Genesis-148 – Jacob’s Staff

The Word of God is from Genesis 47:28–31 and Hebrews 11:21.

 

Genesis 47:28–31:

“Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, ‘If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.’ ‘I will do as you say,’ he said. ‘Swear to me,’ he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” Amen.

 

Hebrews 11:21:

 “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” Amen.

 

Jacob’s Final Days and Immanuel

After leaving behind one hundred and thirty years of a "harsh and difficult" life, seventeen years have already passed since Jacob first set foot in the land of Egypt. Previously, we reflected on those final seventeen years of Jacob’s life, encountering the God of Immanuel who was with him in every step he took. God's presence is not a story confined only to the Christmas season. We have confirmed that it was a practical grace that had already been holding Jacob's entire life throughout the long history of the Old Testament.

 

Now, with seventeen years added, making him one hundred and forty-seven years old, Jacob senses that his life has finally reached its last destination. Feeling the shadow of death approaching, he calls his son Joseph and leaves a heartfelt last will. It was an earnest request not to bury him in this foreign land of Egypt but to bury him in the Promised Land of Canaan where his ancestors rest. Jacob received a vow from Joseph that he would surely do this, and the Bible records that majestic moment as Israel worshiping at the head of his bed.

 

However, the passage in Hebrews that we read today describes this scene a bit differently. While Genesis says Jacob worshiped at the "head of his bed," Hebrews testifies that he worshiped while leaning on the "top of his staff." In his final moments of worshiping and relying on God, did Jacob rely on a bed or a staff? Today, we want to trace the deep spiritual meaning contained between these two expressions and meditate on God's detailed guidance as He finishes Jacob's life.

 

The Adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh and the Twelve Tribes

The content from the latter half of Genesis 47 through chapters 48 and 49 contains very important spiritual meanings within one large context. It is easy to understand this part simply as a scene where Jacob blesses and prophesies over his children, but behind it lies the amazing event where Jacob adopts Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own sons.

 

Here, we come to think again about the composition of the tribes of Israel. Originally, Jacob had twelve sons, but by taking Joseph's two sons as adoptees, there are numerically fourteen. However, since Joseph's place was replaced by his two sons, it practically takes the form of thirteen tribes. Later, when they enter the land of Canaan, the tribe of Levi does not receive land as an inheritance but takes God Himself as their inheritance, so the typical system of Israel where twelve tribes are allotted land is finally completed.

 

The fact that Jacob adopted his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh and declared that he would place them in the same rank as his firstborn Reuben or second son Simeon is truly unconventional. This means that Joseph's sons were granted the authority of the firstborn, showing that the blessing of the practical birthright flowed to Joseph. Considering the fierce history of birthrights that took place between Ishmael and Isaac, and Esau and Jacob in Isaac's family, it is a tremendous change in redemptive history that Reuben stepped down and Joseph's lineage took that place.

 

From a human logic perspective, it is only natural for the Messiah to come through the lineage of the firstborn. However, as we well know, the Messiah came to this earth not through the tribe of Joseph, but through the tribe of Judah. The fact that the lineage of the Messiah leads to Judah even though Joseph gained that title after such a long and arduous journey surrounding the birthright throws a deep spiritual question to us. If the Messiah had come through Joseph, the flow of redemptive history would have been much clearer, so why did God choose such a mysterious and complex path of providence?

 

We will look into this deep spiritual mystery in more detail later, and today we want to meditate on the fundamental reason why God dealt so weightily with the relationship between Jacob and Joseph at this final point.

 

Head of the Bed or Top of the Staff?

The discussion of whether "staff" or "bed" is correct regarding Jacob’s worship scene may seem like a minor issue at first glance, but it actually provides a very important clue to understanding the history of biblical tradition. The Hebrew Bible we see, the "Masoretic Text," records this as mittah, meaning "bed." On the other hand, the expression quoted by the author of Hebrews follows the "Septuagint (LXX)," which translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek, where it was translated as "staff" (mabteh).

 

The translation period of the Septuagint goes back to approximately 100 to 200 BC. In contrast, the oldest manuscript of the Hebrew Masoretic Text we currently possess is from around 1000 AD. Then, chronologically, which one is closer to the original form? Although it is a translation, the Septuagint contains records from a period more than a thousand years ahead of the Masoretic Text.

