Title: The Best Life
Contents
♡♥♡ The best life / 1 Peter 4:7-11
*** Introduction
Those of you who are worshiping now, are you approaching with the best heart that you can do? And can you say that your life now is the best life you can ever have?
There was a master who baked sweets himself while running a confectionery shop. At the confectionery shop, customers waiting in line to buy sweets. It was like seeing some kind of magic to watch the hands of the baker, how smooth the movements of their hands were. His face was always full of serenity, and his gestures were full of confidence. It is said that even those who had a depressed heart felt better when they stopped by the sweets house.
People said, 'It feels more like he's performing beautiful movements rather than working.' As he bakes cookies, he often says, “I never try to bake cookies like yesterday.” It means, “I want to live in a new form every day, and to engrave a different image of myself than yesterday into the cookies.”
Why does baking a little bit of sweets give others strength? He said this once or twice a year. “Today, the cake I want to pray for is baked. I only bake these cookies once or twice a year. It’s too precious to sell to customers, so it’s a sweet that I want to offer as a sacrifice to God.”
Even if it's a 'small thing' that doesn't seem like a big deal, the 'life of doing your best' is beautiful and moves people.
We sometimes use 'environment', 'talent', 'lack material', and 'health' as excuses for not doing our best. Perhaps, ‘knowing how much time you have left in your life’ is actually the biggest reason. But we are people who believe in the fact that God is in control and provides for everything in the world. For us, these excuses are just excuses. If I knew how much time I had, I would never waste my time on this excuse.
There is always money to be spent on good things, and not everyone has it. Also, working health is not always available and not everyone has it. In this way, the opportunity and time to work for the kingdom of God are not always given to everyone. So, is it not clear what kind of life I should lead now?
1. First, let's look at the four laws of life and how to practice them.
Let's look at these four lifestyles and find common ground.
The first is 'Prayer'.
As in verse 7 of the main text, the most important thing when the end is approaching is ‘prayer’ to maintain deep communion with God. God's people are engaged in a 'spiritual battle' while living in the world. In Ephesians 6:12, it says, “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against the rulers of this darkness, and against the spirits of evil in the heavens.” In other words, it is a battle between spirits and their forces that are invisible to our eyes. The only way to win this battle is through prayer.
When Jesus and the three disciples were going up the mountain of transfiguration, a man asked the nine disciples who were waiting at the bottom of the mountain to bring a son possessed by a demon and heal him. But the disciples did not heal them until Jesus came down. Jesus cast out a dumb and deaf demon and healed him. Later, the disciples asked Jesus. “Teacher, why didn’t we cast out the demons?” At that time, Jesus said, “This kind cannot come out except through prayer” (Mark 9:29).
That's right. For the saints who are ruled by the life of the spirit, they cannot overcome the world without ‘prayer’. That's why he said, "Be sober and sober, and pray." This is not a formal, obligatory prayer, but a prayer with all your might.
The second is 'love'.
You would know it well without telling me more about love. The problem is not knowing, but doing. It is done in deed and truth. It is 1 John 3:18. “Children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and truth.”
See verse 8 of the main text. “Love one another with zeal,” he said. The word ‘zealous’ is also used to describe the tight muscles of a player who is using all his strength to win a match. It's a phrase that we often use, 'I use even the power of breastfeeding'.
The third is 'to serve'.
This is verse 9. He said, “Let us have hospitality to one another without grumbling.” To serve is to serve. Christian hospitality is not to any particular object, but to one another. When it comes to hospitality, you should do it ‘without resentment’. In other words, it means to do things comfortably, kindly, and appropriately without arguing with burdens and worries. Doing the best I can to others. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, as to the Lord, and not to men.”
The reason we need to do this is because ‘to serve the least of these is to serve the Lord’ (Matthew 25:40). “Very small” refers to the marginalized and the weak and insignificant who do not receive the attention of people.
The fourth is ‘serving’.
‘Service’ is ‘serving others’ and ‘sacrificing oneself’. The use of 'gifts' is also mentioned here. This is because the purpose of God's gifts to the saints is to serve one another. Gifts were not given for comparison or for self-interest or boasting, but to serve one another and build up the church, the members.
And the rule for serving is to ‘do it with the strength that God supplies’. The word 'supply' has the meaning of 'giving freely from God'. In other words, we must do our best with God's generous provision in mind.
Did you find common ground in these four laws of life? What they have in common is 'the best'. I do the best I can with the gifts, talents, means, time, and abilities that God has given me.
The famous sculptor, Michelangelo, was hand-painted on the ceiling of a church called the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling was so high that, in fact, it was not possible to accurately grasp the appearance of the ceiling from below. Still, he was close to this ceiling wall, drawing every line with all his heart.
A friend of mine, who was watching this scene from below, said: “Hey, I don’t see anything here. Just do it in moderation and come down.” Then Michelangelo shouted at the friend from the ceiling. “Honey, who do you think has the best idea of what the outcome of this painting will be after it is finished?” “It must be you.” “That’s right. As far as I know and God knows, I cannot work below my best.”
You know your life best. Moreover, the truth and honesty of life is better known by God who searches the hearts of men. God knows and knows how much he did his best in his life and how much he did his best for the given task in the given time.
2. We have a reason to do this.
This is the second half of verse 11. “This is so that God may be glorified in everything through Jesus Christ… ” he said. ‘May God be glorified’ This is the reason why we should pray, love, entertain, and serve as we live in an era that is nearing the end. If I do everything I can to do my best in everything that is given to me so that God may be glorified, God works for me. This is what God wants of us as saints.
Still, people are foolish and think first of the immediate benefits and peace. As long as I am comfortable and profitable right now, I don't really care about the Word of God. How will I meet the Lord if the Lord calls me one day after living like that?
This is an excerpt from a Christian magazine called 'Religious World' a long time ago. There was this article in the faith sketch of Deacon Kim Min-sik, a gospel singer. It was a very simple test question. That's the problem.
‘My father sent me an errand. I must do this errand. What would be the wisest thing to do? Guess it.’
1) Do it verbally. 2) Get beaten up a bit. 3) I get hit a lot. 4) You end up being kicked out.
How many times will you circle?
Needless to say, no one would argue that number 1) is the wisest. Nevertheless, our reality is that there are not many people who live like No. 1). If you circle 4), this is an existence without hope. But unexpectedly, it is surprising that there are many people with type 3). It's a circle, you hit it in 1), but in real life, you do it like in 3). This is our humanity. Like the movie title 'You can't stop them no matter what you do', it is the sinful nature of people to not turn around after being hit enough.
It is now the season of Lent. Should I not think of the suffering of the Lord, who gave me eternal life and the kingdom of eternal happiness at no cost? If we think that the suffering and death of the Lord are for our sake, we should do these things with gratitude and joy. After all, your life and all your life is not your own. The moment we believe in the Lord as our Savior, we become His. I pray in the name of the Lord that you may be recognized by God as a faithful steward and enjoy joy and happiness on this earth by using your things for the Lord.