Either Cold or Hot (Rev. 3:14-22)

Either Cold or Hot (Rev. 3:14-22)

       
Are you cold or hot?
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:16).

Jesus had a message for the church at Laodecia and for us today.
Who were the Laodiceans?
The city was famous for banking, cloth production and eye medicine.
The city Laodicea had lukewarm water which was mixture of two neighboring cities' cold and hot waters--that is, Colossae's hot spring water and Hierapolis' cold water. And, interestingly Jesus compared the city's lukewarm water with its church Christians' lukewarm faith.
Jesus said that they were neither cold nor hot.

They thought they were rich. But Jesus said they were: "Wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked" (17). (Though Laodicea was known for its banking, cloth production and eye medicine - Jesus said they were the opposite in their spiritual lives - poor, blind and naked.)

The church at Laodicea thought it was okay. They "worked" for the Lord. However, they were self-contented. Jesus remarked, "You say 'I am rich,' have become wealthy and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked" (17).

They had become "comfortable" with their lives.
They had enough money to live on, enough food to eat. Things were pretty good. But Jesus said that they were the opposite.

What happens in our lives when we become comfortable?
We tend to forget to call on God for our needs. It can happen to any of us. Slowly, slowly, we are spiritually lulled to sleep.
How do we keep from getting "comfortable"?
We need to keep on stepping out in faith with the Lord.
Are you settled and comfortable in your service for the Lord?
Have you ever asked the Lord to challenge you to stretch your faith?
Is there some way you can serve the Lord that stretches your faith?
Don't become too comfortable!
It is a dangerous position!
God's eternal reward is for those who are "good and faithful servants."

Jesus said to them, "Buy from me gold refined in the fire, white garments that you may be clothed. Anoint your eyes with eye salve - that you may see" (18).

Jesus says, "Be earnest and repent" (19).
The Laodicean church thought they were okay, but they did not realize that they were lukewarm in their love for the Lord.
They needed to repent of that.

Why does Jesus rebuke us?
Jesus rebukes us because he loves us very much.
Jesus says in verse 19: "I reprove and discipline those whom I love."
The world around us is trying to make parents feel guilty for punishing our children, but God's Word tells us many times that parents must make their children obey.

Jesus speaks to the church, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (20).
Notice that these words were spoken to the church.
It is possible for us in the church to think we are serving the Lord, but in actual fact we are lukewarm in our love for Him.

"To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne" (21).
Do you know how much the Lord wants to bless your lives?
Do you know what He has prepared for all who love Him?

Our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to be hot in our love and service for Him.
He cannot live with lukewarm Christians.
He will spit them out of his mouth.
Strong words to us!

If we have been lukewarm in our love for Jesus, there is a solution to this problem!
The solution is to ask for his forgiveness and get back on track with him.
"Be earnest and repent" (19).
If water cools off, it has to be reconnected with the source of heat so it can be hot again.
We need to "reconnect" with the Lord so we can remain on fire for Him.
Jesus Christ has promised to be with us and give us his Spirit to live for him as he wants us to do.

Be Faithful Unto Death (Rev. 2:8-11)

Be Faithful Unto Death (Rev. 2:8-11)

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Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) happened to run away, being defeated in a battle, All of his soldiers ran away before him to save their lives. Yet, there was one soldier beside him. He let him lead a horse on whose saddle a heavy box was placing. The soldier showed his loyalty to the end by taking a good care of the horse and the heavy box on it.
Later, Alexander regained his power and won the great victory in the war. And he called the faithful soldier. Alexander commanded him to come closer and to open the box that he had carried. In the box, there were lumps of gold. The king gave the whole box to the soldier in reward for his faithfulness.

In a novel, 「Silence」 written by a Japanese novelist, Shusaku Endo, there is an inspirational story of a Portuguese Catholic priest, Francisco Garrpe. Although Japanese officials kept commanding him to apostatize, he rejected their enforcement. He did not deny Jesus Christ. He was tied on the post at the shore of the sea where the tide kept coming in. Garrpe was singing and praying to God even until the water sank him to the neck.  Finally the head of Garrpe was lost in the sea and the voice was still. He was faithful to the Lord unto death.

Eric Riddle from Scotland was a very famous runner. He participated in the Paris Summer Olympics in 1924. He was anticipated to be awarded a gold medal. However, there was a problem. The final game was scheduled to be held on Sunday. Participating in the track event on Sundays was against his belief. So, he gave up the finals although he was a heavily favorite. Officials from the British Athletic Association strongly persuaded him to participate in the final event. Yet, Riddle rejected, saying, "I cannot steal the day that is wholly dedicated to the LORD."
                                                  
Later he became a missionary to China. And he closed his life which had been devoted to God wholly. His life story was made into a movie, and its title is "Chariots of Fire."

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Apostle John sent letters to the seven churches which were scattered in Asia Minor. Although John is the writer of the letters, Jesus Christ is the One who speaks in the letters. The church in Smyrna was one of them.
Jesus Christ who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again says to the Christians in Smyrna:
 "I know your affliction and poverty--yet you are rich."
You may be rich although you are in affliction and poverty. How is it possible?
Your richness is a spiritual matter. You are a citizen in the Kingdom of Heaven and you have a mansion there as Jesus promised his disciples (John 14:2). Jesus went there to prepare a dwelling place for each of you.

Jesus tells the saints in Smyrna: "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days."
The saints in the Smyrnian Church were persecuted by the Devil. Yet, they could pass through the persecution because they looked to Jesus, the initiator and the perfector of their faith. Although the persecution was so hard to bear, but it was not endless.
And when you suffer, your God will be with you to reduce your pain and to let you bear it.

Jesus exhorts them: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."
Our Lord has been faithful to us, and he is asking us to be faithful unto death.

There was Polycarp, a bishop of the church in Smyrna in the second century. He was caught and brought to the proconsul to be martyred.
Seeing Polycarp's old age, the proconsul told him:
    "Respect your age. Swear by the genius of Caesar, repent, say: 'Away with the Atheists.'"
Polycarp was silent for a while.
The proconsul pressed him, saying:
    "Take the oath and I will let you go. Revile Christ!"
Then, Polycarp answered:
    "For eighty-six years have I been his servant, and he has done me nothing wrong, and how can I blaspheme my King who saved me."
The proconsul persisted again, saying:
    "Swear by the genius of Caesar!"
Polycarp answered:
    "If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as you say, and pretend that you are ignorant who I am, listen plainly: I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn the doctrine of Christianity, fix a day and listen."
The proconsul said:
    "I have wild beasts, I will deliver you to them, unless you repent."
Polycarp answered:
    "Call for them, for repentance from better to worse is not allowed to us; but it is good to change from evil to righteousness."
The proconsul said:
    "I will cause you to be consumed by fire, if you despise the beasts, unless you repent."
Polycarp responded:
    "You threaten with fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. But why are you waiting? Come, do what you will."
Polycarp was so brave before death, as he was so sure about what would wait for him.

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Remember Jesus' exhortation toward us: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." Jesus himself has been faithful to God unto death. He died on the cross to fulfill God's plan of salvation of his people.
Paul has been faithful in his Christian life, confessing: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

How can you be faithful unto death in your daily life. "Be faithful unto death" is not so difficult as you might think.

If you desire to love God more and desire to live by his Word, he will give you the power to live according to his will.
Let us ask God to help us so that we may be faithful unto death and that we may be awarded the crown of life.

Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega (Rev. 1:1-8)

Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega (Rev. 1:1-8)

       
John begins his Book of Revelation with the phrase, "the revelation of Jesus Christ." Jesus made his revelation known by sending his angel to his servant John(v. 1). Thus, John testifies everything he saw and heard.
John tells us, "Blessed is the one who reads the word of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near(v. 3)."

John wrote a letter in which he bore witness everything he saw and heard to the seven churches in the province of Asia Minor.
The seven churches represented all churches on the earth. John wanted to tell all the churches those things what he saw and heard so that they might be all awake and well comforted.

In verse 4 John conveys grace and peace from two Persons in one God before he speaks of Jesus Christ, God the Son, in verse 5 and the following. They are God the Father and God the Spirit.
Firstly, John describes God the Father: "he who is and who was and who is to come."
In Exodus 3, when Moses was called by God on the top of the Mount Horeb, he asked God His name. Then, God answered Moses that He is Jehovah, that is, "I am who I am(Exod. 3:14)." And this name Jehovah also means "I will be who I will be" and "I was who I was."
That is, Jehovah God was from the beginning and is now and will be to the end.
He is the God of eternity--"El Olam"--"eternally existing God."

