River of Life Church

Friday, November 6 By Dr David Jeremiah The Greatest Architect... For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:10, NIV Who is the greatest architect of all time? Many experts would point to Antoni Gaudi of Spain, who designed the breathtaking church of the Sagrada Familia and other classic buildings and monuments in Barcelona. Gaudi had a deep reverence for God’s creation, and he carefully studied the beauty and forms he saw in nature and sought to replicate them in his work. He would have said the greatest architect of all time is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. According to Hebrews 11:10, our Almighty God not only created the universe, He is the architect and builder of the eternal city of New Jerusalemour heavenly home. Recommended Reading: Psalm 139: 13 18 According to Hebrews 11:10, our Almighty God not only created the universe, He is the architect and builder of the eternal city of New Jerusalemour heavenly home. It only stands to reason, then, that He can wisely plan our days. God has a blueprint for your life, and when we humbly ask Him to show us what He wants us to do, He guides us. Through Jesus Christ, you have a pre-planned, well-ordered life, full of purpose with divine tasks for each new day. Trust Him with all your heart and acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6). As you obey and serve the Lord, He will make His purpose for you crystal clear. Tony Evans

Thursday, November 5 By Dr David Jeremiah Counting the Cost... When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Mark 8:34 Crucifixion was among the most horrific forms of death known in the ancient world. It was practiced by the Egyptians and others long before the Romans popularized it. So when Jesus spoke of the cross in His teachings on discipleship, the Twelve would have understood the reference. But they wouldn’t have understood the high cost involved until they witnessed Jesus taking up His own cross on Golgotha. Recommended Reading: Luke 14: 28 33 Long after connecting death with discipleship, Jesus made another reference on the night before His death: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends (John 15:13). While many followers of Jesus have suffered death for His sake since, the apostle Paul explained how dying for Jesus applies to all: spiritual death when one dies to self and sin to identify with Christ (Romans 6:1-7). Even if one dies physically for Jesus, dying daily to self and sin is also a high price. Jesus warned against not counting the cost of being His disciple (Luke 14:28-33), a cost that must be reckoned with daily. Salvation without discipleship is cheap grace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Louie Ignacio is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Please PM Pastor Louie or Prayer Coordinator Luningning Diaz for prayer request. We would love to pray for you ... Topic: RIver of Life Church Prayer Meeting Time: November 4, 2020 08:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Every week on Wed, until Dec 30, 2020, 34 occurrence(s) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89619899076 Meeting ID: 896 1989 9076

Wednesday, November 4 By Dr David Jeremiah Risk and Reward ... For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. Mark 8:35 The phrase, No pain, no gain has come to mean that success requires a willingness to reach for a goal. We can either desire safetylive a no-risk, no-faith lifeor we can stretch ourselves beyond our natural abilities and achieve a more fulfilling life. Recommended Reading: John 12: 24 25 That was Jesus’ message for those following Him. The safe life is a life protected from loss and disappointment, a passionless life that is afraid to love and live. But if we embrace the Kingdom of God in the face of a world that wants to reject it, we will discover a life of passion. As Jesus Himself said, I have come that [you] may have life, and that [you] may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Yes, following Jesus involves risk and therefore trust. But without risk, there is no reward. If you are tempted to hold back, to not take the risk with the crowd that is following Jesusdon’t! Step out in faith and love. Only then will you find (save) your life. I would sooner risk the dangers of a tornado of religious excitement than see the air grow stagnant with a deadly formality. Charles H. Spurgeon

Tuesday, November 3 By Dr David Jeremiah Once Was Blind... [The man healed from blindness] answered and said, Whether [Jesus] is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. John 9:25 Sometimes people who have cataract surgery are shocked by how the world now looks to thembrighter colors, crisper details, and sharper contrasts. Because cataracts develop so slowly, the deterioration in eyesight happens slowly. But when their cataracts are removed and new lenses are installed, it’s like being given the gift of sight! Science can work wonders when it comes to restoring sight to human eyes. But there is one kind of sight science cannot restore: spiritual sight. Recommended Reading: Luke 4: 18 19 Spiritual blindness is referred to in general when Paul says we were dead in trespasses (Ephesians 2:4-5). Specifically, God blocked Israel’s spiritual sight as His covenant people due to their sins (Isaiah 6:9-10). But He also promised that the Messiah would come and open their spiritually blind eyes (Isaiah 35:5), something Jesus affirmed when He came (Luke 4:18-19). Spiritual eyes can only be opened by God Himself (Psalm 119:18). If you have received the grace of God in Christ (Ephesians 2:4), your spiritual eyes have been opened. Praise God today that though you were blind, now you see! The sun is no less bright because blind men do not perceive its light. John Calvin

Monday, November 2 By Dr David Jeremiah His Ways, Our Ways ... For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 The pre-eminent lesson to be learned in the Christian life is to walk by faith. For years, we navigate this world on the basis of our five senses. Then we are called to subordinate our sight (our senses) to faith and trust: For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Instead of believing what we see, we are called to trust what we can’t see or sense. We are called to trust God’s ways more than our own ways. Recommended Reading: Acts 16: 6 10 This trust challenge is seen throughout Scripture. When Israel was called from exile in Persia to return to Jerusalem, God told them they would one day summon nations to Him (Isaiah 55:5). How could a poor, captive nation summon other nations to God? Because God’s ways are higher than our ways. Paul discovered this when his evangelistic mission was blocked by God, only to have a new door open insteadbecause God’s ways were higher than his (Acts 16:6 10). Walking by faith means trusting that God’s ways are always at work, even when we can’t see how. Walking by faith is based on God’s character and promises. Walking by faith means being prepared to trust where we are not permitted to see. John Blanchard

