Title: Overcome Yourself and Live
Overcome yourself and live (John 21:20-22)
< Overcome yourself and live >
Life is like Go. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. If you stop losing once, you can't play Baduk again. If you lose one round, you win the next round. Don't give up too soon because of failure. Just as it is necessary to lay an iron plate on the face, it is also necessary to lay an iron plate on the heart. Even if there are trials and wounds, say, “Still, I will never give up.”
Don't judge me by one failure. hold my heart pray like this "God! Don’t let the ‘me within me’ collapse!” The greatest enemy in life is within me. If you find an enemy outside, they all become enemies. My spouse can also be an enemy that makes me hard. Of course, you can be upset because of others, but don't look for enemies outside. If you don't protect your heart and thoughts, everyone can become an enemy. Do not seek the power to conquer others, but seek the power to conquer yourself.
Enemies are not spouses or children, parents or in-laws. The real enemy is myself. Don't try to change your spouse or your children or your parents, but try to change yourself. Although Moses prayed for 40 years, Pharaoh did not change. The blessings of the Exodus were not obtained through Pharaoh's change, but through Moses' change. When I change, the curse becomes a blessing, and the enemy turns into a friend.
A change of heart is important. Even if you have the ability, if you don't change your mind, you'll be mocked. On the other hand, if you change your mind, “I envy that life. I respect you.” And those who see it also seek faith. Change of mind is more important than ability. When a person with a bad heart receives power, it causes greater misfortune. The greatest task of the saints is to overcome self and achieve a change of heart.
< Meaning of “You follow me!” >
At that time the Lord rebuked Peter almost as if he were face-to-face. “What do you care? You follow me!” What specifically does the phrase “follow me!” in this verse mean?
1. Don't Compare
The Lord hates it very much for the saints to be jealous of each other in comparison. It is not an easy battle even if we cooperate in spiritual battles, but if we are jealous of each other, we only like Satan. Envy and jealousy are the most obvious signs of corruption. After the fall of Adam, the first murder of mankind, in which Cain killed Abel, occurred out of envy and jealousy.
Don't live by comparison. John follows the Lord according to John, Peter follows the Lord as Peter does, and I follow the Lord as I do. Make your relationship with the Lord an ‘absolute one-to-one relationship’ rather than a ‘relative triangular relationship’. Don't be discouraged by the success of others. There's no reason for me to be "he". Everyone has their own characteristics and path to success. There is no need to be embarrassed, and there is no need to be proud of it. live like me “I have experienced grace!” means “I have lost my sense of comparison!”
2. Be confident
God is fair. There are things that make me rich as much as I am lacking. Do not doubt the goodness and fairness of God with a short thought. There are many people who seem to be living well on the outside but have dark hearts. The average lifespan of a king during the Joseon Dynasty was 34 years. I mean, that's how upset it is. Be confident. Don't be depressed no matter what happens. Think of yourself as valuable, be optimistic that there will be good things after bad things, that no matter how difficult it is, there is a way to live, and that you can be happier than anyone else.
3. Acknowledge others
In verse 22, the Lord said, “If you take John the other way, what does it matter to you? You follow me!” It means that you must recognize your mission, but also acknowledge the mission of others. All human beings are created with the will of God. When I acknowledge others with God's point of view, I am also recognized by God. Don't judge people by their looks. Even the seemingly insignificant person has a hidden gem in it when you get to know him deeply.
Let go of your superiority Be proud of what you have, but don't say that you will revamp other people's things to suit your taste. Those who pray silently acknowledge those who pray aloud, and those who pray aloud recognize those who pray quietly. We need an Excel-type person, and we need a brake-type person. We need quiet people and we need noisy people. I don't have to be like anyone else, and I don't have to make others like me. If I see other people's shortcomings, I can make up for them.
4. Look to the Lord and live
When following the Lord, do not squint, and do not follow the world and material things. Don't follow anyone. People are not trustworthy. It's just something you have to believe in. In fact, there is little that a person can do, so worship and prayer are more important than anything else. There are many people who give up because it is difficult to live in the fortress. What is the problem? The problem is not the 'lack of ability', but the 'lack of the source of ability'. The source of power is in God.
‘All-in’ to the Lord. When we completely throw ourselves into God's will and God's work, we gain the heart of God, prayer becomes powerful prayer, and as the treasures hidden within us are revealed, amazing fruits of blessing are given. The reason bamboo, an herbaceous plant, can grow so high is because of its nodes. Even a person who seems weak can grow into a great person when he sees the Lord in times of hardship and passes them well. If you go all-in to the Lord and become a being that pleases the Lord, you will become more successful than anyone else.