Then, John describes God the Spirit as the seven spirits. The expression of "the seven spirits" represents the perfection and the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not bound by time and space. He can be inside of each and every believer's mind.

Then, John speaks of God the Son, Jesus Christ in verse 5 and the following.
First of all, Jesus Christ is the faithful witness.
Jesus Christ throughout his public ministry witnessed God the Father and His love to those who did not know well about God the Father and His love.
John in the Gospel John 1:18 says: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made Him known."
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the martyr, who revealed the true image of God and died on the cross after he was rejected by those who worshiped the false image of God.

Secondly, Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead.
Jesus Christ did not stay with the dead ones forever but "has indeed been raised from the dead to become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep" as Paul also testifies in 1 Corinthians 15:20.
The resurrection of Jesus is the proof that his witness was truthful.

Thirdly, Jesus Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Jesus Christ is the king of kings. at whose name "every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:10)."
John in Revelation 11:15 says: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."

Fourthly, Jesus Christ loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.
Jesus' shedding his blood was not for his own sins and trespasses but for our sins and trespasses. Yes, it is for "my" own sins and trespasses.
Therefore "I" was liberated from the power of Satan and became a free person.

Fifthly, Jesus Christ has made us a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.
Here, a kingdom is the community of faith or the group of Christians who will reign with Christ a thousand years when Jesus comes to us again(Rev. 20:4).
By becoming a priest, any lay Christian can boldly enter into the holy of holies to directly confess his sins and trespasses to be pardoned by God.
In the Old Testament period, only high priests who were from Aaron's descendants could enter into the most holy place to make atonement for people.
Now, you don't need any human mediator who will confess your sins and trespasses on behalf of you.
Peter in 1 Peter 2:9 also says: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God."

Sixthly, Jesus Christ will come again with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.
This is the description of Christ's second coming. Everyone will see his coming again.
According to the Book of Acts 1:9, "Jesus was taken up before his disciples' very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." The two angels in the Book of Acts 1:11 say to those who were looking intently up into the sky, as Jesus was going up to Heaven: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Seventhly, Jesus Christ is the Lord and God.
This is not only Thomas' confession of faith but also the confession of John himself. Thomas confessed when he saw the risen Jesus: "You are my Lord and my God" in John 20:28. John describes this Jesus Christ as God from the beginning of his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1)." The Word who is God is no other than Jesus Christ.

Eighthly, Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
In the ancient Semitic language, the first consonant was called “ʾalf" which was a drawing of an ox-head. So, if you look at English A, Greek Alpha, and Hebrew Aleph carefully, you will see they have the figure of an ox-head. The head is the top of a body. Thus, A or Alpha has the meanings of the top, the first, and the beginning.
The Omega is the last consonant in Greek. Thus, the phrase "the Alpha and the Omega" means "the first and the last" and "the beginning and the end."

The phrase "I am the Alpha and the Omega" is used in two other places in the same Book of Revelation.
In Revelation 21:6, He who was seated on the throne, that is, God the Father, said to John: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life." In Revelation 22:12-13, Jesus Christ says: "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
The description on Jesus Christ in verse 8 is same as the description on God the Father in 1:4 and 21:6. That is, Jesus Christ, who is the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty, is God Himself, the Jehovah God and the eternal God.

We should be the witnesses of Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness; the first born from the dead; the ruler of the kings of the earth; who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood; who has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father; and who will come again with the clouds; and who is the Alpha and the Omega; who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

We should also hope for His immediate coming-again as John in Revelation 22:20 asks Jesus, "Come soon, Lord Jesus" and Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:22, "Come soon, O Lord(=Marana-atha)."

Life That Follows The Truth (3 John 1-4)

Life That Follows The Truth (3 John 1-4)

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If you can live by the truth or by the principles that you think right, it will make you a strong and consistent, and faithful Christian.
Jonathan Edwards (1703-58), who was a very well-known theologian and pastor in the 18th century in the United States, made 5 rules of life for himself and lived by those rules.
First, as long as I live, I will do my best to live by the will of God;
Second, I will never look down upon others and hurt others in speech and deeds.
Third, I will never avenge or revenge myself on others in speech and deeds.
Fourth, I will never do shameful things throughout my life.
Fifth, I will make the most of the time creatively and constructively without wasting any time.
You may be able to keep these rules for a while, but it is very difficult to keep these rules throughout the whole life.

There was a famous British athlete named Jonathan Edwards. He was a world record holder and kept renewing his record in three-step long jump in 1990s.
He participated in 1992 Barcelona Olympics in Spain, but could not earn the gold medal. It was not because he fell short of others but because the final was held on Sunday. His rule of life as a Christian athlete was that he would not participate in any events on Sunday. According to his rule of life, he gave up participating in the final that decided the medals.

There was another famous Scotch athlete who also had the same rule of life with that of Jonathan Edwards. His name was Eric Lidell who participated in 1924 Paris Olympics. He was a world record holder in 400 hundred meter dash. But, as the final was held on Sunday, he declined to participate in the event. The prime minister of Scotland called him to urge him to participate in the race for the glory of his country Scotland. But, his decision was not changed.

The dream of amateur athletes is to earn a gold medal in an Olympic final. However, Eric Lidell as well as Jonathan Edwards gave up their dreams of gold medal to live by their rule of life.
Eric Lidell thought that "spreading the gospel is every believer's mission." Thus, he as a believer wanted and decided to spread the gospel. He became a missionary and went to China to live by his rule of life as a Christian. His life as a missionary was sometimes painful and poor, but he was very happy and glad as he lived according to his rule of life which was truthful to God.
His biography was published as a book and its title was "The Flying Scotchman."
Later, it was made into a movie and its title was "Chariots of Fire." Elijah in the Bible rode the chariots of fire to go up to heaven alive. Eric Lidell like the great prophet Elijah tried to live by the Word of God.

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V. 1: The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

John the Apostle wrote a letter a person named Gaius, whom he loved in the truth. He does not describe in detail who Gaius was. And, it may not be important who he was. But, the important thing is that Gaius was a man who well-treated travelling evangelists who were sent by John for the gospel-spreading purpose.

V. 2: Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in health; I know that it is well with your soul.

John prays for Gaius three things continually.
First of all, John prays for the well-being of Gaius' soul. That is, John prays for his salvation, eternal life and peaceful mind in all difficulties.
Above all things, our spiritual well-being is a most important thing.
Jesus asks in Mark 8:36 for us: "For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his (eternal) life?"
So, we must pray for our spiritual health.

Secondly, John prays for Gaius' well-being in this world.
It is not for his wealth but for his fear-free, worry-free, and risk-free life.
Back then, living as a Christian was a very risky life.
If you were caught by soldiers, you would be surely killed.
So, any Christian's everyday life was not an easy going life.
                                                  
Thus, John wants to pray for Gaius' well-being in his daily life--that is, for his safety and peaceful life even in the persecution by the Roman government.

Thirdly, John prays for Gaius' physical well-being, his health.
Our health is very important when we want to praise God joyfully and loudly. If we are losing our health, our Christian worship and praise may not be joyful any more. So, if possible, we must maintain our good health.
And we should pray for our good health.

Vs. 3-4: For I greatly rejoiced when some of the brethren arrived and testified to the truth of your life, as indeed you do follow the truth. No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth.

John rejoiced greatly when he heard from some brothers that Gaius kept following the truth,
What would God's joy be if John rejoiced greatly when he heard that Gaius followed the truth?
God would be well pleased with Gaius' following the truth.
What does it mean by "Gaius continues to walk in the truth"?
What is the truth?
Jesus tells us in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the truth except through me."
Thus, "walk in the truth" means "walk in Jesus" or "abide in Jesus."
Jesus also says in John 17:17, "Father. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."
Thus, "walk in the truth" means "live according to the Word of God."
And, the truth, that is Jesus or the Word of God, makes us free from all the worries, fears, and risks, as Jesus tells us in John 8:32, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

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Do you not want to walk in the truth that sets you free and that bestows God's blessings upon you?
When you continue to walk in the truth, that is in Jesus, continue to live by the Word of God, your prayer topics will be answered for sure.
Your soul and spirit getting along well, all things in this world may go well with you, and you will enjoy good health.
Let us continue to walk in the truth, in Christ, according to the Word of God.

