2016.02.27.Saturday_In order to overcome the problems of your reality(Genesis 37:11)

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2016. 02. 27. Saturday.

In order to overcome the problems of your reality(Genesis 37:11)

  And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #481 Abide with Me(#531 in previous version)

  No one is exempt from hardship, and the most important time is when these hardships come. Some people get discouraged and falter, but there are others who take this as an opportunity to experience God’s wisdom and power. The 7 Remnants(Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Elisha, Isaiah, Paul) took their hardships as an opportunity to discover God’s hidden answer. There is an answer that follows when we make the choice of faith. What is it?

1. Eyes we must open to refrain from being deceived by our difficult reality

  Joseph finally gained victory as he challenged without losing hold of his dream despite his brothers’ jealousy. In spite of the hardships he experienced in his family and his field, he challenged with his vision and ultimately prevailed. Moses believed in the work of God and experienced God’s miracle in the face of his limitations. He was able to see the work that God carried out through him, despite his powerlessness. Samuel also had the experience of faith. Though he did not have a lot of power, because he believed that God was with him, he received the answer of none of his words ever falling to the ground.

2. Hidden blessings we must see in the face of our suffocating reality

  David was a person who triumphed in faith, to the point that he confessed in the direst of situations, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Elijah fought against the 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah. He, too, faced a reality that prompted him to fall into despair and give up. It appeared as though he had not a single disciple, but God was preparing 7,000 disciples and a disciple with a heart of faith like Elisha. God prepared disciples in advance for Isaiah who was martyred and Paul who was commissioned as the first missionary when they were faced with problems. That is why they were able to look to God’s time schedule and wait.

3. Problems into opportunities

  Our hardships are a platform, opportunity and strength for the future. As evidence, it is recorded in Romans, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”(Romans 8:18) It is all right even if you are experiencing hardships that you cannot share with anyone else. This hardship will become a blessing that will lead to world evangelization, and we will receive this blessing. That is why we must see God’s hidden plan and time schedule within the problem, instead of avoiding it or fleeing from it.

[Prayer of the Evangelist] God who works ahead of me! Equip me with the nature of the Gospel today to the extent that I can overcome my problems.

Remnant Study of Evangelism Lecture 61 / 2006. 11. 27.

[Bible Reading] Isaiah 65.