Title: God Calls His People.
Contents
Ruth 2:3-4 God calls his people.
A few days ago, I posted an item for sale on an online marketplace called Kijiji. It's a 'Treadmill' thing. In English used by Koreans, it is a 'treadmill'. I also bought a used one about 7 years ago for $150. I was going to sell it again for $100, but I thought it was a bit expensive, so I deleted it again and uploaded it for $50.
However, after 8 minutes of posting, 'Tarreung!' I got a call. it surprised me. I got a call. "Hello! Hello." There, I use English and Korean at the same time, so I say 'Hello! Are you Korean?' I ask. "Ah- yes, by the way. How are you?" "Yeah- Do you ever sell Treadmills?" "No, I just uploaded it, but I already got a call. Come and take a look." "Yeah- it's close to home, so I'll be right there."
And about ten minutes later, a young couple, who looked to be in their mid-thirties, drove in a truck that could be loaded. I greeted you warmly. "Welcome. But seeing for the first time, it seems that you haven't been here in a while?" "Ah- Yes, we've been here for 8 years. But we don't go to church well, so we don't know people well."
"Ah- yes? Why do you know the church?" “I went there for about six months a few years ago, and then I quit.” "Oh, yes. I'm here in Moksan, Full Gospel Central Church, so please come and visit our church." Those people hesitate to answer. I used my heart a little while explaining things. "You're Korean, so just take it with you for free." And I added a word. "Come to church once. Come to the 11 o'clock service on Sundays, have one worship service, and then go eat. Okay?"
I don't know if they came to church today. In a way, this is one of the very common things that happen in our daily life. But in God's providence, this was a very thoroughly planned work for God to call his chosen people. All of a sudden, that night, I decided to sell a treadmill. I am a person who puts my heart into action right away. In good words, he is quick to obey God's call, and in bad terms, he is quick-tempered. There are times when it's good and there are times when it's bad.
In any case, most Koreans are in a hurry to eat spicy red pepper with spicy gochujang again. Wherever he goes, he is good at saying 'Hurry up!' A long time ago, we went on a group pilgrimage to Israel, and when we entered a restaurant, the restaurant staff looked at us and spoke in Korean. "Hurry up! Hurry up!"
But in my case, my personality is more urgent than normal Koreans. So it's pretty urgent. In particular, the people of the Full Gospel Church do not know how fast they pray or sing. In the Presbyterian Church, when singing hymns, they say, "Holy Holy Ghost of Fire..." and sing it a little slower. However, in the Full Gospel Church, they call "Holy Holy Ghost of fire...". When I see decent members of the Presbyterian church, I think, "I sing a hymn in such a frivolous way."
These days, the Presbyterian Church is speeding up a bit, and the Full Gospel Church is rather slowing it down. This is also a leveling trend. In any case, I have been involved in the Full Gospel for quite some time. So I tend to pray and sing quickly. Of course, these days, as we get older, we are out of breath, so our hymns, prayers, and sermons are gradually slowing down. However, the hasty personality doesn't seem to be fixed well.
Anyway, I posted something on the Internet in a hurry, and the other party was looking at a site called Kijiji at the right time, and I lowered the price to a price that would attract customers, so they quickly came to my house and took the product for free. And I heard the most important gospel of my life. "Let's worship and eat."
In a way, it is a coincidence that happens in everyday life. But that coincidence is not a coincidence for us, but the providence of God. In the Old Testament, there is a Moabite woman named Ruth. Her husband, an Israeli, immigrated to Moab, and married a Moabite woman named Ruth. However, after a while, her husband died of an illness. I have no children. Ruth then moved to Bethlehem, Israel, with her mother-in-law, Naomi. I needed something to eat with my mother-in-law right away.
But that was the harvest time. Humanly, the harvest time was just one of the four seasons, and it seemed like a coincidence, but in reality it was not a coincidence, it was God's providence. Ruth went to pick up the gleans that were dropped while harvesting in someone else's field. However, in today's text, it is said that 'by chance he came to a field belonging to Boaz, Elimelech's kin.'
The word 'accidentally' here has the meaning of 'a very strangely in God's providence' in the original text. So, in the eyes of people, it was a coincidence, but it was the providence of God. In other words, it was a well-calculated and planned scenario for God to call his people.
