Title: Remember God the Creator
< Blessing of good memories >
Sometimes when I leave Korea for work, I miss my family and church members more. So, in a foreign land, when I picture my family and the saints in my heart, it feels good, so there are many times when I laugh like a crazy person alone. When you see that, God will smile too. How wonderful it is to be away for a little while and discover a love you don't normally feel. Sometimes, you have to leave your place to realize the grace and emotion of that place anew.
Even if I miss church for a week, I miss the church and its members, and I want to return home as soon as possible. When I get home, I feel like I will live only after eating kimchi stew, gochujang, and ramen in a hurry. If you leave Korea, you will miss kimchi, but how much will you miss your home and church? When we miss each other after not seeing each other for a while, the longing contains true love.
There are many people who miss the true church and the true Word. Because of longing, some people cross the street every week to go to church. If the distance is far, the life of faith suffers and the body becomes tired. Still, if you can transcend great distances, your faith will be upgraded to the next level, and your body will feel tired, but your mind will feel the joy of ascending high into the sky.
Longing for a church life that leaves you deeply nostalgic if you leave the church for a while. At that time, that church becomes ‘my church’, not ‘the church I attend’. If you don't have such 'My Church' yet, find 'My Church' quickly. It is not a church enjoyed in the midst of a large crowd, but a church that has traces of my sweat and tears so that I can have good memories and be happy in the end.
About 10 years ago, I took a brief look at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on the way home from attending the US General Assembly. Rent a car at the airport at 4pm and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge around 5pm. And from the vista point, we admired the Golden Gate Bridge for about 20 minutes. It was just that. When I saw it alone, I felt lonely and sad rather than beautiful. Besides, watching it alone made it even more boring. “It's a waste that I paid 200 dollars for hotel and rental car to see this!”
The next morning, I boarded the plane with an empty mind, thinking that I had stopped by San Francisco for nothing. Then something strange happened. There was one thing that kept leaving deep images in my head on the plane, and that was the Golden Gate Bridge. When I saw it, it was just like that, but after a while, the video was still there. And the farther the plane was from the United States, the more the footage seemed to remain.
The Golden Gate Bridge was definitely different from the crowds of Disneyland or Universal Studios. It was just that when I saw it, but I remember it for a long time. I thought then. “How great would it be to become a church that remains in the video for a long time as time goes by?” Church life should be made as meaningful as possible, making it more memorable over time, rather than trying to be swept away in the crowd, as you do at Disneyland or Universal Studios.
<Remember God the Creator>
Among the things a person should remember, there are the most beautiful memories. It is the memory of God the Creator. Look at verse 1 of the text. “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, before the year draws near when you will say that I have no pleasure in you!” A life that remembers God the Creator means a life of faith that discovers the hand of God in all circumstances and difficulties.
Once upon a time, when I went to the US General Assembly, someone broke the windshield of my car and took my briefcase. So I lost my passport, cell phone, minutes of the General Assembly and the Bible. At that time, rather than hating the thief who stole nothing, I felt pity for him and prayed to God. "God! The thief even stole the Bible, so please see the Bible and repent!” At that time, I thanked God for giving me a chance to reflect on myself and forgiving me.
Sometimes when difficult situations arise, how blessed would it be to connect those situations with a life that remembers God? Difficult situations arise in life. How destructive would you be to become arrogant without those brakes in your life? Sometimes when I catch a cold, I truly thank God who created me. This is because I believe that giving my body, which was abused by the cold, to rest for a while is rather helpful for my entire life.
A successful life requires some money, education, effort, and good fortune, but the most important thing is to ‘become a spirit of the soil’. If we remember and give thanks to God the Creator, the fruit will change and our blessings and happiness will also change. Failure is not the fault of the environment, not the health, not the lack of capital and personal connections, but ultimately the fault of one's own mind. If God's vision is restored in your heart and you have an open heart to the Word, the way will be opened. Time goes by so quickly, the time comes when you say, “I have no pleasure in anything.” Before that, always remember God the Creator and live.