Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: November 2021

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Today's Passage - Matthew 6:25-29

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

Matthew 6:25-29

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Aren't people always worrying about life? We used to have a few pet rabbits, both males and females. One day, a female rabbit went into labor, and I was more nervous than the rabbit and was filled with anxiety. Around that time I was supposed to go away for a conference for three days; I was so afraid that the mother rabbit wouldn't I know how to feed the baby that I was thinking about bringing the baby rabbit with me. Right before mother rabbit gave birth to her baby, she started plugging out her hair and made a nest; after the baby was born, she plugged out more of her hair to make a blanket for the baby, and it looked really comfortable. I truly witnessed the wonder of God's creation! If even a rabbit knows how to take care of its child, wouldn't our Heavenly Father know how to take care of us?

When we cry out and pray to our Heavenly Father, we must believe that he will provide for us and protect us. We also need to acknowledge our position as children of God. As His children, we must know that we need receive our Father's guidance and discipline. As all parents would understand, obedience is one of the most essential obligations of children. When you teach your children, sometimes it's hard to explain everything to them. All you can do is to ask them to obey you, because it's good for them. In the same way, when our Heaven Father is guiding us with his perfect will, He doesn't need to explain everything to us, and He doesn't need to answer all our questions. All He asks is that we obey Him and believe that he will provide for us. May God's Spirit help us believe that we have a loving Heavenly Father in our daily life. He knows all our needs and He will provide for us according to His wonderful will. Are you willing to submit to Him today so that you may enjoy peace and joy that comes with your submission?

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, please bless all the brothers and sisters, especially those who are bound by worries in their heart and mind. In the victorious name of Jesus I rebuke the spirit of worries; let us submit our lives to out almighty Heavenly Father, and we will receive peace and joy as long as we trust in Him. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Monday, November 29, 2021

Today's Passage - Matthew 6:24

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

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Lord clearly told us here that we cannot serve God and serve money at the same time; in other word, we cannot have our feet on two boats. Many people have their feet on two boats; it's fine with both boats are going towards the same direction; if the directions are different, we will end up falling into water. In today's society, money is highly revered, so such concept is impacting the daily life of believers today.

In theory, we all agree with what the Lord said, and in our heart we are willing to look upon God and just serve Him. In real life, however, we inevitably walk onto the path of money. The easiest way to test is when you are shopping for something: What is the first thing that you consider? Whether you can afford it, or whether God wants you to buy this thing? We're not talking about daily necessities like food here, but rather buying something that you want. When you are buying a house, do you first consider how much money you have, or whether God wants you to move to this new house? This test can help us to examine the motive in our soul. When we are buying something, if all we think about is whether we can afford it or whether we can borrow enough money, then we are really serving the bank and not serving true God, and that is a major challenge in our life.

In the past, missionaries leave their home countries because they responded to God's calling, not for any financial gain. The famous missionary to Hong Kong, Jackie Pullinger, was called to leave Great Britain when she was 19. She didn't know where to go, so she just bought a ticket to board a ship. Once she arrived Hong Kong, God told her to get off, so she did. The immigration officer asked: "What will you do here?" "I don't know." "Where will you live?" "I don't know." "Why did you come then?" "Because God wants me to come." The immigration officer let her into Hong Kong, and God led her to a slum to help those in dire need. If she was thinking about money, then she'd never take on the path of missions. What are we serving in our life today? What are the conditions that would drive us to serve, money, circumstance or God's calling? May God often remind us to serve Him wholeheartedly!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, may your spirit help us! If we are walking down the path of money in our life, please forgive us. We once again come before you and we want to learn to serve you and not serve money. Let us not just look at the environment, but rather to solely focus on you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Today's Passage - Matthew 6:22-23

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

Matthew 6:22-23

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

The Lord said that "If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light." In the original text, "full of light" means fully devoted to something. If the eye of our soul is fully devoted, then we'll understand the new lifestyle that our new life should bring forth. Caleb in the Bible is the best example; after he and Joshua returned from surveying the land of Canaan, he greatly encouraged the Isra elites to go and conquer the land given to them by God. When the Israelites didn't listen to them, however, they ended up wandering in the wilderness for forty years. During those forty years, Caleb was fully devoted to following God, and when they entered the land of Canaan, Caleb said that "I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then." Our eyesight must be fully devoted to God in order to enter the abundance that God has promised us.

Inside our soul, besides a major character, there are also many minor characters, such as characters of cowardly, boldness, working, religious, exercise, leisure, etc. Every character is strongly self-centered and tries to defend its own interest without compromising. If our major character decides that we need to take a break every night, then the working character would say, "How can you take a break with so much work yet to finish?" We go through struggles in our heart with every decision that we make, because each decision needs to go through voting by all these small characters, thus we often have conflicting and struggling feelings inside.

