Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: February 2021

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 9:10-16

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

Acts 9:10-16

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

God sent Ananias to become the one who provided guidance to Paul. Even though he was not well known, he was a man who kept himself close to God through prayer, and he also waited upon God and was willing to be used by Him. Christians often say "God, please come and help me," but when God actually us, we are quick to respond: "Lord, sorry, I'm pretty busy lately, got some projects at work and lots of friends to hang out with, so how about next time?" I found that Christians often lack the determination to be intimate with God. God is actually very willing to speak to us and guide us, but are you willing to spend time to be intimate with Him?

I feel that life in the Silicon Valley can be characterized in three words: Busy, Rush and Arrogant. Busy - Everyone's busy to the point of having no time for attending service, praying and doing devotions. Rush - We always want to pay the least price to gain the most reward, so our prayers are like fast food and we don't understand the importance of waiting upon God. Arrogant - Our worth is solely valued by money, and even many Christians value material wealth much more than they value presence of the Lord.

So how is our spiritual life? You need to come before God and learn to "Stop, Look and Listen." Stop - Quiet down and spend time to be intimate with God; even fifteen minutes a day with God will change your life. Look - Read God's Word so that you can know Him in a personal way. Listen - Through prayer you can hear God speaking to you. Be sure to give the Holy Spirit a chance to guide you in your life!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you and I ask that you would help us to learn to become Ananias so that we can become blessings for multitude of people. Let us be determined to be intimate with you every day, to listen to your word and to manifest your glory and miracles. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 9:1-9

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

Acts 9:1-9

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone...

Apostle Paul was named Saul before he accepted the Lord, and he was an outstanding young man who quickly entered the inner circle of politics in Jerusalem. Actually, he was a member of the group of seventy that ruled Jewish affairs in the city and followed the law strictly. He couldn't tolerate the fact that Christians openly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah promised by God in the Old Testament and how they went around spreading the witness of how Jesus resurrected from death. When he saw how the church grew everyday and miracles were taking place, he proactively started to persecute Christians. That's why he asked the grand priest for a permit to allow him to arrest the Christians in Damascus.

It took six days to go from Jerusalem to Damascus, so Saul had plenty of opportunities to reflect on how he persecuted the Christians back in Jerusalem. The inexplicable questions that must have occupied his heart were: Why didn't the Christians give up their faith even when faced with persecution? Who was this Jesus? Didn't he die, or did he actual come back to life?

When he was contemplating these questions, a great light flashed on him from the heaven, so he fell on the ground and heard: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" The question asked by this voice seemed ridiculous, so Saul could have asked "who are you, and when did I persecute you?" Saul, however, had an even more important question to ask, because he knew that it was no other than God, ruler of the universe, who was talking to him, and therefore he asked the most important question in his life: "Who are you, Lord?" The Lord said to him: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." At that time, Paul met Jesus and gave the authority to his life to the Lord, and his life was never the same.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you for letting us see the preciousness of your grace through the life of Paul. May the Lord help us to experience how real you are in our daily life. Let us experience your abundance and presence so that we may have a different life, and let us give you all the glory. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Friday, February 26, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 8:35-40

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

Acts 8:35-40

Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Not only was Philip a preacher of the gospel, he also understood the Word of God. When the eunuch asked him questions, Philip immediately boarded his chariot to explain God's Word to him. As one who preaches the gospel, we must first equip ourselves with God's Word instead of always being a confused Christian. People around us are expecting us to share the message of truth with them. Many have told me that there's still a lot about the truth that they don't understand, and therefore they cannot go out to preach the gospel. Perhaps you are not familiar with the truth now, but you can't stay at the same place forever!

If I ask during the service, how many of us believe in the Bible? I believe that many of us will raise our hands because we believe that the Bible is the Word of God. But if I continue to ask how many of us study the Bible daily, how many of us will raise our hands? We must take our faith seriously; if we feel that we don't clearly understand the Word of God, then we should be determined to spend time on the Word of God. The more we learn and practice, we will have a more solid foundation on the Word of God so that we may become a warrior for the truth.