Gentlemen, God is calling His people precisely. However, many people miss the opportunity of God's calling because they do not properly recognize it. Regarding this, the Bible says: “Now, saith the Lord, you have done all these things, and I say to you, I have spoken diligently from the dawn, but have not heard you; I called you and did not answer you.” (Jeremiah 7:13)
In today's text, it says, 'At the same time Boaz came to the field.' This also seemed to be a coincidence, but it was also the providence of God. In other words, God provided for Ruth and Boaz to move their steps according to the time in order to meet their future marriage partners. So later the two dated, got married, and had children. And the child she gave birth to was King David's grandfather, 'Obed'. And as you know, Obed is the physical ancestor of Jesus.
There are many young men and women in our church. Among the young people these days, there are people with very bright eyes. A desperate effort to find a mate is evident. Maybe it is a coincidence that occurs between a man and a woman, but I hope that it will lead to the providence of God and bear beautiful fruits. So, I pray that you will find a mate, get married, have sons and daughters, become mothers and fathers, and build a happy family.
In Luke 15 of the New Testament, we find the story of the prodigal son who returned. The prodigal son left his father and lived in a foreign land, prodigal. I threw away all that wealth. A severe famine has come to that land. They had nothing to eat while working as a pig shepherd, the most hated by the Jews. Living in a foreign land day by day was painful. He was in a position to die of starvation.
Then the son thinks of his father. Normally, I never thought of my father at all. But now that I became a beggar, I think of my father. And throwing away his pride, he goes back to his father's house. “I have gone far from you, and now I come. I am troubled in the way of sin, and I come. I have come now, find my house, and receive me, Lord, and receive me” (Hymns, no. 331).
It was no coincidence that for this son the wealth ran away in an instant. It was no coincidence that the famine struck his area. It was no coincidence that I worked as a pig herder. It was God's providence to call his Son. If he does not suffer so much, the son does not think of his father. If he does not become a beggar, the son will never return to his father's house. That is why God called the Son through the circumstances.
Jesus once said something like this. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24). So rich people don't want to go to heaven, this is heaven, so what do they do to get into heaven?
So, how do you call someone like that? It's about getting rid of the wealth you depended on. Sometimes it causes severe hardship and trouble. Why? It is the providence that God calls his people. It's good to come when you just say nice things, but you have to get one hit before you come to your senses. That's a human and that's an animal.
However, if you have the eyes to see the providence of God's calling of His people and the heart to understand, that person will not suffer for long. A quick-witted person will avoid the hawk. But a fool brings his own hawk. I pray that God will quickly realize the providence of calling me. God calls His people and wants to give them good things. You must quickly recognize what is good and follow the will of the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, God is calling us in various ways. Sometimes, either directly or through an angel, 'Abraham! Moses! Samuel!' and even call it. Sometimes they are called dreams, visions, and prophecies. In the case of today's text, God is calling because He properly plans and provides for everything. Please do not turn such God's calling and calling just by chance, and I pray that you will answer that call.
Sometimes people ask this question. “Will God call a wicked person like me?” of course. He called a sinner like me, so it's no wonder he's calling a sinner like you. The Lord said. “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).
There are people who question God's calling or even like this. "God, I can't do it today because I'm busy. I'll clean up some of the things I've been doing and come along." But keep in mind. The first thing we need to do in this world is God's work. When God calls now, he is calling because now is the most opportune time. Therefore, you must respond now. God's call is too precious to be answered later. The Bible says: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Think about it. The mother had some delicious food, so she called her son. "Son! Son! Come and eat some of this." My son is busy playing. It just bothers me to hear my mother call me. Doesn't even respond. I played a lot. hungry. go home and say "Mom! Give me something to eat." Mom answers. “I kept calling you earlier, but you didn’t answer, so we ate it all.
Of course, God continues to give us opportunities and continues to give us good things. God is long-suffering and patient. But what if you keep ignoring God's goodness and calling and then God doesn't call you? There are people who miss out on Sundays. Then, what do you do when God doesn't call you very often on Sundays and during your life you do not call him very often? Just thinking about it is terrifying.
Or, there are people who say this at the call of God. "No, God! Why do you keep calling me? I don't need God. I can live well on my own. Please leave me alone. If I want to come to church, then I will come." But the one who says this is because one knows and the other does not. The Bible says: “No one can come to me unless my Father allows him to come” (John 6:65).
Conclusion. God calls his people. Because that's the best time. As you answer that call, I wish you a better life and a happier life.