Today's Passage - Luke 11:33-36

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 11:33-36   "'No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.  Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.  See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.  Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.'"   Eyes are the lamp in our body.  If our eyes are good, our whole body is full of light.  In the original Greek, the word "good" was a Greek word that described being focused and pure, because eyes can see clearly only when they are focused.  Similarly, when our life is chaotic, we cannot see the way and direction ahead of us clearly, because the eyes of our heart and soul are not focused and we are not seeking God in purity.  Too many things in life attract our attention and there are too many priorities that are occupying the eyesight of our heart and soul, therefore we cannot see the way of God clearly.  Jesus said that no one can serve two master; we either love one or the other.  Jesus clearly looked inside our hearts, because our problem is indeed serving two masters, or even more, masters at the same time, and we often run around in exhaustion in order to fulfill all kinds of needs in our life.   There is a big self in all of us, which includes many little "selves", including work, religion, entertainment, pride, cowardly, brevity, etc.  All these little selves are there to serve our own interest, to struggle without compromising.  The American congressmen, for example, often talk about cutting budget, but there's no way they'll let the budget of their home state be cut.  We discover that we are in constant struggles and protests, because no matter what the decision is, there are always a bunch of little selves that are not satisfied.  Thus, we struggle and become anxious, and have no peace in our heart.  All these are caused by not letting God become our sole focus in life.  When we decide to let God become the focus in our family, work, ministry, and even entertainment, and let Him make the final decisions, our hearts will have peace and we won't be controlled by our little selves.  We must be willing to absolutely submit to the authority of God, for only in God will we receive true rest and joy.      Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, please help us to be delivered from all the noise.  I am willing to let you become the focus of my life, career and ministry, so that I can enjoy true rest in you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!