A Chinese proverb says that an army exercises for a thousand days in order to prepare for a battle that takes place any moment, and studying the Bible is the same thing. One day, you might be standing beside a dying patient and he suddenly asks you: "Tell me, can the Jesus whom you believe in save me?" "Tell me, how can I believe in Jesus and accept him as the Lord?" It'd be too late if you try to find a pastor, so are you prepared to explain about salvation to him and lead him to give his life to Jesus Christ? May the Holy Spirit work in our life and remove our disobedience. At the time of Philip, the question from the eunuch was "how can I, unless someone explains it to me?" In the same way, many are crying out in their hearts and asking whether anyone can see their needs and share the gospel with them by the Holy Spirit? You and I must be willing to come before God and tell him: "Lord, I am here, please send me," and offer ourselves to help those who have needs.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you for showing us that Philip was a man who preached the gospel, had fervor for you and understood truth. I ask that you place the same eagerness for truth inside us, so that your Word may become lamp to our feet and light to our path. Let the people around us also receive the benefits of the gospel. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 8:32-34

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

Acts 8:32-34

This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Philip was one who preached and gospel and also saw the needs of others. When the Spirit of God led him into the desert, he saw someone who was obvious like an average Joe. Normally people would just walk, but he was sitting in a chariot. This person was actually the eunuch who was in charge of the treasury in African nation of Ethiopia. He had authority over everyone except the king, and he possessed both power and wealth. If we had encountered him in the desert, we probably thought "how could this kind of person need the gospel? He already has everything!"

Don't we often have the same misconception towards people around us in our lives? When we look around, we see friends who have successful careers and all material possessions, so they probably don't need the gospel. We only see them from the outside, thinking that they probably don't need anything else, but the reality is that material things can never satisfy spiritual needs of the people. The eunuch had money, but he couldn't buy true peace and satisfaction for his life; he had political stature, but he couldn't find his place in life.

Throughout our lifetime, we strive to find the most suitable role for ourselves. Even when we go to Sunday service, we like to find a good spot to sit. How many of us, however, can really find the most suitable role for ourselves? The eunuch had power, but he couldn't control his own sinful nature, because "for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." The eunuch had a religious fervor; although he knew the ceremonies and tradition in the sanctuary, but those things could not help him to find satisfaction. May the Lord help us, let us see the inner needs of the hearts and souls of people. Although the eunuch didn't ask Philip, Philip already knew his needs and real issues inside.

So, how do we really understand the needs of others? The best way is to understand others through listening to them. When we are talking to others, we often don't pay full attention to what each other is saying; we say what we want to and may not even remember what we said, let alone paying close attention to what others are saying. May the Lord help us, think about what people around us really need, and give us a sensitive heart to care for others. Let us bring the needs of others before God and let the love of Jesus satisfy them.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you because you have given us the example of Philip. May the Spirit of the Lord help us to also have a sensitive heart to see the needs of those around us. Help us to bring the love and hope of Christ to them so that their hearts and souls might be satisfied. I thank you and I pray for the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 8:26-31

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

Acts 8:26-31

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road - the desert road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians... The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Not only was Philip one who preached the gospel, he also obeyed the guidance by the Holy Spirit. God's guidance has a special characteristic in that He often guides us step by step. In the beginning, God only asked Philip to go south, and when he saw the eunuch God didn't tell him what to say to the eunuch, but only asked him to approach the chariot.

God always guides us one step at a time, but we often like to ask: God, why don't you just show us the outcome? Actually, if God showed us the complete path before us, perhaps you won't be able to accept it. Think about Joseph in the Old Testament time: if God had shown him the path of his entire life, that he will be sold by his brothers to become slave in Egypt, and then wrongfully accused and imprisoned, forsaken by his friends.... Before he hears his whole life story, he won't ever consider becoming in charge of Egypt, not even the king of Egypt! Thank God because He knows our weakness, so He always guides as step by step, give us fresh strength everyday to face new challenges.

The guidance of God is also the process how He shapes us. When I decided to become a full-time minister, I often asked by God didn't call me to serve Him earlier? Why did I have to take the long detour of completing college, serving in the army, coming to the US to study meteorology, working in the area of meteorology in the Washington DC and finally was called to serve? God really had His will; if I didn't have my life experience, it would be hard for me to understand the pressure and difficulties that brothers and sisters face while living in the U.S. May God help us to put our lives to His hands, following the good example that Philip showed us in this passage. He simply obeyed the Lord when he was told to go to Gaza or to get closer to the chariot. Let us welcome the Holy Spirit and obey His guidance in our daily life!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you because you are willing to guide us in our daily lives. May the Lord give us sufficient courage, so that we may learn to obey your guidance in our lives each and every day. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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