Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 2 : 5-7   Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor's crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.     Paul continued to encourage Timothy to become a mature Christian like an athlete competing in the field. Paul was knowledgeable of Roman Greek culture having   competitions with different rules that all had to follow in order to win. This is like ice skating in the Olympic Games when every maneuver appears to be similar to a layman, but for the professionals, they can recognize if it meets the mark.  The skaters cannot make up their own rules but have to be trained according to the rules of the game.  Therefore, self discipline is required for winning the competition.  Likewise, Christians need to lead a life with discipline in their spiritual journey.  The problem of today's church is not because of too much discipline, but the lack of it like a group of amateur athletes, unable to receive the rewards prepared by God.  May the Lord help us grow from infants into spiritual maturity so that we may receive the crowns prepared by God.   Secondly,  a mature Christian is like a diligent  farmer who is quite different from the soldiers in such competitions.  Farmers lack enthusiasm, risk taking and are content in the harvest of their own labors.  It is also true to our spiritual journey since there is no short-cuts as we have to work hard and pay the price.  A Christian who does not stride for spiritual growth, not willing to  read the Bible and pray diligently, or not willing to go church on Sundays,  is like a farmer hoping  for a bountiful harvest without taking care of his field. Martin Luther once said, "My work load is so heavy that I can no longer be sustained without spending three hours a day to be with God." May the Lord open our eyes so that we would work on our spiritual growth without becoming lazy, but  like a diligent farmer,  working hard and willing to pay the price in order to reap  a bountiful  spiritual harvest.                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, help us to lead a life of discipline not only in our daily devotions and also in prayers like a diligent farms willing to pay the price knowing that a bountiful harvest is awaiting for us. With thanks we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

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Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 2:3-4    Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.     Paul describes the mature Christian as a soldier, not a retired solider, but as a soldier in active duty. On the road of following the Lord, you can't say, "I used to serve the Lord with great zeal, but now I can retire and rest." In the Lord's army, there is never a day to retire. No matter how young or how old you are, you need to be in the Lord, and in every second, every minute be a good solider of Christ. Here are the qualities of a good soldier:    First, there is a resolve to accept suffering. When a person enters the army, he is never thinking that he is going there to have fun. To be a soldier is to receive hard rigorous training. That's why when I entered the army boot camp, the moment I stepped in the door I saw a field of yellow sand, without even a single tree in sight. In the first day of class, the class leader laughed at us saying, "You ordinary citizens, afraid of the sun and afraid of hardships, confused about even turning right and left, what kind of war can you fight?" Even though ordinary citizens can be in the army, they lack the qualities of a soldier, that's why they need rigorous training. The goal is to turn an ordinary citizen into a real soldier who can fight in a war. In the same way, God is training and shaping us in the spiritual army. The purpose is to put us in difficult situations so that the spiritual life can become more mature. Thus when faced with trials and sufferings, may the Lord help us not to complain or try to escape. We need to depend on the Lord willingly and gladly to be trained and shaped to become a good soldier of the Lord, and not be a deserting soldier.     Next, the quality of a good solider is to "not get entangled in worldly affairs in order to please the one who called him to be a soldier". The good solider is someone who definitely understands how to obey. In the army, it is "one command, one action". The moment the command comes, everything else needs to be dropped, and everything is focused on carrying out the command. I remember when I was preparing to enter the army, I especially requested to serve as the choir director so that before I go I can lead a grand hymn during the Sunday worship. I didn't expect that the enlistment call came so soon, informing me to report to the camp on that Saturday. At that time, my heart truly was filled with discontent because I was only short by one day. But a command is a command. At that moment, the Lord lets me understand the meaning of this verse in the Bible. To be a good solider of Christ, we need in the same way to put away the sins and burdens that easily entangles us. The goal is to please the Lord. To not let the worldly affairs entangle us is not saying that we need to lay down our responsibilities in the world or in our work, but it is saying that we should not to let the things of the world bind us so we can't serve God. To be a good solider of Christ is that no matter what the circumstances are in life, we resolve to live for the Lord.                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I ask the Holy Spirit to help me in my life and service to be a good soldier of the Lord Jesus. May I suffer with you and not be entangled by worldly affairs, so that your will can be fulfilled in my life. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

