Title: Mirror of my life
Contents
♡♥♡ The mirror of my life / Luke 13:1-5
*** Introduction
These days, the title of ‘family crisis’ comes up frequently on TV shows. Even in the eyes of the world, it is a serious phenomenon that the family is falling apart. The family is the basic unit of society and the state. The collapse of the family means that society and the country are also at risk.
Currently, Korea has a divorce rate of close to 50%, and family suicides occur frequently. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed by fire due to the Fall, or Pompeii, the Roman Empire, which achieved the climax of corruption, were buried alive by the Vesuvius Volcano in 1979. The present world is running at the height of pleasure and debauchery that cannot even be compared to it. Moreover, even the church, which is the body of the Lord, which is the last bastion of stability and peace, is shaking in faith. Numerous accidents and natural disasters that occur all over the world at such a time have nothing to do with today's fallen reality.
However, even in times of crisis, people do not care much about many disasters as if they see fire in the distance. They pay attention for a while and judge the cause on their own, but they are soon forgotten. This situation also appears in the text.
Something happened while Jesus was working. A shocking incident occurred in which Governor Pilate killed several Galileans in the temple. This was an act of the rulers abusing the ruled people and at the same time blaspheming God.
Another incident occurred when the tower of Siloam fell and 18 people were struck and killed. Siloam was the reservoir for the water supply to Jerusalem from Gihon. The tower built to protect this water is Siloam Tower. This tower has collapsed.
The people of Jesus' day saw these events and judged that they died because of their sins. In the past and now, people seem to think the same, transcending nationalities and races. Isn't thinking and judging other people's calamities the same as the words of the text and our present day?
Jesus knew people's thoughts and spoke of two events. “Do you think that these men were more guilty than all the Galileans, or the others who were in Jerusalem, by being harmed in this way? not. Unless you repent, you will all perish likewise.” In other words, he said that these events are like a mirror that is shown to people now. Jesus tells us to watch these events, discern the times, repent of our sins, and keep our lives.
Everything in the world is a mirror of our life.
In 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, the people of Israel who were living in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt were reminded of their disobedience to God and the punishment they suffered. Verses 5 and 6 say, “They were destroyed in the wilderness. Such things will become our mirrors, so that we may not be revelers, as they did in evil.” In verse 11, “These things that happened to us become a mirror, and also our people who have met the last days. It is written as a boundary.”
Everything in the universe is under the providence of God. In other words, everything in the world we live in is governed by God. Even the works of sin that blaspheme Satan cannot be accomplished without God's permission. It was also Satan who led Job's suffering. But it was approved by God. This is Job 1:12. “And the Lord said to Satan, All that he has I give into your hand. But do not put your hand on his body. Satan immediately withdrew from the presence of the Lord.” And in 2:6, “The Lord said to Satan, I give him into your hand. But his life must not be ruined.” He allowed Satan's actions.
Therefore, everything that is done in our lives now is done by God. Among the things we see before us today, there are hardships to accomplish God's will, but there are also disciplines due to sin. The saints, who are people of God, must know how to discern these things and see the times.
The Pharisees tempted Jesus and asked for a sign from heaven. Then Jesus rebuked them and sighed. This is Matthew 16:2-3 (King James translation in Korean). “In the evening, when the sky is red, you say, 'The weather will be nice.' And in the morning when the sky is red and frown, you say, 'The weather will be bad today. Hani, O you hypocrites, do you know how to discern the phenomena of heaven, but not the signs of the times?”
All the phenomena of the world before us are expressions of God. Therefore, we need to learn how to look at the events, accidents, and calamities we see and use them as a mirror to reflect on ourselves. If I see it as just passing by like a distant mountain, one day I will be able to become the protagonist of it. This is the Lord's warning.
A certain saint hurried diligently to get on the first train at 6:40 in the morning and go down to the countryside. There are only 4 cars a day to go to that province, so if you miss the first one, you'll be in a lot of trouble. It was nearing time, so I took a taxi. But that day, I met a very conscientious (?) driver.
It was early in the morning and there were not many cars on the road. Still, he kept the signal and stopped in front of the red light without fail. Once a red signal is caught, isn't it supposed to continue to catch the next signal? In a taxi that had to stop and go more than ten times, I burned my stomach endlessly, but to no avail. The driver noticed that he was restless and said, "It's because there are too many unnecessary crossings on the road."
Fortunately, I got into the car that was about to leave, but at that time, I was very resentful of the many crossings on the street. But the saint said, “Every time I come to church, there is no crossing, so I don’t know why these days, when I have to go back for a long time even after leaving the church in front of me, I don’t know why the crossings feel so sparse.”
It is the universal human mind that evaluates and judges the environment according to one's own circumstances. However, God's people should not deal with the world's environment around them. All work and circumstances should be considered God-centered.
Thinking, “What is God trying to do with this work?” and “What should I do with this work?” We need to think, “What is God telling me to do through this work?” Because everything that happens in our lives is God's will that God shows us.
It is a wise person to know the time and live like this. When we know the times of life, we know the natural times, and we know the spiritual times, we can live as faithful people who obey the will of God. In this way, in order to discern the times and time, we must open up all our senses. And you have to open your heart to see and feel the world. If you are trapped in your own stubborn thoughts, you will not be able to discern the will of God speaking through the circumstances and the times.
Let us fill our spirits with the Word of God. The fullness of God's Word in us will make us realize the will of God speaking through the times, circumstances, and many events, accidents, and disasters. I pray that you become a man of God who is awake in this way and that you will live a life that accomplishes the amazing work of bringing not only yourself but also many people around you back to the right way.