Today's Passage - Luke 6:22-26

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 6:22-26   "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven..."   Jesus pointed out here that we are blessed when we are excluded and insulted because of the Lord. Many Christians are suffering not because God wants them to suffer, but because of their ignorance and disobedience. That is suffering for sin, not suffering for righteousness. It is not a blessing to suffer for sin, and we need to weep for our sin and truly repent. When you are comforting someone who's suffering, you must first find out the reason behind their suffering. Jesus said that only those who are persecuted for righteousness or rejected and hated for the Lord are blessed because they are suffering for God. The Lord never promised that the way of the Lord is one that is level and wide; it is actually a narrow way, and on this narrow way we often encounter attacks from the devil, hindrance from the family, rejection by friends and even life-threatening danger. Through the history of evangelism, many missionaries have martyred for the Gospel, and even I have many friends who were cast out from their family because they chose to accept Jesus. If you choose to follow Jesus, you must be ready to suffer for the Lord. Philippians 1:29 clearly states that "for it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him..." You may not been suffering physically, and you may have a rather smooth-sailing life, but you need to be prepared regardless of your current circumstance so that you won't be fearful when difficult circumstance appears, in order for you to be victorious in the Lord.   The early church encountered much suffering, but still had great joy and testified for the Lord courageously. Nowadays, believers stumble even on minor difficulties, and that is because we lack the determination to suffer for the Lord. You might think that if you were in great suffering, it would be good enough if you don't complain too much, but it's a real stretch to imagine being joyful and claiming to be blessed. We can truly have peace, joy and satisfaction in the Lord; when our heart is content, we won't complain, because when we are content nothing else can attract us. Even during suffering, we can be joyful because of the joy that the Lord gives us!   Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you are my satisfaction and hope, and you are all I depend on today. I bring all my needs before you, and you will fill my heart with joy and peace. Even though there might be persecution and attack, in the Lord I will still have true satisfaction. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!