Title The Three Great Postures from God
The 3 great postures from God (1 Kings 10:1-13)
1. Come out with all your might
The story of the Queen of Sheba's visit after hearing Solomon's fame teaches us a lesson on how to stand before God. When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame, she wanted to know how on earth he was so blessed. In those days, when someone heard a rumor that they were wise, they would often come and test each other's knowledge. So they came to Jerusalem, about 2,000 kilometers from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
When King Solomon visited, the queen of Sheba did not come alone, but brought many spices, gold, and precious stones (verse 2). In those days it was customary to go out to a great king with a large gift as a sign of courtesy, loyalty, love, and gratitude. When you come before God like that, throw away your formal attitude and try to come out with all your heart, devotion, will, and strength. There is neither grace nor emotion in formal faith. God wants our hearts.
There was a person who always won first place in a quiz contest in Sunday School, went to church for decades, and knew a lot of things in his head, but he did not feel the emotion of faith. One day, he received a favor and his heart warmed. It took 40 years for the heat of the head to come down to the heat of the heart. Come before God with such a burning heart and longing heart.
2. Come out to hear
As the servants unwrapped the gift package, the queen of Sheba spoke to King Solomon with all her heart and wanted to hear something wise. Just as the queen of Sheba brought gifts from a distant place to learn a lesson from Solomon, come to God with sincerity and listen to God's voice. If you keep looking at the Bible, you will receive a new impression every time you look at it, and that emotion serves as a light, a lamp, and a guide in your life.
One day, someone was reading a message about the rich ruler in Mark 10. It was a sermon I had seen a lot and heard a lot in sermons. But that day, I heard this voice in my heart. "Mark! Can you give up everything and follow me and put me first in your life?” Even if you know the word so well, the impression that God gives you can be different each time, so keep close to the word.
The queen of Sheba traveled nearly two thousand kilometers over several weeks to listen to Solomon. The magi also ran that long distance to worship the baby Jesus. These days, if you want to listen to the Word of God, you only need to move 10 meters from your bedroom to your study. If you are more impressed, you can invest a little time and come to church. How blessed are you? Now, come before God more often and humbly listen to the Word.
3. Come out with a heart of praise
Many people today take what they enjoy for granted. But don't take anything for granted for whatever has been given you, but be grateful. Sometimes when I see others receiving a lot of blessings, I get jealous and sometimes I feel like this. "God! Why are you giving so much to that person and so little to me? It's unfair.” Don't even dream of complaining like that. Since God's blessings unfold in various ways, the conditions for blessings that are just right for you are already unfolding.
When thanksgiving and praise overflow, everything feels like God's grace. Living itself feels like grace, and being able to walk around with a healthy body feels like grace. Be a saint who knows grace and gratitude like that. Christianity is a religion of thanksgiving. Shamanism has only an origin and no thanks. Also, they want blessings, but not sharing. A prayer without such gratitude is a monologue of oneself, and a blessing without gratitude is an empty blessing.
Sometimes, I am moved to see people who express great gratitude for small things. I want to give good things to such a person as much as I want. God must have the same heart. Solomon also received the Queen's gift of thanks from the Queen of Sheba and gave her everything she asked for as she wished (verse 13). If you give thanks in such a way, God will give you more things of thanks.
Sometimes when greeting someone and asking, “How is life these days?”, the answer is different for each person even in the same environment. Some say “I have to live.” Then a wonderful way to live will unfold. Then someone says “It’s like hell.” Then a life like hell unfolds in a miraculous way. There is no separate heaven and hell. The difference between heaven and hell depends on how you think and see. Happiness is not determined by the circumstances, but by the attitude of gratitude.