title now
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♡♥♡ Now / 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
*** Introduction
If you ask people, “What do you value the most?” Most likely, most would say 'life'. The Lord also said in Matthew 16:26, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? What would a man give in exchange for his life?”
Life is time and opportunity. And time and opportunity are neither past nor future; they are the present. For man, the past past is the realm of vocation, and the future that has not yet come is the realm of uncertainty. The only thing for sure is now. As Christians, we have a duty to fill the time and opportunity of ‘now’ with the best life possible.
However, more than anything else in heaven and earth, the human heart cannot be trusted. Is there a saying called Jobyeonseokgae (朝變夕改)? It is a phrase that means ‘to repair in the morning and evening’, which refers to ‘a person who has a simmering temperament’. Truly, the human heart is ignorant of deceit.
This is man's deceit. People promise ‘tomorrow’ without knowing everything that will happen today. In James 4:13-14 (King James), it says, “Today or tomorrow we will go to a certain city and stay there for about a year, buying and selling, and make a profit. What is your life, you do not know what will happen tomorrow? It is a mist that appears for a moment and then disappears.”
Without a sincere today, there is no guarantee of tomorrow. Even more so for us Christians. If we do not prepare the oil and lamp of faith today and now, tomorrow, the life of eternal life, will not come. Even for those who have already been saved, tomorrow is still uncertain until they enter the kingdom of God. An uncertain tomorrow can be overcome today, with every moment of sincerity and a life that fears and obeys God. If you are conceited that you have been saved and waste your time in vain or fill it with worldly affairs, the enjoyment of eternal life cannot be guaranteed. The Lord warns of this fact in parables. Matthew 24:45-51.
“Who is the faithful and wise servant who will give the master over his household, to distribute food in due season? Blessed is the servant when his master comes and sees his servant doing this. Truly I say to you, the master will entrust all that he has to him. If the evil servant thinks in his heart that his master is late, and he beats his companions and eats and drinks with drunkards, then the master of the servant will come on an unexpected day and at an hour he does not know, and he will strike him severely and punish the hypocrites. , there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This is “receiving the grace of God in vain” as mentioned in the text. In other words, the saints who live by the grace of God fill the present time and opportunity with worldly possessions and pleasures while assuring the eternal life of tomorrow, which is not yet certain. This is what makes God's grace in vain.
It's a bittersweet piece of a story that ridicules people's wrong habits.
The world of demons has an emergency. As people continued to believe in Jesus and escape their control, an emergency general meeting was held. The theme of the day was 'The Operation Conference to Send Human Souls to Hell'.
A devil suggested. “We would be the spirits of atheists and propaganda, ‘There is no God in the world.’” Then another devil arose and said, “That is wrong. Even when people claim atheism, if they encounter some kind of tribulation and are in a hurry, they repent in the sea, in the hospital, repent in failure, otherwise they call on God for the last time on their deathbed. Another devil got up and said, "There are far more clever tricks than I've said now." He said, "To the people of the world, God is too strict, and because he is a terrible God, he cannot even come close to human beings." Then another devil said, “So Jesus died on the cross. Believers do not hesitate to go to God because the Bible promises, ‘Through the merits of the blood of Jesus, we go boldly to the throne of God.’”
At that time, an old devil, who had been listening from a corner, called the chairman and said, “There is only one trick to lead people to hell, what is it?” He said, “Isn’t there a saying, ‘Tomorrow, next, cha-cha’? ? People like it the most, and it is a reassuring word.” So, it is said that this method was passed unanimously.
In this way, people put it off for ‘tomorrow’ and ‘to do it later’. This is an escape from reality. We put off what we should do now until tomorrow, which may or may not come, and we waste our precious time and opportunities today, reminiscing about the past, or doing things of little value. That's why the old people said, "A roe deer sticks for three years." This means that we are constantly reliving the past.
I can't do all I have to do, enjoy everything I have to do, spend everything I need and give the rest to God. How many times are you willing to spend time and open your wallet for your own enjoyment, even if you are nervous about taking time and opening your wallet for God's work and your spiritual life? However, he says that it is difficult to devote himself to God right now, and if he has more time in the future, he will work hard.
God says “I heard you in my favor, and I helped you in the day of salvation.” This means that there is time and opportunity to receive grace, and time and opportunity to gain salvation. You can receive grace at any time, whenever you want, and it is not that you are saved. Everyone now. Let's do it now. Let's love now, dedicate ourselves now, and give our zeal now. So, I wish you a happy life that will never leave you with regrets.