 

Meanwhile, in academia, there were constant doubts about whether the contents of the Bible recorded by Moses around 1500 BC had changed as it passed through the long period of 2500 years. However, the Old Testament manuscripts found in the Dead Sea caves in 1948 put this controversy to rest at once. This is because it was proved that these manuscripts, estimated to be from BC or the time of Jesus, were almost no different from the Masoretic Text of a thousand years later. Through this, we have come to reaffirm how accurately the Bible has been preserved under God's detailed providence.

 

One thing to note here is the characteristic of the Masoretic Text. Originally, Hebrew was recorded only with consonants without a vowel system. However, as the use of Hebrew gradually faded over time, the Masoretic Text was completed by adding vowel signs to the consonants so that descendants would not forget the correct pronunciation of the Bible.

 

In this context, it can be said that Hebrews recording Jacob's worship as "staff" is the result of accepting the tradition of the Septuagint, and our Korean Old Testament is the result of being translated based on the Masoretic Text. Then, which has more authority: the "older manuscript" or the "original Hebrew language"? In fact, it is not easy to clearly distinguish this from a manuscript perspective. The Septuagint is also a translation where there is room for error to intervene in the translation process.

 

However, if we look from the perspective of faith, accepting the Bible as the canon, there must be a clear spiritual reason why the author of Hebrews, recording the Bible by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, chose the word "staff" from the Septuagint. In the Hebrew consonant system, mittah meaning "bed" and mabteh meaning "staff" are identical in spelling. In the days when there were no vowels, this word could be interpreted as both depending on the context. Ultimately, it is reasonable to understand that the author of Hebrews specifying it as "staff" while recording it in Greek is God's providence to convey the redemptive meaning contained in that word to us.

 

New Testament Reinterpretation and the Providence of the Bible

There is another significant spiritual meaning contained in the difference between the staff and the bed beyond the manuscript discussion. When we read the Old Testament and then look at the New Testament, we often come across verses that quote the Old Testament, such as "as the prophet Isaiah said." However, if you compare the texts of the Old and New Testaments side by side, there are times when you feel that the contents are different from each other despite being a quotation.

 

Representatively, if you look at Hebrews 11, it records that Moses chose the path of suffering "for the sake of Christ," leaving behind all the wealth and glory he could have enjoyed in the princess's house. However, if we look at the text of Exodus, the direct reason Moses hid himself in the wilderness was because of the incident where he killed an Egyptian who was striking his fellow countryman. In the Old Testament text itself, there is no direct description that Moses refused treasure and decided only for God. Nevertheless, the author of the New Testament is quoting that incident by reinterpretating it spiritually.

 

What this suggests to us is clear. The authors of the New Testament did not stop at simply transcribing the records of the Old Testament mechanically. They often "reinterpreted" the true spiritual meaning behind the Old Testament events and revealed their essence. It is a way of revealing the true value of the event in terms of redemptive history, beyond literal quotation.

 

Therefore, when we face the scene of Jacob's worship, we must sufficiently consider not only the difference in manuscripts but also this perspective of New Testament reinterpretation. Some might ask, "Why do we need to know even such complex academic backgrounds?" However, in an era like today where scientific reason and archaeological knowledge are developed, the question "How can we be certain that the Bible recorded by human hands is the unerring word of God?" is a task that we inevitably face.

 

The reason I am taking special time to consider the difference between the "bed" and the "staff" is right here. This is not about revealing errors in the Bible, but rather a part that adds depth to the Bible. If the New Testament chose the expression "staff," we should naturally respect that authority. Furthermore, it is because looking into the reason why the Old Testament's "bed" was named "staff" in the New Testament is a much more beneficial and faith-based attitude toward the Bible.

 

Of course, the view that the difference occurred during the process of transcription or translation due to the similarity of the words mittah and mabteh is also sufficiently valid. In fact, we cannot completely clarify that historical inside story. However, if we look from the perspective of "providence" as to why God passed this record on to us exactly as it is now, we find that a deeper theological meaning dwells within it. We come to realize the mysterious cycle of grace as we compare the two Testaments, seeing how the historical facts of the Old Testament blossom into a richer meaning of life through Christ in the New Testament.

 

Grabbing the Invisible Promise Rather Than the Visible Peace

I have given a long explanation, but the essence we want to focus on today is this. When it is said that Jacob "sat at the head of the bed," what does the "bed" symbolize in the biblical context? The most representative meaning is abundance and comfort. Lying or staying in a bed primarily indicates that the life is wealthy and in a very safe and peaceful state.

