EM/Youth

[Sermon Note] Resting in God

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작성자 PastorRoy 작성일18-01-04 18:25 조회3,548회 댓글0건

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There is a fundamental difference between trying to earn the right to be loved and trying to please someone based on the conviction that you are loved by that someone.


For example, when you are in a relationship and you are not convinced that you are being loved and you work to earn the right to be loved be the one that you are in the relationship with, the relationship itself becomes a strife. And you do not get to rest in that relationship. 


You come home from work to rest with your family. The relationship with your family is the most meaningful and most intimate relationship that you get to have. And it should not feel like another strife that continues from the work.


Our relationship with God should not become a work for our souls. It should become a rest. It can only feel like a rest when we become completely convinced of God's love toward us.


Apostle Paul talks about this issue in the form of a theological debate in the Epistle to Romans, arguing that a person is justified by faith and not by work. 


Paul says, "since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand" (Romans 5:1-2).


Whoever you may be, however you may be, if you are a person, God loves you. Atheists exist but they exist only to be loved by God, not knowingly. But we as Christians, even though we say we believe that God exists and loves, sometimes find ourselves constantly striving to earn love from God when we are completely embraced by God just as we are, or despite how we are. 


When we are convinced of God's love toward us, faith life becomes restful. Prayer will cease to feel like an obligation but a joy. The Bible may stay difficult but will become a joy to read. Coming to the church to worship will feel always exciting. 


Stop trying so hard to be loved. As an Asian who has been educated to try your best at all times, one of the hardest things that you are encouraged to do by God is to stop trying. God wants you to rest in God so that God could do more for you. Resting in God is the first step to achieve more in your life, ironically. 


Amen. 



  





 

 

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