Title: Remembering the Extreme Situation
Contents
2 Corinthians 8:1-7 Remembering the extreme
Have you ever faced extreme situations in your life? In the case of men, it is likely that they have experienced such extreme situations at least once during their military years. Especially when you go on a 100km march, you reach the extremes of human beings. It is really difficult training because it involves walking continuously without eating or sleeping for 24 hours.
If you give up halfway through such a march and fall behind, you will return to your unit, and you will have a lot of failures even though you know clearly how harshly you are being cheered up by your superiors, and you know that it is very shameful for your colleagues and subordinates. This is because we reach an extreme situation that is difficult to bear as a human being.
Those who have never done such a march may ask, "No, what makes walking so difficult?" You might ask yourself, but those who have done this training at least once will say, "Hey, you're dead!" And I think to myself. Ladies and gentlemen, if you keep walking for 24 hours without a break, it is a basic thing that you get big blisters on your feet, you get fat, you bleed, and you catch fire.
In my case, too, I felt my feet getting very wet during these marches. I usually sweat a lot on my feet, so "I must have sweated a lot!" I did not think much of it, but when I returned to the barracks after the 100km march and took off my boots, my feet were all covered with blood and I remember that the boots were soaked in blood, and my socks, blood, and flesh were entangled.
Not only these trainings, but among the training of the military are those that bring humans to the extreme. Among them, guerrilla training and karate training are one such case. In my case, I was also a guerrilla captain in the army, so I was able to see a lot of soldiers in such extreme situations. And I have found that being in such an extreme situation has been very helpful in my life.
In other words, when you face difficulties in your life, you say, "Ah, I've been through such extreme situations in the past, and this is what it is!" And I was able to get the strength to not be easily discouraged by hardship, not to despair easily, not to give up easily, and to endure to the end. And even when hard times come while pastoring, "This is nothing compared to what I've been through in the past!" And I was able to gain unshakable faith.
Moreover, when I face difficulties while doing God's work, I think of the extreme suffering that Jesus suffered. A few days ago, I saw a movie called 'The passion of the Christ', and the scene of Jesus' suffering was portrayed in a very realistic way. The scene was so tragic that people could not open their eyes properly to see it.
Ladies and gentlemen, compared to the suffering that Jesus suffered, the problems I am experiencing now, the suffering I am experiencing, and the sufferings that have come upon me are in a way not the blood of iron feet. If I look at Jesus who endured the extreme hardships, wouldn't I be able to endure in the midst of suffering? And when I think of the great suffering of Jesus, "Now, my suffering is nothing!" Wouldn't it rather be thanks to you?
Ladies and gentlemen, those who have lived their lives unaware of hardships, who have lived their lives unaware of hardships, soon become discouraged, complaining, and give up when the environment becomes a little more difficult, and they find themselves sinking deeper into life's misfortunes. However, those who have gone through hardships in extreme situations can go through any trials without thinking too much.
In my case, as well as Koreans who are older than me, most of the people in Korea would not leave rice in the bowl when eating. Because it reminds me of the difficult times in Korea in the past. At that time, many people could not eat rice properly because there was no rice, and there were many times when they ate with sujebi or other foods.
There was no such thing as these days, when you don't have rice, you cook ramen or order pizza. It was a time when many people wished to eat a lot of rice. That's why I too, my daughter left a few grains of rice and said, "I ate it all." When she tried to put the bowl in the dishwasher, she said, "Hey, come here. Where did you eat all these? Eat it all." and talk. In addition to that, I give a stern warning. ?쏡ear, children in North Korea are starving right now because they can?셳 eat, so how can I leave rice like this???
Guys, isn't there something like this in an English proverb? "Never discuss life with someone who has never eaten the bread of tears." In other words, the attitude and purpose of life are different from those who have experienced extreme poverty and hunger and those who have never experienced hunger. A person who has experienced hunger is grateful when rice goes into their mouth. However, people who have never experienced hunger take it for granted when rice goes into their mouth. So no thanks.
