Christian Life is Easy
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January 31, 2010 |
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 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.
It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it."
(Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
Many people say Christian life is not easy though they profess their faith in God. But God says Christian life is never difficult. When we lead an easy and joyful Christian life, God would also be pleased and He can answer us quickly. Then, how can we lead an easy Christian life?
First, we must have a clear goal.
I met the living God after suffering from diseases for seven years. Despite a very poor and difficult environment, I always had joy and happiness for I believed in heaven. And since I was called as a servant of the Lord, I've never thought anything was difficult for God was with me with His great power. I had a clear goal from the beginning because I had an assurance that God is alive and heaven exists. Because I was certain I would achieve the goal only if I follow the way that God presented, I didn't doubt and hesitate thinking 'Do I have to give up or not?'
Brothers and sisters, just think about the students who study to enter colleges. They invest 12 years beginning from elementary school, then in middle school and throughout high school. But entering the eternal heaven cannot even begin to compare with entering a college. Moreover, we don't even have to worry whether we can really make it or not. If we just follow the way that He shows us, all of us can achieve it. The outcome will be given exactly according to what you have done so we have no reason to be lazy running toward New Jerusalem.
If you start a business with your own capital, you will try your best for the success even when you sometimes feel humiliated by others. If you have a firm faith and hope toward the results that you will gain after you try your best effort, you will never get tired but your dream will become even greater. Then, how about spiritual things which can be given only by God? You should definitely try and never say it's hard or difficult. If you make up your mind thinking 'I will surely accomplish my goal' and run toward it, God will be with you with His grace and ability and you can lead an each Christian life with the help of the Holy Spirit. If a mountain climber has a firm goal, he wouldn't think 'This mountain would be very difficult to climb' before he even starts climbing the mountain. If he goes up the mountain step by step only with the thoughts that he will succeed, he will finally be able to reach the summit. Likewise, if you set up a clearly goal in your life of faith and keep running toward New Jerusalem without looking back, you will never think Christian life is hard or difficult.
Secondly, we have to go towards the goal without change of mind.
This changing of the mind is such a great obstacle in a Christian life. The reason why I could reach the levels of spirit and whole spirit, and even to deeper spiritual realm, is because I had no change of mind. I could have gone into the deeper realm of spirit today because I neither changed mind nor gave up. You cannot achieve it just by thinking, 'If I can't, it means I can't.' So I mad a clear goal and tried without changing and giving up mid-way. Of course, physically there were so many hardships and I had to expend great toil and effort with fasting and prayers, but I never thought those things were difficult.
In case of a mountain-climber, if he thinks he wants to rest in the middle or he wants to go back down, then from that moment on he will feel it's difficult. We feel a Christian life is hard and difficult because we have the desire to give up in the middle and change our attitudes.
It is not an easy thing to get promoted in your work place. But if you give up in a couple of years just because you are not promoted, or if you shift your workplace many times with changing attitude, it will be more difficult to get promoted. In fact, for us to change and go to New Jerusalem is easier than to get promoted. If your thoughts that the life of faith is difficult or hard disappear, you can lead a happy life of faith.
Thirdly, we have to be joyful and happy going towards the goal.
The reason why people climb mountains, even though it's hard, is probably because of the happiness they get after they climb the mountain. As they feel the happiness of conquering each mountain, they do not think it's hard to climb the mountains but they'd rather feel happier and happier. Likewise, as we lead a life of faith in Christ, there are different goals that we have to achieve at different times. For example, at first we have the goal of 1st kingdom of heaven, and the 2nd kingdom, then the 3rd kingdom of heaven, and then to enter New Jerusalem. As we conquer each level one by one, we will finally reach New Jerusalem.
But some of you say that you feel it is hard when you discover the shortcomings in your Christian life. Since I was a new believer, I was happy to find my shortcomings and cast them away. I never thought it was hard to face my own shortcomings nor did I feel it somewhat wasteful to cast them away. I thought I would get into better heavenly dwelling places only when I cast them away anyway. And the more I cast such things away, the happier I became. So, I hope you will rejoice more and give thanks when you realize your own evil. Then you will always have joy and thanks even in trials and tests and you will find out yourself even more and make yourself more perfect. You are happy to realize yourself, to be able to cast them away, and to be changed. This is the reason why you can always be happy in our walk of faith in every kind of situation. I pray in the name of the Lord that all of you will take this march of faith with joy and happiness, so we can go ever nearer to our goal of New Jerusalem.
To read this message in more detail, visit our website (www. manmin. org) and click on 'sermon'.
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