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좌측_배너 배너 001

작성자 한태일 목사
작성일 2016-07-04 (월) 09:58
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Senior Pastor's Column for July
As humans, we require rest.  If even machines: our iPhones or laptops need rest; how much more rest do people need? Sporting events even have rest periods. Jesus, in Mark 6:31, instructed his disciples as they were out spreading the word, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." But for many immigrant Korean-Americans, there is no rest. That is why when they turn 60 their bodies begin to slowly break down. So when they reach an age when they should be resting, they suffer because of various diseases. This is most often times, a regret.

God, knowing that people need rest, from the very beginning - He made it so that man would work six days and rest one. It's not just the body that needs rest. The spirit needs rest as well, which is why God set aside one day to worship. He allows us to experience His grace on that day. He restores our strength to start another week. It’s like a sports game, where the players go to the locker room, get some rest, restore their energy, listen to the coach’s game plan, adjust strategy, and go back out to play. As they are resting, they hear the coach assess how they played up to that point meanwhile renewing their energy.

In addition to the rest we have one day per week, we also need to rest a few days during the year. Of course, many immigrants don't enjoy that luxury of taking time off. However, it is very beneficial to oneself and one’s family to take a few days off every year and get some rest with one’s spouse and children. Without this, we do not have an opportunity to reflect on our lives in a larger sense merely with a day of rest during the week. We are unable to have the important conversations with our family members that we may need to have. It is a good idea to go to a quiet place and rest with a prayerful heart.

I personally like the ocean. When I look out into the ocean, my heart opens and my mind widens. When you look out to the sea and consider all of the water that flows into it from the mountains, rivers, valleys, and even cities and how the ocean envelops it all, I want to embrace all the people whom I encounter too. As I look at the sun rising out in the morning on the other side of the ocean, and at night to the sun setting, I think about life more seriously. Standing by the shore teaches me about the providence of God as I look out upon his wonderful creation in nature.

That is why I urge all of you beloved brothers and sisters in Christ to take some time off during this hot summer and head out to the ocean. Even if you can only afford a day or two, I recommend it. Go someplace less crowded, where there are not as many people. And be sure to go out in the early morning or late at night to talk to God. Have a serious conversation with those you love. Do it not so much for only yourself but for those around you. As believers we should not be selfish, right? Use this as an opportunity to give some thought to what you should do for those you love – those you should love.  Not only that, give some genuine thought to your reflecting on your own spiritual life, and whether you are headed toward the destination you are seeking.

This is how we seek God’s help. We are unable to get to where we want to go with our own strength, and because we cannot love as much as we should, we seek His help. We ask the Holy Spirit in us, laying aside our self. When you do this, God will give you strength and give you wisdom so that you can love. When you are able to love more than you did before, you please God. After all, Jesus told His disciples just the day before the death on the cross in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."                            
   
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