Title: Eternal Competitiveness/Psalm 37:9-11
Content * Text: Psalm 37:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-8, John 12:24-26
1. Organisms that live in competition
All living things compete for survival, and mutually develop through competition in good faith. To win the competition, you must develop a significant competitive edge. The words of Jesus that 'those who are working hard into the kingdom of God also break in and enter (Luke 16:16)' and 'Fight the good fight, keep the faith, and run well until the end (2 Timothy 4:7-8)' By remembering the confession of the Apostle Paul or the words of the writer of Hebrews, 'Let's diligently run the race of faith' (Hebrews 12:1-2), we learn lessons about 'competitiveness' or 'strength'.
2. Three kinds of power
Bertrand Russell discusses three kinds of power in his book The Power.
The first is physical force. This is military force, violence, oppression, etc.
The second is economic strength. It is exercised in income and interest.
Third is influence. This includes the influence of education, religion and culture.
First, the most hastily used force from ancient societies is physical force, which has caused numerous wars. Wars have not ceased to such an extent that it is said that the history of mankind is the history of wars, and the scale and destructive power of wars are increasing day by day, acting as a cause of unhappiness for mankind. This phenomenon started with Cain's sick competitive spirit, and the misfortunes of Cain's descendants continue.
The second is economic power, and competition has intensified since the market economy was activated. In particular, with the opening of the neoliberal economic era, fierce economic battles are taking place under the system of unlimited competition. In the 21st century, economic force is stronger than physical force, and 20% of the world's largest economies control 80% of the world economy. Unfortunately, mankind has fallen to its knees too easily in the face of military and economic power.
Third, let's think about the third force, influence. The influence of education and religion is sometimes swayed by military or economic power, or is often not enough. However, if you look at the history of mankind, you see that the lifespan of physical power is the shortest, and then economic power falls apart as easily as a peony flower.
3. Let's talk about the eternal competitive power of religion (Thal. 1:3-5).
The power of education or religion may seem weak, but because it is soft, it penetrates the human heart and spirit and takes root deeply, so it exerts its greatest influence as it spreads out toward the world over thousands of years.
The Bible instructs us to live a happy life of faith by following the virtues that have eternal competitiveness, rather than relying on things that are weak in competitiveness, such as flowers that grow and wither after a short time (Psalm 37:1-11). Faith, hope and love will always be there (1 Corinthians 13:13).
First, trust is eternal competitiveness.
Faith is an attitude of dependence on God and an attitude of mutual trust in human relationships. As well as seeing the invisible God, believers who believe well lead a faithful life in front of people. Jesus said, 'Nothing is impossible to him who believes' (Mark 9:23).
The phrase ‘work of faith’ means doing work by faith. When believers believe in God and keep their trust toward people and lead a reliable life, they will have the best competitiveness (1 Thessalonians 1:3, Phil 4:13).
Second, hope (所望, dream, vision) is eternal competitiveness.
Hope is a dream, a vision. “A nation without a vision perishes,” he said. The ultimate hope of Christians is the resurrection Christ and the kingdom of God. A Christian is a person who looks and thinks on the high and above, and always lives with hope. A person who lives with hope endures and endures under any circumstances. There is no fruit in this world that can be eaten without hope and patience (James 5:8-11; Romans 8:24).
Third, love (犧牲 奉仕) is the best competitiveness.
It is true that love involves labor. True love, love that saves and benefits many people, is love that requires sacrificial labor like a grain of wheat (John 12:24-26). The world now values moral power above military and economic power. A country, company, church, or individual must have moral ability in order to be competitive.
The present era is an era in which wisdom is more valuable than technology and knowledge, and people are impressed by ‘greatness’ rather than the effectiveness of technology and knowledge.
conclusion. Eternal competitiveness is faith, hope, and love. Among them, the highest competitiveness is the ability to practice love (1 Corinthians 13:13).