Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 2:1   "...So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."   The birth of Jesus did not just happen one random night more than two thousand years ago.  Everything about His birth had been prepared in God's eternal plan.  In Genesis chapter three, God prophesied that the descendent of the woman will hurt the head of the enemy; the "descendent" is not just any offspring, but rather it refers specifically to Lord Jesus.  In the Old Testament time, God prophesied the coming of the Savior to the Israelites through many prophets, and God also paved the way for the birth of Jesus throughout history.  In the time of Caesar Augustus, God made the final preparation for the birth of Jesus.  According to God's plan, Jesus was to be born in the town of Bethlehem.  First and foremost, his parents had to return from Nazareth to Bethlehem, because at that time Caesar Augustus ordered everyone to go back to their birthplaces to register.  Why did that have to happen?  Was it as coincidence or God's arrangement?  The Bible says that even "the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases."  Romans 11:33 also says: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"   Do you know that God is still in control of our lives?  God is still moving; He does not rest or sleep.  When God's time is here, He will let all things work together for the good of those who love God.  Although Joseph and Mary did not understand about God's guidance, like why they had to go all the way to Bethlehem?  Why weren't they able to find a place to stay?  We often don't understand God's work and His will, or perhaps you have encountered many setbacks and don't understand why you are facing all kinds of issues.  We nevertheless thank God because we know that He is still in control, and we don't need to worry.  Although there was no room at the inn, God's arm never shortened and He will still move until His will is done.  You can give everything in your life to His hands because He will make all things work for the good of those who love Him.        Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you because when Jesus was born, you were able to make Caesar Augustus issue the order for people to return to their birthplace, and in the same way your hands are still in control today.  Let us give our life to your hands, for we know that you care for us and you want to accomplish great things in our life.  We thank you and we want to once again enjoy peace as we rest in your working hands.  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 Luke 1:67-80   "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 'Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people...'  To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days."   This scripture passage gives us some basic understanding of serving God.  What is the purpose of God's redemption and salvation?  Verse 75 says that we are to come before God all our life with no fear, and to serve Him with holiness and righteousness.  God saved us so that we can serve Him, but what does it mean to serve?  "All our days" means our whole life, and our life should indeed be a ministry.  Not only serving inside the church, but our daily life should be our ministry.  Saint Francis is God's mighty servant back in the Middle Ages.  He was so good at preaching that when he preached, even dogs and cats would stop and listen.  One time he brought his disciples out to preach, and the disciples were eager to learn from him, but he walked around with them and then returned to where they lived.  His disciples asked him that if they were out to preach, why he didn't say a word?  Saint Francis said he was done preaching, because going out and walking around was the best way to preach.   Our life should be a ministry and the best sermon.  Ministry is not just an outward formality, but it's our heart and our entire life.  The important thing is not what we do, but it's the life within us.  Do we have a clean life?  God said we ought to cleanse ourselves and stay away from the dishonorable, so that we will become "an instrument for noble purposes."  The key is not the instrument itself, but rather whether it is clean.  God only uses clean instruments, so even if the instruments are made of gold and silver but they are filthy, God still cannot use them.  We must come before God all our life to serve Him with holiness and righteousness, to serve in our daily life and to serve before God.  Also, in the Old Testament time, coming before God meant being inside the temple.  Therefore, we need to serve in our daily life, and we also need to serve in God's house, the church, in order to completely satisfy God.  Are you God's servant?  May God help us, so that starting today we will make our best effort to serve Him, because such is God's will.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, we thank you because you saved us so that we can serve you.  Lord, please help us so that we may bear good witness to serve you in our daily life, and also bless our tangible ministry at the church.  Make our ministry effective by your authority and power, and greatly fill the brothers and sisters with joy of serving 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 Luke 1:56-66   "Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.  The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.  Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him."   Zechariah experienced disciplining action by God.  When Lord wanted to grant him a child the first time, he didn't believe it, and back in verse 18 he said he and his wife were already too old.  Isn't this our attitude too?  What can we possibly do for God?  Can God still accomplish any great things in us?  Have you heard the term "old Christians?"  The "old" doesn't mean they have believed in the Lord for a long time, in fact some Christians become "old" as soon as they accept the Lord!  "Old Christians" are those who have already lost great expectations for God.  Do you still have great expectations for God?  In the Bible, we saw that God used lots of old people: Moses was called when he was 80, Abraham at 75, and Caleb was called to attack Hebron when he was 85.  In Gospel of Luke chapter 2, God revealed Himself to two old people, Anna and Simeon.  Not only were old people used, God also used children.  In the story of five bread and two fish, a child offered his bread and fish and a miracle took place.  