, to preach the gospel in places far away, these missionaries are really in the front-line or battlefield serving the Lord.  The church who is behind the scenes need to understand that it is more blessed to give than to receive, not that we help only when we have excess.  The early church were still giving when they did not have enough, because they believe that God's faithfulness will cause us to never be in lack. Ask God to help us in our everyday life, not only to receive God's grace, but also to care about the poor, to remember the work of missionaries all around the world.  May the love of Christ flow out abundantly from our lives.        Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because you have blessed us so richly that we lack nothing. We ask that you help us to remember the people in our lives who are in need and the missionaries who are far away from home.  You said that it is more blessed to give than to receive, so we pray that your glorious riches will be manifested in our lives. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!       Participate in Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - by Donating a Seat for a future new believer!