Title: Rough waves make sailors competent.
Contents
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Rough waves make sailors competent.
Paul was on his way to kill the saints who had fled to Damascus. Suddenly on the road a light stronger than the noonday light came down from heaven and blinded Paul. And there was a voice. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” After this incident, Paul met Ananias in Damascus. The Lord said to Ananias. "Go. This man is my chosen vessel to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake" (Acts 9:15-16). )
Paul suffered a lot while preaching the gospel. In the text, Paul confesses how much harm he suffered. “I worked hard, I was thrown in prison more, I was beaten many times, and I almost died. I was beaten by the Jews five times, forty-one less than one, three times with rods, once with stones, three times on shipwreck, in a week in the depths, and on many journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from our own people, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger at sea, in danger among false brethren, and in toil and toil and slept many times. I have hunger, thirst, and hunger many times, cold and naked. On the contrary, there are things that are weighing down on me daily, not to mention other things, which I am concerned about for the sake of all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).
Through so many afflictions, Paul became stronger. As the rough waves approached, Paul became more dependent on God and became a man of God who cling to God. Life is often likened to sailing, battling rough waves. Or it is described as a journey through the perils of the wilderness. However, the rough waves make the sailor competent on the contrary.
1. A rough person keeps me alive.
When Paul was going here and there to preach the gospel, thousands of people rushed to him like wolves to kill him. Some even tried to kill Paul by swearing not to eat anything until he killed him. But every time Paul did, he clinged to God more and prayed. And each time God appeared to Paul, encouraged him and gave him courage. A man who was harsh on Paul made him pray. They were useful people who brought me closer to God. Rough waves make the sailors competent. We can sometimes meet tough people who try to hurt and hurt us. But rough people make me alive.
There was a rich man. The rich man bought a deserted island. And we planted trees and flowers here and there, making it a beautiful island. And he released his favorite rabbit. Over time, the rabbits' eyes began to blur. Its fur lost its luster and looked like a sick rabbit. Finally, I started to get sick. The rich man sighed. "To get sick in such a good environment..."
The rich man called the veterinarian. The vet looked at the rabbits, shook his head, said he didn't know why, and went back. The rich man went to find a wise rabbi. I asked why. The sage said with a chuckle. "Raise the wolves together." The rich man was surprised and asked. "What if I eat all the rabbits?"
said the rabbi. "The rabbit's disease is caused by the favorable environment. If you keep it with wolves, it will run away vigorously to avoid being eaten by the wolves. And the rabbit's eyes will shine. It will give strength to its legs. The hair will be shiny. The rich man did as the rabbi had said, and a few rabbits were caught and eaten, but all were healthy. A rough enemy made them stronger.
is. No need to complain that there are rough people around me. That person is what makes me. They are people who work together for the good of God.
2. Harsh circumstances bring us closer to God.
Paul was rich. He was a Pharisee who could live while enjoying power. He was the most intelligent person who studied under Gamaliel who could get a good job. But he refused a comfortable environment. He is an apostle who has chosen a harsh environment for the Lord. Paul, who had to live in an extremely harsh environment, had to always depend on God. I always prayed and always prayed for God's protection. It was because they could not live without relying on God for a single moment.
The ship carrying Paul was driven into the Valley of Death by a storm for 14 days. The 276 people on board shouted that they were all dead. But Paul prayed to God. God answered. Paul said. "I beseech you, now be at ease. There will be no harm to life among you, but only the belly. An angel who belongs to me, whom I serve, stood by me last night and said, "Do not be afraid, Paul, for you must stand before Caesar. God has given you all those who sail with you. Therefore, be at peace, everyone, I believe in God that it will be just as he said to me” (Acts 27:2-25).
Paul always had no choice but to pray. Those who live in a harsh environment had no choice but to draw close to God, so God gave them special graces. The greatest composer in history is undoubtedly Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach's music is said to be as beautiful as a rose. But his life was a series of bitter trials. My parents passed away early. So my brother raised me. But the older brother was too hard, so he hated the younger brother he was raising.
Bach grew up under unfavorable conditions, married a woman named Maria, and had seven children.
gave birth to a woman However, after going on a concert tour abroad with Marquis Leopold, it was found that his wife had passed away and the funeral had already taken place. remarried. They had 20 children, 11 sons and 9 daughters. But out of 20 children, 10 died and 10 were left. All ten children had to be buried with their own hands. Among the ten surviving children was a mentally retarded child. Bach became blind in old age. To make matters worse, he became paralyzed from a brain hemorrhage.