God also used young people like Timothy, middle-age people like Paul, and women such as Deborah and Priscilla.   God likes to use us, but unbelief is the biggest obstacle for the believers.  In Matthew 13:58, Jesus did not perform many miracles in Nazareth because people there did not believe in Him. It's hard for us to see God's work nowadays, not because God doesn't perform miracles any more, but because we don't have enough faith or just have little faith.  May God help us to understand to come before Him everyday in our daily life and to live by faith but not by sight.  What we see can change and they are temporary, and what we can see also make our hearts die.  May God give us a spirit of believing again.  Because of unbelief, Zechariah lost his voice.  God's discipline came upon him and he had to humble himself.  When he went before God and understood God's will, his mouth opened to praise God.  We must often praise God, start our day with praising God and thanking God.  No matter what the circumstance is today, we may proclaim by faith that today is a new day, and we can experience God's new grace and abundance, thus our faith will increase.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, we thank you because you are the true God who has mercy and grace on us.  May you forgive our unbelief, which often blinds us from seeing your work.  May you place faith in our hearts, let us open our mouths to praise you and proclaim your victory, so that we can experience your victory and abundance everyday.  I thank you and I pray for the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 1:39-55   "As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"  And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is his name..."   The story of Christmas is filled with work of the Holy Spirit.  In the first two chapters of Gospel of Luke, the work of Holy Spirit was mentioned seven times, especially when the whole family of Zechariah was filled by the Holy Spirit.  Verse 15 talks about how John was filled by the Holy Spirit in the womb, in verse 41 Elizabeth was filled by the Holy Spirit, and finally Zechariah was filled by the Holy Spirit too.  At first, Zechariah didn't believe the prophecy from the angel, so God made him dumb and unable to speak.  Later on, his wife became pregnant, and even when he witness his child and wife filled by the Holy Spirit, he still couldn't speak and became very anxious.  He didn't believe it before and was not eager for the Holy Spirit, but then he just wanted the Lord to open his mouth and he believed he will be filled by the Holy Spirit as well.  In verse 64, as soon as he could speak, he was filled by the Holy Spirit.  All three of them filled by the Holy Spirit and joy, and in the same way the joy of Christmas should be brought upon by filling of the Holy Spirit.   God's Kingdom is full of joy, not because everything is steady and smooth, but because of God's genuine presence.  Joy cannot be forced; when convenience stores launch a smile campaign, the store clerks' faces only become stiff after smiling for eight hours.  You can pretend to smile, but your heart might still be carrying tons of burden.  Only when the Holy Spirit lands upon you will your bitterness and hatred be broken by Him and your burden and worries removed, allowing you to have real joy.  The Bible says that when the Holy Spirit comes, there will be "the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."   Have you fallen into worries and have no joy in your heart?  You need to welcome the work of the Holy Spirit to bring you true release.  When you come before God, you will find genuine joy and satisfaction.  May the Spirit of the Lord help us to see what we really need inside, and we welcome the Holy Spirit to come and work within us, to bring the genuine presence of God into our daily life!     Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I ask that the Holy Spirit will help each brother and sister, to bring breakthrough to our difficulties in life.  No matter what our circumstance is, we believe in your genuine presence because the Holy Spirit will fill us.  Our hearts will be filled with great joy that words cannot adequately describe.  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 Luke 1:26-38   "But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.'"   God chose to reveal Himself to an ordinary woman, Mary.  Angel told Mary: "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God."  This sounded a response from God to her prayer, so when Mary heard this joyful message, she was unusually calm.  Back in those days, when a woman was pregnant prior to marriage, she'd be lucky not to be stoned to death.  What's the joy in the message?  She should be thinking how unfortunately she was - Why should she be humiliated so that others will be blessed?  It was a tremendous sacrifice, an extraordinary submissiveness and unusual compliance.  In fact, there was a strong wish inside Mary's heart to allow God to use her.  In verse 49, in her response to God, Mary prayed that "for the Mighty One has done great things for me."  In other word, God has listened to her prayer and accomplished great things for her.   God chose Mary because she had a strong desire for God to use her in her lifetime.  She wanted to be a part in God's eternal plan and to be a channel of blessing to others.  In the religious organization structure of her days, there were no opportunities for sisters to serve, thus it was impossible to do much for God.  Mary wanted to be used by God, but there's no channel for her to exercise such ambition.  God, however, opened a way for her so that Messiah the Savior was born to the world through her.  In the midst of constraints imposed by the circumstance, family, and religious traditions, God made a way for Mary and made her a channel of blessings to many, so that even until today we still commemorate her.  Today, God will accomplish great things for you in whatever constraining circumstance you are in.  Hallelujah!        Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you are willing to listen to prayer.  When Mary prayed to you, you listened to her prayer, helped her to break through the circumstance and made her a blessing to many.  I ask that you bless the brothers and sisters, answer the prayers they made before you, and accomplish great things for them.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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