Jesus Satisfies the Hungry Souls

Mr Hungry Story

There is this interesting story. Someone by the name Mr Hungry. He got hungry very fast.

One day Mr Hungry was eating noodles in the restaurant. After finishing one bowl of noodles, he was still hungry, so he took the second bowl, then the third, fourth, the sixth…but after the nineth bowl, he was still hungry.

So he started the tenth bowl. Before he finished eating the tenth bowl, he suddenly felt his stomach overflowing. He couldn’t eat anymore, so he stopped and murmured, “By right I should have ordered this tenth bowl of noodles first. That would be enough to get full, then I don’t need to waste money buying the first ninth bowl of noodles.”

Mr Hungry is very silly to reason this way. But this story tells us some truths. First, no matter how many things we possessed, we would get hungry again very fast. Nothing seems to satisfy us permanently. Second, if there really were something, like the tenth bowl that could satisfy us permanently, we should go for it!

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

Jesus lived two thousand years ago in today’s Israel. One day, Jesus met a woman in Samaria. She came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Will you give me some water to drink?”

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for water?”

Jesus answered her, “If you knew me, you would have asked me to give you the living water. Everyone who drinks this water from the well will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. The water that I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

This Samaritan woman said, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Unexpectedly, Jesus said, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”

Jesus mentioned about the woman’s husband in order to let her know that all this while, she had been looking for satisfaction and happiness from a man, and this was wrong. This had caused her to suffer abandonment from men and even lived in sin.

The woman said, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet …. I know that Christ is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Jesus told the woman confidently, “I, the one speaking to you, I am the Christ that you speak of.”

The woman immediately took a fresh step of faith, dropped her water jar and ran back into town. In the past, she hid from everyone else, but now she became a witness for Jesus, telling the people in town about Jesus working in her life.

Her life was turned around after her meeting with Jesus!

Only Jesus Can Satisfy

Today, like the Samaritan woman, people use many “good external things” to satisfy the inner emptiness and desires of their hearts. These external things could be love, career success, power, fame, status, wealth and so on.

People think, “As long as I work hard, one day I will achieve all these “good things”, then I will be happy and satisfied.”

By this, people have made all these things their “idols” in life—the uttermost important things in life.

As a result, when we face obstacles in our pursuit of these things, we will be frustrated or even angry. If we fail, we would be depressed, maybe not even able to forgive ourselves. If we succeed, we would find that the happiness and satisfaction that success bring are but temporary. We are not really happy and satisfied, and maybe we would feel even more empty.

“Idols” cannot give us true and permanent satisfaction. It is because “idols” are not real nor living gods. Idols do not die for sinners; idols do not redeem mankind. But Jesus is the true and living God. He died on the cross for our sins. His death redeemed mankind. Only he is able to save.

Idols disappoint; Jesus satisfies the hunger of our lives. If we have Jesus, we will also have satisfaction and happiness. If we fail and sin against God some way or other, God will still forgive our sins.

Once we accept Jesus as saviour, he will give us the living water which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will then work in our lives, transforming and renewing us in order that we may obtain satisfaction and happiness in our lives. This is the everlasting life that Jesus promised us.

Personal Testimony

I wish to recount my life experiences to testify that Jesus’ grace is sufficient for us to live a satisfied and meaningful life.

My childhood was spent in a Chinese squatter, where the condition was worse than a Chinese village. We were poor with many siblings. We could not afford kindergarten, and many kids dropped out from school somewhere at the lower secondary level.

So I was a loser from the starting point. But God had a plan to save me before I even knew him.

Someone brought me to church when I was in Standard Six. In church I was exposed to many good youth activities. There I learnt to speak and write better in Chinese and English. I learnt music. I associated with friends who were serious in study. I managed to finish form five.

I accepted Jesus as my saviour and was baptised at 15 years old. Having Jesus in my life does not mean life will be smooth and steady.

I went to work after form five because I needed money to support myself. I did self-study for STPM while working in a bank. After STPM, I received an offer to enter a local university but I rejected, because I could not afford to study full time. I needed to work for money in order to survive.

Later I moved over to work in the medical sales line. My highest positions were bank officer and sales manager, but I felt strongly that God had more things for me. As Christians we also do not know for sure what will happen tomorrow. But we trust God will take care of us. We always can find rest and security in God.

When I was 32 years old, I applied for university. I was ready to leave my career for further study. I was using my very old STPM results of 15 years ago to apply.

This time, to my surprise, I received an offer from NUS, not from our local university. But how to finance the study? If no finance, I can’t go. So I prayed to God, “If you want me to go then you prepare the money for me.”