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Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 2:1-2    You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.     Paul is exhorting Timothy here, first of all to be strong when facing difficult situations. Actually, 2 Timothy 1:7 already said, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." Paul did not just say to Timothy, "You need to be strong", because based on Timothy's natural personality, he is totally incapable of being strong in himself. Timothy and Paul are totally different. Paul is a staunch type of person: courageous, decisive, and full of energy. Timothy is almost the complete opposite: weak, indecisive, and physically weak. It may not be too difficult for Paul to be strong, but for Timothy to be strong is truly not an easy thing. But Paul says, "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Grace is essentially something you don't have. But because you are in Christ, Jesus has become your everything.     People can very easily complain before the Lord, "Why am I like Timothy but not like Paul? Why do other people naturally have great faith and power and yet I don't have enough of anything?" We even use this as an excuse to say maybe God doesn't want us to serve him. Yet, we did not only see God using Paul, but also in the same way we see God using Timothy. Even though Paul is courageous, but if he thinks he can just depend on his own courage, then he would not be able to do one bit for God. The secret to receiving spiritual power is never from a person's natural personality, but it is by depending on the Lord, to let the strength of Christ become your strength. Then the Lord can let your inner being have the power to face the challenges of everyday life. Recently, I read in a book a very precious sentence, "Christians in Christ are extraordinary people". It did not say Christians are extraordinary people, because by nature we are not. However, Christians in Christ can be totally different. Being in Christ is really the secret to having the power to be strong.     Next, Paul is also exhorting Timothy to entrust to reliable people the things he heard Paul say in the presence of many witnesses. This is not only the responsibility of the pastor, but even more it is the responsibility of every believer. The responsibility to teach the truth is not only on the pastor, but it is on every believer. To teach does not necessarily mean being able to speak well. The eyes of the people in the world see things clearly. They not only want to see what you say, but even more they want to see what you do. We need to faithful in the truth God has entrusted to us. Not only in the church we should be faithful, but even more in our family and at work we should be faithful to what we believe and the truth that we hold on to.                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you because you are the source of my strength. Let me be strong in power.  When I am in Christ I am receiving the power from you. May I be faithful in serving you and be pleasing to you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

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Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 1:15-18    You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.                  Paul mentioned the household of Onesiphorus, they were not ashamed of suffering for the Lord. When Paul was in prison, they did not treat Paul with the kick them when they're down attitude like the others, and they did not neglect him like the silent majority, instead they searched hard for Paul, and ministered him in the prison, such that he was refreshed in his prison life, this type of love is what the church needs today.                  The Lord said to certain people in His second coming, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." On the contrary, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for the Lord. Since God treasures this type of ministry, we should also treasure the same in the church. It's very easy to put icing on the cake in the church, but it's hard to give relief to those who are sorely in need, in fact nothing like the love to give relief for the sorely needed can better people's experience of the love of God.                  On the other hand, Onesiphorus did not minister Paul all by himself, his entire household ministered him altogether, what a wonderful testimony it is. It was probably not by chance that the household came together. Although our families live under the same roof, every one carries one's own agenda. When a person wants to serve the Lord, it is either the wife or the husband not willing to follow or the children having no desire. But Onesiphorus not only serve God by himself, he led the entire household to serve God, and serving the saints, it really is an example for us. Where are your family members when you serve God? It's not to intensify your guilty feelings, instead it is to remind you to pray for your family members, teach them, believing that God can bring the same example of Onesiphorus' ministry to your household.                  Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we ask for your love to stir us not just serving you on our own, instead leading the household to serve you. May the love of God stir up our households that we are willing to sacrifice and have mercy for the people in need and to minister them. We give thanks and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen.

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Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 1:12-14     "That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."                  "Know what you believe" is a very important thing, do you know who you have believed? In the scriptures, the God we believe is the creator, and the Lord who gives us the meaning of life, we belong to Him. The bible describes us just like clay, God is the potter, and the clay has purpose and plan in the hands of the potter. You and I are neither born at the wrong place, the wrong era nor the wrong situation; God wants to fulfill His plan in you and me.                  On the other hand, when you realize that He is the god who creates you, and then you know you belong to Him, you must believe He will take full responsibility of your entire life. Next, the bible also says He is the Lord our Savior that will deliver us from the bondage of our weakness, sorrow and sin. We are often stuck in the bondage of sin, or bad habits and even mental distress. But the Lord can save us because the power of life, healing and cleansing are in Him. As long as we are willing to turn to Him, seek refuge in Him, He will give the power of deliverance to set us free in every situation.                  Third, He is also a king, having the absolute sovereignty to maneuver us. The best definition ever heard about the sovereignty of God is: "He is God, you aren't". The king is entitled to send troops and is also entitled to withdraw them; we are just like God's chessboard pieces, subject to his maneuverings. Only when we rest in His hands at work can we enjoy the real peace and joy in the Lord.                  Fourth, the God we believe is also the God that is with us. It says in 2 Cor. 4:7, thanks to God, although we are just like jars of clay, there is treasure in the jars of clay that the Lord be with us. Because of this treasure, we can live in power. Do you know this God? When you know Him, His nature will bring real hope in our lives.                 Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, thank you, because you are the loving savior, you give us the meaning of life, and the power to live our daily lives, such that we shall not be ashamed dealing with hardship, but rather full of glorious hope. We give thanks and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

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