(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)

Worship

By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.

Thanksgiving

Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)

Scripture Reading

Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!

Scripture Reading: Luke Ch. 21 (ESV)

Meditation

Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.

Devotional

Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.)

(vv. 1-4) In the previous chapter, Jesus had just warned his disciples to guard against the scribes, mentioning many of their wicked wrongdoings, one of which was to seize the property of widows. Now, a widow has come to the temple, and put in two small copper coins into the offering box. Jesus began by saying “Truly I tell you”, which indicated that he wanted his disciples to pay attention to what he was about to say. He then said that this widow has put in more than anyone else. Was Jesus mistaken? Impossible! But how could two small copper coins be more than what anyone else put in? The crux of the matter was this: everyone else put in an offering from what they had leftover, but the widow in her poverty, put in everything that she had. Some commentators pointed out the detail of the two small copper coins, and mentioned that the widow could have chosen to keep one while offering the other, this would have been a 50% offering, already a very high percentage. And yet she chose to give all of it, not keeping any for herself, a truly inspiring act!  

Jesus once said, where your treasure is, there your heart is also (Matthew 6:21). Our monetary offering can reflect what is important in our hearts. The widow saw herself as a part of God’s kingdom, and everything she had belonged to God. She knew that God will supply all that she needed. Even though she didn’t have enough, it was clear that God was her portion and strength, a God of abundance and perfection. To this widow, God was worthy of her giving her all! What about you? 

(vv. 5-38) Jesus’ teaching here has also been mentioned in the gospels of Matthew and Mark, known as the Olivet Discourse. We know that this discourse happened after Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem, and so this was only a week away from when Jesus would be crucified. 

Jesus was just recently welcomed into the city by crowds of people lining the streets. Is this the Messiah whom they were anticipating to establish his kingdom? Or was what they were envisioning different from the kingdom Jesus really wanted them to enter (Acts 1:6-8)? The Jews at that time generally had great expectations for the establishment of the Messianic kingdom and the revival of David’s fallen tent. Jesus mentioned to the disciples what difficulties they will encounter in the future, the persecution they will face, and how the disciples should face them. Clearly, there is a big gap between what Jesus was saying and the kingdom and type of king that the disciples had envisioned. But this was actually helping the disciples, so that when Jesus is no longer by their side in the future, when they faced many persecutions and challenges, they would be prepared so that they can shoulder their roles as the people of God’s kingdom! Just like getting a vaccination, when a virus invades the body, there will be no major symptoms because the body already has antibodies! 

For today’s disciples, the Olivet Discourse is a valuable lesson to us. We can think about how the kingdom of Jesus is different from our own aspirations and how we live our lives. 

If we still have misconceptions that affect how we should live our lives, for example: believing in Jesus is the same as getting a ticket to heaven; or, how I live my life is my business, I can do whatever I want…such kinds incorrect thinking need to be corrected! 

Jesus wants us to be prepared for danger even in times of peace. Until Jesus comes again, we need to be vigilant and prepared. Be aware of how you can face many natural disasters or human challenges, and trust in him to safely live each day: 

• Avoid greed and drunkenness: Do not crave the fleeting happiness of this life, caring only about your own selfish desires. 
• Avoid being entangled by the worries of life: Don’t be anxious about the things on earth, but set your minds on things above. 
• Be vigilant and ready: Be near to God, do not stray from him. Guard our hearts carefully so we are not tempted by the world. 
• Be prayerful: In all things trust in God, and surrender all to him in prayer. 

Regarding the coming of the Lord, I would like to remind everyone once more, don’t waste your time trying to guess the date of his coming. Don’t expend any energy doing any research or looking for signs or listening to prophecies. What is more important is for us to abide in the Lord, to spend time nurturing our relationship with our Lord Jesus, so that we have a vibrant, living relationship with him. In this way, we are already savoring the joys of being with the Lord! 

Pray

Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what/where are you going to lead me to today?”)