Then I was told NUS arranged for all students’ study loan and living allowance. So, my money matter was solved.  I studied economics and philosophy for 3 years, then I continued for another 2 years to do master degree on a part time basis.

So today, I am standing here, by God’s grace, able to speak English and Chinese, blessed with a family of two sons. I got to know that many of my childhood friends, became drug addicts and pimps when they were young.

Dear friends, my life is not really very spectacular but rather an ordinary one like most of you. I have gone through good times and bad times, encountered many challenges, but I have Jesus, so I need not worry.

Jesus is a “rich father’ in heaven with abundant grace. With Jesus as my saviour, I can trust him to take care of my needs and give me the direction in life. Jesus works in my life, and he also can work the same way in your life.

Then when I was 45 years old, I again felt the urge from God to leave my job. I realized that the church had helped me so much, and so it was time for me to make my contribution to the church.

So I resigned from work and entered seminary to study full time for 3 years. After that I took up the position of a pastor. Again, I did not know what would happen when I left my comfort zone to take up the new challenge, but I surrendered my life to God.

Whatever may have happened, lose or gain, I will still be glad for I have Jesus. I know he will take care of me. With him in my life, and me doing the things he wants me to do, I find great satisfaction from inside me, and I find my purpose in life.

And friends, today Jesus also wants to give you the satisfaction of life no one else could give. He can forgive all your sins and lead you through a life of satisfaction and rest.  All you need to do is just trust in him, and receive him as your saviour and Lord.

Altar Call – A Rich Merchant with Four Wives

There was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most, adorning her with rich robes and treating her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

The merchant also loved the third wife very much. He was very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant lived in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He, too, loved his second wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and, in fact, is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's first wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have four wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be.”

Thus, he asked the fourth wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No way!" replied the fourth wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.

The sad merchant then asked the third wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No!" replied the third wife." Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!"

The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the second wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the second wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."

The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go."

The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"

Like the rich merchant, we all have four wives. Here’s what that means.

The fourth wife represents our body. We spend lots of time tending to our body — washing it, dressing it, nourishing it with food. But no matter how well we care for it, our body will eventually fail us and be left behind upon death. God designed our earthly bodies to be temporary.

The third wife is our “stuff” — possessions, wealth, status. Without a true relationship with Christ, many people get caught up chasing material things. Life becomes about impressing other people. Yet, these things can vanish at any moment, and certainly don’t do us any good when our lives come to an end.

The second wife is our earthly relationships — friends, family, spouses. No matter how deep and how strong our relationships grow here on earth, they can only stand by us up to the grave. It’s our relationship with the Almighty that secures any hope after death.

The first wife is our soul. It’s the only thing we can take with us after death. To keep our soul healthy, we must be in a relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Christ. And yet, too often our spiritual life gets neglected as we pursue other things — money, love, careers. Just like the rich merchant in the parable, our priorities get flipped.

Thankfully, it’s never too late to turn to God! Jesus promised to give true happiness and satisfaction that comes from inside us, our soul, if we receive him into our hearts and let Him be the lord of our lives.

Why not now, we make a decision to go for this “tenth bowl” – Jesus, for only he can truly satisfy us.  Let us pray.

The Power of the Gospel in Community ( short version )

Luke 18:15-30

The Infant and the Rich Officer

The previous text, 17:20-21, it is recorded that some Pharisees came and asked Jesus, “When is the kingdom of God coming?”

Jesus answered, “the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Jesus intended to tell them that the kingdom of God had already started and they were already in the “end time”. When the gospel is spread, the power of the gospel will make the weak strong, raise the humble, and the kingdom of God will prevail over this broken and sorrowful world.

Luke 18:15 onwards, Jesus continued to reveal how God’s people can embrace or participate in the coming of the kingdom of God.

The Power of the Gospel Changes Lives

Verse 15-17, it is recorded that someone brought infants to Jesus, asking Him to touch them. When Jesus’ disciples rebuked them, Jesus asked them to come over, saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Luke used “infants”, not to say that people should be humble, but to emphasize that we are to be weak and helpless like a baby. A baby suckling in the mother’s lap will grasp tightly onto the mother, looking into the mother’s eyes and smile while learning how to speak. The baby is weak and helpless. He has no power on his own. He has to totally rely on the mother.

Luke emphasized that entering the kingdom of God is purely by God’s grace. We cannot enter the kingdom of God through our own works or moral accomplishments for we are weak and helpless in that respect, so weak like an infant.

Verses 18-23 continues to say:

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’”

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (verses 24-25)

Jesus did not hate wealthy people. Instead, he was judging people who “find security outside of God”, like securities in wealth, religious piety, status, or how much they served; their knowledge, love, career and achievements. These “external things” had become their “functional saviour”, making them felt as if they wouldn’t live happy lives without these external things.

