Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: December 2020

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Today's Passage - 2 Corinthians 11:4-6

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

2 Corinthians 11:4-6

For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

The Corinthian church looked down on Paul because they felt that Paul was not one of the Lord's apostles since he did not physically follow Jesus. Hence when Paul writes the Corinthian church, in both his first letter and his second letter, he would emphasize that he is the "apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God". When people were accusing him of looking unimpressive or his speaking amounting to nothing, Paul reminded them, "I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way."

We tend to judge people by appearances. Appearances do not only mean outward appearance, but also someone's gifts, talents and wealth. We often treat others with our personal bias. Just as the book of James say, "Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet." James said, "Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" The truth is we often fall into this trap, focusing on outward appearances. Paul was attacked in a similar manner. The church at that time loved Peter, because Peter was with Jesus. However, they looked down on Paul because Paul could only teach. He did not have as many stories to tell. May the Lord help us not to judge people by appearance. The Jews judged Jesus by appearance and crucified Him on the cross. This is such a scary thing.

How can we not treat people with discrimination? Firstly, do not over-rely on our first impression. When we meet someone, our first impression generally determine how we treat that person going forward. Secondly, we have to pray for that person. Do not gossip about them, but pray for them and ask God to bless them. Thirdly, we need to do what we can to help them. When you help someone, God's spirit will give us a bigger heart to accept people who are different. May the Lord help us not to discriminate against people by their appearance from today onwards.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord I thank you for watching over us. Lord may you help us not to discriminate against people by their appearance, but treat your servants and our brothers and sisters in accordance with your will, so that the love of Christ may flow out from us. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Today's Passage - 2 Corinthians 11:1-3

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

2 Corinthians 11:1-3

I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Paul is a person who knows God's will and understands God's heart. When God sees his children going astray, He gets really anxious, just like our earthly parents would. Although parents may discipline their children, they do so out of love, hoping that their children will turn around. God's heart is the same way. He is full of compassion and mercy, not easily angered. The Bible also tells us that God's anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. We see that God's anger is to punish sin and to save His children.

The Bible says that we are the bride of Christ. Paul is saying this from God, "I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." We are one with Christ. The love between Christ and the church is intimate like the love between husband and wife. Jesus came into the world to die for us, and be resurrected again. The primary reason is not to show that He is victorious, but to win the love of His bride. The Lord really cares about the love we have towards Him. Otherwise, Jesus would not have asked Peter 3 times, "Do you love me more than these?" When the Lord comes again, it will not to be to judge the world, but to receive His bride.

Whenever I think of God's love, I like to use the term, "enduring and persevering" to describe his love. Although we keep rebelling and rejecting, He is patient with us. In the book of Hosea in the Old Testament, it especially describes the love between Christ and His bride. Although the Lord's bride keeps drifting away, He has never forsaken us. Won't such love cause our hearts to melt? Just like those who are in love, when you discover that someone loves you so much for who you are and is willing to die for you, wouldn't your hearts be touched?

The love of Christ is this type of love. Pray that God will help us love Him wholeheartedly because He first loved us. Pray that God will guard our hearts, so that we may have a pure heart that longs for Christ. Pray that God will also keep us alert, that we will not be deceived by the enemy and doubt God's will, just as Eve was deceived by the enemy, causing her and her whole family to stray away from God.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you because no one cares about us as much as you do. No one can accept us and wait on us as patiently as you do. Pray Lord that you will cause our hearts to turn towards you because of your love for us. We want to say to you, "Lord, we love you too!" May the Lord strengthen our hearts. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Today's Passage - 2 Corinthians 10:15-18

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

2 Corinthians 10:15-18

Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Once again, Paul emphasized the importance of territory. The Lord has a different calling for each one of us. We need to be faithful in the territory God has given us. Our work can only be measured in the territory that God has given us. When God called Abraham to leave Ur to go into a specific land, Abraham was not supposed to stop at any place he wished. The land of Canaan is not better than Ur, but it was the place that God has chosen to bless the Israelites. Abraham obeyed and entered the land and God's blessing came on them and his family multiplied. Afterwards, the Israelites refused to enter the land of Canaan, and hence wandered in the desert for 40 years without accomplishments. Today, many people serve without success or growth because they did not see the territory that God measured out for them. In the church the past years, I have seen many teachers trying to be pastors, many pastors trying to be prophets, and none of these were successful. We need to clearly know where our territories are and obey God's leading to enter that territory so that we may see God's blessings.

There was a gang leader in New York who became a Christian in 1985. The Lord saved him from a great crisis and he was released from prison. The Lord called him back into prison ministry full time once he came out from prison. However, he did not want to go back to prison. He wanted to do youth ministry. He wrote hundreds of job application for youth ministry, but had no success. Finally he received a call from a prison warden, inviting him to come speak to the prisoners. When he went, God's Holy Spirit moved mightily and many prisoners came to receive Christ. The news spread and ever prison warden wanted him to go to their prison. Now this man has the greatest prison evangelism ministry.

