Title For a life without regrets (October 9)
Content span id="writeContents">◆ Main text: 2 Corinthians 7:10
Last week, we held the Yeoncheon United Crusade in Gyeonggi-do, which marks the 80th anniversary of the introduction of the Gospel. Many members of our church also attended, but it became a blessing gathering with the largest number of people in the 80-year Christian history of Yeoncheon. Thank you for your prayers and there is a reason why everything is bound to go well in everything you do. There were people who really fasted and prayed for that meeting. "okay. Because there are people like that, it has no choice but to do well.” Today, we are going to greet our church, and those who come for the first time will be very shy, but if this greeting comes naturally, you will be blessed. We will hold hands and confess together. “Why do I look so good when I see you?” Second greeting. “Am I very proud?” Third greeting. “Are you happy because of me?” To be honest, a lot of people get stuck in this area.
This is a story that someone left to his juniors when he finished his public life. “I am truly grateful to tears at the end of this public service. Looking back, I have lived my public life with no regrets. First of all, I was able to live right away because I met God. Second, there were my family of good faith who prayed for me so that I would never go wrong and not turn my eyes to unclean places. Third, I cannot hold back or go wrong here now, because I have a way to go. Because I have a place to return to, I always look forward to it.”
There are many people who live a short life and look back and think that they regret the life they have lived. We have heard too many voices of those who rise to a position where they can dominate others because they are higher than others on this earth, and later confess that they have lived a life that they regret too much. There are indeed many people who say that they have lived an unhappy life even though they have accumulated more wealth than others. Most people say that they lived their life and lived with regrets.
However, although a small number of people, the people who confessed that they have lived a truly happy life despite having had neither possessions nor light are those who have lived by faith. It is because I knew that even though I did not rise above others, even though I was in a position to serve others, the happiness of serving is the greatest. Only those who do not have more than others but can share with what they have, who know what the happiness of sharing is, and those who know God, receive grace from the Word, and live every day and be thankful for their lives. It can be said that they lived happily ever after.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have heard so many words, but where do they go? Even though we think it has not changed, we believe that as long as the Word is in you, one day it will lead you to a successful life. It is important to live truthfully, to live according to the Word. If you say you have done something wrong, you must have the courage to ask for forgiveness, whether a year, ten, or twenty years have passed. You must also have a generous heart to forgive those who have wronged you. Forgiveness and forgiving heart, that is what we Christians need. I told you this early in the morning, but you have to take the word and eat it. You must know the sweetness of the word. Guys, it's not just your mouth that tastes sweet. The sweetest thing in this world is the sweetness of the Word. When we know the sweetness of the word and live in it, we can live a life with no regrets.
Second, those who have a life of prayer will live a life of no regrets. What is prayer? Confession. It is always a confession of loving God. As long as we have a confession, we will not be abandoned. No matter how much we make a mistake, if we confess, we forgive. If we confess a little love, God makes it more beautiful and bigger. Because God is the one who receives it, He listens to the prayers of those who pray, and whenever we pray, God gives us the dream of faith. You will see such a vision through prayer.
Yesterday was the birthday of a 90-year-old evangelist. That evangelist was the evangelist of Bucheon First Church when I was a child. She was a widow and lived very poorly. Bucheon Jeil Church has become such a large church now, but when I was young, the church was small. I couldn't properly pay the living expenses of the evangelist. So I do church work and personal work, but the widow evangelist had a son. One day, I had to go to a distant place for work. He asked a few butlers for his son and went that far. But the butlers who received the request forgot about it. I left my little son behind on a cold winter day, but the fire was not lit, so the little boy suffered frostbite. So I lost one eye and lost one of my hands. I didn't have any money, so I couldn't get proper treatment.
This child, who was good at drawing from an early age, was said to be a prodigy, and has not been able to draw since then. This little boy was eager to study, but his widow's mother couldn't make him study. Our church also gives scholarships to seminarians, but since Bucheon Jeil Church gives scholarships to seminarians, I did not go to the seminary with a mission, but because I wanted to study. One day, I cried thinking about my situation. And then I prayed. I cried and prayed alone in the Methodist seminary chapel. “God, I can’t even use my eyes, and I can’t use my hands properly. I have a very poor mother. God, I am vaguely on my way out. Without God, I have no way out.” I prayed earnestly.
At that time, I came to give a scholarship to the seminary because the person called the main deacon was constantly receiving blessings in business. Before delivering the scholarship, I went into the church chapel and prayed, and a student was praying in front of me. That prayer came into my heart with so much sincerity. After praying, I called the student. I listened to his story in detail. The chief butler said, “Yeah. It's no coincidence that you and I met. We didn't meet by chance." Because these are not the lyrics of a popular song meeting right now... “God made you and me meet. okay. I will take care of you. Do whatever you want to study. But there is one condition. Don't forget the way you prayed in tears today for the rest of your life."
Thirdly, who can live a life without regrets? You have to be patient. Faith is waiting. Those who cannot wait for the blessing of faith cannot become theirs. You are familiar with the story of Esau and Jacob. When Esau came back from the hunting grounds and was temporarily hungry, his younger brother Jacob made red bean porridge and said, “I’ll give you a bowl of red bean soup, so look at me, ‘brother,’ and say the word.” It is said that he could not stand his hunger and ate a bowl of red bean porridge and said “brother” once, that made his entire life a life of regret. With a bowl of red bean porridge, he lost the right to receive the blessing of his firstborn son, and his descendants lived a life of regret in which they had no choice but to bow their heads to the descendants of Jacob.
Everyone, you have to be patient and wait. When you go abroad, what do you say to represent your people? It's "quickly fast". "quickly." Everywhere you go, if you see only Koreans, “Hurry, hurry.” Even in the restaurant, “quick quick.” I can't wait. In the Bible, it is said that those who know how to wait made their own blessings. If you rush, you will fail. People in a hurry don't do well. As he waited, God gave Abraham the blessing of Isaac. How much trouble did Abraham face because of his son Ishmael? But only after making them wait, God gave the blessing called Isaac. You have to be able to wait. The original hymn read, “Give me your grace.” But these days, even when we sing a hymn, we just say, “Hurry up, please. give me now Give it to me right now.” Sing the hymns like that too. The greatest beauty of faith is that it bears beautiful fruit when we wait. If we are impatient, we have no choice but to live a life of regret. To those who truly wait, God blesses them, and to those who know how to wait, He grants them a life with no regrets.
In your short life, you will never regret it. In order to live a life with no regrets, we must live truthfully. Because the truth will one day be recognized. In order to live a life with no regrets, we must live a life that fulfills God's will through prayer. In order to live a life with no regrets, we must live a life of patience. Therefore, like the Apostle Paul, I hope that you will be able to confess that I have lived without shame because of my faith. As all those who live with the Lord boasted of their lives, I sincerely hope that you will be able to live a proud life. We will pray with you.
“Thank God, help us to appreciate the precious time in this life we have been given, help us to live truthfully in order to live a life of no regrets, help us to live in prayer, and to help us live a life of perseverance. God, guide our lives to make good use of the time you have given us. I earnestly pray in the name of Jesus. Amen."