Jesus Christ is the Same (Heb. 13:8)

Jesus Christ is the Same (Heb. 13:8)

       
There is a Gospel song that praises the sameness of our Almighty God:
"My beloved Father, I lift Your Name on high. As Your Kingdom come in my praise, I praise the Lord of Power. Praise the Almighty God. You are always the same Lord.
Praise the Almighty God. You reign forever. I lift the Name of my Lord on high.    I lift the Name of my Lord on high. I lift the Name of my Lord on high like the flag lifted on high in the sky.
Praise the Almighty God. You are always the same Lord. Praise the Almighty God. You reign forever."

Among the historical confessions and creeds, the Chalcedonian Creed in 451 states the sameness of Jesus Christ:
"Following, then, the holy fathers, we unite in teaching all men to confess the one and only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. This selfsame one is perfect both in deity and in humanness; this selfsame one is also actually God and actually man, with a rational soul <meaning human soul> and a body. He is of the same reality as God as far as his deity is concerned and of the same reality as we ourselves as far as his humanness is concerned; thus like us in all respects, sin only excepted. Before time began he was begotten of the Father, in respect of his deity, and now in these "last days," for us and behalf of our salvation, this selfsame one was born of Mary the virgin, who is God-bearer in respect of his humanness. ......"

There is a Korean old saying: "Ten years makes even rivers and hills changed."
All created things including human beings in this world are subject to change.
All worldly fashions and human truths are also subject to change.
There is no human truth or fashion that lasts forever
There is nothing eternal, nothing unchanging on the earth.
Yet, the author of the Hebrews tells us in 13:8 that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Jesus Christ is the same forever. Jesus Christ is unchanging.
The unchangeability or the sameness is characteristic of God the Creator.
Thus, when the author of the Hebrews states, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever," he confesses that Jesus Christ is God.

What is unchanging or the same in Jesus Christ?
His loving-kindness for His people is unchanging.
He always loves them who were created according to the image of God.
Even when he was betrayed, denied, and hanged on the cross, his loving-kindness for his people was never reduced.

His promise for his people is unchanging.
John in his Gospel 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
The promises of God are valid all the time.
Jesus' promise of salvation through him is always reliable and trustworthy.
If Jesus added later any word to his promise of salvation by faith, saying, "Unless you behave yourself perfectly, I will cancel my promise of salvation although you still call me 'Lord and Savior'," then his promise would not be the reliable one.

Jesus' guide and protection are the same.
His promise of guide and protection never failed.
Jesus promised his disciples in Matthew 28:20: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus Christ, our God tells his people his being with them in Hebrews 13:5: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Thus, we will be safe, protected, and led in His direction by our Lord who is always with us.

God proclaims his blessing and protection to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3: "I will make you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God encourages Joshua when he became a new leader of Israel replacing Moses in Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

God promised his people in Isaiah 43:2-3: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

In the Gospel of John Jesus declares who he is: "I am the bread of life (6:35); I am the light of the world(8:12); I am the gate for the sheep(10:7); I am the good shepherd(10:11, 14); I am the resurrection and the life(11:25); I am the way and the truth and the life(14:6); and I am the true vine(15:1)."
Jesus' declaration of "I Am" means 'Jehovah.' --That is, "I was, I am, and I will be."
Thus, Jesus Christ was the bread of life; He is the bread of life; and He will be the bread of life."
Jesus Christ was the good shepherd; He is the good shepherd; and He will be the good shepherd forever. And so on.

Do you believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever?
His Word is the same yesterday and today and forever.
His promises never failed, and will never fail.
His guide and protection are unchanging.
He was, is and will be with us all the time.
Isaiah in his book 40:8 tells us: "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever."
Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, stands forever; He is never changing; Jesus Christ and His truthful word are the same yesterday and today and forever.
Thus, we always should look to Jesus Christ and lean on him and his word of promises.

Look to Jesus (Heb. 12:1-3)

Look to Jesus (Heb. 12:1-3)

       

1

On a snowy Sunday, January 6 1850, a 15 year old boy found himself in Colchester, one of the oldest cities in England, and on his way to the local Congregational Chapel. But the snow and sleet intensified so that he turned down a side lane called
Artillery Street and came to the Primitive Methodist Church. The teenager Charles Spurgeon entered the church building.

There were thirteen people, including him, present in the Sanctuary. Even the pastor had failed to arrive because of the stormy weather. A thin-looking man climbed into the pulpit. He was Mr. John Egglen, a deacon of the church. He himself could barely come to the church, by walking a mile from his home making his way through the snow and sleet. As the pastor could not come to the church, the worship was about to be cancelled. But Mr. Egglen volunteered to preach although he had never preached before.

Mr. Egglen stood at the pulpit and announced his text as Isaiah 45:22. It was his favorite Bible verse. He read the verse: "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else."
He had not much to say. It compelled him to keep on repeating his text.
Mr. Egglen said:
"My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It says, 'Look.'
Now, looking doesn't take a deal of pain. It is not lifting your foot or your finger; It is just 'Look!'
Well, a man needn't go to college to learn to look.
You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look.
A child can look.

One who is almost an idiot can look. However weak, or however poor a man may be, he can look. And if he looks the promise is that he shall live."

 The preacher ran out of anything fresh to say after ten minutes. He looked at his congregation and picked on Spurgeon. He was a stranger to this church.
"Young man, you look very miserable."
As a matter of fact, Spurgeon was so miserable and his heart was very troubled by not having found the way of salvation. He was visiting every church in town.
The preacher went on:
"You always will be miserable--miserable in life and miserable in death--if you don't obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved."
And then Mr. Egglen shouted at top of his voice,
"Young man, look to Jesus Christ.
Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but to look and live!"
And the young Spurgeon did look. When he looked to Jesus, he felt that he was saved at that very moment. Spurgeon saw immediately the way of salvation.
Like as when the brazen serpent was lifted up by Moses in the wilderness, the people only looked and were healed, so it was with Spurgeon.
Once Spurgeon was sure about his salvation, he became a preacher. Charles Spurgeon, indeed, became the most powerful and most influential preacher in the 19th century in England, by continuing to look to Jesus throughout his whole life.

2

The author of the Hebrews wants to comfort the readers, the Jewish Christians in Rome, who have been struggling in their race of faith, by saying, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Sometimes, you find yourselves struggling in your Christian race. But you should know that you are not the sole runners who are running the Christian race of faith. There are so many witnesses of faith who had completed their race--Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, and others listed in Chapter 11 and many others whose names are not recorded anywhere.

To run better, a runner makes his body as light as possible. He does not wear any heavy overcoat even in cold weather. He also takes off his jacket to have a good record.
In the same way, you need to throw off anything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles to run the good and fast race.

The author of the Hebrews exhorts us: "Let us look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."
Our faith is originated and will be perfected by Jesus.
Jesus is the beginning and the period of our faith.
The Greek word corresponding to "Look (to)," "ἀφοράω (aphorao)" means "fix one's eyes on somebody or something" with the hope or expectation toward the object. Those who look to the Lord live their lives holy and pleasing to God (Rom. 12:2).

Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, himself had lived the life of faith.
Jesus had been faithful to God unto death showing his "faith of obedience" and "faith of trust" to his Father.
Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him, scorning its shame.
Jesus saw the heavenly joy in hope, and thus he let the people of faith who followed him see the heavenly joy with the "faith of hope." As Jesus endured the cross, so can we Christians endure the cross that we bear in our daily lives.

What was the result of the faithfulness of Jesus?
He could sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
What will be the result of our faithfulness?
Paul already mentions it in Ephesians 2:5-6.
Because of our faith, God will make us alive with Christ and raise us up with Christ and seat us with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Thus, what shall we do?
We shall look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who had run the race faithfully before us.
As Paul exhorts us in Philippians 3:13-14, we shall "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead."
                                                   

Not looking to Jesus but looking to ourselves, who are so easily tired and exhausted, we cannot turn us back from our weaknesses and despair.
It is because we are not the source of power and faith but Jesus is the source of our power and faith.
So, we need to look to Jesus.

