Title "Walk with the God of Peace" (12..
Contents
Walk with the God of Peace
(Philippians 4:4-9)
Today is the last and second Sunday of 2008. This week there is the Christmas Day when the Lord was born, and December 28th is the year-end Sunday. Today, I would like to share my thoughts on how we will live the new year that God will give us as well as the attitude of our lives that have lived through the past year.
- Were the surroundings of my life filled with emotions of love? Or have I been living an insecure life? Have I really been living in peace? Have I been “loving one another” as Christ commanded? There is a book called "Status Anxiety" by Alain de Normal, which is now a bestseller. In this book, the author says that a person who lives with encouragement, praise, and recognition is healthy, just as he can fly high into the sky without falling to the ground when he continues to supply helium like a balloon. However, when someone “ignores” it, it is like a needle, and with just one poking, the heart sinks like a balloon pops and bursts. To love is to give encouragement, praise, and recognition to the person you live with. Rather than a great love, it should be a life that does not fail in the least amount of love, a love that acknowledges and praises those close to it.
- When a person is ignored, negative self-consciousness arises: “I am a failure,” “I am not important,” “I am stupid”. So, “I am a fool.” You end up living a life of atrophy, making the conclusion that “I am embarrassed”. Life is dominated by the power of death rather than the power of life. But the one who is loved and recognized is “I am precious.” “I am a smart person,” “I am worthy,” “I am smart,” “I am important”. This is the feeling and attitude of life that Christians should have. This is where the happy and the unhappy are separated. A person with an environment of criticism and disregard is less fortunate than a person with an environment of acceptance and love. On the other hand, people who are accepted and loved are happier than people who are in an environment where they are ignored and criticized. Christians must always remember that they have an attitude of life that goes beyond human approval and enjoys peace through God's approval and love.
- The Bible tells us to rejoice in the Lord. Why? Because it is full of God's approval, love, and forgiveness. Living with hatred, envy, and jealousy as a human being can be said to reveal humanity, but we must go one step further and live a mature Christian life. Because they are people who have received God's grace beyond human approval and love. Joshua Abraham Hessel said, “God's grace is abundantly given. But we don't realize it because our eyes to see it and our sense to feel it have become dull." However, it is said that even such a foolish person can feel the “wonder of doing”. When we obey and act upon the Word, we will encounter the wonderful grace of God. We Christians are people who have been approved by God. I hope that you will walk with the God of peace and live in grace in the new year as well. Amen.