Today's Passage - Matthew 11:16-19

Matthew 11:16-19   "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'he has a demon,' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."      This is a generation that does not understand the hearts of God: When we proclaim a message of repentance, they do not repent; when we proclaim the salvation of the Lord, they do not accept. This is because sins have numbed people's hearts to a point that they do not see their sins. The greatest weakness that one could have is not seeing one own weakness.             When David committed adultery and murdered Uriah, God sent Prophet Nathan to rebuke him. Nathan told him a story: A rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds, but a poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that had his love and lay in his bosom. A day this rich man was throwing a feast, but he refused to take from his own flock and herd, and instead took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for his guests. David's anger was greatly aroused after hearing this story and told Nathan that this man shall surely die. Nathan replied to David, you are the man.             Many times we do not see our own sins and weaknesses. Sin is never just an outward actions; it is the self-centered attitude. Think about these: why do you always criticize others and argue with them? It is because you feel that you are right and they are wrong. Why do you look down on others? It is because you feel that others are not as good as you. This self-centered attitude often causes our hearts to be blind and overlook the fact that we are the cause of the problems. This is sins that Bible talks about.             Sins cause us to care only about ourselves and not others, which damages relationships; Sins cause us to not managing the natural environment according to God's will, which leads to pollutions; Sins cause us to be apart from God's grace, which cause us to live in anxieties and fears. We cannot enjoy true peace until the issue of sins is dealt with. In order to deal with sins, we need to turn back to God and not relying on our own efforts. As we face this corrupted world, we need wisdom from God to understand that only Jesus is the salvation and the Way. Only when we turn back to God we can be set free from the blindness of hearts. May the Spirit of God help us and enlighten us!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Dear Lord, I thank you, for you are a faithful God. May you open our eyes so that we may see the blindness and darkness in our hearts, and we will then turn to you.  And as we cry out to you, you will cleanse us, enlighten us, and set us free. I thank you and I pray all these in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!        Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!