Title: Life's Troubles and Joys
[Min Byeong-seok’s Proverbs Explained] 38 Life’s anguish and joy
(Text: Proverbs 15:16)
1. Living a life deceived by yourself
The way the Israelites walked out of Egypt was a desert road like this. I had to walk endlessly on the infinitely wide wilderness, the endless sandy beach, and on it. They crossed the Red Sea into the Wilderness of Sur and traveled for three days, but found no water. Walking all day in the scorching sun, children cry for thirst, old people lament that they are thirsty, and the road in the desert is still far away, but there is no water anywhere. Then they came to a place called Marah, but the water was bitter and they could not drink.
But in the desert, a strange phenomenon often occurs in which strangers are deceived. That is the so-called mirage. When travelers walking through the desert encounter this mirage, they know it is an oasis and follow it frantically. A mirage is an illusion, not a reality.
Ladies and gentlemen, the path of life is like a pilgrim's path in the desert, and the happiness that life sometimes seeks for me is like a mirage. People sometimes live with the illusion of happiness. What, then, are the fantasies of joy and happiness that people seek? It's about trying to get rich. It is to gain great fame. But when people follow this, his life ends with nothing in his hands.
When people pursue things that are called happiness and joy, they hold nothing in their hands, and in the end, as a mirage of life, they keep getting farther and farther away and cannot be held in their hands. Rather, while following that road, he collapsed from exhaustion on the path of life and, when he arrived at his destination, there was only lamentation and sorrow waiting for him.
Ecclesiastes 2:22 says this. He said, “What is the income of all the toil and diligence that a person labors under the sun? In other words, it can be seen as a representative figure of King Solomon of Israel who ended his life tragically while chasing a mirage.
2. Where do life's troubles come from?
It is really important to know where a person's happiness comes from and where the troubles in life come from. Knowing this, we don't have to follow in the footsteps of everyone who has failed in life.
Many people mistakenly believe that all their troubles, misfortunes, and difficulties come from material poverty. However, we need to know that the cause of life's failures, destruction, and all destruction is not from poverty, but from wealth. The Bible gives many warnings about those who want to be rich. 1 Timothy 6:9 says, “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which plunge men into destruction and destruction.” The word aggression refers to ugly conduct and moral depravity. Put money in men's pockets. Do you know what is the first thing that comes to mind? It's cheating. It's about going to the battlefield. If you know that you can't cheat because you're in a public place, you'll get a big nose job.
In order for a person to make a lot of money, there must be no truth or recognition. Even the rich fool's soul was taken that night by God for this money. The rich man in purple was also in hell because of the money, and he suffered greatly. If the money keeper is wrong, it will bite, tear, and destroy the owner, and ultimately bring ruin to life.
Then what kind of life will be the most beautiful life? How should we live and how should we live? In 1 Timothy 6, Paul said, “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; if we have food and clothing, we will be content.” The man named Agur confesses in Proverbs 30: “O God, neither make me poor nor make me rich, but feed me with the bread I need; or if I am full and do not know God, I may say, ‘Who is the LORD? said
Did I say that when a person is full, it is easy to become (Do not know God Who is Jehovah). Therefore, no matter how much money God has, he does not sell his eyes to that money, and allows those who serve God well to make money. Can you be confident that no matter how much money I have, I will not be lazy to love God or serve God because of that money? (God asks for the proof. What? ).
The Bible is a vast collection of 66 books. However, there is a saying that we must have wealth and receive blessings, but it does not say that we must accumulate a lot of money and live rich. Nowhere did they say that having a lot of money makes you happy. However, there was no admonishment to be poor. Poverty that comes from laziness is a sin. He said, “Seek the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” He said, “He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” He said that if we store up our wealth in heaven, there will be no rust and no robbery. If you live like this, you are saying that God will bless you.
It is more rewarding for a Christian to live with hope in God in the midst of poverty than to become rich and not be able to live a religious life. The Bible tells us that there are factors that can make the poor happier. “What and where does the rich enter the kingdom of heaven?” But, nowhere has it been said about the poor. Job 5:16 teaches that there is hope for the poor. Even when God gives faith, to whom did He give more? In James 2:5, it says, “Of the world God has chosen the poor to be rich in the faith.” In Matthew 11:5, Jesus said, “Tell the poor that the gospel is preached.”
The poor people's faith is wonderful. There are many poor people who keep Sundays well, who come out to early morning prayer, and who desperately want to live according to God's will. Imagine if this kind of person suddenly made a lot of money and became rich. It is easy to become arrogant right away. Your 100-point faith score will drop below 50.
Therefore, if you want to live according to God's will, have good faith and do well in your life of faith, then ascend to the kingdom of heaven and wear a beautiful crown, you must follow a sincere prayer like Agur. ‘God, neither make me poor nor make me rich, but feed me with the bread I need.’
When the Lord was alive, who were the closest people who served Him? She was a poor widow whose only living expenses were two lepts of coins, but the woman who put all the money in the treasury was a woman who truly served the Lord. Martha and Mary, and their brother Lazarus, who were always happy to welcome the Lord into their home and treat them with joy, were able to serve the Lord even though the three children were poor.
Mary Magdalene, who was possessed by seven demons, had nothing in her hands, but with love for the Lord, she worked hard and served the Lord with her wages. A little boy with only five barley loaves and two fish in his lunchbox could serve the Lord. Although there are some rich people in the Bible, there is no record anywhere that they served the Lord closely, either materially or physically.
We know that it is time to conclude here about where the true joys and happiness of life lie. The Bible teaches us that the joy of life comes from God. Therefore, those who do not possess the joy of God cannot live with joy wherever they are.
Psalm 4:7 says, “You have put more joy in my heart than when their grain and new wine abound.” I hope you believe that only when God sows a seed called joy in your heart can you live a life of true joy.
In John 15:11, Jesus said, “My joy is in you, that your joy may be full.” The Lord wants us to put into our hearts all the joy you are bearing. Only those who have received the joy of the Lord can have joy in our hearts. God tells us to always rejoice, but only those who possess the joy of the Lord can live this kind of joy.
Then how can we have the joy of God, the joy that our Lord gives us? In Jeremiah 15, the prophet Jeremiah said, “Your word is to me a joy and a joy to my heart.” In Psalm 119:111 it says, “You have made me an inheritance forever as a testimony, for it is the joy of my heart.”
The word of God creates joy and joy in my heart. But the words do not bring joy to everyone equally in our hearts. An obedient person can have such joy. If there is no obedience even after hearing the Word, instead of joy, sorrow arises. The human heart is compared to four fields. But among them, there is only one field that can bear fruit, and about that field, he is called “those who hear the word and understand it.” The hearts of those who hear and understand the Word of God are full of joy and joy.
Psalm 112:1 says, “Blessed is the man who fears God and greatly delights in his commandments.” The joy of life is in the heart of those who take pleasure in the word of God.
In Isaiah 11:3, it says, “Let us take pleasure in the fear of the Lord.” There is true joy in the heart of those who fear God.
The prophet Habakkuk cried out loudly. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. .'
Conclusion: Are you still not sure where my happiness lies? Do you still think that there is something in this world or its material things that makes your life happy and gives you joy in your life? You must have the joy of God in your heart. We must receive the joy that the Lord puts in us. When the seed of God's word falls into our hearts and bears fruit, when we live a life that greatly enjoys the word of God, we realize that the joy, joy, and happiness of the true higher life will be established in your hearts. I hope you realize the truth. *