Title: Life up to the measure of maturity
Contents
Living up to the measure of maturity of faith
Text: Ephesians 4:14-16 So that we no longer become children, that we should not be carried away and tossed by every wind of doctrine, as we fall into the deceitfulness of men and the deceitful temptations of men. 15 But, speaking the truth in love, in all things 16 And from him the whole body, connected and united by the help of each joint, works according to the measure of each part, so that the body grows and builds itself up in love.
Hymns: 21, 450, 453
<Today is the New Sunday of Hope. May you reach the full measure of your faith.>
One day in Egypt, Napoleon pointed to the stars in the night sky and said, "I am convinced that God exists just by looking at the light of those stars for no other reason." The Earth we live on is part of a galaxy made up of at least 100,000 stars. And you can also discover that there are over a million galaxies. Therefore, no one but God knows how many stars we cannot see through a telescope by our own simple calculations. An astronomer at the Heiden Observatory in New York said, "I have never met an atheist astronomer, and I have studied the indescribable beauty of the universe, so I have no choice but to believe in God, the great designer."
Folks, human growth takes time. Do you know the story of Chinese bamboo?
According to the book <Bless Your Children!>, unlike other seeds, Chinese bamboo seeds do not sprout immediately when planted in the ground, but go directly to the surface of the water. It is said that no matter how much nutrients are supplied, it will not sprout for 4 years. After that, it is said to grow up to 18 meters in a few cows.
First, it is a life in which believing and knowing become one.
13 We will all become one in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, until we become a perfect man, to the stature of the stature of the stature of Christ.
A person who is mature and mature only when believing and knowing become one. If you hear the word of God and keep it in your heart, then the person who puts it into practice is the owner of a life in which knowledge and faith become one. Only then will you receive the 30, 60, and 100 fold blessings. Modern people acquire a lot of scientific knowledge. But he refuses to believe in things that cannot be seen and cannot be proven. Even though you are a Christian, you know God's miracles and works, but you do not experience God's love and do not believe in Him. First, God loved his only begotten Son Jesus even to death on the cross to save us from our sins. Please remember that true Christians are those who know God and believe in Him. Zhou Zhou, who continued the idea of communism as a great thinker in China, emphasized the latter. He insisted on being able to achieve national sovereignty and peace, with his sincerity and sincerity. However, Wang Yang-myung insisted on the theory of unity. We are not meant to be the salt and light of the world, but already essentially you are the salt and light of the world.
Mature believers share the truth with an attitude of love. This is mature faith.
ex) When middle and high school students are young, they do not bring students who are more handsome than me. However, those who have matured in faith consider others to be better than themselves in the love of the Lord and bring their friends.
In the morning, I slept with my youngest son, Hyeonin Lee and Soonin, last night. I hugged Soon-in and said, “Hyun-in, I love you,” and she slapped me from behind and said, “Dad, it’s me, I’m a sage, that’s Sun-in,” and I wanted to love only myself. Understanding and loving others is maturity. May we all reach maturity in faith.
Third, it is a life that promotes mutual growth.
Verse 16 says, “From him the whole body is connected and united with the help of each joint, working according to the measure of each member, making the body grow and build itself up in love.” This word means that the growth of faith and love is achieved together, and we must live by helping each other based on this.
Maturity is not achieved through effort alone. Maturity grows with mutual responsibility and mutual influence.
The maturity of others makes me mature, and my maturity affects others. Living together is what God wants. True love has no walls. Being created in God's image, we have a vocation to help each other and spread God's love.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father! I want to become a deeply mature believer in which believing and knowing become one. Let us learn the truth in love and realize our calling to coexist with our neighbors by speaking and sharing the truth. Please guide me to become a mature person of faith who embraces that calling and lives according to the sense of mission. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.