We are often exhausted with busy work and never get to rest because we are not fully devoted to God in our heart and mind. We do not place God and His will in the center of our life. As soon as we are willing to let God have decision-making power in everything and we make Him the center of our life, our soul will finally be able to rest and no longer be controlled by all these little characters. When God's will is our ultimate guideline, all these small characters must submit to the authority of the Lord. Therefore, we will have true peace, joy and satisfaction inside us. We will no longer be disturbed and overruled in our hearts, but rather we'll be fully devoted to satisfying the will of God. This will bring tremendous deliverance to our life. Are you willing to try it today?

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, please help us and let our heart and mind be in you all the time. Guard our heart so that we'll be fully and purely devoted to you. Let our life no longer be ruled by circumstances and feelings, but rather helps to solely follow your will. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Today's Passage - Matthew 6:19-21

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

Matthew 6:19-21

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Indeed, where our treasure is, our heart is there. Many people invest their money in real estate or stocks; when they lose values, their hearts sink with them. The Bible clearly teaches that the world and everything of the world will eventually pass away. Circumstances will change and our feelings will changes, so if our treasures are solely invested in the world, sooner or later we will be disappointed.

So, how do we store up treasure in heaven? You must ask yourself, what's up there in the heaven? Besides God, we'll find God's people in heaven. If we want to store up treasure in heaven, we must invest in God's people while we're on earth. If you invest in God's people while you're on earth, you'll find great harvest up in heaven; you will run into people who tell you: "thank you, my brother and sister, because when I was in need your offerings through the mission organizations helped me!"

May God help us to be willing to offer to God's kingdom, including churches and mission organizations, while we are on earth. This is not only for the needs of God's kingdom, but also for the benefit of brothers and sisters. The Bible says that when we make offering by faith, we will experience how God satisfy our needs through His glorious riches. The more we give out on earth, the more God will give us, and more importantly the rewards in heaven will be great as well. When we invest in God's people, God will call us "faithful and good servants" from heaven! May the Lord help us to work with Him by faith. The Lord says that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If our treasure is in the Lord, our heart will be in the Lord. We will no longer be affected by feelings or circumstances, but rather we'll have satisfaction, peace and joy in the Lord.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you because your teaching is so precious. Let us not only invest our treasure on earth, but also in heaven. Show us the needs on your kingdom and your people on earth, and give us a generous heart so that we'd be willing to make offerings. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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

Friday, November 26, 2021

Today's Passage - Matthew 6:16-18

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

Matthew 6:16-18

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

In this passage, the Lord is not saying that we shouldn't fast, but the Pharisees have turned fasting into a formality and law. We also often treat fasting as a formality that lack sincerity in our heart. God is pleased by us fasting with genuineness and purity in our hearts, not just for others to see how spiritual we are. We still need to fast nowadays much like how Jesus fasted before. When He was serving in the world, He often fasted and prayed in the wilderness. The Lord also taught us the same, as He said in Mark 2:20: "But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast." After Jesus left us for the heaven, disciples and church needed to practice in the area of fasting.

Jesus also ministered the same way. One time, when a disciple tried to cast out demon from a boy, the demon wouldn't leave, but as soon as Jesus rebuked the demon, it just fled. Disciples asked Jesus in private: "Why couldn't we drive it out?" Lord responded: "This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting." Apparently fasting is necessary when we minister to others. It was the same for the early church; in Acts 13, the Holy Spirit spoke to the church and sent Paul and Barnabas out to serve, and it happened when the church was fasting and praying. Therefore, we must also learn to practice fast and pray today.

We must also examine why exactly should we fast. When we fast, are we fasting and praying for salvation of some people? Or is it for unity in the church and to see God's will and direction? Or is it for a country when it's in jeopardy? Or is it for mercy of God when a society's crime rate is climbing? Or is it for missions work, particularly among Muslin and Buddhist countries? We are not just facing a physical war, but rather a war in the spiritual realm. Through fasting and praying, we may work with God in the spiritual realm to bind all the work of devil Satan, so that God's kingdom will continue to advance through prayer. Have you tried fasting? Starting with fasting for one meal, let us come before God and work with Him according to the prompting and burden that He has placed in our hearts.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you because you have taught us how to work with you. May the Lord help us not to fast like the Pharisees; let us not just pay attention to what we are showing others, but to fast in spirit and truth, so that we may come before you together to expand your kingdom. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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