This ruler was young, wealthy and high ranking. But he did not feel that his life was perfect even when he was blessed in the eyes of everyone else. He also doubted whether he was saved. That was why he came to Jesus. His wealth, position and religious piety became the “idols”, the so-called “securities” in his life, causing him to be kept away from the true saviour.

Wealth, status, knowledge, love and career and achievements are all good things. Hunger and pursuing after these things are not wrong, but if we make these things as our ultimate goal in life and replace the true saviour, we have fallen into the deception of the devil.

These things are “counterfeit God”. They cannot forgive sins, cannot fulfil the inner desires of the heart, cannot give purpose and meaning to life. Instead, people, more often than not, are enslaved by them.

When we think we can only be happy if we have these good external things, we will feel extremely anxious when anything happens that threaten our grasp of these things. If someone stopped us from obtaining these things, we would be very furious. If you fail to achieve these things, the world would not forgive you and you would not forgive yourself.

If you indeed do obtain these things one day, they would not be able to give you the ultimate satisfaction that you were hoping for. Not only that, it might even increase the emptiness in your heart.

So then, how do we receive God’s kingdom and live a blessed and meaningful life? The answer is to admit that we are weak and helpless like a baby, to put down the idols in our lives and hold on to the true saviour of our life – Jesus.

Jesus is the eternal Son of God of the Holy Trinity. He is wealthy and majestic. He has endless glory, fullness, love and joy, but He willingly relinquished everything to become poor and died on the cross. He bore the punishment for sins on our behalf on the cross in order that we may live.

Jesus’ saving grace is free and yet at the same time the most expensive. It is not something that we can obtain by our own merits. Jesus is calling you today to put down everything you have, to become weak and helpless like a baby, to only depend on Him, to follow him and to be one with Him.

With Jesus at the centre of our lives, all these external things would not affect us anymore. They would not cause us to be consumed by bitterness, anger and depression. They would not cause our lives to be like a roller coaster, going through ups and downs in the events of loss or gain.

Jesus is the only saviour; you will be satisfied when you get Him. In the uncertainties of life, adversities and good times, Jesus will be the rock of your life. Even if you disappoint Him in certain aspects of your lives, He will forgive you.

Please come and kneel before the cross of Jesus and ponder His sacrificial love for you. Jesus wants to fill your life with the Holy Spirit, giving you rest, joy and satisfaction, helping you to live a life away from sin and live to the fullest.

The Power of the Gospel Changes the World

In verse 28-30, Peter tells Jesus, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

God’s kingdom has already begun! We, those who follow Jesus and truly believe and depend on Jesus, should rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to love God and love others as we love ourselves.

We need to live a life of fellowship with others with the brand new values of this kingdom of God, and build for the kingdom of God while we are living on this earth. We have a new home, new family members.

Let’s accept and forgive one another, serve and love one another, living a selfless life and enjoy our new fellowship together. The people of the world will be attracted to the kingdom of God when they see it, and they would want to join us, to live in the kingdom of God on this earth.

Some people might disagree and say that this kind of selfless, full of love, righteous, mutually beneficial life will never happen. Yes, we are all weak and helpless people, but the power of the gospel can change everything!

The power of the gospel is the “dynamite” of the kingdom of God, and is able to change the lives of people and overturn the status quo of the world. The Holy Spirit can heal the brokenness of our society, and empower us to overcome our weakness.

The Holy Spirit can also empower us with various spiritual gifts in order that we may build a unified body of Christ to serve and do the works that God has called us to do.

We should not doubt the power of the gospel and the works of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we should ask ourselves: when the kingdom of God comes, God works in our midst, where are you? Are you part of the new kingdom, still faithfully holding on to God and building for this kingdom?

Will we be as the widow in Jesus’ parable, steadfastly pestering the wicked judge, fighting for the righteousness to come? Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find such faith?”

Application

Today, are you like a baby, holding on to Jesus tightly, willing to let go of things that caused you to be far from God, such as bad habits, sins that are hiding in the dark, or those things that give you a false sense of security?

Today, you might have lost your job or your business might be at a loss. You might lose the chance to further your studies or the love of your life or affirmation from people around you. You do not need to be afraid, frustrated, depressed or angry, because you still have Jesus with you!

With Jesus in our lives, we have hope! He will lead you through the valley of death because his grace is sufficient for you.

Here we are, have gone through a long period of time, some have declined, some had gone through difficult times. Some want to stay in the comfort zone, some are afraid that our resources are not enough and dare not take the step out to try new things, to try new ministries for God.