 

In this way, the bed symbolically shows Jacob's old age without any worries. In fact, during the seventeen years he spent in the land of Goshen in Egypt, he enjoyed a peaceful daily life without any external enemies. Recalling the situation at the time, the Jacob family entered Egypt when two years of the seven-year famine had passed, and the famine continued for another five years after that. In that terrible famine, all the land in Egypt became the possession of Pharaoh. Saints, you remember, right? That incident where all private land was reverted to the state through the famine.

 

This change in political situation paradoxically brought peace to Jacob. This is because the room for dispute over land ownership had disappeared. In fact, the most troublesome problem in Jacob's life was the dispute over wells and land. Every time he moved to the land of the Philistines from Canaan, he had his wells taken away, and when he tried to feed his flock, local shepherds appeared to draw boundaries and chase him away. Jacob had lived his whole life fighting like that, but now all the land belonged to Pharaoh, so the seed of dispute itself had disappeared. Moreover, with the huge Nile River nearby, he didn't even have to suffer to dig a well.

 

To the extent that it was perhaps the first time in Jacob's entire life, the life of this period was peaceful and comfortable. Above all, Goshen was a land where God Himself promised, "I will be with you and protect you there." From Jacob's perspective, this place must have been the best sanctuary he had never experienced in his life. Everything was perfect because it was a place he came to by following God's guidance, not his own stubbornness. It was a situation where it was okay to just enjoy this peace and confess, "God, this place is good."

 

However, Jacob leaves an unexpected will at this point. "Not this peaceful bed, but bury me in that land of Canaan where I lived a harsh life." This is the most important perspective of Jacob's view of life and the attitude of faith that we must surely learn.

 

Usually, we long to be a little more comfortable and happy in the world. It is probably our universal desire to hope that suffering is small and everything is prosperous, living well enough to buy the envy of others who say, "How can that person have everything work out so well?" However, Jacob never evaluated life by such standards.

 

Let's reflect on our lives at this point. Aren't most of us immigrants? Why did you come to America? You might have come for studies or for a new settlement, but if Korea were a developed country where you could enjoy more things, would there have been a reason to come here? In the 1970s, there were probably few cases where an American immigrated because Korea was a better place to live.

 

We came to America because we believed there were more opportunities and a better life waiting here. Actually coming here, America was peaceful and good to live in. In that process, we gained many testimonies. Confessions such as "When it was really hard and difficult, God did not abandon me but helped me so the business rose up, protected me when I was sick, and led me to paths I hadn't thought of" are abundant for us as well. So, as we see our children's growth, we often think, "I'm really glad I came to America."

 

Life Seen Through the Eyes of Faith

However, Jacob is not staying in the comfort of the world right now. Look at the situation he was in at that time. Since settling in Egypt, he had no more difficult things. Entangled problems were untied, and when it seemed like something tiring would happen, his son Joseph appeared and solved everything. It was a very comfortable life, calling his son while lying in bed and having him run to him immediately. But Jacob never says his life is happy because of that comfort.

 

He is looking at the essence, not the environment. He is confessing, "I am blessed because I hope for eternal life, God is with my life, and I pursue invisible eternal things." In other words, it means he is truly at peace not because of how comfortably he is living well or because he is enjoying the abundance God gave in his later years, but because his life is with God and He makes him hope for invisible eternal things. Hebrews testifies to this by saying, "By faith he is seeing it."

 

Everyone, why do we, including me, shake so often? It is because even though we confess to believe in God, we actually think we enjoy blessings only when the worldly situation looks okay, rather than faith itself. This is not simply a problem of the "prosperity gospel." Even we, who pride ourselves on deep faith, often first think of visible evidence when evaluating life, saying, "It was really hard and difficult, but God was with me and helped me to get here."

 

In the end, we are still judging our lives by what is seen. My health, material things, and the comfort enjoyed on this earth have become the yardstick of life. But Jacob emphasizes that that is not the standard. Our true standard must be whether we are enjoying eternal life and whether we are living by leaning on the promised kingdom of God. In other words, the true standard for seeing life must be whether the marks of Jesus Christ appear in me, whether God's character is contained, and whether I am constantly relying on God and holding onto the cross even while knowing my inadequacies.

 

A Life Holding onto Invisible Evidence

The standard for evaluating our life is usually not in what is seen, as we think, but in what is not seen. This is the core that Hebrews 11 conveys to us. What is faith? It is the evidence of the realities that are not seen, not visible phenomena.

