Title The Way to Meet God (2011.03.06)
Contents
The first week of March
way to meet God
Luke 15:18-24
How can I meet God? When things are difficult and frustrating, we earnestly seek God, but we often turn away from our hearts because we do not know how to meet God. Today, we want to understand how to meet God through the parable of the prodigal son. The son in the parable receives property (money) from his father and spends it with his friends, but after losing both money and friends, he suffers. And in the end, he returns to his father in a shabby appearance.
When we see the sufferings of our son, we think of the sufferings we face in our lives. Why does God allow suffering for His chosen children? But soon we come to realize that God's will and grace are with us through suffering. A person of faith is revealed through suffering. A ‘believer’ is not a person who is prosperous in everything, but someone who has a different perspective on interpreting ‘difficulty’. So, you can see that you become stronger when you suffer ‘hardship’. If the interpretation of ‘hardship and difficulty’ is changed, from then on, suffering becomes a ‘stepping stone to blessing’. Or does your ‘hardship’ not stop at ‘hardship’? I hope that you will become true believers who make suffering a ‘pathway to blessing’.
In the text we see a son leaving his father and falling into a miserable life. If we too depart from God, our lives will be blocked. After that, the son returns to his father. How do you get back? Verse 17 says, “Then they converted themselves,” that is, they choose “conversion” and “repent.” If there is no change even after attending church for a long time, it is because there is no ‘conversion and repentance’. Like the Apostle Paul, when we talk about our shortcomings, people exalt him. When we realize our shortcomings and turn around, we can meet the living God.
So, the place to meet God is the ‘seat of failure’ and the ‘spot of problems’. Is your reality in a stifling situation right now? It is time to meet God. Jacob's Jabbok River and Esther's "If you die, you will die" are the places of despair and impossibility, but those who have faith will change into places of hope and blessings. 'True conversion' is to turn directly and go to the Father, just like a son did. It does not end with tears and emotional appeals, but a decision to start anew.
Does God want a perfect man who does not sin? Although God is imperfect, He wants people who come out of His bosom. Everyone! Do not seek God only when you have a problem. Always be with God. Even if you are lacking and humble, even if you fail and lose everything, you must stay with God. God will embrace you without asking anything. And God is watching you behind your back when you feel alone. Look around. God's love is overflowing all around us. The problem is that we don't accept it.
There is only one thing that Almighty God cannot do. It is giving up on love. Meet God in your place of life. God will be your strength.