God says that it is not by our strength, not by our talents, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. We should do our part by equipping ourselves, then God will come and do the rest where we lack.

We need to accept and forgive one another, treating each other with love and grace. The power of the gospel is able to change lives and turning over the world around us, which is beyond our imagination!

走出奴役之路

出埃及记十四10-31

摩西带领以色列民过红海

耶和华神与亚伯拉罕立约，应许给亚伯拉罕后裔如天上的星，海边的沙那么多，并且拥有土地。亚伯拉罕的后裔就是以色列人，他们日后真的在埃及生养众多，但都做了埃及人的奴隶，又没有自己的土地。神就兴起摩西去带领这些以色列人出埃及，进入应许之地—迦南。

起初埃及王—法老，不允许以色列人离开。神就降下十个灾难击打埃及人，显出耶和华神的大能和威严。最后法老王被迫降服，容许摩西带领以色列人离开。摩西终于带领以色列人离开埃及，朝向迦南地进发。他们一路来到红海边时，问题来了，如何渡过红海？

突然风声传来，埃及兵马在后头追踪而来。真是祸不单行！原来法老王反悔，要将以色列人追捕回埃及。以色列人面对茫茫大海，后有追兵，就惧怕起来，埋怨神：『为什么要领我们出来，难道我们在埃及没有坟地吗？要我们死在旷野？』

以色列民埋怨摩西的带领他们离开熟悉的埃及。现在他们面临一个危险的，未知的旅程。他们对神没有信心。这好像一些基督徒，偿过信主的喜乐和甘甜，当遇见试探，困难接踵而来就埋怨：『为什么信耶稣之后这么倒霉，以前不信主，不是更好吗？』

其实，我们每个人的生命都会面临“红海”的一刻，遭遇困难，不知道前路该怎么走下去。这时候要记住，不要遇见困难的时候就三心两意，想着重回埃及。若是这样，我们就无法在信心上成长，无法看见神荣耀的作为，而变成终日怨声叹气，软弱丧志的基督徒。

你要安静，神会为你争战

摩西对百姓说：『不要惧怕，只管站住！看耶和华今天向你们所要施行的救恩。因为你们今天所看的埃及人，必永远不再看见了。耶和华必为你们争战，你们只管安静，不要做声！』（13-14节）

惧怕会令人崩溃。面对敌人的攻击，自然反应就是逃逸。在进退维谷时，自然反应就是哭喊、互相指摘或喧闹。这些反应使情况变得更加糟糕。三百万以色列民，包括妇女和小孩，真的很难不惧怕，不喧嚷而乱了阵脚。

无论如何神要求我们在如此紧急境况中，仍然信靠他，遵从他命令，就是『不要惧怕、站住、安静』；还有，『看我为你争战』。真正的信心是遵从神的吩咐，而不是受到环境和自身感觉的所影响。

今天我们同样处在波涛汹涌，喧哗声震耳的环境。我们周遭发生天灾人祸，政治动荡，或人事关系破裂或斗争，使我们心神不宁，迷失方向，想退缩，想弃甲投降。耶和华是我们的神，他爱我们，就一定会照顾我们，保守我们脱离凶恶。他也要粉碎我们的敌人，使世人看见他的权能和荣耀就附伏敬拜他。

今天你面对“红海”和“追兵”，是否信心动摇了？我们来信靠神。我们如果不安静，不守秩序，自己乱了阵脚，后果一定很悲惨！『不要惧怕、站住、安静』代表守秩序，顺服神的带领和指示。

我们不要理会环境的搅扰和敌人的威胁，仍然信靠神，继续谨守岗位，不互相发怨言。我们不要理会那些破坏教会合一的流言蜚语。我们不要理会别人攻击和恶意中伤的话。我们若太在意别人的眼光和闲言闲语，就会自我消耗，很不值得！

我们当刚强壮胆，安静，安息在神的同在里。

走在神的应许中或是抵擋神？

21节与27节的经文，都提到摩西向海伸手。我们拿来做个对比：

摩西向海伸手；（21节） 海分开了； 以色列人在海中乾地走过。

摩西向海伸手；（27节） 海水回流; 埃及兵马葬身海里。

当摩西举起杖向海伸手时，神发动极强的东风一夜间使海水退去。水往左右退去成了墙垣，以色列民就很有秩序地从乾地走过到对岸。

『海』代表恶劣的环境，也是魔鬼的攻击。

创世记一2：『地是空虚混沌，深渊上一片黑暗，神的灵运行在水面上。』

9-10节：『神说，天下的水要聚在一处，使旱地露出来。事这样成了。』

耶和华神是创造的神！

诗篇74篇12-14节描述神分开红海乃是打垮法老或魔鬼来拯救以色列人。『神自古以来为我的王—在大地上施行拯救。你曾用能力将海分开，将水中怪兽的头打破。你砸碎利未亚坦的头，他它给住在旷野的人做食物。』

