Today's Passage - Luke 8:26-31

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 8:26-31   "When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!'  For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places."   It is interesting to see that while people may not worship Jesus as the Lord when they see Him, when the demon saw Jesus it came to kneel before Him right away.  The demon, of course, didn't bow down to worship Jesus, but rather it wanted Jesus to leave.  In any case, it at least knew who Jesus was.  Here are two important points:   First, people's faith is often belated.  We should have known that Jesus is the Lord and He has authority from God, but we are often like the Samaritan woman who couldn't recognize Jesus.  That's why Jesus told the Samaritan woman that if she knew who He was and the grace that God has given her through Jesus, she would have pleaded Him and He would have given her living water.  If we had known the Lord, we would have experienced more of God's grace and abundance in our life.  We are like the Samaritan woman who's standing by the well, living a life with thirst, and cannot rescue ourselves from the shadow of sin.  Lord is our strength and salvation, but people's faith is often delayed, held back by attitude of doubt and the unwillingness to completely surrender before Jesus and acknowledge that He is Lord our Savior.   Next, we seldom realize that even the demon believes in the Lord.  Demon believes in God, but its faith has no use, because its faith in God is just a faith of knowledge.  The demon knows that the authority of God, and recognize that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and it even knows that Jesus came to earth to bring eternal judgment to itself.  The faith of knowledge, however, is not sufficient.  Many Christians have no strength in life because they only believe in God, but not depend on Him.  They might be knowledgeable in the Bible, but they do not truly depend on God in life.  If you just want to live by your strength and wisdom, such faith of knowledge has no effect on you, and you will never experience God's faithfulness and abundance.  If you open yourself before God everyday, and firmly believe and follow God's will in your life, you will truly experience His abundance and providence.                Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you because you are the Lord of universe and everything must bow down before you.  Even the devil will bow down before you because you are the Lord of life!  Please open our eyes so that we may recognize that you are the origin of life's living water, and the savior of our life.  Let us follow your each and every day, and exalt you as our Lord.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!