To those who ask the way of life
Contents
*** To those who ask the way of life / Matthew 6:25-34
** Introductory words
There is a saying that is often heard these days. "I don't know what to do." The meaning of this word is 'expression of hesitating about choices', and it also means 'the road of life hits a wall and you can't find your way'. Perhaps it is a sigh mixed with sighs as life becomes difficult. People get frustrated in these moments of life, sometimes turning it into an opportunity for a new leap forward.
There is an interesting anecdote about the scientist Newton.
One day, while sitting by the fireplace reading a book, Newton suddenly called out to his maid. When the maid runs
“The stove is too hot, turn the heat down.”
said However, it is difficult to reduce the stove immediately because it uses firewood to make a fire. It is not easily controlled like today's electric stove, oil, or gas stove. How do I put down a burning wood fire right now? The maid looked at him for a moment and then said with a smile.
“Can’t the teacher move the chair back a little?”
Which is easier, lowering the long-burning fire or moving the chair back? Was it because Newton was not thinking? Now Newton didn't realize the trivial fact that he had to slide his chair back to think about something so important.
When a person becomes obsessed with worry, he loses the mind to think about other things. Most people who worry and worry a lot become obsessed with the little things. On the other hand, people who think more positively than worrying think about what's important first. Depending on what you think about, the results will be completely different. If you are surrounded by worries, you will not remember God, and you will be tied to your thoughts so that your heart burns. That is why Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joy of the heart is good medicine, but a sorrow of the spirit dries up the bones.” Through the apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow leads to salvation that has no regrets.” It brings about repentance that leads to death, and the sorrows of the world work out death.”
When life's road becomes difficult or when we think we've hit a wall, what we Christians need to do is not worry, worry, or despair. You have to take a step back and prioritize what you need to do first. The Lord hears the words of the text to those who ask, 'How should I live?' “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or what you will wear for your body. Isn't life more important than food, and the body more than clothes?” He tells us to think about what is more important and what we need to do first.
1. When you have trouble finding your way, stop for a moment and think.
Modern people are anxious when they are not doing something. Living is as busy as being chased. Even though the road is blocked and things fail repeatedly, I try to go on stubbornly. Otherwise, you feel frustrated as if you have all the worries of the world. When you feel anxious or anxious because it is difficult to find a way, you must stop. In other words, it means to stop what you are managing and promoting. Ecclesiastes 7:14 says, “Rejoice in the days of prosperity, and think in the days of trouble. God put these two things side by side, so that man could not fathom the future, so that he did not know it.”
The first thing the Israelites blocked their way to when they came out of Egypt to the wilderness was the Red Sea. Behind them, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, with his army, was pursuing them, and in front of them was the sea blocking their way. The people were going to and fro, and they were afraid that they were all going to die, so they cried out and blamed Moses. Then Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. The Egyptians you saw today will never again be seen again” (Exodus 14:13). In other words, stop your thoughts and management and think about what the task at hand means. Because it is God who manages everything in the world. And because everything in the world has a purpose. If we are bound by our own thoughts, we cannot see the work of God.
The Israelites lived in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the land of Canaan, and there was not a single day of comfort due to their worries, complaints, and resentment. no water food is bland I want to eat meat. The road is rough. Besides, whenever he has spare time, he commits an affair with a foreign nation around him, and makes idols. They lived only according to their carnal thoughts and their own feelings. In Numbers 14:11, God said, “The Lord said to Moses, How long will this people despise me? How long will you not believe in me, not thinking that I have performed all the miracles among them?”
When it is difficult to find a way, you should stop managing everything and think about God, who is the manager of all things. As you look back on the path you have taken, be thankful for the love and grace that God has given you. In verses 26-28, the Lord asks those who care about life to think about how the birds of the air and the lilies of the field live. The birds of the air do not build warehouses or store food, but God feeds them. He said that the lilies of the field do not weave, but are more beautiful than the clothes of Solomon, who enjoyed the most wealth and glory in the world. Then he rebuked them, saying, "If God cloths the grass of the field that is today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more do you think it is you? You of little faith."
