Today's Passage - Psalm 39:8-13

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Psalm 39:8-13   Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this...   Verse 9 says that "I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this." Brothers and sisters, we need to have an obedient heart towards God no matter what the circumstance is, because it is God who's the one that put us in the circumstance. Even though you may not understand the reason, but when you firmly believe and proclaim that "you are the one who has done this," God will let you see the doors He opened for you through your obedience. It's like what Paul said in the Book of Romans that he was willing to go among the Romans to preach the word of the Lord and to meet with them. In the Lord we can have great fellowship and communication. Rome was the cultural, political and economic center of the Roman Empire, and everyone who preached the gospel wanted to witness for the Lord in Rome, and so did Paul. When Paul actually made it to Rome later, the circumstance was not what he had expected, because he went there as a prisoner.   From human perspective, we might think that Paul would be filled with complaints, but Paul didn't complain at all. Instead, he had an obedient heart, and he said that everything he had encountered was from God. When Paul was taken to the prison, because he was going defend himself in front of Caesar, he was under special watch. A soldier was chained with him every day and there's a new soldier on every six-hour shift. When Paul had an obedient heart, he saw that it was a great opportunity to preach the gospel; before, when he preached the gospel, he was either beaten up or no one would listen to him. Now, a person was to sit beside him all the time, won't leave no matter how much he preached, and there's a new one every six hours! There couldn't have been a better opportunity to preach the gospel, hallelujah!   Paul used such opportunity to preach to gospel, and that's why in the Book of Philippians it says that almost the entire emperor's army had learned that Paul was suffering for the cause of Christ. I deeply believe that it's related to how Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, because Paul had already preached the gospel to the upper echelon of the society, hallelujah! Let us once again come before God and acknowledge that everything we have encountered is from Him, for His way is higher than our way, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts!   Pray with Pastor Tong          Lord, I thank you because no matter what we encounter, I see your wonderful will it in. May you open our eyes to show us your will and help us to understand your deeds, so that our heart may rest peacefully in your hands. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!