 

However, we often feel relieved only when there is visible evidence. When we say to someone, "It's good to believe in God, you don't know how big a blessing it is to believe in Jesus," what we intend is usually the expectation that "Try believing in Jesus, then something will change." What does "something" mean here? We first think of things like the living situation getting better, possessions increasing, enjoying more things, or the problems faced being solved.

 

Everyone, do not misunderstand. Believing in Jesus does not mean that God only gives suffering in our lives, prayers are not answered, and nothing works out. Not at all. Clearly, God knows your needs and will help you with everything in every difficult moment. You may say Amen. The Lord will surely help you.

 

However, the fundamental reason God helps us is to make us see "invisible things." It is for the purpose of making us realize the fact that "Because I am now enjoying God's eternal love, such grace has been given to me."

 

The problem of disease is also the same. It is natural and precious to pray for a disease to be healed, and I also am earnestly seeking for God to cleanly heal all your diseases. I seek truly earnestly. However, we know. Even if "He does not do so," we are not people who will abandon God. We already know that we are not people who will give up on God even if everything does not happen according to our will, although we are grateful when God fills all my needs and it is prosperous.

 

Why is that? It is because we know that the health and material things of this earth, and all visible blessings, eventually stay for a while and then leave. The reason God sometimes allows visible blessings is a consideration to make us certain of the fact that we possess the invisible eternal kingdom. It is the providence to make us enjoy peace and joy under any circumstances and realize that we are beings that never collapse.

 

Who will truly evaluate our life? When God evaluates, our life can never be measured by the yardstick of success and failure that the world measures. God wants us to deeply realize that our lives belong to the invisible eternal kingdom.

 

A Miraculous Call of Grace

Everyone, do you know why we, including me, say our faith is small? It is because we already know all these truths, and there are some of you who nod when I preach and some who say Amen in your hearts, and all agree that it's right, but because we don't live like that in actual life, we say our faith is small.

 

Everyone, do you know what grace is? It is grace that He persistently calls us to this place even though our faith is so small. It is that God does not give up on any of you. During the week, how many thoughts and things do we do that God would give up on? Nevertheless, God does not give up. He calls you.

 

In your thoughts, you might have come thinking, ‘I should go to church today because it's Sunday!’, but what are you saying? There is no such thing. Everyone, we like playing more than worshiping. We like dramas more than reading the Bible. we like playing golf, tennis, or hanging out much more than praying. It’s not that those things are bad, but that our nature is like that. The Bible primarily calls it a ‘miracle’ that we are sitting here like this now. Of course, I myself am a miracle too. It is a miracle that someone like me, who is just like you, comes here and shares God's word together like this again.

 

Everyone, you and I are happy people because we are in the process of learning that our lives themselves are different from other people because of the fact that we have eternal things. It's not that we've learned everything, it's not that I know everything about me, and it's even more not that my faith is that big. But in any case, we are under that touch of God. How amazing is this?

 

One Who Seems to Have Nothing, Yet Possesses Everything

Everyone, if we go a little further from here, the question arises, ‘Why was even the staff mentioned without ending at the bed?’ What is the staff to Jacob? He once confessed this in the past: “I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become 두 떼나 이루었나이다.” When he left home as if fleeing, the only thing he had was a staff. Although he returned as a very wealthy man after 20 years, the staff symbolizes his starting point when he originally had nothing.

 

Do you understand why I said the New Testament reinterpreted the contents of the Old Testament? The ‘bed’ of the Old Testament shows the appearance of Jacob enjoying abundance by having everything, but the New Testament looks into the other side. It is that he looked as if he enjoyed everything in the world, but in fact, he was like a person who had nothing. The reason he could worship God by leaning on a mere staff was, paradoxically, because he was a person who had everything although appearing to have nothing.

 

Since I am only explaining with words, it seems it hasn't touched your heart yet, but I will read the words of the Bible for you, so please listen. “Behold, we are as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich...”

 

Who is like that? Why are you so lacking in confidence? Who is like that? Do you not believe it? The end of this verse concludes like this: “...as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

 

We have God's promise. And the reality of that promise is Jesus Christ. Because we possess Jesus Christ, the Bible declares to us so confidently. That we are people who possess everything, although appearing to have nothing.

 

Those of you who have been to many funerals will know better. I also have presided over numerous funerals and watched the final journey, but I have never seen a single person who went while holding even one thing in their hand. When you lie down for the last time, I have never seen anyone occupy more than 1.5 pyeong (approx. 5 square meters) of land. Just that space of about one pyeong where you lie down is everything. The graveyard might be large, but the place actually lied down is only that. No one can take more than that.

