One thing needful
Sit at the Lord’s feet
Listenning to His word
Near to the Lord, near to God
Choose what is better
One thing needful
Choose what is better,
It will not be taken away from you
One thing needful
Choose what is better,
It will not be taken away from you
Thank the Lord, glory to Him.
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (Luke 13:22-30)
Someone asked the Lord Jesus: “are only a few people going to be saved?” He told the crowd to strive to enter through the narrow door, for many would want to enter but would not be able to. They knew about Jesus, but Jesus said that he didn’t know them; they had no relationship with Him. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets are in God’s kingdom, and many from all the world, from the east, west, south, and north have feast in God’s kingdom, but they could not enter. Jesus said that they were evildoers, lawless people, and lawbreakers.
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4)
This says that sin is breaking the law, sin is not obeying God’s will, and sin is lawlessness.
Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)
This says that love is the fulfillment of the law; evildoers or lawless people are those without love.
Jesus continued, “But some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.” We know that the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes at that time did not believe in Jesus, while tax collectors and sinners repented and turned to him. Therefore, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you.”
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)
Here Jesus says that the proud, those who exalt themselves will be humbled and the humble, those who humble themselves will be exalted. Hope that more people will believe in the Lord, enter through the narrow door, enter the kingdom of God.
May God bless you and your family!
10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” 17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. (Luke 13:10-17)
Here we see Jesus teaching in one synagogue on the Sabbath. A woman, possessed by a demon, had been sick for eighteen years, her back bent and she was unable to straighten up. This shows that some illnesses are caused by demonic possession. Jesus laid his hands on her and healed her. The synagogue leader was unhappy because Jesus healed her on the Sabbath. According to the Old Testament law, work is forbidden on the Sabbath. Jewish tradition has many rules and restrictions that you cannot do many things on the Sabbath. When Jesus healed the sick on the Sabbath, some people felt that he hadn’t observed the Sabbath. Jesus said, “Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ” This woman had been bound by the devil for eighteen years, and Jesus released her on the Sabbath. God established the Sabbath for people to have rest; the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not meant to impose many restrictions; God established it for man’s benefit, not as a burden. Doing good and healing the sick on the Sabbath is permissible.
May God bless you and your family!
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:22-32)
Last time we talked about a person who accumulated wealth for himself, there is no God in his life, he was not rich towards God. Here the Lord Jesus tells his disciples not to worry about their life—what they will eat; or about their body—what they will wear. In the parallel passage of Matthew, the Lord Jesus says:
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
Here Lord Jesus tells people not to worry about tomorrow, for worry is useless; instead, they should trust in God. God feeds the birds, and He will feed people even more; God adore the wildflowers and He will adorn people even more. Jesus continues: We should seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and He will provide for our needs. God’s kingdom is His kingship; the Bible, words of God are words of righteousness, and words of God are His righteousness. The words of God are the will of God and through His words we understand His will. When we seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, putting God first, and He will provide for our needs. We should not seek first our material needs while neglecting God. The life on earth, the necessities of this life are temporary, but God’s kingdom is eternal. If we put God and His kingdom first, God will surely supply for our needs.
May God bless you and your family.
I am the light of the world
Jesus said, I am
the light of the world.
Jesus said, I am
the light of the world.
Whoever follows me
will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.
but will have the light of life.
light of life.
light of life.
but will have the light of life.
Thank the Lord, glory to Him.
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21)
Someone asked Jesus to instruct his brother to divide his inheritance with him. Jesus told the crowd, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Here Lord Jesus warned against greed. He then told the parable of the rich fool. What was wrong with this rich man? His thoughts revolved entirely around himself: my crops, my barns, I’ll do, my surplus grain, myself. In these few verses, “I” and “my” appear many times, indicating that his world consisted only of himself. He only stored up wealth for himself; there was no God in his life, no relationship with God, and he was not rich toward God. But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ Our lives are not in our hands, but in God’s hands. God can end a person’s life at any time. The Bible says, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7). When a person leaves this world, he can take nothing with him. So how can we be rich toward God? Being rich itoward God is not about possessing more, but about possessing more of God’s life and eternal value. This can be summarized in five aspects:
1. Love God—draw close to God and establish an intimate relationship with Him.
2. Believe in God—rely on God, not on wealth.
3. Obey God—obey God’s word.
4. Love your neighbor—share generously, help those in need, help the poor, and store up treasures in heaven.
5. Serve God—use your time, gifts, and wealth for God’s kingdom.
Such a person, even if lacking in worldly wealth, is rich toward God; conversely, even possessing great wealth but no God in his life, no love, no eternal value, is like this rich fool, “stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
May God bless you and your family!
