Today's Passage - Luke 6:20-21

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 6:20-21   Looking at his disciples, he said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.'   The "poor" in this passage doesn't just describe physical poverty, but also spiritual poverty. No matter how rich we are, we often feel that we don't have enough. Unfortunately, many people only see material needs, but not poverty in the spirit; we pursue things of the world, but do not recognize the truth and preciousness of the Lord. We often cannot understand why the author of Psalm said "then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight," or why Paul said "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far," because we are not sure whether heaven will be better than our current living condition. We need to come before God and recognize that we are poor. We often don't see how poor we are. At the time Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem, people there were content until Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and drove out those selling animals. If one wants to come before God, he must empty himself, but the work the emptying oneself can only be accomplished by the Lord. Before Jesus entered the temple, men could not achieve anything through their reforms; but once the Lord came to overturn the tables, He immediately emptied our lives with the impurities that made us blind. We need to invite the Lord to come and empty us. In Matthew chapter 21, we can see that after Jesus emptied the temple, it was immediately filled with praise and healing; the glory of God and His presence filled the temple, and the Kingdom of God manifested there.   God can manifest the authority and glory of Kingdom of God from someone who's been emptied by the Lord. Do we see how poor we are? If a person acknowledges that he is poor, he will weep for himself.   It's not because of his miserable circumstance, but when he truly sees his emptiness and abhor his inner sin, he will remorse and turn back to God. God wants to wipe off our tears and touch us to heal our wound; when we enter the realm of the Lord, our hearts will once again warm up and be on fire, and we will be filled with true joy.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please open our hearts and help us to see that we are weak and poor inside. Let us turn back to you and weep for our own trespassing. May the healing and forgiveness of the Lord come upon us again, and bring true joy to our life. Thank you for allowing us to experience the glorious beauty of the Kingdom of heaven every day. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!