When Peter looked to Jesus, he could walk on the water and came toward Jesus. But, a little moment later, when he saw the wind, the surrounding situation, he was afraid and began to sink into the water.
Are you sinking into the troubled water of despair or anxiety?
You shall look to Jesus, again. Then, you can get yourselves out of it.
Satan always persuades us to look around the stormy environment and our weaknesses, and to tell ourselves, "I cannot do it."
And thus Satan makes us give up our race of faith.

Our Lord wants us to look to Jesus even when we do not know where to go.
He wants us to set aside our feeling of disappointment or dismay and our burden of sins and trespasses, and to run again
our race of faith, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

3

Are you continuing to run your Christian race or stopping your race for a while?
Are you very tired or exhausted because you feel that your race is so burdensome? Consider those who had completed their race of faith.

What prizes are prepared for us when we finish our race?
Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 tells us, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in
store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Are you looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith?
To look to Jesus, you don't need to be well educated, smart, or a grown-up, or stand on tiptoe.
You only need to fix your eyes on Jesus who died on the cross to bear your sins and trespasses and to save you from death.

Look to Jesus, then you will be saved.
Look to Jesus, then the Lord will be with you throughout your whole lives.
Look to Jesus, then you will win your Christian race, and the Lord, our righteous Judge will give you the crown of life, the crown of righteousness, and the crown of glory.
Look to Jesus, then the Lord will bless you abundantly with his peace, joy, and grace.  A-men!

The Nature of Faith (Heb. 11:1-3)

The Nature of Faith (Heb. 11:1-3)

Michelangelo(1475-1564), a famous Italian painter and sculptor, was looking at a big stone for several days. Then, he started to cut the stone with a hammer and a chisel.
Seeing him, his friend asked him: "What are you doing?"
He replied: "An angel is confined in this rock. I must liberate him."
His friend could not understand what he said.
But, Michelangelo could see an angel as he was sculpturing him out of the big stone.

If you only see a chrysalis you cannot believe that it becomes a butterfly.
You need to expect a butterfly seeing a chrysalis.
If you hope for or look to a healthy body in your sickness, your sick body will be turned to a healthy and strong body.

Jesus told his disciples in Mark 11:24: "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
If you pray for your sickness, believe that you already have been healed. Then, you will be healed.
If you pray for a child, believe that you already have received a child. Then, a child will be given to you.
Believing that things you hope for will be realized or given is faith.
Believing that things you do not see now will be seen to you later is faith.

"Believe" includes several meanings:
First, "believe" means "accept."
To believe God is to accept His existence, promises, word, and faithfulness without any doubt.
Hebrews 11:6 says: "Without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."

Second, "believe" means "obey."
"Obedience" is called "faith before faith."
Although you cannot believe God's promise yet, you can still obey Him. Once you obey Him now, you can believe or receive His promise later.
Hebrews 11:8 says: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go."

Third, "believe" means "trust."
Jairus, a ruler of a synagogue, came to Jesus to heal his daughter who was very sick. On his way to Jairus' house, Jesus and Jairus heard that Jairus' daughter was dead. Then, Jesus said to Jairus: "Do not fear, only believe."
Here, "believe" means "trust."
"Trust me that I can raise your daughter even though your daughter is dead now."
When Jairus trusted Jesus, Jesus raised his daughter by saying "Talitha Cum (Little girl, I say to you, arise)."
If Jairus had not trusted Jesus, he would not have let Jesus perform his miracle.

Fourth, "believe" means "hope."
When God appeared and told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son one year later, they hoped for it although they were not quite sure.
Paul in Romans 4:18 says: "In hope he(=Abraham) believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations; as he had been told, "So shall your descendants be."
Paul in Romans 8:24-25 says: "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Fifth, "believe" means "look to."
To believe Jesus is to look to Jesus who is our rock, way, truth, resurrection, life, power, hope, love and healer, Lord, Messiah, and everything.
Hebrews 12:1-2 says: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.“
Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:18 says: "We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

In Hebrews 11:1, the nature of faith is characterized in two ways: 1) the assurance or substance or reality of things hoped for, and 2) the proof or conviction of things not seen.
Faith gives believers the spiritual eyes to apprehend the unseen. When a person has faith in God, the things that are hoped for become reality or realized through "obedience" with steadfastness, and thus this faith is the proof of things that are not seen.

The Greek word "ὑπόστασις (hypostasis)" includes the two different time concepts. That is, the present status of mind and the future realization.
So, you can translate it as "assurance or substance" if you focus on current status of mind, or as "reality" if you emphasize "realization in the future."
"Salvation" is a future event for believers, but you can say that "I was saved or I am saved" if you believe that "your salvation will be realized in the future with certainty."

Faith is the conviction or good proof of things not seen.
The Greek word "ἔλεχος(elenkos)" includes certainty and persuasion. Our physical eyes give us certainty and persuasion concerning those things that we see. So, people say that seeing is believing. But our faith gives us spiritual eyes which can see "invisible order of the spiritual world." So, we believers say that believing is seeing.

In summary, faith is the assurance and the conviction of things hoped for, yet not seen.
Then, what are the things hoped for, yet not seen?
They are God's promises which believers will receive in the future -- for example, Jesus's second coming, believer's future glory, salvation, eternal life, and the crown of righteousness, of glory, and of life.

In verse 2, the author says: "For by it(=faith) the ancestors received divine approval."
Who are the ancestors?
They are Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Jospeph, Moses, the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea, Rahab, and other Israelite judges and prophets.
They received the divine approval by their faith.

Verse 3 is an addition to explain the second nature of faith in verse 1, "proof or conviction of things not seen."
By faith believers understand that the worlds were created by the word of God. God created or framed the worlds from things that are not seen.
By faith Christians understand that God created the worlds, "the visible from the invisible" by the word.

In this material world, our faith is easily secularized. We only try to believe things that we see and prove. We easily give up our prayers for the diseases that are said to be incurable by medical doctors. Many believers regard God's healing ability is equal or inferior to that of a medical doctor.

However, we must keep in mind that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen."
When we have this faith, the things that we hope for (yet do not see) become reality through Christ in the future and thus we will receive God's promises.
In our daily lives, we must be steadfast in our faith with patience.

Jesus Is Our Eternal High Priest (Heb. 4:14-5:10)

Jesus Is Our Eternal High Priest (Heb. 4:14-5:10)

      

Long time ago or even now, in many Korean families, father usually has the final authority in almost everything. When a kid makes a mistake or gets a bad grade, he needs to be forgiven by his father. Even though his mother says, "it is okay," he cannot be really okay until his father says "it is okay."
In my old days, I was very afraid of my father as many other Korean boys.
I could not come close to my father to ask for something. So, I usually asked my mother to get my father's answers. My mother was kind of a mediator between me and my father. My mother was a spokeswoman for me and for my father.

Roman Catholics go to their priests and confess their sins to him in a small closed place. They think that their priests are mediators and could absolve them of their sins in place of God. But, the Catholic priests as well as church pastors do not have any right of absolution, a right of forgiveness of people's sins.
Only Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God and us and can forgive our sins in place of God.

In the Old Testament period, the Israelites had high priests for them.
The official first high priest was Aaron. And only Aaron's descendants could become high priests. The number of the high priest was usually one or two at its maximum. And all other Aaronic descendants who were not chosen as high priest served God as priests.

And other descendants than Aaron's from the tribe of Levi served God and His Temple without becoming priests, as doorkeepers, as members of the choir, etc.
As God instructed the Israelites, they came to the Temple with their animals whenever they felt that their past sins should be forgiven by God. And priests offered animal sacrifices to God for the forgiveness of their sins.
And the high priest went to the Most Holy Place, the place of God's Presence, once a year for the nation's sins to be forgiven.
The high priest was a mediator who asked God for his mercy and forgiveness, and proclaimed his forgiveness and blessings to the Israelites.

About 650 years before God appointed Aaron as the first high priest over Israel, there was Melchizedek. He was a king of Salem, now called Jerusalem, and a high priest of God. He came out to meet Abram (later his name was changed to Abraham) who returned from his victory over the king of Sodom after saving his nephew Lot.
Melchizedek brought bread and wine and blessed Abram, saying:

    "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
     And blessed be God Most High, who has helped you conquer your enemies."
 

