Splendor Of The KingSample

"On Me"

As testimonies go, Sambo has an impressive one. He was unfortunate to grow up in 1970’s Cambodia, where he ended up being part of the Khmer Rouge regime.

It’s estimated some 2 million Cambodians lost their life under the rule of this evil communist organization led by Pol Pot. That’s around a quarter of the country’s population.

Indoctrinated as a young boy, Sambo was one of the regime’s soldiers. When its time in power was brought to an end, he turned to alcohol to try to deal with his past. As a result, he terrorized his community. When he got married, he beat his wife and generally failed in his duties as a father. His life was a mess, so much so that his kids ended up being trafficked.

When I think of what it means to be poor, I think of Sambo. On every metric: materially, spiritually, relationally, he was poor. Although as we’ll find out this week, his story doesn’t end there.

When Jesus went into the temple, he declared his mission statement using the words of Isaiah 61. And with it, he announced he had brought good news to the poor—to people like Sambo. "The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me," he declared, "to bring good news to the poor."

We carry the same Spirit—Christ in us, the hope of glory. To a hurting world, we are called to bring his good news to the poor, to the brokenhearted, to those in chains and those who mourn. To our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers, and even enemies, we are designed and called to carry the hope of Christ.

Pray that today you may be that hope-carrier.