Brothers and sisters, do you understand the territory God has measured out for you? Paul says he will not boast about work already done in another man's territory. He fully understands where his territory is, and how to do God's work within his territory to expand God's kingdom. May God open our eyes to understand our territory, whether in the family or spiritual life or ministry, so that our service may be approved by the Lord.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, pray that you will open our hearts to understand your will and understand the territory you have given us. I pray especially for those who are discouraged in their ministry. Lord, may you help them understand once again their territory and the scope of their ministry. Lord, may you bless them and cause their ministry to be fruitful. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Monday, December 28, 2020

Today's Passage - 2 Corinthians 10:12-14

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

2 Corinthians 10:12-14

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ.

Paul brought up an intriguing concept here, which is that fact that our ministry a like field with limits, or boundaries, that God assigned to each of us. Such boundary might be geographic, such as our church's boundary is the greater San Jose area which measures about 50 square miles. It's difficult for us to help anyone who lives beyond this boundary. That's why God has established many churches, because each church has its unique field that God has assigned to them.

Sometimes the boundary is drawn around cultural traditions. If you've ever visited an African American church, you'd see that the congregation always echoes with the speaker on the podium with "halleluiah amen!" Some may not feel comfortable in such churches and they rather worship with those who have similar culture. The boundary may also be in theology; in Chinese churches, the three branches of traditional academics, local churches and Charismatics seem to be doing their own things, and formed their own boundaries. These boundaries might not be a bad thing; different people need different things, and these boundaries are formed according to their different needs. Some boundaries are formed around ministries; some churches focus on missions, some on discipleship training, some on exercise of the spiritual gifts, some on ministry of Sunday school, some on spreading the Gospel, and some on social work. These are all good things; God gave us different boundaries so that we may come in contact with various groups of people and satisfy different needs.

Once we understand the concept of boundary for churches, we will cease to attack others in the body of Christ. No church can claim to be perfect, and when we unite with others in Christ we may together manifest the perfection of Christ. On the other hand, this concept will help us not to compare ourselves with others, but to just focus on doing the work that God has entrusted us, which is the ultimate definition of success. We don't need to be either too conceited or have low self-esteem about our ministry, because God has given all of us different boundaries and we simply need to be faithful towards what God has entrusted us. A brother once shared a testimony about how he wanted to serve the Lord after he was released from prison. He had burden for youth ministry, but no youth fellowship ever invited him to speak, but the prison where he was locked up before asked him to go back and minister there. Once he served there, God's spirit moved mightily in the prison, then he realized that the boundary God has set for him is not in youth ministry, but rather in prison ministry.

Brothers and sisters, do you know the boundary for ministry that God has set for you?

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we ask that you open our eyes and help us to understand that you have a set a boundary for our life. Help us to see what our boundary for ministry is, so that we may run with you wholeheartedly for all our life. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Today's Passage - 2 Corinthians 10:6-11

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

2 Corinthians 10:6-11

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he. For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it...

The Corinthian church often had issues of small groups and quarrels between them. In 1 Corinthians chapter one, some said they belonged to Peter, some belonged to Apollo, some belonged to Paul, and others claimed to belong to Christ, posed as more spiritual than anyone else. The result of having small groups and quarrels is that they became suspicious of each of other and attack one another, and there were also people in the church who attacked Paul. Paul, however, cared more about the needs of the Corinthian church, so he continued to pray for them; in the meantime, he also warned those who did not respect the authority of God's servants. He told them that when the time was right he would punish all the disobedient ones. This is an important truth in the Bible - We must respect God's anointed servants. It's not because they are perfect and blameless, but it's because we respect the anointing on them and the authority that God entrusted them. Even if they make mistake, we still cannot look down on them.

When King Saul was chasing after David, several times David was hiding in caves when Saul was tired and when into those caves to sleep. Servants of David told him that it would be the best opportunity to kill Saul, but David said that "The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord." David understood the importance of spiritual authority. Even though Saul wanted to kill him, he still respected Saul and didn't dare to hurt him. Back in the Old Testament time, when Moses married a Cushite woman, Miriam and Aaron were disgruntled, and they talked against Moses, saying that "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? ...Hasn't he also spoken through us?" God became angry at them, and said "Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" Miriam later had leprosy.

These historic event taught us that we must respect servants who are anointed by God. It doesn't mean that God doesn't discipline His servants, but God will use His own way to punish them. We cannot punish God's servants in His place. Corinthian church was not a mature church, so they not only didn't support Paul, they even criticized him, and that's why they were not blessed by God. Brothers and sisters, do you understand the important of God's anointing on His servants? Do you respect the shepherds whom God ordained for you and are you constantly praying for them?

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you because you have prepared many shepherds for us on the earth. We ask that you help us to become prayer warriors for these leaders. Help us to respect them more and complain less, so that the anointing you've given them can flow freely. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website