Then, Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had obtained from the battle against the king of Sodom.
Melcizedek was not a descendant of Aaron. He was 650 years before Aaron. Yet, the Bible called him "a high priest of God."
In the same manner, Jesus Christ was not from the tribe of Levi but from the tribe of Judah. But, he performed the role of high priest, interceding with God for his people.
Melchizedek was a type of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament as "the eternal high priest."

(4:14) To the Jews, the high priest was the highest authority in the land. He alone entered the Most Holy Place in the Temple once a year to make atonement for the sins of the whole nation (Lev. 16).
Like the high priest Jesus mediates between God and us.
As people's representative, he intercedes for us before God.
As God's representative, he assures us of God's forgiveness and blessings.
Jesus has more authority than the Jewish high priests because he is truly God and truly man.
Unlike the Aaronic high priest, who could go before God only once a year, Christ is always at God's right hand, interceding for us. He is always available to hear us when we pray.

(4:15) Jesus is like us because he experienced a full range of temptations throughout his life as a man.
We can be comforted knowing that Jesus faced temptation--he can sympathize with us.
We can be encouraged knowing that Jesus faced temptation without giving in to sin.
He shows us that we do not have to sin when we are tempted.

(4:16) Verse 16 says: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
Because of Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Eternal High Priest, we can come to the God of mercy and grace with confidence.
Through Jesus Christ, He shows us His mercy and grace.

(5:4-6) The author of Hebrews uses two Old Testament verses to show Christ's divine appointment:
    Psalm 2:7 says: "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father." and  Psalm 110:4 says: "You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek."

In the time of the Old Testament, God had chosen Aaron, and only Aaron's descendants could be high priests.
But, Aaron and his descendants could not play the role of mediator perfectly because they, like others, were not perfect.
(5:9) Yet, Christ was a perfect man. By obeying, he demonstrated his perfection to us.
Christ became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.
Jesus' high priestly role was superior to that of any priest of Levi, because Jesus was a perfect man as well as a priest of a higher order(Ps. 110:4).
If the Jewish priests and their laws had been able to save people, why would God need to send Christ as a priest, who came not from the tribe of Levi (the priestly tribe) but from the tribe of Judah?

The animal sacrifices offered by the Levitical priests had to be repeated, and they were offered only temporary forgiveness; but Christ's sacrifice was offered once for all.
Because Jesus died once for all, he brought the animal sacrificial system to an end. He forgave our sins--past, present, and future. It offers total and permanent forgiveness.

Because Christ is our eternal high priest, we need to come before him for our sins and for our salvation and eternal life.
No pastors, church leaders, or Christian friends can substitute for Christ's work and for his role in our salvation.
Salvation comes only through Christ, whose sacrifice brings forgiveness for our sins.
We no longer need to rely on sacrificed animals and mediating priests to obtain God's forgiveness.
Levitical priests and their animal sacrifices offered people temporary forgiveness of God but could not save people.
Only Christ truly saves people.
Because of Jesus Christ, our eternal High Priest, our past, present, and future sins are all forgiven.
(7:25) As our High Priest, Christ is our Advocate, the mediator between us and God.
He looks after our interests and intercedes for us with God.
The Old Testament high priest went before God once a year to plead for the forgiveness of the nation's sins; yet Christ makes perpetual intercession before God for us.
Christ's continuous presence in heaven with the Father assures us that our sins have been paid for and forgiven. This wonderful assurance frees us from all guilts and from the fear of failures.

As Long As It Is Called Today (Heb. 3:7-19)

As Long As It Is Called Today (Heb. 3:7-19)

There is a legendary bird in the Himalaya Mountains. The meaning of this bird's name is "I will build my nest when a new morning comes." There the temperature difference between daytime and nighttime is so great. During the daytime the bird flies here and there raising its voice and singing songs attracted by beautiful and mild weather. However, during the nighttime the temperature drops so low and strong wind blows, the bird cannot think of making its nest. The bird regrets and cries "I will build my nest when a new morning comes."
But when a new morning has broken, the bird forgets its resolution and flies here and there raising its voice in a beautiful warm weather.

God wants his children to do things what they are supposed to do today 'today' not 'tomorrow.'
So we should study today, not tomorrow.
We should read the Bible, listen to His Word today, not tomorrow.
We should love our parents, brothers and sisters, our friends today, not tomorrow.
We should clean our house, our table, our backyard today, not tomorrow.
Yet, we have a tendency to postpone what we should do today to tomorrow.
Who gives this mind of postponement?
It is Satan that gives this mind. Satan wants us to postpone what we should do today to tomorrow.

He keeps telling us, "It is okay that you do it tomorrow. You still have a plenty of days."
But remember if you don't do what you should do today, you will not do it tomorrow, either.
If you do not study today, you will not study tomorrow, either.
If you do not read the Bible and not listen to the Word of God today, you will not read the Bible and not listen to the word of God tomorrow, either.
If you do not follow Jesus Christ today, you will not follow Jesus Christ tomorrow, either.
If you do not love your parents, your brothers and sisters, your friends today, you will love them tomorrow, either.
So what should you do?
Do today what you are supposed to do today!
Do not postpone them to tomorrow!

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt, they came to the Desert of Sinai (Exodus 19:1).
They stayed there for a year. During that time, Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to receive the two tablets of ten commandments and God's other instructions for the Israelites.
After a year of stay in the Desert of Sinai, they moved further to the Wilderness of Paran, where God told Moses: "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe some one of its leaders." (Numbers 13:1-2)
So at the LORD's command Moses sent twelve men, one from each tribe, out to the land of Canaan. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. (Numb. 13:3)
After exploring the land for forty days, the twelve men returned to Moses and the people of Israel at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Paran.
They reported Moses and the whole community of Israel: "We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country--a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit as proof. But the people living there are powerful, and their cities and towns are fortified and very large. We also saw the descendants of Anak who are living there. ..." (Numb. 13:27-28)
What they tried to tell was "We cannot go up against them! They are stronger than we are. The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there.

All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that's what we looked like to them!" (Numb. 13:32-33)
They discouraged the whole community with their report.
Only Caleb with Joshua encouraged the people by saying, "Let's go at once to the land. We can certainly conquer it (by the help of God)!" (Numb. 13:31).

All the people who heard the ten people's discouraging report began to weep aloud and complained against Moses and God, "We wish we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness! Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and little ones will be carried off as slaves. Let's get out of here and return to Egypt! Let's choose a leader and go back to Egypt!" (Numb. 14:1-4)
They kept complaining against Moses and God out of their hardened unbelieving hearts.

What was God's reaction to them?
God told the Israelites through Moses: "You will all die here in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, none of you who are twenty years old or older and were counted in the census will enter the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. ... Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. ... Because the men who explored the land were there for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years--a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. ... I will do these things to every member of the community who has conspired against me. They will all die here in the wilderness!" (Numb. 14:29-35).

Even though they heard God's word of punishment in the wilderness, they did not repent their faithlessness and did not stop their complaints in the wilderness for forty years.
They hardened their hearts and kept complaints in the wilderness  until they all died in the wilderness.

How many men who were twenty years old and older came out of Egypt?
They were 603,550 (Numb. 1:4).
                                                   
How many of them survived in the wilderness after forty years and entered the land of Canaan?
Only two, Joshua and Caleb who showed their faith in God.
Their descendants who were less than twenty years old at the time when they came out of Egypt and those who were born later in the wilderness could enter the land of Canaan.

But, what was the problem with them?
Even though they could enter the land of Canaan--the land flowing with milk and honey as they were not condemned by God because of their young age, they were also faithless like their parents.
It was because the descendants of Israel only saw their fathers and mothers complaining against Moses and God.
They only learned how to complain against God and their leader but not how to worship God and how to follow their leader.
So, in the land of Canaan they showed their unbelief by worshipping heathen idols and complaining against God and their leaders.
The land of Canaan could not be the true land of rest that God would give.
So, God needed to provide another land of rest through his only Son Jesus Christ, eternal land of rest, the New Heaven and the New Earth--that is, Kingdom of God.

The Israelites in the wilderness probably told Moses and God: "Although today we do not obey God well because we are now in the wilderness, tomorrow we will obey him well in the land of Canaan if we could enter there."
Many people today may tell God: "Today I do not obey and follow you well because my situation is very bad, because I am too busy with many things that I should do today, but tomorrow I will obey and follow you whatever you say to me."
But, remember that there may be no tomorrow.