In life, we sometimes encounter extreme situations. And such extreme situations make me more tolerant, more grateful, and more courageous. Therefore, if you look in the Bible, you will see that most of the people God uses were in extreme situations.
In the case of Abraham, who is said to be the father of faith, he emigrated to a foreign land and suffered famines and wars, and his wife was also taken away from others twice. Isaac also went through an extreme situation when his father Abraham took up a sword and tried to kill him. And Jacob, too, was in a very serious crisis where his brother Esau was going to kill him with 400 men. In addition, Joseph also suffered from human trafficking by his older brothers, and he went through an extreme situation of being imprisoned after being falsely accused of wrongdoing.
Through these extreme situations, they became dependent on God and became more and more equipped as God's people. If you look at the Bible, you see that God deliberately drives the people he writes to extreme situations. And the harder you go through these extreme situations, the more you will see that the person is being put to good use.
In today's text, we see the Macedonian churches. The churches in Macedonia at that time were very difficult economically due to the exploitation of the Roman Empire. As mentioned in the text, these people were in extreme poverty. And he went through many trials and tribulations. However, the strange thing is that such extreme poverty made them overflow with a wealth of generosity, and furthermore, it was said that they exceeded their strength.
In other words, their faith became purer and more passionate because they were in extreme situations. However, when circumstances improve, we often see that faith walks the path of depravity and indolence. That is why, sometimes, going through extreme situations is a great benefit of faith. And it is necessary to reflect on such an extreme situation once again and make yourself more beautiful.
Living abroad can sometimes make life difficult and your passion for your goals diminished. In this case, remember the extremes. ?쏷he members of the early church became food for lions because they believed in Jesus, and they kept their faith until they were subjected to various types of punishment. and try to push yourself.
If you have difficulties, think of people of faith who have suffered more than you. And have courage to think of how well they overcame those extreme difficulties. Ladies and gentlemen, through history, Koreans see that when difficulties come, the power to overcome them is strong. The Korean people are indeed a nation that has gone through a lot of extreme hardship. And we have overcome those difficulties so far.
In particular, I don't know if you've heard of it, but during the Japanese colonial era, there was a poet of national resistance named 'Yuksa Lee'. Among his poems is a poem titled 'Flowers'. Would you like to hear it?
In the east, the sky is over
Even when a single drop of rain falls
Rather, don't the flowers bloom red?
A day without rest adorning my life.
Even in the northern tundra, the cold dawn
Deep in the snow, flower buds rumble
Waiting for swallows to fly black
Finally, a promise that cannot be broken.
A place where water flows in the middle of the sea
In the flower castle that burns with the wind
Flocks of reminiscences who are drunk like butterflies.
Today I am calling you here.
At the time of writing this poem, the poet was in the barren land of the cold northern tundra, where the sky ended, where there was no rain. Even in such an extreme situation, he does not lose hope to blossom for the coming spring day, and is renewing his resolve to work tirelessly every day for the liberation of his country.
Ladies and gentlemen, living in Canada, sometimes the environment is so good that you lose your dreams, hopes and goals and wander. And on the other hand, living in a foreign land can sometimes be extremely difficult. When this happens, think of yourself or others who have been in extreme situations before. Think of the great men who gave their lives to spread the gospel or to save the nation, even in the extreme conditions of the Japanese colonial era and in the extreme conditions of the Korean War. And try to renew your resolve in your life once again.
Not long ago, I saw a picture called "Never ever give up". A large stork has a frog in its mouth and is about to swallow it, but the frog is doing its best to prevent the stork from swallowing it any more by squeezing the stork's neck with all its outstretched hand, even if its head has already entered the stork's mouth Picture. In other words, it is a lesson to never give up, no matter how extreme the situation.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are times when you face extreme situations while living abroad. But don't forget. You have handled such extremes well before. Therefore, it can handle both the current extreme situation in a foreign land and the extreme situation to come. And Jesus, who well endured the extreme situation of suffering on the cross, is still with me and you. Therefore, even in this foreign land, we can live steadfastly as God's people in hard times and sad times, in good times and in bad times.