Title: Sacrifice for Brothers
Contents
An entomologist conducted an experiment on ants. He put wooden chopsticks in a place where the ants lived in groups and set it on fire. This was to study how ants would react in case of a fire. Then something unexpected happened. The ants started moving in unison, breaking the expectation that they would be embarrassed because they did not know how to put out the fire. The first ant to discover the fire threw itself into the fire, and the following ants also jumped into the fire, and the flame grew weaker. The chitin that makes up the ant's body is changed into a fire extinguishing substance that reduces the flame as it burns. In this way, sacrifices are accompanied by valuable fruits.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24)
That's right. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and does not rot, it remains alone; but if it rots, it will bear much fruit. Do not be afraid to die for what is right.
Jesus did not come to this earth to be served, but to serve and to be sacrificed on the cross for all mankind to save us.
The Bible says
“For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
“By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for our brethren” (1 John 3:16).
“If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar, and he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).
The following is a story told by Ayako Miura, who is very well known to us in the novel The Freezing Point.
A good place to live is coveted by many. That's why wars often happen. Why is the security of the Korean Peninsula always at risk? It's probably because it's Mt. The place where Abraham's nephew Lot settled was coveted by all. It was a fertile land like the Garden of Eden. But the war was so intense that Lot was taken captive. Abraham hears this news. Abraham rushes to the battlefield with the gasoline and rescues his nephew Lot. Because he truly loved Lot, he risked his life to fight. These days, we get bored even when we're just cousins. In the agricultural tradition of Korea, ten villages lived under one roof. But now, it is common for uncles and nephews to be as cool as men. Even worse, disputes arise between fathers and sons. But Abraham laid down his life for his nephew. The church refers to the saints as the community of Jesus. What is a community? It means becoming one. The head is Jesus, and we are members of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul said, "If one member is sick, all the members, that is, the body, are sick." Shouldn't we be building a sense of community in the church at home, making sacrifices for each other, and giving ourselves? In particular, if someone in your family or members of the saints has fallen into heresy, you need to increase your love and interest to rescue them as soon as possible. In the words "Love your neighbor", you should think of your neighbors as brothers and sisters.