Title: For Success in Life!
Contents
♡♥♡ For success in life / Target 13:1-14
*** Introduction
Do you remember when you memorized the National Education Charter? The National Education Charter begins with “We were born on this land with the historical mission of national revitalization.” Korean citizens have a mission assigned to them as persons belonging to the Republic of Korea. In addition, everyone is given a mission from the place to which he belongs.
We, who belong to the kingdom of God, are also given a mission. The Christian mission is both common and personal. All of its mission is to glorify God.
In the 1950s, missionary 'Jim Elliot', who is called the hero of world missions, was martyred in the African jungle. A diary found in his belongings contained these words:
“He is by no means a fool who throws away those things he cannot hold on to to the end for things that must never be missed.”
In other words, a person who can give up his youth, wealth, honor, and power to leave a great footprint in human history is not a fool at all. Leaving God's footprints on this earth is to glorify God, and as a Christian, we can never abandon it. On the other hand, the body and the wealth and glory of this world are things of this earth that cannot be held on to the end.
At the end of Elliot's diary, it is written:
“Lord, I do not seek to live long. I just want my life to burn for the Lord.”
He knew what his mission was. And in order to fulfill that mission, he was wishing to burn with a burning passion for the Lord. That is, in today's text, we can find King David's passion for God. But even this passion teaches us that a successful life can be achieved when headed in the right direction.
1. Let's look at the background of the Word.
The focus of today's Word is 'the ark of God'. The ‘ark of God’ was a symbol of God’s presence. When David ascended to the throne, the ark of God was in Kiriath-jearim. Already 100 years ago, when Eli was a priest, he took it with him to war with the Philistines, and after it was taken away, he has been staying in Kiriath-jearim until now.
After the Philistines took the ark, every city in the country where the ark was inhabited by various calamities turned the whole city into a crucible of death. In the end, the Philistine princes consulted and made a new cart, loaded it with cows with unweaned calves, loaded the ark on the cart, and sent it to the Israeli border city of Kiriath-Jerim.
Saul became king over Israel, but he was not interested in the ark of God. David became the second king of Israel and established Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Then they planned to bring the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, a symbol of God's presence and the center of all Israel's thoughts and spirits. All the princes and people of Israel liked this plan and decided to implement it.
However, what started with good intentions ended in disaster. We need to look back on our lives through this work. Because even if we start with good intentions, we can fail. But failure always has a cause. Finding and eliminating the cause is the basis for a successful life.
2. To be successful in life, you must find the right way.
The primary cause of failure can be found in Sections 1-4 of the main text. David had been watching King Saul fail over and over again. In everything, he acted according to his own will without relying on God, and in the end, he was abandoned by God. David remembered this fact, and in order to ask and depend on God for everything, he suggested that he bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. Then, about bringing the ark of God, we asked the commanders of thousands and centurions, and all the congregations of Israel, and gathered their opinions. In other words, David did not deal with it alone, but in a democratic way that combined the opinions of the military and the people. To this, all the people regarded this as good, and the whole congregation responded that they would do it. And David said, “If it were from the Lord our God… ”, he seemed to understand God’s will in this matter.
Let's pause here for a moment and rearrange David's plan. What did David ask God for bringing the ark of God? Nothing was asked. “If it were from the Lord… I just wrote the subjunctive "". Then, did David prepare anything religiously to bring the ark? Also nothing. They didn't pray, they didn't call on prophets, they didn't worship. However, I only asked the will of the military and the people.
The cause of secondary failure can be found in verses 5-10 of the main text. David made a new cart with his own ideas and loaded the Ark of the Covenant. And I had Uzzah and Ahio, grandsons of Abinadab of the tribe of Judah, where the Ark of the Covenant stayed for 20 years, to drive the cart. You will see that there is sincerity in it. In addition, David and the people serving the Ark of the Covenant of God are so serious and full of joy.
However, this method was a serious conflict with God's will. David did not know the will of God. David thought that if it was good for himself and for the people, it would also be good for God. So, I didn't ask God, and I wasn't interested in the laws that God had set. This was the cause of the failure. Let's look at Matthew 7:21-23 here.
“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many mighty works in your name?' He will say clearly, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.'”
So, what is the right way to success in life?
The right way to success in life is to know God's will for it. This is what God meant about the ark of the covenant, the ark of God's law. Numbers 4:15. “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all its furnishings as they march, the Kohathites shall come and carry them. But don't touch the holy things, lest you die. These shall be carried by the Kohathites of the tent of meeting.” In Numbers 7:6 it says, “Moses took the wagons and oxen and gave them to the Levites” and in verse 9, “It was not given to the Kohathites, because they The job was because he was carrying it on his shoulder.”
God has ordained that the Kohathites of the Levites must carry the ark of God, the instrument of the sanctuary, on their shoulders. Although David puts them on a new cart, nothing changes with the new cart. Also, it was not the Levites who drove the carts, but the Jews. It was said that if you touch the holy things, you will die, but when the ox ran wild and the Ark of the Covenant tried to fall, Uzzah caught it. Normal seems to be extenuating, but God was no exception.
In the end, David, who wanted to receive the ark of the covenant with a happy heart and good will, immediately stopped and withdrew when God's rejection became clear. Because of this, the ‘house of Obed-edom’, which unexpectedly received the ark of God, received great blessings during the three months the ark stayed. Eventually, after a few months, David prepared faithfully to God's will and successfully moved the ark.
Everyone, what do you realize through today's Word?
Now, what hope do you have in your heart? Do you have any specific preparations for that hope? Ask God's will. And ask them to understand what God's will is for that matter through the Word. When it comes to serving God with a sincere heart or the secret to a successful life, a person's clever ideas and tricks are of no use. The only way to be successful in life is to do it God's way.
I pray that you will be filled with the grace that fills us all with the knowledge of God's will.