Therefore, when it is difficult to find your way, when worries are piling up, and when frustration comes over you, stop all your busy work and look to God.
2. Check your priorities when you have trouble finding your way.
Today's world can be said to be an 'age of chaos in values'. People are confused about what to follow in a rapidly changing world. We are living in a mess, without even setting standards about what is right and what we should follow. So, all life is becoming 'fusion'. The word fusion originally has the meaning of dissolution, merger, union, etc. These days, it means 'to mix different things to form one'.
For example, if it is a fusion food, it is a combination of Jajangmyeon and Jjambbong, or a combination of traditional food and Western food. When it comes to fusion music, it's like mixing rock with jazz. In other words, it is easy to mix and use without distinction. As a result, people are getting immersed in the mindset that ‘comfortable is good!’. Right or wrong, I don't really care about values. We forget that this may be convenient right now, but in the end it is a path to misery.
God puts the brakes on when the path is not right and when the order of life is not right. In Luke 10:38 and below, Jesus was invited to the house of two sisters, Martha and Mary. My younger sister, Mary, was sitting next to Jesus and listening to the Word. My sister, Martha, was busy with various things to entertain Jesus. When she was so busy, her sister Maria did not help at all, and Martha stopped working and became annoyed. So I said to Jesus, “Please rebuke Mary.” Then Jesus said, “Martha, Martha! You are too concerned about many things. There is really only one important thing to be concerned about. Maria found it. I do not want to take it away from him.” (Luke 10:41-42, Modern English Bible).
Jesus was not saying that Martha's many efforts were wrong. You are talking about priorities. It means that spiritual food is more important than physical food, and obeying God's will is more important than many great and great human achievements. Let's look at verse 33. “Seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness. Then all these things will be added to you.” (Hyundai Words Bible/ “If you live with Him at the center of your life, contemplating on how to build the kingdom of God and how to do the right things that God wants, He will give you this. He will give you everything.”)
When the priorities are right, everything happens as naturally as water flows. This is what is referred to as ‘prosperity’. So was Enoch, so was Noah, so was Abraham, so was Joseph, and so was David. They had clear and distinct life goals and priorities in life. For these people, doing what pleases God was the purpose of their life and the determining factor in their priorities in life. In John 8:29, Jesus said, “He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” In addition, 1 John 3:22 says, “Whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.” In other words, the way to prosper with God is to ‘do what pleases God’.
You will not find your way by drinking alcohol, debauchery, thinking, and wandering around in search of help. Now, ask yourself, “Are the things I do please God?” And ask yourself this. “How will God please me?” This is the key to finding your way in life.
3. When it is difficult to find the way, be faithful to today and be grateful.
Let's look at verse 34. “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow, worry about tomorrow, and one day of suffering is enough for that day.” You said.
Man's suffering is because he thinks about things in the future that have not yet come. Success of children, measures for old age, anxiety about health, etc. Everything is concerned with things about the future we don't know right now. Therefore, the word ‘worry’ means ‘to share’ or ‘to separate’. In other words, worry is ‘a divided heart’. It is worrying to be divided into thoughts about life today and thoughts about life in the future.
That's why the Lord tells us to hold onto our worries about tomorrow. Because the Lord will be with you tomorrow as well as today. We have hope for tomorrow, but today is the day we need to put our best efforts into it. Let's look at Hebrews 3:13. He says, “Encourage one another daily, while it is called Today, that any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” The day given to us is ‘today’. Tomorrow is an uncertain day that may not be given to me.
When you have trouble finding your way, worry about your life, or trouble falling asleep, just think about today. While giving thanks for the love you have given me, do my best in the task given to me today and leave it to God, the owner of tomorrow. Then God, our Master, will take over the work and make it happen at the right time.
Let's read verses 33-34 together. We pray that the Holy Spirit will rule our hearts through the Word. “Seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness. Then all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow you will be concerned, and one day of suffering is sufficient for that day.”
Amen