Go! Go! Go!and Represent the Kingdom! OCTOBER 31, 2020 [Jesus] sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 9:2... Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20 Most nations send an ambassador to live in the capital of other countries. Ambassadors only have the authority granted to them by their country’s government. But their status is official. When they speak, they speak for their nation. And when they act, they are expected to act as their own government would act. The apostle Paul said that he, and his co-workers, were ambassadors for Christ, as though God were [speaking] through [them] (2 Corinthians 5:20). When Paul spoke, he spoke the Word of God. Christ had commissioned him to go and speakto represent the Kingdom of God to the world (Acts 9:15; 23:11; 26:15-18). Paul wasn’t the first kingdom ambassador to be sent by Jesus. He had sent the twelve disciples (Matthew 10; Mark 6; Luke 9), and then another group of seventy (Luke 10). He sent them to do the same thing He had been doing: preach about the kingdom and heal the sick. Like Paul, we are ambassadors, sent to represent King and kingdom in this world. And He is with us, until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile. Max Lucado

Louie Ignacio is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: River of Life Church Friday Bible Study Time: October 30, 2020 7 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)... Every week on Fridays Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86205299760 Meeting ID: 862 0529 9760

Friday, October 30 By Dr David Jeremiah Be Assured ... These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Hebrews 11:13 Is anything harder in life than keeping promises? Making promises is easy; keeping them is another matter. Sadly, everyone has broken a promiseor at least not kept a promise as well as they would have intended. And our experience of breaking promises makes us wonder about God and His promises: If we don’t always keep ours, does He? Recommended Reading: 2 Peter 1:3-4 The first 12 verses of Hebrews 11 list ordinary people who received promises from God but never experienced their fulfillment before they died: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, and others. But they didn’t doubt God. They were assured by the promises and embraced the promises and died believing the promises as strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We are like them. We have been given great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4), some of which may not be fulfilled in our lifetime. That is why we are called to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Be assured by God’s promises. Embrace God’s promises. Live and, if need be, die, believing God’s promises. God is true, so are His promises. The whole covenant is a bundle of promises. Thomas Brooks

Thursday, October 29 By Dr David Jeremiah Designer and Design ... For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 The intelligent design movement suggests that the existence of an orderly, purposeful creation implies the necessity of an organized, purposeful design, and, therefore, a Designer. Recommended Reading: Acts 26:15-18 Applying that idea to human beings, the presence of humans with the ability to find and fulfill a purpose in their life suggests a Creator who created them with a purpose to fulfill. There are certainly plenty of biblical examples: Abraham was called to create a chosen people; Moses was called to shape that people into a nation; Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nation; David was called to be their king; Jesus was called to redeem Jews and Gentiles alike from sin; Paul was called to deliver Jesus’ Good News to Gentiles and their kingsto cite a few examples. Psalm 139:13-16 pictures God forming humans and ordaining the days of their lives. If you are seeking God’s specific purpose for your life, ask Him to show it to you. And ask in faith, believing He will shine light on your path (Luke 11:9-10). Life can only be enjoyed as one acquires a true perspective of life and death and of the real purpose of life. Spiros Zodhiates

Wednesday, October 28 By Dr David Jeremiah Beyond Our Imagination ... But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 You watched videos; you read tourist guides; you talked with neighbors who had been there before; and you planned an itinerary that included every site of your destination. But when you returned home and your neighbors asked, How was the trip? your answer even surprised you: We had no idea! It was beyond anything we ever expected! Recommended Reading: Isaiah 65:17 If it’s possible to gather unlimited amounts of information about a destination on earth, yet still be surprised when we get there, how much more likely are we to be surprised by what we find in heaven? When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 2:9, he wasn’t specifically referring to heaven; he likely had both temporal and eternal blessings in mind. His point was this: The mind of man is incapable of knowing and discovering all that the mind of God contains. His ways are as far above our ways as the heavens are above the earth (Isaiah 55:8-9). If you ever think you have God figured out, think again. His love and plans for His children, both now and in eternity, are beyond our imagination. God has no problems, only plans. Corrie ten Boom

Tuesday, October 27 By Dr David Jeremiah Rewards... And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Colossians 3:23-24 The dictionary offers two definitions for the word reward. The first is a sum of money given for the detection of a criminal. The other is an award given in return for faithful service. The second definition describes the biblical concept of our heavenly rewards. In a way we don’t fully understand, God will reward His faithful servants for their earthly lives and labor. Some of these rewards are described as crowns. The Bible talks about the Victor’s Crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-27); the Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19); the Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8); the Crown of Life (James 1:12); and the Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4). Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:5-8 Perhaps the greatest possible reward in heaven will simply be the words from Jesus: Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21). Let’s labor for His Name’s sake without becoming weary (Revelation 2:3), and trust God to richly welcome us to heaven when our earthly work is done. Our rewards in heaven are a result of God’s crowning His own gifts. Augustine