29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here. (Luke 11:29-32)
Earlier, we saw that Lord Jesus performed many miracles, healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead. The Pharisees and scribes said that he cast out demons by the prince of demons. They saw Jesus performing many miracles but did not believe, asking Him for a sign from heaven. Jesus said, “This is an evil generation. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus performed many miracles; but people still didn’t believe, still asked for a sign from heaven. What was the sign of Jonah that Jesus spoke of? Jonah was a prophet in the Old Testament. At that time, the city of Nineveh was very sinful, and God gave Jonah a message, telling him to warn the people of Nineveh. But Jonah disobeyed God; he hid from God and went to a boat. God caused a great storm on the sea, and the boat almost wrecked. He asked the people to throw him into the sea, and the waves calmed down. God arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. He repented, and Jonah went to Nineveh and proclaimed, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown’ (Jonah 3:4) The people of Nineveh believed in God and declared a fast. They, from the greatest to the least, wore sackcloth and repented. God forgave them and did not destroy the city. Jonah was displeased that God did not destroy the city; he wanted God to destroy it. But God had mercy and did not destroy it. The Lord Jesus said, “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.” The parallel passage in Matthew states: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40) Here, the Lord Jesus prophesied that after his death, he would be in the earth for three days and three nights and then rose again. This is a sign He gave to this generation. In the Old Testament, the Queen of the South wanted to hear Solomon’s wisdom. Solomon received wisdom from God, but the Lord Jesus is the wisdom of God; He is greater than Solomon. Jonah was a prophet in the Old Testament, but the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, He is also greater than Jonah. We should listen to him more. Hope that more people will believe in the Lord, be baptized, be born again, be saved, and receive eternal life.
May God bless you and your family!
14 Jesus cast out a demon that called people to be mute. After the demon left, the mute man began to speak. The crowd was amazed, 15 but some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.” 16 Others tempted Jesus by asking him for a sign from heaven. 17 He knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a ruin; every household divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? For you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. 19 If I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons drive them out? Then they will judge you. 20 If I drive out demons by the power of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 A strong man, fully armed, guards his house, and all his possessions are safe. 22 But a stronger one comes and overcomes him, taking away the armor and weapons he relied on, and dividing his spoils. 23 Those who are not with me are my enemies; those who do not gather with me are scattered.” 24 When an unclean spirit leaves a man, it wanders through dry places seeking rest. Finding none, it says, ‘I will return to the house from which I came.’ 25 When it comes, it finds the house clean and well-maintained. 26 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. The last condition of the man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:14-26)
This passage is about Jesus casting out a demon from a mute man. After the demon left, the mute man began to speak. The man was mute because of the demon. However, some among them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.” The parallel passages mention that the Pharisees and scribes saying this. Beelzebub, the prince of demons, is the devil Satan, a fallen angel. The Pharisees and scribes did not believe Jesus and said that he cast out demons by the devil. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a ruin; if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? If I drive out demons by the power of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” The kingdom of God means kingship of God, a kingdom with God as king. It is not something that will come in the future; it is coming now. The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8) Jesus came to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and make disciples to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus continued, saying that unclean spirit, once they leave a person’s body, returned. A couple from China attended our church many years ago, but later stopped attending because they moved far away. Afterwards, the wife practiced Qigong, a kind of Chinese meditation, later she was possessed by the evil spirit. She asked our preacher to cast out the demon, it was cast out, but it returned. Later, the preacher told her to be baptized and commit her life to the Lord. After her baptism, the Holy Spirit lived in her heart, and evil spirit never came again. Thank the Lord!
May God bless you and your family!
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:5-13)
Jesus tells this parable of asking for bread at midnight after the Lord’s Prayer, continued to teach his disciples about prayer. The story is about a man who had nothing to offer his friend when he visited him at midnight. He went to another friend to borrow bread, but this friend, already in bed with his children, was unwilling to get up and give him the bread. However, the man persisted, and his friend gave him what he needed. Then Jesus said: “Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Here, “asking and receiving” doesn’t mean receiving after asking once, but rather continue asking until one receives, continue seeking until one finds, and continue knocking until the door opens, it means praying earnestly. The thing ask for here is the Holy Spirit. God is very willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him, but as this parable illustrates, one must continue to ask until one receives. The parallel passage in Matthew says that God is willing to give good things to those who ask Him; “good things” here refers to the Holy Spirit. Similarly, when we pray to God for other things, if it is not out of selfish motives, we should also continue to ask until we receive them.
May God bless you and your family!
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
This passage is about the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha welcomed Jesus to her home, and her sister Mary listened to His word at His feet. Martha, busy with her many preparations, worried and lost her peace. She complained and asked Jesus to call Mary to help her. Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are troubled and worried about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part.” Martha was troubled and worried because of her many tasks, while Mary chose the better part—listening to the Lord, being with Him. At that time, “sitting at the teacher’s feet” represented discipleship and learning. Here we see that being with the Lord, drawing near to Him, and drawing near to God should the first; it is the best blessing.
Every morning when we get up, the first thing we should do is reading the Bible and praying, quietly waiting before the Lord, drawing near to Him, and receiving strength, joy, and guidance from Him. After work or study each day, we should also rest in the Lord in the evening, drawing near to Him and praying. During the day, if we have time, we can also pray and draw near to the Lord, read the Bible, spiritual materials, or listen to sermons.
May God bless you and your family!
