Title Is the Source of Blessings? (Interpreted sermon)
Contents
Is it a source of happiness?
Are You a Blessing?
Colossians 3:15-17
November 21st Thanksgiving Sermon
15 Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts. You have been called into one body to enjoy this peace. Also, be grateful. 16 Let the word of Christ live among you abundantly. Teach and exhort one another with all wisdom. Praise your God wholeheartedly with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thanksgiving. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, drawing strength from him, giving thanks to our Heavenly Father.
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We are the descendants of Abraham who received the promise that we will become a source of blessing. (Genesis 12:2) It was said that all nations would be blessed through Abraham. What does this mean? (Genesis 12:3) Today we are here Let's think about it together.
If we look at the Bible, we can see that the blessings Abraham received are different from the blessings we think. After receiving the promise, Abraham did not get a big house, nor did he live a luxurious life.
This did not guarantee a good job, but Abraham, who received the promise, immediately went on a pilgrimage, and it was a arduous journey. Even more so, God had not prepared a Prari luxury car or a Land Rover for that trip. So, what did it mean for him to be a source of blessing?
He learned gratitude through the pilgrimage, and as he came to know the true meaning of peace, he was able to testify to it with his body, which is why he became a source of blessing.
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I have spent the last two weeks meditating on the word “pilgrimage” constantly. After spending some time with my dying mother-in-law, I was able to see again the blessings I found on the Journey of Life.
My mother-in-law was receiving nutrition through a tube with a very small body with only bones, but she had not spoken for a long time.
He is still conscious, knowing that his daughter from America is coming to see him, and having trouble slept the night before, when we went, his condition deteriorated to the point where he could no longer supply food by tube. He became weaker with the same, and it was difficult to even open his eyes.
After we stayed by our side for a night, he found psychological stability, got some sleep and regained the energy to shake his eyes, sending a faint sign that he recognized his daughter with his eyes, and shed tears when we prayed. You also shed.
When the whole family gathered at the hospital from far and near to meet us, the hospital room was full of families, and the elderly man who looked at it could not express it in words, but he could also see happiness.
So we could quietly say a prayer of thanks to close the pilgrimage of life, and then we came to understand what Paul meant by “Let peace reign in your hearts.” I found out what this is.
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There is a saying. “Tourists demand, pilgrims appreciate. Tourists demand something, but pilgrims give thanks."
To gain authority in life is to live life like a tourist, and in the lives of these people, self-satisfaction and achievement are the center of life, and they live without enjoying peace.
However, as descendants of Abraham, we live a life of pilgrimage in every moment of our lives, where we discover gratitude from our Heavenly Father and continually learn that life is worship.
This is also the precious spirit that America preserves through Thanksgiving. In 1620, when 102 men crossed the Atlantic Ocean to uncharted lands, wintered, and harvested their first harvest with the help of the natives, about three-quarters of their families were lost to rough voyages, hunger and cold.
If you really think about it, how sad it must have been for the loss of 3 out of 4 family members, but like Abraham, they first thanked God as pilgrims and gave thanks to God.
This is the spirit of Thanksgiving. When there is this spirit, this country will be blessed and will share the blessings. This is by no means easy. It is a path that can only be achieved through faith. Everyone likes the teaching to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18), but few live as it is. Because it is impossible without faith in God.
Together with our mother-in-law, we were truly grateful for his 87 years of life, not because we had no regrets, nor because we had no regrets.
After liberation, she too had lost everything in Japan and moved to Korea. Also, she lost her husband when she was young, and lived a very difficult and harsh life. There is no end to demanding and complaining. We were able to give thanks in the Lord through faith, and at that time we could experience the text that says that peace will rule over us.
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When we give thanks, we live as a source of blessing. God has called us to be a source of blessing. This is our belief.
Our qualifications do not matter. By grace, God Himself has called us to the source of blessing. But there is something we must do. It's thanks. We should be grateful.
If our gratitude does not waver, we will live as a source of blessing. If I give thanks, my family will be blessed through me. Our church will be blessed through me. Our country will be blessed. The world will be blessed through us.
We are all grateful and hope that we can enjoy the joy of living as a source of blessing.