Title Don't be discouraged!
Don't be discouraged!
Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 (see Nehemiah 6:1-9)
When the Israelites returned to their hometown after a long period of captivity in Babylon, they gathered their strength and started rebuilding the ruined walls. However, it seems that not all of them liked the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. On the contrary, it seems that they generally sent bad glances. Among them, the evil crowds around them constantly threatened Nehemiah, who was in charge of the construction. They even tried to assassinate him. He also put him in trouble by spreading false rumors that he was plotting rebellion against Persia by rebuilding the walls. It seems that he was weary of such relentless sabotage. But that didn't stop me from giving up halfway through doing the right thing. So he prayed. “Oh, God! Now strengthen my hands!” That's right! Prayer refreshes everyone. Because we, who live while waiting for the kingdom of God, can pray today, we can move forward with hope, not despair.
Next, he asked me to imitate myself. The apostle Paul, who commanded a departure from those who strayed from the right path of faith and were going astray, now urged them to imitate themselves more actively. The word imitating means 'to imitate' or 'to do the same thing'. In fact, for the Thessalonian church members, imitating the apostle Paul was a self-explanatory statement. Because you have shown enough through your concrete life so far. What kind of life did he really lead? It is well illustrated in the first letter to the Thessalonians to the church members. He suffered hardships and insults. Nevertheless, he lived a life that pleased God rather than pleasing men. He was honest and humble. He also labored and struggled. He was holy, just, and blameless. He also prayed constantly for others. Moreover, he encouraged the weak. He also upholds the weak and is patient with all.
When the Apostle Paul said doing good here, he was not referring to the degree of doing good to someone. It has a broader meaning and means to do what is right and reasonable. Also, the word discouraged has the same meaning as being tired or heartbroken. So what he's trying to stress here is that if you're doing what you believe is right, don't care what others think and never give up halfway through discouragement or disappointment. Because we Christians who believe in and follow the Lord never use the words or actions of others as our standard of living. But it is because we Christians should make the Lord's words and deeds the only standard in our lives.
Now, please quietly reflect yourself in front of the mirror of the Word. Through the words given to us today, I hope that you will first check your faith in the Lord's return once again. Are you sure that the Lord will come again? The Lord did not say when or when, but He did promise to come again. And didn't he himself say that he did not tell us the time and the season so that we might be awake at all times? The secret itself is also a mysterious grace for us. May we see once again how firm our faith in the Second Coming of the Lord is.
Next, we want to make sure that our Adventist beliefs are correct. After meeting the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul lived with imminent end-time rituals until his martyrdom. For him, the imminent ritual of the end was a matter directly related to the mission the Lord had entrusted to him. Didn't he do his best to ensure that at least one more person could be saved before the Lord returns? But despite having the same imminent end-time consciousness, didn't some members of the Thessalonian church live a chaotic life waiting for that day to come? Even if you live with an imminent doomsday consciousness, depending on how you digest it, you can do great things to yourself or others, or even do great harm. Therefore, it is important to have a sure Adventist faith, but it is important to remember that it is even more important to have the correct Adventist faith.
Lastly, like the Apostle Paul, we must be able to confidently shout, 'Imitate me!' And in order to cry out like that, we must constantly imitate the Lord. Can we confidently cry out, like the Apostle Paul, 'Imitate me!'? Are we really living a life that constantly resembles the Lord?
In 2000, Douglas Dafort, who was appointed as the new President of the Coca-Cola Company in the United States, issued the following New Year's message to his employees: 'Life is not a race, it is a journey of walking, savoring the taste step by step. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is our gift. That's why today's Present is what we call Present.' That's right! For those of us who live with an eschatological attitude, each day is a gift that is more precious than anything else. Then, why not treat such a special gift arbitrarily?
Dear saints, May you separate yourself from those who walk without scale, those who live in disorder! And I hope you will live a life that resembles the Lord like the ancestors of faith who went before you! Do good, as the Lord never gave up until he was crucified, but don't be discouraged to the end! So, I sincerely hope that when the Lord comes again, we will be all of you who are truly blessed to receive the Lord with joy and enjoy eternal life with Him in the house of our Heavenly Father!