Today's Passage - Luke 8:16-21

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 8:16-21   "'No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.  For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.  Therefore consider carefully how you listen.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.'  Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.  Someone told him, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.'  He replied, 'My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.'"   The condition of a person's heart will manifest outward.  Just like in the parable of sowing the seeds, the easiest way to determine the quality of the ground is to look at the harvest.  If the ground yields 30 time, 60 times and 100 times of harvest, the soil must be good; if little buds come out and die soon after, then the soil must be hard or the ground is full of rocks.  The condition of one's heart will manifest in his life.   In our daily life, we demonstrate who we are by our behavior.  "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you - and even more."  You will bear whatever you sow.  If you sow jealousy, you will surely bear jealousy; if you sow righteousness and justice, you will surely bear righteousness and justice; if you sow love, you will surely bear love.   The Lord said that here that "whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."  The key point here is that God's principle is different from the principles of men.  Men's principle is to accumulate as much wealth as possible, and the more we have the more peaceful we think we will be.  This is actually a deception from the enemy.  The reality is that the more wealth one has, the less peace he will have.  Money will never bring us peace, joy and satisfaction.  God's principle is not to do anything for oneself, but to share the blessings.  The more we share, the more God will give to us.  That is why the Lord said, in Acts 20:35, "it is more bless to give than to receive."  This word is not just to comfort or encourage those who give more, but it is also a truth that can be tested.  To those who are stingy to others, God will be stingy to them.  The more one is willing to give to God, the more God will give him.  We ask God to make us willing to give, not only to listen to God's word, but also wiling to follow the Lord's teaching in our daily life.                Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you because you are our true God!  Your promise is always trustworthy and we can count on you to live a victorious life.  May the Lord help us to not only listen to Your word, but also to follow Your word.  We ask for more grace and blessing in our life.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!