 

Would it have been different for Jacob? He also is only holding one staff that he should lean and stand on in the last moment. However, he confesses, “I am a person who has everything.” Why is that? Because he was not a person who followed visible phenomena, but a person who looked at the invisible promise of God and the heavenly inheritance. That is why he could confess to be at peace and could declare to have truly had everything.

 

Everyone, think deeply about why Hebrews uses the word ‘faith’ here. It means he did so by faith. If you look at your life only with the eyes of the flesh, you cannot help but be a person defined by your job or bank balance. You become a being defined by the reputation others call you or the success of your children. Or you will try to explain yourself only with academic background, skill, or past career.

 

In fact, aren't we all people of ‘the old days’? Our appearance is that we have nothing to define ourselves except the memory that “I was a person who did this much in the past.” That is the entirety of ‘me’ that the world speaks of.

 

One Who Received the Eternal Kingdom as an Inheritance

However, looking with the eyes of faith, you are completely different people. You are people who embrace eternal life, and people who call God Father and receive the eternal kingdom as an inheritance. The kingdom of God, which has a value that cannot be numbered or measured, is precisely your inheritance.

 

Have you ever thought, ‘How good it would have been if my parents had left even a small inheritance like others’? There are probably almost none here, but I will tell you a story of a friend I met when I recently went to Korea because my parents' health was not good. He was a friend who lived as well as anyone else, but he said this to me: “Hey, our house is in total chaos these days. My mother had a family mountain, and my four siblings are out of our minds fighting over that land.”

 

I know that friend well, and in fact, in the past, it was a truly dirt-poor family. So I never dreamed such a dispute over inheritance would arise. But as the land left in the countryside was suddenly redeveloped and the land price rose significantly, conflict arose among the children. According to the friend, the siblings themselves say to each other, “You take more,” and yield, but the opinions of their respective spouses are different, so they fight like that. To get more of that small thing in the world.

 

Conversely, another friend unexpectedly became the owner of land worth billions of won while living without even thinking about it. What would that friend have said to me? Would he have said he'd just buy one meal? No. He could not hide his joy, saying, “Hey, you come to Korea. I'll take care of you.” It was that he just felt so, so good.

 

But everyone, before considering whether it is mine or someone else's, we should feel really good every time we wake up in the morning. Because the kingdom of God is precisely our inheritance. God promised to inherit that kingdom to us. That land cannot be measured with a ruler, and the glory of that inheritance cannot even be measured. That is the country where you will live eternally, and there you will rejoice eternally. God gave precisely that country to you as an inheritance.

 

Since that glorious country is yours, what would Jacob be envious of? Why would he be discouraged just because he is holding a staff? So you too, do not say, “My life is only this much, I am a life that has hardly done anything.” Of course, you might be expressing yourself humbly, but such words are truly heartbreaking to God. God has worked so hard to raise you up until now and has stood you up proudly as one who will receive God's inheritance, so if you say, “My life was nothing special,” how much would God's heart ache?

 

To tell one more of my personal stories, when I was going up to the 3rd year of high school, my height was 159cm. I was short enough to be number 10 in the class. But during the one year of the 3rd year, I grew a full 16-17cm. I'm not very short now, am I? But while my height was suddenly growing, maybe because I couldn't get proper nutrition, one day I collapsed during the school assembly and was taken to the hospital. When I woke up, my mother was crying next to me. The words my mother said then are still vivid. “How I raised you, and the doctor says you have malnutrition.”

 

Everyone, God led you here and through those numerous ups and downs made you know Jesus and made you believe in the cross. And He made you gain eternal life through that cross and gave you the kingdom of God and led you to this place. But if the cause is ‘spiritual malnutrition’ when you finally collapsed, what would God's heart be like? So you must not say such things.

 

You must confess boldly. “My life is truly satisfactory, valuable, and meaningful in God. I am a person who will receive the kingdom of God as an inheritance.” This is precisely the reason Jacob could worship God in the last moment. Because he looked at it by faith, he clearly knew what he had and what he would receive in the future.

 

The True Meaning of Worship

So everyone, worship is not simply an act of emptying the mind like we think. Many people say they lay down everything through worship, and laying down itself is good. It's not a wrong word. But worship is not actually everything just by laying down. Rather, it is to firmly grab the cross with your two hands—that is worship. It is true worship to fill that empty heart with Christ, not stopping at emptying the heart.

