04/10
Blessed are you, when people shall scold you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.Matthew 5:11-12
Grace of Suffering
Who says suffering is a divine punishment? Who says it is a retribution for sins committed in one's previous birth? For us, believers, suffering is the greatest blessing. It is the only way to know Christ. Only by suffering, are we enabled to communicate with Him heart to heart. Only by climbing steps, one by one, of suffering, we are brought into the Nation of our Heavenly Father. Come then freely on me, You suffering and tribulation. You shall be welcome to me.
04/11
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, neither be dismayed. For the LORD your God is with you in all places where you go.Joshua 1: 9
God with You
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, told his friends several times, on the day prior to his death, "The very best thing, beyond comparison, is that God be with us." God is the supremely good and most precious treasure that a person, governing all creatures, can associate with. God is above property, above physical health, and is my companion above my family. Wealth may be stolen or wasted; the nation, the Church and friends may forsake me; an enterprise will drive me bankruptcy; my flesh shall be perish sooner or later. But amid all these courses of life, I can hold fast to God for ever and ever. Nobleness of human can best be defined as that it should not be satisfied with anything less than God Almighty.
04/12
I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. ... So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.Genesis 45: 4-5, 8
Joseph's Life
Circumstances will get out of the question as long as Jehovah abides with us. All circumstances are meant to show forth His glory. "The righteous has many afflictions, but the LORD deliveries the one out of them all" (Psalms 34:19). Jehovah will give him a spirit of honesty and industry to rescue him. The environment itself delights in a way of salvation. We need not to worry about our surroundings. At the appointed place and with diligence, honesty and faithfulness, one can find a way of salvation providentially opened for him. Joseph, a beloved son of Jacob, received a blessed life from God though no miracle took place for him. He established himself along the way of upright life. A life of plainness, guided by Jehovah, is indeed a miracle of miracles.
04/13
God has blessed us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His goodness which He has purposed in Himself; . . We are predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own willEphesians 1: 8-9, 11
God's Plan
God fulfills His will regardless the enterprise of humans. He is an absolute dictator, who created all creatures and humans and carries out His plan. Humans are created for God; not God is for humans. All creatures in Heaven and earth are created for God, not for humans. Therefore the purpose of a human is to fulfill God's will, not to enjoy one's happiness of life. It does not matter for me whether I am fortunate or not, since I know the true meaning of my existence. The mission of my life is to take part in the work of God. The task is to fulfill the plan of God, otherwise I myself is nothing. My glory is as a co-worker of God's plan. I should not have self-interest, or only my interest is to fulfill God's plan.
04/14
Behold, I will lure her and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her. And I will give her vineyards to her from there, and the valley of tear for a door of hope. And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.Hosea 2:14-15
Wilderness of Life
The wilderness is a desolately place where no person lives. It represents a state of loneliness. Failure of enterprise, impaired fame, separation by death of near and dear beloved; these are the wilderness of life. To such wilderness God will guide His beloved to give them the words of comfort. Human in the garden of this world is pleased to listen to the human voice rather than to God's. But, like Elijah, one who ought to wander out alone into the wilderness hears distinctly the small still voice of God (1 Kings 19:12). The first step of salvation must be walked among the trials in the wilderness. There the sins of ours are revealed; there an approach to God is granted; there the voice of God is heard; and then our salvation is to begin.
04/15
Love does not envy, does not boast, is not puffed up; does not behave indecently, does not seek her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil. Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.1 Corinthians 13: 5-6
Love Envies Not
Love envies not. Love fulfills by itself and therefore does not need to envy other's success or to be jealous of other's superiority. The wealthy may have strife; the learned and the religious may burn with jealousy; but anyone fulfilled with love do not disordered by the ill thoughts of suspicion and envy. Love brings about a living fountain. It knows giving but not taking. Being self-sufficient, it does not get dismayed by hearing of other's luxury. In love, the poor dose not want to be the rich, and the ignorant dose not envy the intellect; love makes the ultimate good and beauty of life. With love thus, one will cut all the self-desires apart. With gold in hand, one will not be envious of holders of copper, iron or lead. Similarly, with love in heart, one cannot be envious of other's gifted talents with gold and silver, treasure, knowledge or genius. Love envies not, yea, only upon attaining the love of God, can we be able to rise above the level of jealousy.
04/16
My brothers, take the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering of evil, and of patience. Behold, we count blessed those who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is full of compassion and of lovingkindness.James 5:10-11
Works of Suffering
We are not allowed to escape from suffering; we are destined to suffer. And we are saved from suffering and afflictions. God lets fire to burn out whatsoever is remaining impure within us. And then, God saves us out of ashes. Tribulation can not be overcome by escaping. Let suffering devour us first in order to overcome it by true salvation. Death can only be conquered by death (Hebrew 2:14). Sorrow cannot be overcome unless we come through sorrow. God saves us out of afflictions; yes, out of miseries, and perfectly.
04/17
Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the voice of Jehovah came to him from the heavens and said, Abraham. Abraham. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a ram behind him was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.Genesis 22:10-13
Spirit of Sacrifice
Jehovah is God of mercy. He does not require His children sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice. He require His children sacrifice to rid them of the source of sins, selfishness. With the determination to sacrifice his most beloved son, a voice from heaven came to Abraham: "Lay not your hand upon the lad." Oh, salvation has come. His beloved son, once offered to God, was given back to him by God. Here, Abraham, came to realize what a sacrifice should be. A sacrifice does not mean throwing away, but gaining again. The object of the burnt offering was provided separately by God Himself.
04/18
If anyone says, I love God, and hates one's brother, The one is a liar. For if one does not love one's brother whom one has seen, how can one love God whom one has not seen?1 John 4:20
Orthodoxy
Love brothers and sisters with the heart of Christ. True orthodoxy of Christianity is to love your neighbor within Christ, not to confess any creed. If we fall short of Christ's love, charity, long-suffering and patience, we are not true followers of His. Our faith should be doubted if it does not transform us into an image of Christ. Before confirming our faith, we should first become meek and gentle in heart like Christ.
04/19
These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.1 John 5:13
Faith in God and Eternal Life
Without faith in God and everlasting life, there can come out nothing great. Neither great sorrow nor great joy. Neither great suffering nor great peace. Neither great lamentation nor great praising. Without deep faith in God and everlasting life, none of the great literature will come forth, nor a great revolution will be realized. Lacking faith in these two, life will be nonsense and empty. Upon only faith in these two, Augustine constructed theology, Dante composed "Divine Comedy", Luther initiated the Reformation, and Cromwell established the Commonwealth. A great one is nobody but the one who fears God instead of human, who trusts in the life to come instead of hoping in this world. Being merely worldly cannot make a truly great person. A truly great person can only be made when he or she becomes conscious being a person of God and rests upon the conviction of eternal life.
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