神分开，以色列人信靠神的应许，平安无事在海中干地走过对面。耶和华神也是救赎的神—救赎了以色列人。他也成就了新创造—神的子民。

以色列人凭信心，依靠神的作为，从红海走过，归于神，成为他的圣洁的子民。新约作者说“过红海”以色列民信心的表现。希伯来书十一29：『因着信，他们走过了红海，好像走过旱地一样。』

保罗认为以色列人“过红海、过旷野”是预表基督徒的属灵生命。他在哥林多前书十1-4：『我们的祖宗都曾经在云下，都曾经在海中经过，都曾经在云里在海里受洗归于摩西。他们都吃了一样的灵粮，都喝了一样的灵水；他们所喝的，是从那随着他们的灵磐石那里来的，这磐石就是基督。』

今天我们认信基督，接受洗礼，从水里出来时候，也归于主基督，成为神的儿女。只要你顺服神的旨意，朝着神给你的应许之地前进，凭信心走过“红海”，新的事要成就在你的身上！

埃及人的军队兵马也很天真，要走过红海去追捕以色列人。红海也为他们敞开，但这是神的审判的网罗。

埃及兵马过红海的动机是利用神的资源去抵抗神的创造。他们要把神的子民捆绑，奴役他们。当埃及兵马下到海中央後，突然起了混乱，车轮脱落。然后，摩西又伸手，海水就复合，把他们淹没在海底！

当日耶和华这样拯救以色列人脱离埃及人的手。以色列人看见埃及人的死尸都在海边了，就敬畏耶和华神，又信服他和他的仆人摩西。

以色列民和埃及兵马同样走在红海的乾地上；前者平安走过，神的创造和救赎发生了。后者却是灭亡在海底，神的审判发生了。

抵挡神，伤害神的子民的恶势力，一定会受到神的审判而被消灭。世间最伟大的帝国—她的政治、军力和资产顿时沉没海底。神的能力比世间任何邪恶力量更大，更令人无法测度。

今天我们的人生旅程，是否好像以色列人那样走在神的应许中，靠着神的丰富恩典，为神成就圣工？或者，好像埃及的追兵，正在抵挡神，破坏圣工？我们当回转向神，停止叛逆神，伤害人生命的行为，反而要顺服神的带领，与神同工，投身神国的服事，去拯救生命。

基督是我的满足（东岭神学院）

路加福音8:15-17节记载有人抱着婴孩来到耶稣面前，要他抚摸他们。门徒责备那些人，耶稣却叫他们过来，说：『让小孩子到我这里来，不要禁止他们，因为神的国正属于这样的人。我实在告诉你们，凡不像小孩子一样接受神的国的，决不能进去。』

路加提到『婴孩』，这是强调人当微弱和无助，好像在母亲怀中吃奶的婴孩。婴孩是软弱无能，不能自持任何力量。他必须完全依赖父母亲。路加强调透过单单依靠神的恩典进入神的国。我们自己任何的努力或功德或优越，都无法帮助我们进入神的国。

接着18-23节记载有一个富有的官长来问耶稣：『良善的老师，我当作什么，才可以承受永生呢？』

耶稣对他说：『你为什么称我是良善的呢？除了神一位以外，没有良善的。诫命你是知道：不可奸淫，不可杀人，不可偷盗，不可做假证供，当孝敬父母。』

他说：『这一切我从小都遵守了。』

耶稣听了，就告诉他：『你还缺少一件，应当变卖一切所有的，分给穷人，你就必定有财宝在天上，而且你还要来跟从我。』

官长听见这话，非常忧愁，因为他十分富有。他拥有优越条件。

耶稣看着他就说：『有钱财的人进神的国，可真难啊！骆驼穿过针眼，比财主进入神的国还容易呢！』（24-25节）

耶稣不是提倡仇富，而是针对那些“在神以外拥有的优越感或安全感”的人。这些优越感或安全感可以出自，譬如：财富、宗教名声、身份地位、事奉经验，知识，爱情，事业成就等。这些“外在好东西”可以成为人的“功能性的救主”，使人觉得若是失去了这些东西就不能幸福活下去。

这位年轻和富有的官长最终拒绝了耶稣的呼召，因为他放不下他的财富。他的财富成了他生命的“偶像”，叫他远离真正的救主。他与一个软弱无能，单单依赖基督的婴孩，成了鲜明的对比。