The family was a family of extreme poverty. His second wife, Anna Macdalena, died on February 27, 1760. There was no money for the funeral, so the funeral had to be entrusted to the Poor People's Relief Committee. Through these hardships, he came to know life deeply. In the midst of such suffering, I was able to make music that shared the pain of many people. Water makes a beautiful sound when it hits rocks. Great hardships, constant hardships, and unbearable hardships made the best music ever.
After finishing composing the oratorio and cantana, Bach wrote SDG on the staff. "For the glory of God alone" (Soli Deo Gloria). Bach was a devout Lutheran. And after composing an organ piece, I wrote INJ. It is an abbreviation for "In the name of Jesus". The Bach family, nicknamed the father of modern music, has produced more than 50 famous composers over the past 200 years. There was a reason God gave Bach so much suffering. It turned out that he was trying to train Bach in the midst of hardship so that he could produce good music.
History philosopher Toynbee's book <Challenge and Response> is a very meaningful book. Toynbee reveals in the book that no civilization was born under favorable natural conditions. It reveals that almost all places where human civilization has developed have been harsh, harsh environments. The birthplace of ancient civilizations and world religions were all bad land like the wilderness.
Egyptian Civilization, Sumerian Civilization, Indian Civilization, Guindes Civilization, Chinese Civilization
That's right. The people who started the Egyptian civilization were those who lived a hunting life in northern Africa. It was 5,000 years ago from now. As the rainfall front moved to the north, all of northern Africa was turning into a desert area. It was divided into three tribes. There was a tribe that remained and lived as it was. they have perished. Tribes that followed the storm front to the north also disappeared there.
However, tribes that migrated to the Nile region infested with wild beasts and venomous snakes and changed their lifestyles to farming, herding, and fishing created the splendid civilization of Egypt. They developed astronomy and solar calendars to determine when the Nile overflowed. Geometry and surveying were developed in order to divide the land that became wormwood when the Nile overflowed and then receded. Dikes have been developed to prevent flooding. The pulley was invented and the art of building axles improved. So they created the Pyramid of Wonders.
The same is true of Chinese civilization. There are two famous rivers in China. Yangtze River and Yellow River. The Yangtze River basin has a mild climate. The robber did not overflow, so it was good to live around it. It was comfortable. However, the Yellow River originates in the Kunlun Mountains and flows into the Bohai Bay. It was so cold that it froze in the winter, making it impossible for the boat to navigate. It flooded every year and took millions of lives. It was repeated every year. Fighting against such a harsh environment led to the development of the Yellow River civilization.
The same is true of the Jewish people. The people who have lived in the harshest environment in the world are the Jews. On July 9, 1970, the country was taken away. Until independence on May 14, 1948, for 1900 years, they were driven from place to place and suffered without a nation. He even captured Jews and gave them gun training. They even experimented with the power of bullets. They even tested how many people could be killed with a single bullet. hit
Russia killed 6 million people. There was no place on Earth that welcomed Jews. They lived in the harshest conditions.
When the whole world persecuted Jews, the only country that embraced them was the United States. After World War II, the United States gave up the Hudson River to the influx of Jews. It was a rough land. It was a land of harsh conditions with the worst conditions. The Jews built retaining walls to keep the Hudson River from overflowing. And I started the finance business. It has now become a global financial center. This is Wall Street today. The nation that blossomed world civilization became the Jews. Only 0.3% of ethnic groups now rule the world. In the Jews, the DNA that can overcome harsh environments is formed.
The harsh environment brings you closer to God, and God pours out more blessings. That's right. The rough waves make the sailors competent. Paul did. Paul, who abandoned the good environment and chose the harsh environment, became the greatest apostle in the history of mankind. It is said that if an arm or leg is broken and then reattached, the place will never be broken. A lot of glue came out and it hardened so hard that even though the seat next to it would break, it would never break again.
Conclusion. If you endure hardships and harsh environments, you become stronger. You become a stronger person, a beautiful person. Life often comes with rough waves. But no matter how rough the waves are, we can beat them and become competent. I want to shout again. The rough waves make the sailors competent.