 

We often answer that it is for God when asked for whom worship is offered. It is correct to look at God, but there can be a big misunderstanding here. You are not worshiping for God. God is not such a person that something is added or supplemented only when we offer worship. Just because we offer many praises, God does not become higher, and just because we listen to sermons diligently and receive grace, God does not become a more great person. It is also never the case that God becomes rich because we offer offerings.

 

Remember the meaning of the Sabbath. At that time, the Jews thought the Sabbath should be kept only for God. Since God said to rest, they said they must rest unconditionally, and even threw stones at people who didn't rest. What did Jesus say then? He said, “Your start and departure are wrong. The Sabbath is for man.” Worship is precisely for you. God called you and made it into a time only for you. This does not mean He will cater to your whims, but it means it is a time when He pours out heavenly grace abundantly to you.

 

Christianity is not a religion that eliminates greed, but a religion that correctly directs greed. There is a longing within us. We must have a heart that longs for God with all our hearts. If we say, “I have now thrown away all greed and have nothing to be hindered by,” then where on earth would we find the joy, pleasure, and the abundance to enjoy with God that we should enjoy in that life?

 

Of course, the confession, “God, I lay down my greed,” is precious. However, you should not misunderstand this and think that non-possession or the state of having nothing is happiness itself. You cannot truly become happy with non-possession. You become happy when you possess God. We can finally become happy when we possess Christ in our spirits.

 

Only dust piles up in an empty cup. No matter how much you empty and empty the cup, if something is not filled in it, it will eventually only become dirty. No matter how cleanly you clean, dust continues to pile up and only emptiness remains. But when that cup is full of water, it becomes a clean and cool cup. When the cup called your life is full of the Holy Spirit God, full of the cross, and full of Jesus, then you finally come to confess like this. “Ah, this is true happiness. This is why He calls me blessed.”

 

Worship Satisfied with God Alone

Therefore, the expression ‘offering and giving’ worship is not completely wrong, but that should not be the priority. It is first that we are satisfied with God alone. We did not call God, but God instituted worship for us and called us. Even if we worship, God does not become higher. It is because God is already the Most High who cannot become any higher. However, God truly rejoices in that heart where we confess, “God, I love you.”

 

Do we not know the heart of a parent well? What would the parent's heart be like if the parent prepared a table with all their heart for the child but the child didn't eat anything? How would God's heart be if He prepared a song for us but we didn't praise, and He prepared a word for us but we were not interested in that word?

 

So we must deeply remember this word that “Jacob worshiped.” To worship means to go out to God by faith. It is a determination to make the basis of my life with heavenly things. To live by faith is not a visible phenomenon, but a confession to make the meaning of my life with the invisible God. It is a proud declaration to live by God's character, by the fruit of the Spirit, by the Lord Himself, not by money, success, or honor. This is precisely worship. Worship is to enjoy, experience, and rejoice in God's good will.

 

As most mothers are, my mother also made sure to make any food I liked as long as her strength reached. Even if I said, “Mother, it's tiring, you don't have to do it,” she finally prepares it. To be honest, now my mother's food is not as delicious as before. As she got older and her taste changed, in some cases, buying and eating is better. But as a child, what should I do when receiving that food? Can I say, “It's not delicious now, so stop doing it”?

 

We don't do that even to our physical parents. But if we resent, “God, how can you do this to me?” just because God sometimes gave a ‘bitter cup’ in our life, what would God's heart be like? Even that bitter cup is God's love for us, and eventually, it is a tool of blessing to make the fruit of the Spirit bear in our life. That is why we are happy people, and that is why we worship.

 

Everyone, I hope you look at your life accurately. The value of life does not depend on what I have or don't have. It is also not in how much I have built up discipline and transcended death. What is really important is whether there is life in me. Whether the resurrection promised by God is in me. You and I are people who will enjoy the eternal kingdom with God who created us. Because we look at and hope for that country, the eyes with which we see ourselves cannot help but change.

 

Therefore, you must now confess. “I am a person who has everything. I am not a person belonging to this world, but a person who looks at the eternal things of heaven.” I hope you do not forget that faith is the true reality and evidence of things not seen, not things seen.

 

Let us pray. Lord, thank You. Grant that our lives are not shaken by the yardstick of the world or visible circumstances, and truly thank You for letting us enjoy true peace and joy in the Lord alone.

 

In all moments when we possess something or lose it, please let us live by faith, looking only at the Lord invariably. Do not let our hearts and thoughts be taken by the vain things of the world, and let us hold firmly to the eternal kingdom of the Lord and go out boldly.

 

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who becomes our eternal inheritance. Amen.