我们渴慕财富、身份地位、知识、爱情、事业成就等并没有错，然而，当我们把它们当成是人生终极目标，取代了真正的救主，就中了魔鬼的诡计！这些神以外的“好的东西” 不能赦免人的罪、不能满足人内心的渴求，给人活着的意义。

当人认为一定要拥有这些“好的的东西”才会幸福时候，若出现任何事物威胁它，人就会感觉极度焦虑；若有人拦阻你拥有它，你就万分生气；若你无法达成它，世人无法原谅你，你自己也不原谅自己。你若真的达成它，它却无法带给你所期待的满足感。不仅如此，它甚至可加剧你心里头的空虚。

那么我们如何能够领受神的国，活出蒙福、踏实和有意义的生命呢？答案是：承认自己是无能和软弱，好像婴孩那样；放下我们生命中的“偶像”，单单抓住耶稣基督—我们生命真正的救主。

耶稣基督本来是富有和尊贵，永恒三一神的圣子。他拥有无穷尽的荣耀、丰盛、爱和喜乐，却自愿舍弃一切成了极度贫穷—钉死在十字架上，代替我们受罪的惩罚，为了要得着我们、拯救我们、爱我们，给予我们丰盛的生命。

现在这位为你舍弃一切，拯救你的耶稣，呼召你放下一切，变成婴孩般的软弱，单单依赖他，跟从他，与他连结。有基督作我们生命的中心，所有外在东西的得与失，已经不能影响我们，叫我们被苦毒、愤怒和沮丧吞噬，或叫我们活着如过山车那样起落摇摆，无所适从。

耶稣是唯一的救主，得到他你就会真正的满足。在变化莫测，逆境或顺境，耶稣要作你生命的定海神针。若你在某些事上叫他失望，他也会饶恕你。

我们来将生命交托给基督，与他连结。无论发生什么事，纵然失去一切，我还有基督。有基督便足够。信靠他的人一定获得丰盛的生命，里头充满喜乐、平安、满足、祷告和感恩。

Lust , Caution

Judges 16:15-30

Samson and Delilah

Judges Chapter 13-16 records the story of Samson. Manoah, a Danite, his wife is sterile and remained childless. The angel of God appeared to them and prophesied that Manoah’s wife was to conceive and have a son. The son was named later, Samson and he would be a lifelong Nazirite.

The Nazirite vow is found in Numbers 6:1-21, and contained three basic stipulations. A Nazirite was not to cut hair during the period of the vow; was not to drink any produce from vines, alcoholic or non-alcoholic; and was not to have contact with any dead body. The purpose of the Nazirite vow was to ask for God’s special help during a crucial time. It was a sign that you were looking to God with great intensity and focus.

Samson’s case is a unique one for he supposed to be a Nazirite until death. Besides, Samson’s mission was to be an Israelite judge to lead his people to fight against Philistine oppression (Judg. 13:4-5). Samson had three defining characteristics: long hair, Herculean strength, and sexual lust.

Samson saw a Philistine woman at Timnah and fell for her at first sight. He married her against the wishes of his parents (Judg. 14:1-2).

Then, he saw a prostitute in Gaza and became intimate with her at night. The enemy came to ambush him but he was not at all afraid of them (16:1-3). He woke up in the middle of the night and dismantled the doors of the city gates. He carried the doors up the hills of Hebron. He was so arrogant that his enemies feared and hated him at the same time!

Cherish the Source of Your Power, Do Not Abuse God’s Grace

After this, Samson went down to the Valley of Sorek and “fell in love” with a Gentile woman there by the name of Delilah.

The leaders of the five city-states of the Philistines met with Delilah to convince her to lure Samson into divulging the secret of his unusual strength. They promised her a great sum of money. By this time, Samson is seen as a national menace.

For Delilah, it means that if she could turn him over to them, she would be a national heroine. So the potential wealth, power, and influence being held out to her is very great. She would be set up for the rest of her life.

It was an offer that she could not refuse. So, she took the bribe and set out to seduce Samson into sharing the secrets of his Herculean strength.

Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you?”

Samson replied, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

So, the woman bound up Samson accordingly. When the Philistines came to arrest him, he immediately broke free from his bondage.

Delilah complained that Samson had lied to her. So, for a second time, she asked for the secret of his great strength.

Samson said, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

So, Delilah used this technique to bind Samson. When the Philistines came to attack Samson, he immediately broke free from his bondage.

Again, Delilah murmured at Samson, “Why did you deceive me again?” She demanded that Samson tell her the truth.

Samson replied, “If you weave the seven locks of my head, and… weave them together…” (v. 13). The Hebrew text is written in such a way that Samson did not complete his sentence. This shows that he was afraid. By mentioning his hair, they are getting closer to his secret!

