Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Philippians 1:25-27   Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith...  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, together as one for the faith of the gospel   When Paul discipled the fellow believers, his two goals were to "continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith."  First, he wanted brothers and sisters to make progress in faith.  Paul said that they ought to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ."  Progress is not necessarily a result of how many sermons were heard or how much knowledge was learned.  When I was studying in the seminary, there were two Chinese classmates who always got A on exams and reports.  They had, however, personality conflicts and were fighting all the time.  Even though they were familiar with the Bible, their knowledge did not make them grow.  Paul told us here that growth means living out the truth of Christ.  Everyone likes to listen to sermon, particularly to listen on someone else's behalf.  After Sunday service, we often hear that "the pastor was talking to you."  No wonder it's hard to us to grow spiritually.  The book of James says that we must live the word, not just listen to the word and fool ourselves.  If you have grown in your spiritual journey for a long time, you must start obeying God starting with the most trivial commandments.  Even it's a small thing like saying sorry someone, you'll find that your life inside will be renewed again!   Second, not only did Paul expect all believers to grow, he also hoped that they will be joyful.  Why is joy so important?  Because it proves that our life is from the Holy Spirit.  A person can live out the teachings of Christ through natural life and disciplined personality; he can serve and make offering faithfully, and even sacrifice himself for others, but he might not have true joy in his heart and faith becomes the law that binds him.  When a person is serving by the power of the Holy Spirit, however, the Lord's life will naturally prompt him in the heart, the Holy Spirit will remind him with soft voice.  Spiritual life of the person will naturally flow out and bring forth joy of freedom.  I often use joy as the indicator of a Christian's spiritual life.  In the letter to the Philippians, Paul repeated described the condition that Christians ought to be in as joyful or happy.  So, all truly mature Christians should be filled with joy - Not just in theory, but also in daily life.  Do you have joy in your life?  If not, you must welcome the Holy Spirit to come and work inside you, to remove any darkness and bondage inside you, and bring forth joy of freedom!    Pray with Pastor Tong          Lord, I thank you because your word carries power as soon as it's spoken.  May the Lord help me to obey your word by the Holy Spirit.  Not only do we listen to the word, or just listen for other people, but actually become a Christian that lives the word.  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 Philippians 1:21-24   For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ...I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.   Paul described his dilemma in this scripture passage.  On the one hand he'd rather leave this world to be with the Lord, but on the other hand he felt that his mission on earth hasn't been accomplished yet.  "Depart and be with Christ" is his real wish, as he even described it as "better by far."  When we read this, we might feel that it's difficult to comprehend, especially for the Christians that are living in North America.  We might spontaneously question whether the heaven is really better than the U.S.  When our family or friends are gone to be with the Lord, we always ask why the Lord took them.  We only ask why when we think one is going to an inferior place; when we ask the Lord why, we mistakenly think that the earth is better than the heaven, but Paul clearly saw that the Lord's presence is far better than the treasure of the world, even better than fame and love.   The mission of Paul is summarized in his statement that "it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."  Even though he longed to be with the Lord who loved him, but he also understood the mission that the Lord had entrusted him with.  To Paul, it was his mission to evangelism; he lived not only for the Lord, but also for the brother and sisters.  He knew that he needed to spend more time to train, disciple and strengthen them.  Do you know the mission that God has entrusted you with?  It might not be evangelism, but god has already placed many brothers and sisters around you that need to be care for, so don't you think you need to live for them?  May God give you the heart of Paul which longed for Him, and also put the mission to keep going for brothers and sisters in our heart, so that we won't ever be discouraged, but will run toward our goal for the Lord!   Pray with Pastor Tong          Lord, we thank you because you have chosen us to follow you.  May you draw me to you so that I may follow you closely.  Lord, please give me a sense of mission to keep running for the kingdom of god, so that I will not be tired on my spiritual journey, but my strength will be renewed.  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 Philippians 1:19-20   ...for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.   The reason for Paul to experience God's victory in his life is that he has determined to live for the Lord, as he said "Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."  What a heroic aspiration!  There is only one thing in his life, and that is to live out the form of the Lord.  He has no fear whether it's by life or by death, as he's determine to not let anything hinder him from achieving this goal.  When the circumstance is smooth, he will live like Christ; when the circumstance is rough, he will suffer like Christ.  Isn't that the kind of testimony that God wants us to live out?   When you are happy, have you considered that you should be a happy Christian?  Many people leave Jesus at home when they go on vacation; they would have fun in whichever way they want and they forget that they are Christians.  Some people would say goodbye and "see you next week" to Jesus as soon as they leave church.  Also, when you are suffering, did you consider suffering like Christian?  Many people lose their faith as soon as they encounter hardship; they stop going to church and stop serving God.  Moreover, do you live like a Christian when you are alone?  One time I was waiting alone for a flight in Seoul, Korea, and I thought no one could possibly know me there.  But the Spirit of the Lord reminded me: "Even when you are all alone, are you will to obey faithfully?"  Since then, I often reminded myself to live like Christ even when I am alone.   Are you willing to be determined to live for the Lord?  The brothers must pay special attention because we are often burdened by things of the world and we'd do whatever it takes to make a better living, but are we willing to have great aspiration for the kingdom of God like Paul did, that "now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death?"   Pray with Pastor Tong          Lord, please forgive me, for I often neglect your calling for my life, which is not only for my life to be delivered but also for me to live for you.  