Today's Passage - Acts 19:35-41

Acts 19:35-41   The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?  Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash...  They can press charges.  If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly.  As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it."  After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.   In this passage, an bizarre riot took place.  We don't usually understand why these riots happen around us, but from the perspective of spirituality there are often reasons why these hardships come upon us.   First, sometimes they're caused by our negligence.  For example, when we have a flat tire on the highway, we might say that it's an attack from the enemy, when the reality is that we've been negligent in taking care of our car; we often fall into hardship because of our negligence.  Before David committed the sin of adultery, the Bible said that when the Israelites were fighting a battle out there, he was sleeping in the palace till late in the day; what a sluggish lifestyle!  After he woke up, he was pacing around on the patio, where he saw Beersheba bathing and was tempted into adultery.  David didn't stay alert, and thus he gave the devil room to tempt him into sin.   Second, sometimes hardships are indeed attacks from the enemy.  The early church, for example, did encounter all kinds of obstacles.  Paul mentioned all the hardships that he encountered, including getting whipped by people, running into accident on the sea, being persecuted all over, worrying about the church every day, etc.  The enemy can use all kinds of things to deter the work of God from expanding.   Third, sometimes hardships are the work of God in order to manifest His glory.  One time Jesus and the disciples were walking on the road, and a man who was born blind came to them.  The disciples immediately asked: Whose sin caused the blindness, his parents' or his?  The answer from Jesus intriguing - It was neither of them.  Lord, however, said the God's glory will be manifested from this man.   When we encounter any hardship for no reason, let us come before God to ask for His will so that we may respond accordingly, and we will then be blessed more abundantly.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we ask that you bless the brothers and sisters; no matter what hardship they are encountering right now, I believe that your hands are behind it, and you will turn it around to become more blessings on them each day.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow the project on Facebook ! Help us to reach our Phase I Target, and witness how God expands His Kingdom on earth!  Click here to donate online.