Today is the most important day for us all.
You cannot do anything with yesterday the day that already passed.
Tomorrow is a uncertain day.
You can do today what you want to do.
So, as long as it is called today, do not harden your heart but listen to the Word of God and follow Him with your whole heart.

Be Urgent In Season and Out of Season (2 Tim. 4:1-5)

Be Urgent In Season and Out of Season (2 Tim. 4:1-5)

1

A certain unbeliever went to an outdoor revival rally where already many people gathered to hear George Whitfield(1714-1770), a famous British preacher in the 18th century. He decided only to watch him moving but not to listen to his sermon. As there were so many people, he could not see the preacher well. So, he climbed a big tree to see him well. Yet, he blocked his ears with his hands and watched only the preacher's motions. Then, a fly was flying here and there around him. And it sat on his nose. He shook his head to drive the fly away. But it did not fly away, As he detached one hand from his ear to drive the fly away, he could hear the preacher saying, "He who has an ear, let him hear."
George Whitfield continued to deliver his sermon, rebuking those people who rejected Jesus Christ clogging their ears. The unbeliever's mind was touched and opened when he heard his sermon. And he became a new creation in Christ on that day.

When Rev. H. W. Beecher (1813-1887), pastor of a Congregational Church, became old and was preaching on Park Street in Boston, a person came out from the crowd and asked him what the secret of his church's success was.
Beecher answered:
    "I preach on Sundays. Then, the 450 church members spread the Word of God that they heard to other people from Mondays to Saturdays."
Those who acknowledge the truth of the Good News want to spread. If there are some people who think that their faith is okay or good, and yet don't feel like to spread it to others, then they must have some problems in their faith. And they need to change their attitude in their faith.

There was an American missionary named Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) in the early 19th century in Burma. He spread the Good News diligently there for almost six years but could not bear any fruit. Yet, he did not lose his confidence, believing "As God has sent me here, He will let me bear the fruit of evangelism." He continued to witness Jesus Christ to the people living there. And finally he earned a person who decided to accept Jesus as his personal Savior. Judson baptized him in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He was the first fruit in that land as a result of Judson's efforts of six years. However, one century later, there were more than fifty thousand believers there.
When we witness Jesus, we don't have to worry about the result. We just plant the seed of the Good News and water, then God gave the growth (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6).

D. L. Moody (1837-1899), a famous evangelist and a pastor of a Baptist Church, approached a young man and asked him: "Do you believe Jesus Christ?"
The young man said to Moody:
    "I don't need him. Mind your own business."
Moody answered:
    "This is my business."

Moody made it a rule to witness Jesus at least a person a day. One day in Chicago  he had been very busy and tired with his other church activities. When he went to bed, all of a sudden he remembered that he did not witness Jesus today to any person. He got up from the bed and went out to a street. It was almost midnight. After a few minutes, he came across a policeman and witnessed Jesus Christ to him.
Moody could become a great evangelist with his enormous love of God and enthusiasm for the lost souls.

2

Paul's journey of Christian life is about to end. Today's passage is kind of Paul's last word to his beloved brother or son in Christ, Timothy. He charges Timothy to preach or proclaim the Word of God in season and out of season, that is when the time is favorable or unfavorable.
We should spread the Good News not only when the time is favorable for us but also when the time is unfavorable.

Spreading the Gospel is the most important mission to anybody who wants to be a disciple of Jesus. Thus, we, the followers of Jesus, should not abandon the opportunities that are given by God.

 Many Christians suffer from the unbalanced natural tendency to "be ready soldiers" only "at certain times." The usage of the word "season" in verse 2 does not refer to the time of year; but rather it refers to our whole life's journey in this world. This verse says, "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season." In other words, we should "be ready" at all times, whether we feel like it or not, whether it is popular or unpopular, whether the stream is with us or not.  If we do only what we feel inclined to do, or only when things are going well, some of us would never do anything. And that natural tendency doesn't make for a good dedicated and disciplined soldier. The proof that our relationship is right with God is that we do our best for the Lord whether we feel inspired or not, and whether things are going well for us or not.

John Scott, a famous biblical scholar and pastor, points out in his book, 「Guilty Silence」, that "if anyone is silent without telling the Good News to a neighbor who is dying without knowing Jesus Christ, he is guilty of not telling the truth,"

Paul urges Timothy to "patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."
Listening to the Word of God is essential not only for unbelievers' salvation but also for believers' edification.
We, believers, need to hear the Word of God to be corrected, rebuked, and encouraged. And, thus, we may be sanctified.

Even if the Word of God is sometimes harsh for who do not live according to the Word, the Word of God should be proclaimed boldly.
Paul tells Timothy and us that "a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching and that they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear."
These persons will reject the truth of the Word and will do whatever they want to do. Yet, the Word of God should be proclaimed more truthfully and more boldly.

What should we do as good Christians, genuine followers of Christ?
As listeners of the Word, we should be sober and ready to be corrected, rebuked and encouraged by the Word of God.
Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
As tellers or preachers of the Word, we should be bold and enthusiastic to witness Jesus Christ to our unbelieving neighbors.
Paul tells us:
    "Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you."

3

What is the ministry God has given each one of you?
It is spreading the Word of God and bringing others to Christ.
How shall you bear this ministry.
You shall bear this soul-winning ministry with your whole heart and with your whole strength as this is a way for you to show your love of God to Him.

Love Binds Them All Together (Col. 3:12-14)

Love Binds Them All Together (Col. 3:12-14)

There was a great painter whose name was Jiang Seung-Yo in China about 1,000 years ago. He drew animals and birds. Those animals and birds in his paintings looked like real and alive.
One day he was asked to draw a couple of dragons on a wall of the temple by the chief monk of the temple. He drew a couple of dragons on the wall. They seemed to be alive. They were full of liveliness in their scales and in their sharp claws. However, strangely enough, there were no eyeballs in the dragons' eyes. So, people asked the painter: "Why didn't you draw the eyeballs in their eyes?"
The painter answered: "If I draw the eyeballs, the dragons will come out of the walls and fly up to the sky." People did not believe what he said. People laughed at him, saying, "We know that you are a great painter. But, how can a dragon in a wall picture fly up to the sky?" Nobody believed him. They kept asking him to draw the eyeballs in the dragons' eyes. So, Jiang Seung-Yo placed his calligraphy brush with ink on a dragon's eye.
Then, what happened?
The dragon in the wall picture started to move and came out of the wall and flew up to the sky.
From this ancient story, drawing an eyeball of the dragon came to have a meaning of the finishing touch or the most important thing of a matter.
To a Christian who became a new and vivid creation of God in Christ is like a dragon in Jiang's painting.
As a Christian, you wear some good clothes, that is, your Christian characters-- compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance and forgiveness. These kinds of Christian clothes make you look nice. However, alone with your good Christian clothes or characters, you cannot be a live, active Christian.
You need "the eyeball of a dragon," the finishing touch to become a live Christian. That is "love"!

God led Ezekiel a prophet of Judah to the valley of dry bones in vision. It was full of dry bones there.
God asked Ezekiel: "Son of man, can these bones live?"
Ezekiel answered God: "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
Ezekiel was not sure what God's intention was.
God put tendons, flesh, and skin on dry bones. So, they were no more dry bones. They looked like human beings. But, they did not come to life yet. They needed breath to come to life.
Love is "breath" that makes dry bones come to life.
Before we did not know Christ, we were dry bones.
Our new clothes or new characters of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness are tendons, flesh, and skin.
Yet, we need "love," "breath" to become alive.
Without love, we are Christians only in appearance not in deep inside.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 tells us:

    "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
     I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
     If I have a gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
     and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love,
     I am nothing.
     If I give all I possess to the poor
     and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love,
     I gain nothing."

The Bible keeps telling us that God loves us and God Himself is love.
Apostle John in 1 John 4:16 says: "So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."
How can we stay in God?
We can stay in God by staying in love.

Then, what is love? What is love that we should practice in our daily lives?
Love is a kind of compound concept. It includes various virtues and excludes various vices.
Love is far away from hatred.

