03/10
A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house. Matthew 13:57
Be Great
Be great; so great that you do not know your greatness, neither does the world recognize it, but take you for good-for-nothing, or for something worse. Be great as the sun which simply shines and makes no noise, which is recognized by the world only when it ceases to shine, as in the Arctic winter or the tropical rainy season. Or, still better, be great like God Himself, who is almost entirely forgotten by humankind, and whose existence is a problem, to be solved with difficulty by philosophers like Descartes and Kant. Oh, be great and common as the air and the sun-light, ignored and unrecognized.
03/11
They shall put you out of the congregation. The time is coming that everyone who kills you will think that he bears God service. And they will do these things to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But I have told you these things so that when the time shall come you may remember that I told you of them. John 16: 2-4
Condemnation
Christ said, "the time is coming that everyone who kills you will think that he bears God service." They reproach us because they believe we are wrong. Their oppression, then, is based on a cause that calls for our great sympathy. They want to kill us for the sake of righteousness. For the sake of society, humanity, yea, in some cases, for the very cause of Christianity, which we do believe, they try to deprive us of our lives. Their anger, therefore, holds a grain of sincerity to be admired. We are never to despise, but to pray for them.
03/12
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
Brave and Integral Life
There is a gift that everyone can leave for next generations. That is a brave and integral life. Not everybody can leave the gift of money, writings, institution, property and other achievements. But one's brave and integral life is the one that everybody can leave as a gift for next generations. Then what is the brave and integral life? It is to believe that the world is God's dominion not devil's and that there is hope in the world and not despair. And it is to walk in the world believing that the world is of joyful and not of grief. Leave one's brave and integral life as the gift for the next generation.
03/13
It is better to trust in the LORD than to rely on humans. It is better to trust in the LORD than to rely on princes. Psalms 118: 8-9
Trust in God Alone
Trust in God, and not in human. Reliance upon God far excels dependence on dignitaries and nobles. One shall be disappointed in humans and ashamed of the notables who intertwine love with hate, interchange laud with libel time and again. Not so with Jehovah, the unchangeable rock of eternity. He affords shelter for the decaying, and support for the dying. By Him, darkness will turn to light; weakness will change to mercy. Nothing of shame with Him. As the sun increases glory to reach the heights of noon, our life also advances from glory to glory, as the years go on, to reach the height of heavenly joy. Neither wealth, fame, rank, or medals can console us, Jehovah alone can and will turn His face to heal our solitude.
03/14
I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; . . . And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21: 1, 4
New Heaven and New Earth
For a Christian, death means departure to his Lord. Joy, instead of fear, accompanies it. He now leaves flesh to see the Lord face to face, whom he served invisibly by faith. By this, death gives one an impression of going back to his homeland. It must be joyful as well as grateful. Reunion with our Lord means reunion with our beloved. Through death we do not go astray in nowhere. We go to a land of our friends. There we shall have the most intimate communion, without prejudice or grievance. There we enjoy wholehearted exchange of love. Yea, just beyond the stream of death, we see yonder this paradise of love.
03/15
But Jesus called them and said, Allow the little children to come to Me, and forbid them not. For of such is the Nation of God. Luke 18:16
Simple Faith
Believe simply. Charity comes with simplicity. Zeal comes with simplicity. Belief cannot be zealous if one puzzles over many problems and doctrines. Seek simplicity of faith first, then the rests shall follow. In Japan, Buddhism spread into all strata of the people when Honen (1178-1215) compressed the doctrine into six words "I believe in the Savior Buddha." Nichiren (1201-1261) also realizing this, condensed his faith into nine words "I believe in the Law of the Lotus Sutra." His simplicity penetrated to the land of Japan with a great extent. There is nothing so incompetent as a complex belief. I am ease of mind within, and proclaim my faith clearly without, as long as I express my belief in the fewest solid words.
03/16
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are caught up, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10
Die to One's Self
To work for God, I must first die to myself. Otherwise I may find myself imbued with the spirit of self-love and self-protection. I can live with God, only upon dying to myself. Living with God, I can be freed from fear. Then, I can have clear conscience, freed from fear. For preaching the gospel of God, I have no anxiety of politics or any matter to disturb my work. The world tries to assimilate me; but I am in no way to surrender or compromise to the world. Though the whole world may stand there in union and unison, I will stand here alone. I will abide by the evergreen, defining frost or snow land. I will stand solid by the immovable spirit of a mighty mountain. My being shall profit millions, and my voice shall calm billions. Only by living with God, can preaching first yield the fruit for the world.
03/17
The word of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but to us who are saved, it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Salvation of Soul
How could my soul be saved? Christianity would be foolish without this yearning. Christianity is not a sect of philosophy like Buddhism nor a device for drilling self-power like "Zen." Christianity is the power of God to save our souls. The Advent of Christ and His redemption of sin on the cross are the acts of God to save our souls. These occurrences, therefore, can never be understood when applied to anything other than the souls.
03/18
When Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD. For because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said to him, Peace be to you; fear not; You shall not die. Judges 6:22-23
God of Gideon
Gideon needs not fear; he shall not die. Jehovah did not appear to him to kill him, but to save him and, by him, to save his house and country. Moreover, God did not appear to him as a deity but Jehovah. Jehovah is God, but not the God that governs the universe but the God of salvation of human race. He governs the whole universe; authority and power are in His hand. But when He comes to the world to save human He put on humility and did appear a figure like a man. Jehovah is God who speaks to human. First He appeared to Moses, telling him of His name Jehovah (Exodus 3:13); and later, as Jesus Christ, to the world to redeem the sins of the whole humanity.
03/19
O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Sin and Death
Spirit and flesh are originally united into one. But, as a result of sin, human underwent the sad separation between the spirit and the flesh in the life. This is a most grievous thing just like a criminal being hanged. We not only dislike death but fear it greatly, because we know we human beings are invariably sentenced to death as punishment for our sins. Death is seeded in a misery flesh because of our sin. Oh, who is there that does not fear death? And, who is there that does not seek resurrection? If death has to be met once as a result of the sentence of sin, why not the hope to be given a new body as a result of the remission of sin? Isn't this a yearning and earnest hope at the bottom of the human heart?
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