May the Lord constantly remind me and give me a willing heart to live for 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 Philippians 1:15-18   It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.  Yes, and I will continue to rejoice...   Paul was suffering from physical bondage when he wrote the letter to the Philippians.  He was also facing pressure in his mind, which was criticism from others.  It's hard for us to imagine that disciples like Paul would be criticized.  In fact, Paul was faced with much misunderstanding and attack.  It's hard to accept criticism; when people are right in criticize, our ego doesn't want to acknowledge it; when people are wrong, we are offended and won't ever forget.  We are often hurt by criticisms that are unfair; the more we think about it the more we pity ourselves, and we might also become disillusioned, thinking that we might as well give up.   Paul did rush to his own defense, and he also wasn't disillusioned and withdrawn because of the criticism by others, because he valued the Lord's will more than he valued his own ego, "but what does it matter? The important thing is that...  Christ is preached."  The secret of Paul to overcome criticism is to value Christ more than he values himself.  It's like a person who enters a running race, his eyes would always focus on the finish line.  When the spectators clap and cheer for him, he won't stop and shake every hand to thank them; when the spectators boo and toss eggs at him, he won't stop and yell madly at them or start fighting them.  The runner knows where the finish line is and what his prize will be.   What is our goal in life and the reward for us?  Once I know the importance of this question, I totally saw the light!  I am no longer bound by situation of being criticized and I no longer hold any grudge against others.  I learned from the example of Paul - "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead."  Are you still in a situation of being criticized?  Did the wounds in your past still leaving shadow in your heart?  Let me tell you in the name of the Lord: "Lay them down and let them go!  Let the Spirit of the Lord release you and uphold you; focus again on the will of the Lord and follow Him closely!"   Pray with Pastor Tong          Lord Jesus, I ask that you help me, I had many wounds and shadows from the past, and because of them I am not free.  I am willing to lay them down and I don't want to stay where I am.  May the Lord help me to continue to run forward towards to finish line.  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 Philippians 1:12-14   Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.    When Paul spoke this word, he was locked in a prison in Rome. From human perspective, things weren't going to well. He had plenty of reasons to complain, because it seemed like he was born in the time. If Paul was born in modern time, maybe he could have become more revered than Billy Graham! Paul, however, did not complain at all. Instead, he said that "what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel." Even though things were not going well for him, he could see God's help in every circumstance.   At that time, because Paul was going to be tried in the court of the Roman Emperor, he was carefully guarded by the royal guards. A guard was assigned to him all the time with a rotation every six hours. Paul immediately saw that it was a great opportunity to share the gospel; before, when he was preaching the gospel, people either didn't care to listen or they wanted to beat him up.  Now there was actually someone there to listen to him no matter how much he preached, and there's a new person every six hours! Paul knew that it was an opportunity given to him by God, so he actively worked with God and very soon the entire team of royal guards had heard the gospel.   God's guidance is really beyond what we could imagine!  If Paul was a preacher who's free, he could probably only be in contact with the Jews in Rome or ordinary people.  As a prisoner, however, he was able testify in the palace of Rome.  Not only that, Paul was able to make an appeal in front of Caesar as a prisoner, which gave him in incredible and unimaginable opportunity to share the gospel.  The God we believe in is one who turn resistance to assistance; no matter what happens, God can turn everything into positive momentum in life.  Therefore, let's look upon Him by faith, and hold on to all the opportunities that He has prepared for you in life!    Pray with Pastor Tong          Dear Lord, I thank you because you know everything that happens around me.  You are my savior and the Lord of my life!  Help me not to complain any more, but to see all the opportunities that you have prepared for me 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 Philippians 1:9-11   And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.    In this passage, Paul prayed for all the saints.  Not only did he prayed to God to give them more love, but also asked that God gives them more insight in their love.  What is love with insight?  First of all, love with insight is one that distinguishes right from wrong.  Love is not blind and love can distinguish goodness from darkness.  Ability to distinguish right from wrong is a demonstration of maturity, like the growth of a child.  A baby boy cannot distinguish between different cars, for every car looks the same for him; when he turns to a youth, he can tell what the make and type of a car is with one look.  In the same way, mature love is a love that can distinguish right from wrong.   Second, love with insight will help us to become a pure and blameless person.  It's not enough to just be able to distinguish right from wrong; if a person can only tell right from wrong, it's easy for the person to become one who judges others, yet neglect to examine whether the testimony of Christ has been manifested from his life.  Have you tried to live a life that is pure and blameless?  It is a humbling experience, because it's impossible to live such a life with our own might!  As soon as we humble ourselves and ask for God's help, however, God's spirit will start to move freely in our life.  It's like what Ephesians 3:20 says: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."   Lastly, love with insight can help us to bear the fruit of righteousness.  What is the fruit of righteousness?  Besides the testimony of life, the Bible says that we need to bear three types of fruit in the Lord.  First, the fruit of the gospel, which is to lead people to the Lord.  Second, the fruit of lips, which is a lifestyle of praise.  Is your mouth always filled with God's word?  You must submit your mouth before God, and then your heart can praise God.  Finally, the fruit of giving, which is the testimony of taking care of one another.  Do you see the needs of other brothers and sisters, and are you proactively filling those needs?  May the proactive love of God be filled among us!    Pray with Pastor Tong          Lord, we thank you, for we love because you first loved us.  May the Lord help me, let my mouth be filled with words of praise, and let me fulfill the needs of others.  Let me be a vessel of your love and let your love flow through me.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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