So, Delilah waited until Samson fell asleep. Then, she took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the fabric of the loom.

In ancient times, the women worked the loom. The fabric of the loom represents Delilah’s hair. The weaving of his hair with the fabric of the loom speaks of Samson and Delilah’s interwoven love.

When the enemy came, Samson immediately broke free from his bondage.

From then on, Delilah nagged and pestered Samson everyday to reveal his secret. She said, “If you truly love me and want to be with me, then you should tell me the truth.”

Samson was worn out by the daily nagging. He could not bear her accusation that he did not love her. So, he told her truth, “I did not shave my head since I was little. If you shave my head, then I will be powerless.”

Samson could not bear to disappoint her even though she was leading him to ruin. This is typical of many destructive relationships. Samson’s love or lust for Delilah destroyed him. Love is transcendent and redemptive but if it is not fueled by God’s love, it becomes distorted and results in indulgence and destruction.

Samson slept at Delilah’s knees. While he was asleep, Delilah called for someone to shave Samson’s head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. When the Philistines came to arrest him, Samson awoke from his sleep and said,” I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.”

But he did not know that the LORD had left him. He was now powerless to resist the aggression of Philistines. They seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles.

Delilah had repeatedly attempted to pry into the secrets of Samson’s strength. Could it be that he was not at all suspicious of her?

Samson had no reason not to be wary of her but he loved Delilah and could not resist her tears. Perhaps he was gambling on her not being malicious!

Or, perhaps, all these while, even though Samson did not restrain from lust and, in fact, broke almost every stipulation of the Nazarite vow, his strength did not leave him. He would naturally think that everything would still be alright even if his head was shaven.

Or, perhaps, Samson thought that all his accomplishments were achieved entirely out of his own talent and effort. The more God blessed Samson, giving him strength to fight his foes, the more Samson grew confident of his own invulnerability; and the more he engaged in irresponsible behavior. In other words, Samson’s heart used God’s blessings as reason to forget God. He no longer cared about God’s presence. No wonder he did not even realize that God’s Spirit and power had left him (v. 20)!

Samson was unable to see how dependent he was on God’s grace. He had come to see his strength as an inalienable right, not a gift of God’s mercy and grace.

In grace, God takes even our weaknesses and failures and uses them for us, but in sin, we take even his girts and strengths and used them against him. Our sinful hearts will find ways to use even God’s blessing to ruin our lives. Paul speaks of this in Romans 1 when in effect he says that the worst thing God can do to us is to give us our desires—success! The most successful people in the world tend to be the people that are the farthest from God.

Samson did not cherish the supernatural power that was given to him. He also never acknowledged that God was the source of his strength. He actually had abused the grace of God on him. Ironically, it was his Philistine enemies who recognized the divine source of Samson’s supernatural power. A person who does not care for his or her own relationship with God can never be a good and successful leader.

Today, do we repeatedly show contempt for the source of our strength, abuse the grace of God given to us? Such people just as Samson falsely inferred from God’s blessing: I can’t be defeated, so I can live as I like; I got this success because I was smart and savvy. I am self-sufficient.

Many non-believers desire what we have. They want to dispossess us of our spiritual treasures, yet we take these for granted. They think that we must do something to keep ourselves strong, yet we think that we don’t have to do anything to keep ourselves strong.

But God’s power is different. It depends on internal conditions, on a heart-relationship. There is no divine power or spiritual strength without discipleship. We ought to harness the power from above through constantly abiding with Christ, with spiritual discipline of prayer, study of scripture, worship, and fellowship, but these are precisely what we often neglect.

The Devil deceives us through busyness and self-deceit. He misleads us into thinking that even if we do not pray or read the Bible or worship or fellowship with others, we can still live our daily lives and the strength and blessing from God will continue to be with us.

Until one day, when we have exhausted the grace that God had supplied to us, when we are utterly defeated, when we fall and crumble, then we finally realize that God’s power has left us.

Now is the time we ought to firmly grasp all the means that help us to be connected to the Lord. God is our strength and refuge. His grace is sufficient for us to combat all enemies and challenges of life. In Christ, we shall live a life that is victorious!

Do Not Run Away from God but Fulfill God’s Purpose in Your Life

The Philistines plucked out Samson’s eyes and imprisoned him in Gaza. There, he was tasked to grind the mill. Grinding the mill was the task of women, donkeys, and cows.

Previously, Samson indulged in the lust of his eyes; now, he was blind. Formerly, he freely mingled with women, but now he was made to work like a woman. Once, he killed people like a mule, but now he worked like a donkey.

