Title Don't Ask, Love
Contents
Text: John 15:6-7
(6) If a man does not abide in me, he throws it out like a branch and withers away. People gather it and throw it into the fire and burn it. (7) If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish. Then it will be done
Gospel of John (90) Love without demand (John 15:8-10)
"Money doesn't bring happiness"
Singer Madonna is famous for her male side. When someone asked her if she was happy the other day, she said: “I have never met anyone who lives happily ever after.”
Let go of the illusion that the rich will be happy. Money cannot buy happiness. More important than money is trust. The greater your faith, the greater your happiness. Don't base your happiness on the environment. When you encounter a problem, do not look at the problem, but look to the God who overcomes the problem. In fact, the problems and sufferings are permitted by God to give them better blessings.
A few years ago I swam briefly for health. After swimming for a long time, at first I had severe pain in my shoulder. Each time I wanted to give up swimming, but as soon as I continued swimming during the pain, the pain went away, and from then on, I became more familiar with the water and learned to use the buoyancy of the water. If you don't give up even if there is pain, do what you have to do and keep going on the road you need to go, you can use the buoyancy of pain to live a more joyful life.
< Don't ask for it, love it >
Twice in the text Jesus said, “Stay in love!” (verses 9-10). If you abide in yourself, your happiness will disappear, but if you abide in love, you can regain the happiness you do not have. The first factor that prevents happiness is the ‘requesting spirit’. The demanding spirit is only interested in receiving and not interested in sharing. The demanding spirit also believes that he can get everything he wants, thinking of God as a debtor who must do something for him. It is close to when such faith will crumble.
Some meetings excite people like this. "Everyone! God will give you a nice car and a nice house. If you believe in God, all diseases will be healed and you will earn a lot of money.” Then millions of people say “Amen!” It is the way he sees God as a boy who is a heavenly messenger who does everything he wants.
An American TV evangelist asked his audience to put a picture of what they wanted on their refrigerator and confess it with their lips. When you do that, it really happens. Hearing that sermon, people put Cadillac, house, diamond necklaces on their refrigerators, and even attached handsome men and beautiful women. God hates it the most. Reliefism is the greatest enemy of faith. God is more pleased with the 'obedient spirit' than the 'requesting spirit'. The bluebird of happiness comes to the obedient, not the demanding.
The demanding spirit is easily hurt by comparisons with others. Some people seem to make money easily, but if it's hard for you, it hurts. Some couples seem to live happily ever after, but if they don't, that will hurt too. They feel jealousy and anger toward those who are more and more happy in that way, and eventually resent God. "God! Why don't you bless me?” Would you like to bless God for such a person?
Be a ‘loving spirit’, not a ‘requesting spirit’. Then Satan will never take away his happiness. A certain deacon in the United States was not in a very difficult situation, but he worked both during the day and at night. I found out later that the reason I worked day and night was to help more missionaries. When you go out for missionary work and charity with even a little more heart for others, even a little bit more happiness will dwell in your heart.