Apostle John in 1 John 4:20 tells us: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen."
Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 includes several good characters in love:
"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Before you stayed outside of God, before you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and invited Him into your heart, you used to wear the old clothes which belonged to your old earthly nature.
Those old clothes were impurity, lust, evil desires, greed (v. 5), and anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips (v. 8).
Yet, now, as you are in Christ calling Him your personal Savior, you became a new creation who put on new clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness (vv. 12-13).
In ancient Israel, clothes are kind of pieces of textiles, gowns and robes.
Without a band, they seemed to be too much loose. A desert strong wind might have blown some clothes away. They needed to be tied by a band or a rope for a desert wind not to blow them away and to make their clothes stylish.
Love is like a waist band or a rope that makes Christian clothes not blow away and makes them stylish.
Paul in verse 14 tells us: "And over all theses virtues (that is, clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and humility, and forgiveness) put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Otis Skillings, a gospel song writer, wrote a song on love:

"We are one in the bond of love; We are one in the bond of love;
 We have joined our spirit with the Spirit of God; We are one in the bond of love.
 Let us sing every one; Let us feel His love begun;
 Let us join our hands that the world will know; We are one in the bond of love."

Let us have the love of Christ that binds all our good characters together!
Let us practice this love that makes us continue to be active and live Christians!

Put On the New Clothes of Christ (Col. 3:5-10)

Put On the New Clothes of Christ (Col. 3:5-10)

      

1

There is a saying that "Fine clothes make the man." If you put on the clothes of a prince or a princess, you may be regarded as a prince or a princess. If you put on the clothes of a hobo, you may be treated as a hobo. What are the fine clothes for you as a Christian?
When you still wear the old clothes which you had put on before you knew and accepted Christ, other people may not consider you a Christian although you insist that you are a Christian. Thus, as a Christian, you need to wear the clothes of Christ.

Paul compares the human flesh(=body) to clothes or a dwelling place(=tent).
In 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 Paul says: "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling--if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."

That is, our body is a temporary dwelling place--tent--for our spirit and soul to live in this world. Our eternal home is the heaven. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that our body is a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. So you need to keep your body clean.

Paul also says that our body is the clothes that we wear. In Ephesians 4:22-24 he says: "You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Other people may judge you according to what kind of dress you wear, according to its looks, color, and quality. Any person's nature and conduct are the standard to be judged what kind of person he/she is. Thus, the words such as a color of one's nature, quality of one's nature are used to describe the person's character or disposition.

As clothes are the material that covers our body, our body is the material--outer self--that covers our inner self--soul and spirit. If we wear our clothes for a long time, our clothes will be worn out eventually. If we have been wearing our body for more than 70 years, our clothes of body would be worn out, be torn, and get wrinkled.
Yet, no matter how the clothes become old and discolored, the design and the pattern of the clothes remain the same unless you put it off. In the same manner, no matter how a person gets old and wrinkled, the pattern and the color of his life may not change easily.

2

In Colossians 3:9, Paul tells the Christians at Colossae and us to "put off the old self and its practices." The pattern and the color of the old self are: "fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth and lie." You need to put off your old self and its practices to be a good Christian.

If any person says that he believes in Christ, yet has this kind of old self and its practices in him, he has not put off the clothes of the old self. Instead, he is trying to patch up the old clothes with a piece of Christ, or he is trying to draw a pattern of Christ on the old clothes without putting it off. Thus, his appearance seems to be funny. He wears clothes which were patched up with a different piece of color or quality of cloth.

Jesus says in Mark 2:21: "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made." Here, a piece of unshrunk cloth is a part of cloth which was cut off from the new clothes of Christ. If anyone attaches this piece to the old clothes, his old clothes will be more torn away. And he wears his ragged old clothes. Thus, his appearance seems to be worse than before. We should put off the old clothes, when we accept Christ as our personal Savior and want to become new in Christ.
Paul commands simply: "Put off the old self and its practices!"
But this is not so simple, rather it is difficult. It is impossible to do with our human will and efforts. Thus, we Christians keep showing our ugly appearances, wearing the old clothes patched up with a piece of Christ.

Although it is impossible to put off our old clothes with our human will and efforts, it is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
'Putting off the old self and putting on the new self' is the grace of God for us. What we can do is to simply ask God to help us through the Holy Spirit to put on the new self. By the grace of God and the help of the Holy Spirit, we put off the old self and put on the new self. Its practices are compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love.
Those who put on the new clothes of Christ have the practices of the new self: that is, 1) the peace of Christ rules in their hearts with the words of thankfulness; 2) the word of Christ dwells in them, so they teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and praise God; 3) whatever they do in word or in deed, they do everything in the name of Jesus, and give thanks to God.

3

When you wear the new clothes of Christ, your old self is gone away.
Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17, thus, says: "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"
Put off your old clothes and put on the new clothes of Christ! Then, each one of you is a new creation in Christ. And, everything will become new.

Hold Fast the Head (Col. 2:18-19)

Hold Fast the Head (Col. 2:18-19)

       
Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese wise man, said that water is a good example of self-humility. He says in his book, Tao Te Ching(道德經, 66章):

    "The reason why the River and the Sea are able to be king of the hundred valleys
    is that they excel in taking the lower position. Hence they are able to be king of
    the hundred valleys.
    Therefore, desiring to rule over the people, One must in one's words humble
    oneself before them; And, desiring to lead the people, one must, in one's person,
    follow behind them.
    Therefore, the sage takes his place over the people yet is no burden;
    yet causes no obstruction.
    That is why the empire supports him joyfully and never tires of doing so.
    It is because he does not contend that no one in the empire is in a position to
    contend with him."

Water does not stay at a high place although you put it there but has a tendency to flow down to a lower place. This tendency is not artificial or pretentious on purpose but natural and unchangeable.
Water does not insist its own opinions and it does not have its own shape. Its shape may be changed according to a container which contains it.
Water looks to be weak, but it has a power which cuts a mountain and breaks a solid rock.

Lao Tzu's teaching on water and its humility is for all people who want to get along well with other people. His teaching on humility is also found in the Bible.
Jesus says in Matthew 23:12: "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
The tendency of water to stay at a lower place is also needed for all believers who want to exalt their Lord.
Christians should learn from water its humility in a natural way.

Many Christians know that they should humble themselves to please God.
But, their humility is often unnatural. They are easily detected as made-up humilities. Although they pretend to be humble but other people feel that they are not humble. It is because they are humble only outside but not inside.

Sometimes, many Christians do not know in what things they should humble themselves and in what other things they don't have to humble themselves.
Some people think that saying that they cannot do anything is a humble attitude.
So they easily say "I cannot do it" when they are asked to do a certain service for the church, or say "I cannot accept it" when they are asked to accept an office of a deacon or of an elder. But it is not humbleness. As far as your service or stewardship is concerned, you need to be more active and positive, saying, "Yes, I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me" This is not an arrogant attitude, because you say so not leaning on yourself but leaning on Christ.
When you are asked whether you have a conviction of salvation, you may think that a humble answer is to say "I am not sure. Am I God? How do I know whether I am saved or not? I will know when I die."
But this is not a humble answer. As far as your salvation is concerned, you need to be bold, saying, "Yes, I am saved by the grace of my Lord."
Biblical humility is not to lean on your own ability and knowledge but to lean on the power and wisdom that are from God.

In Paul's era, some people worshiped angels thinking that they could not worship God directly. They insisted that it was arrogant for anyone to come closer to God to worship Him.
So, instead of worshiping God directly, they wanted to worship God via worshiping angels who, they thought, were mediators between God and themselves.
They insisted that they were doing this because they were humble. But, Paul condemns them that their insisting of self-humility is not true but false.
As a matter of fact, they were proud of their visions and their unspiritual minds puffed them up with idle notions. Besides, they tempted other Christians to participate in what they were doing.

Paul warns Christians in Colosse, "Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize (v. 18)."

God does not want to place an angel between Himself and people. The only mediator is Jesus Christ. Any angel has not done anything for human salvation. Angels are only messengers of God.
Paul tells us that Christians' false humility or show-off results when they do not hold fast the Head, "from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow (v. 19)."