Before, he likened his wife to a heifer, but now he did the work of cows. Gaza was the place of his greatest success, but now it became the place of his greatest humiliation. He destroyed the gates of Gaza with his bare hands, but now he could not escape from Gaza. In fact, he would meet his end in Gaza.

When the Philistines celebrated the harvest at the Temple of Dagon, the god of grain, they brought Samson out for their entertainment; to foster the festive atmosphere! In the past, Samson destroyed much of the Philistines’ grain. At that time, there were many Philistines of note gathered in the temple. The roof alone accommodated 3000 Philistines.

Previously, Samson fell and was oblivious of God’s absence. Now, with his hair growing back, God was planning a counterattack. This time, the Philistines were the ones who were oblivious!

When Samson arrived at the temple, a child led him to stand in between of two pillars. Wrapped around the pillars, Samson offered his final prayer, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes” (v28).

Samson humbled himself. He recognized that God was the source of his strength. He entrusted himself into the hand of God and was even willing to die with the Philistines (v. 30)!

God heard his prayer and gave him strength because God wanted to use him to destroy the Philistines and save the Israelites.

Samson held to the two pillars and pushed with all high might and the whole temple collapsed! Many Philistines were killed in this incident. Samson killed more Philistines in his death than in his life.

Dagon, the Gentile god, also “died.” Dagon which was highly exalted by the Philistine was not truly god. The final victory belongs to Yahweh. Samson and the Philistines perished together.

Samson was the most gifted among all the judges. He was more of a warrior than Deborah. He was more courageous than Gideon and Barak. He had a far better pedigree than Japheth. Yet, his has the most tragic ends. Why?

Samson often said, “If you do such-as-such to me, then I will become weak and be like any other man” (vv. 7, 11, 17). This reveals that Samson was wavering between a Nazarite and an ordinary person. God had chosen him but he was determined to run away from his calling so that he could live his life of indulgence.

Samson’s real temptation had been to believe that we are blessed by God because of something great and deserving in us—complacently to see what he had been given by grace as rightfully his, to use as he wished. It is so hard to remember that we do what we do only because of God’s grace, and that God’s grace is given so that we might do what is pleasing to him and in the service of his people.

God and Samson were in a covenantal relationship. Although Samson breached the stipulations of the covenant, God still used him. Likewise, He knows our weaknesses. He can use our weaknesses to advance His plan of salvation. The weakness of humanity or other factors cannot thwart God’s work. When God’s people are not faithful to God’s calling, He will still use them but their lives will be filled with conflict and pain, just like Samson.

Today, since God has chosen you to be His child, you are no longer an ordinary person. If God has chosen you to be a leader, then you are no longer an ordinary believer. You ought to be steadfast in your ministry and be faithful to the mission that God has entrusted to you. If God’s people are loyal to Him, fulfil God’s purpose in their lives, they will surely enjoy the inexhaustible grace of God.

Samson’s Death Points to Jesus’ Death

Samson’s end is a picture, a shadow, of Jesus’ death. Both of them appeared completely struck down by their enemies, yet both in their death crushed their enemy—Samson, the Philistines and Dagon; Jesus, the ultimate enemy, Satan. As Samson brought the temple crashing down around Dagon and his followers, the spiritual power and apparent triumph of Dagon was reversed. Samson brought permanent alienation between the cultures, so that Israel would become distinct, no longer unknowingly and inevitably under the Philistines’ power.

On the cross, Jesus brought the power of Satan to nothing, disarming him (Colossians 2:15). How did the cross achieve this? It took away the penalty of our idolatry—death—so that Satan could no longer successfully prosecute God’s people. And it took way, the power of sin in our lives, enabling the Spirit to live in us to break the lure of idols in our hearts. Samson prefigures Jesus’ triumph, at the cost of his own death, over Satan, As Samson killed many as he died so it took the death of Jesus to “kill” Satan—the unseen power of idolatry, and the power of death itself.

There is of course, on crucial difference between Samson and Christ. With Samson’s burial, his rule was over (16:31). His story was finished. But with Jesus’ burial, in many ways the story had only just begun. He rules beyond his grave, not just before it. The One who became weak to save will rule in strength and power eternally. Jesus became weak to become strong.

Becoming and continuing as a Christian is about the same pattern—becoming weak to become strong. Only those who admit they are unrighteous receive the righteousness of Christ. Only those who know their life and strength are theirs purely because of grace are not living in the grip of fear, boredom, and despondency. Only those who know their own weakness are able to know God-given inner strength; the strength which enables us to avoid the pitfalls of Samson’s life: pride, lust, anger, vengefulness and complacency.