Title Ephesians 01:15-20 My wish is
Contents
Text: Ephesians 1:15-20
Title: My Wish
In the course of life, there is a path that you want to go and a path that you must go.
There is no better path in life than the path you want to take and the path you have to take.
However, if we are walking on the path of life and we go on a path that is at odds with the path we want to take or the path we should take, we must make a serious decision.
If the road I have to go is difficult and difficult, it will be even more difficult to make a decision. All Christians are commanded to follow Christ's path of service. In other words, the path that Christians must follow is the path of service and suffering.
Therefore, the Bible commands us to follow the narrow path to follow the Lord. What kind of path are you walking? I hope that we can find the path that God wants us to walk on and walk on the path we have to go.
1. What is my heart's wish? - What is the hope of the calling?
What do you want to do? What brings you joy?
We are the most beautiful masterpieces of God. Our birth and the circumstances of our lives are not by chance, but in God's plan. God loves us before we are born and has a plan for us.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Therefore, we must consider whether we are living a life that is in accordance with God's plan. (Romans 8:28) 'We know that everything that happens to us ultimately benefits us if we love God and live according to His plan.
The desires of our hearts that God has given us are by no means insignificant. It's very important. You must not ignore the wishes of the heart that God has given you.
What is the desire of our hearts that God has given us?
The desire of the heart that God gave us did not give us a heart to sin or do bad things. Because God loves us. God who loves us wants us to do good things with a good heart that He has given us. The heart God has given us is a heart to praise God, a heart to love our neighbor, a heart to save the souls of our neighbors, and a heart to do good works.
“Be all the more obedient, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, who is God in you, who gives you the will and the will to do for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12).
- It is God who gave the heart to salvation, and it is God who is working out that salvation.
We must listen carefully to the desires of our hearts that God has given us. This is because the desires of the heart that God has given are God's plans for us.
Just as the wind turns a pinwheel, God makes your wishes come true.
If our God-given heart is too far from our thoughts and wishes, it is because our heart is far from God's heart.
Our carnal thoughts always motivate us to deviate from our God-given plans. It is easy to get distracted by the little things and miss the big things.
Jesus always focused on one thing. There were those who wanted to make Jesus king over the crowds only when he performed miracles. Some have followed a political revolutionary to establish Jesus as the leader of the nation. Every time he healed a disease, he tried to establish himself as a healer. But Jesus always aligns his clear goals and plans with his Heavenly Father's will.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
The greatness of Jesus is that he lived a life that did not deviate from God's plan no matter how difficult it was.
2. What are my abilities - what are the grace and gifts of God
There are times when you want something, but you can't afford it. I want to entertain people through beautiful songs, but the listeners are not satisfied at all. There are people who don't always match the beat and pitch because they are tone-deaf.
'Evaluate with your own abilities' (Romans 12:3)
I need to know my strengths and gifts. When you teach, do others listen? When you lead, do others follow suit?
If you do not discover your strengths, you will not be able to carry out the plan that God has called you. I need to discover my talents and allow them to be used only for the purpose for which they were called.
Ex) There was a lighthouse keeper on a small island. The lighthouse came to this island once a month and filled it with the oil needed to light the lighthouse. One day, a person from the island came to us and asked for some oil, and gave it to us because we needed oil for heating. A few days later, a man came and asked for oil as the lamp was running out of oil. Whenever they asked for oil from a few islanders, they gave out oil. Then, towards the end of the month, when the lighthouse was lit, oil ran out and the lighthouse could not be lit, and several ships crashed into the shore at night. I heard a rebuke from the lighthouse keeper from the top, saying, 'You were supplied with oil for one reason: to light up the lighthouse.'
We cannot meet all the needs of the world. You cannot please everyone in the world. We cannot meet all the demands of the world. We must become those who please God, who is our savior.
The goal God wants should be the goal of my life. If God's goal is to save the world, then our goal should also be to save the world. The methods of salvation are different, but the overall picture is the same. He is trying to illuminate and save the world through our talents and abilities.
'We are the representatives of Christ, and God uses us to make people believe (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Even though the future may not know us, one thing is certain. God wants us to fulfill His plan through my abilities and talents.
Ex) We appear as two kinds of people when it comes to obeying God's plan. One can deviate from God's plan because of the thought of doing too many things. Another is that we fail to fulfill God's plan because of our desire to do nothing.
Even at the moment when Jesus was carrying the cross, there were hungry people, there were people with diseases to be cured, there were ignorant people to teach, and there were still too many unsaved souls. But Jesus said that by saying 'It is finished' on the cross, God's plan to save mankind was accomplished.
We cannot please God by doing everything we do, but we can please God by knowing the talents and abilities that have been given to us and being faithful to them.
3. How am I serving God now? - Serving God is living a right life in the field of life.
Listening to the Word so far, it seems that anxiety in the heart is rising. Believing in Jesus is no joke these days. It's very important.
Does that mean I have to change my job? You might think that I can't do that, even though it seems like I'm going to a seminary. But no need to worry. You don't have to.
Because he knew that Jesus was the Son of God.
Ex) When Jesus was 12 years old, Jesus said that his parents had gone to the temple in Jerusalem, and after three days on the way home from Nazareth, knowing that his son was gone, he went back to the temple and talked with the temple leaders and found Jesus. When asked, "Why are you here?" Jesus said, "Didn't you know that I had to do something about my Father?"
Then Jesus went straight to Galilee and did not preach or perform miracles. When Jesus returned to his home in Nazareth in Jerusalem, he helped his father and worked hard as a carpenter. Even after Jesus found out about his calling, he went back to his family and was faithful to his main job. If I want to become a missionary, the first mission field is our home. If one family does not believe in Jesus, how can we convince people across the sea to believe in Jesus?
In order to do great things for God, we must become a good employee at work and a person recognized in society. You have to earn a lot of money through your business.
The Bible does not say that it is bad for us to rise socially or to make money, but it does not take pleasure in using the abilities, status, and materials that I have for my own sake. We must do what pleases God through our talents and abilities.
If you pursue a life that can bring joy to God in God's plan and relationship, you will have a happy life.
Many Christians do not listen to the simplest words of truth, but set their heart's desires only for convenience and self-interest. Therefore, they are living helplessly in obedience to the Word of God.
This is because negative phenomena such as politics, culture, and economy that are happening around us now do not take the path that humans must take. Environmental problems, racial problems, and conflicts between nations are also phenomena that result from human disobedience living outside God's plan.
Also, the negative things that happen in the church are the problems of church leaders and members who do not stand right in the Word of God. What should the Korean church do?
Our society is pointing fingers towards the church. The reason is clear. This is because the church is not morally clean and neglects social service. On the other hand, it is evidence that the board of directors has a lot of expectations for the church.
Many people criticize the church, but they have a longing to meet God. We must all become disciples of God who can lead them to God to those we meet. I hope that you will become saints who can give hope to the people you meet in your given home, work, and life, not elsewhere.