What we need to come closer to God and to worship Him is not to hold fast angels or anything else but to hold fast the Head, that is, Christ. Only Jesus Christ is our power and wisdom. He is the Head of the Church.
Paul in Ephesians 1:22-23 says: "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be Head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

Why should we hold fast the Head of the Church, Christ?
It's because each of us is part of His body.
It's because by holding fast Christ the Head we can have his humility in us.
It's because, otherwise, we may be misled in a wrong direction or in a risky path.
It's because, otherwise, we cannot bear much fruit of the Spirit. Jesus in John 15:5 says to his disciples: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

We all must hold fast the Head.
How can we hold fast the Head?
To do this means to acknowledge that Christ alone is Head. It means absolute obedience to His authority. Paul in Ephesians 4:15-16 says: "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
You, as the members of the body of Christ, are fitly framed and knit together because all hold fast the Head and live out the life of the body. This does not suggest that God wants you to pay attention only to the one who sits next to you, but that He preeminently wants you to have a proper relationship with the Lord. If your relationship with the Head is proper, your relationship with other body members will also be proper.
In the physical body, if the left hand should be hurt, it will be the head which orders the right hand to help. The right hand makes no direct move by itself. The inter-relatedness of its members comes in every instance through the Head.
When one member goes to help a brother, if he holds fast the Head it is for the Lord's sake and not for the sake of mere human friendship. By holding fast the Head we will be spared from maintaining a direct relationship with anyone, and thus we will not harbor any special affinity towards a few. To do otherwise will bring in division or party spirit.

Have you ever said to the Lord: "O Lord, You are my Head. I have no right to decide anything, nor have I authority to make any choice of my own. May You deliver me from trying to be head as well as deliver me from other people who set themselves up as head."
Each one of us needs to learn how to accept the command of God: Christ is Head, and therefore no one can follow his own will as a Christian.
Let us hold fast the Head, that is, Christ, through whom we learn true humility and gain the power and wisdom of God.

Rejoice Always In The Lord (Phil. 4:4-7)

Rejoice Always In The Lord (Phil. 4:4-7)

As a young man I used to like a saying of Alekandr Sergeyevick Pushkin(1799-1837), a nineteenth century Russian novelist : "Don't be sad, don't be angry, if life deceives you! Submit to your grief -- your time for joy will come, believe me."
There are more sorrows and griefs, pains, agonies, and complaints than joys, pleasures, and praises in this present world. So, average people lose their smiles and laughs more and more as they become older and older.
The Oxford University Medical School team researched on laughs of children and of adults. Their findings are that while children of ages 4 and 5 laugh 400 to 500 times on an average a day, grown-ups laugh 15 to 20 times a day. Children laugh or smile even in their sleeps, but many grown-ups do not laugh or smile even in funniest situations.

Many people lose their spiritual joy although they try to seek fleshly pleasures. Even many Christians live their Christian lives without rejoicing their situations very much.
If a Christian is asked, "Why are you not rejoicing?" the person may answer, "I have nothing to rejoice. Look, I have many pains, sorrows, and disappointments. How can I rejoice?"

Yet, Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always.
Paul himself was in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter to Christians in Philippi, without knowing when he would be executed. Paul himself rejoiced always in his pains, sufferings, weaknesses, and uncertainty.
How could he rejoice in the Lord always?
It is because he knew that Jesus Christ forgave him all his sins, gave him salvation and eternal life, and would be with him always.

Rejoice in the Lord Always
Paul urges us to "rejoice in the Lord always."
It is a straightforward command. It is a repeated command, and the setting is quite blunt-"I will say it again"-as the apostle is exhorting the whole congregation to be constantly rejoicing. It is as much a sin not to rejoice as not to repent.
Do you believe it?
Aren't the implications clear, that Christians are meant to be continually rejoicing in the Lord?
Paul doesn't write in a rather polite way, saying to them, "Let me share with you this; I personally rejoice in the Lord always."
He tells them that their lives are to be characterized continually by joy.

1. Rejoice
The world offers many different types of joy; some of it is harmless, some harmful. Faith in Jesus brings genuine joy, which the Holy Spirit creates in the heart.
Would you not rejoice upon hearing that someone paid off your heavy credit card debt in full? Why then would you not rejoice upon hearing that Jesus has paid off your entire debt of sin in your behalf?
The Psalmist in Psalm 103:12 says "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."
If we believe that our sins have been forgiven, we cannot but rejoice in the Lord.

In addition to finding joy in spiritual blessings, we may also find joy in everything that God has created for our use. God, of course, does not approve of the wrong use of His gifts as Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:4-5: "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude, for it is sanctified by means of the Word of God and prayer."
So we should rejoice in everything that God had created and allowed for our daily use.

2. Rejoice "in the Lord"
There may be "temporary joy" in drugs including alcohol and tobacco, in sexual pleasures, or in material acquisitions, but this temporary joy flies off to the sky like an eagle.

The joy that abides continually is only "in the Lord." This is the joy which comes from a personal, living and fruitful relationship with the Lord.
“In the Lord" we enjoy peace with God(Rom. 5:2), His help in temptations(1 Cor 10:13), and assurance of God's companionship in time of trial(Heb. 13:5-6).
Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to experience this "abiding joy"?

3. Rejoice "Always"
Paul is urging us to rejoice "always," in days of disappointment, and heartache, and bereavement, and pain, and family problems, and failure and loss.
Rejoice "always"?
Paul was imprisoned and facing possible execution. But Paul suffered much more than imprisonment, as he tells us in 2 Corinthians 11: 25, 27: "Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked . . . I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked."
However, with the sure hope of the future glory in Christ, Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:10 confesses that he is "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, yet possessing everything"--life in Christ!

No matter what happens to us Christians, no matter what its frequency, duration and agony are, we by the grace of God can rejoice "always" in the Lord in them all.
The joy that Paul tells us is to be experienced "always," not just an occasional experience for exceptional people, in trials as wells as in triumphs, in darkness as well as in light.
Why should we rejoice always?
We should rejoice always because it is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus.
We should rejoice always because Jesus saved us, gave us eternal life, and loves us always.

4. Hindrances to "Abiding Joy"
Why do many of those who have a personal relationship with the Lord often find themselves lacking joy in all circumstances?
Perhaps it is because there are often hindrances to "abiding joy" -- memories of past failures; awareness of present faults.
These often leave people in a state of discouragement or depression.

Paul, however, provides the solution in Philippians 3:12-14: firstly, realize your imperfection, yet press on to better things!; secondly, forget your past failures, reach forward to future successes!

Natural temperament or disposition may be another hindrance to "abiding joy."
Many people are naturally "melancholy" through genetic predisposition toward such an attitude or through environmental influences as we were growing up. Yet in Christ, we can be transformed (Rom. 12:1-2) and produce joy, a "fruit of the Spirit."

Anxieties and depressing circumstances may be added to hindrances to "abiding joy." It is easy to be joyful when everything is going well, but when things are going wrong, people are easily depressed.
However, we see from the Scriptures that even those times can be a time for rejoicing if we have the right "perspective" as James tells us in James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

5. Story of Joel Sonnenberg
The now 26-year-old Joel Sonnenberg, was a victim of a horrendous car accident.
On September 15, 1979, en route to Maine, the Sonnenbergs' family car was crushed so badly. When a rescuer pulled the 22-month-old Sonnenberg from the wreckage, burns covered 85% of his smoldering body. With little hope, emergency workers transported him to a hospital in Boston where he quickly lost his fingers, toes, lips, ears and nose.
But, Sonnenberg speaks in his book "Joel" about how God has given him the courage to succeed. He credits his own optimism and his family's strong support with helping him serve as his high school's student body president, get elected Citizen of the Year for western South Carolina and carry the Olympic torch.
Sonnenberg always wanted to be a musician, but without hands, or even lips, he could not play any musical instrument.
He eventually realized his instrument was his voice.
Sonnenberg continues to use his voice, and his experiences, to speak regularly across the country of his remarkable life and unshakable faith.
He wants to share his joy in Christ with people who live their miserable lives in difficult situations and people who do not rejoice in their normal lives.

6. Conclusion
"Rejoice in the Lord always" does not mean that one is to be insensitive to the harsh realities of life, but it means that one does not let the dark realities of life blind him or her to the radiance of joy that is found in the Lord!

Have you found yourself going through life without the "abiding joy"?
If so, then make your relationship with the Lord what it ought to be first by rendering complete obedience to His Will; and then by letting the counsel of His Spirit give you the perspectives necessary to "Rejoice In The Lord Always!"
Let our joy in the Lord overcome our sorrows, pains, anxieties, and depression!