Harmony
Bible passage: 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and [a]He has [b]committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
Dear brothers and sisters,
when we faithfully try to live according to the word of God, there are times when worldly people and even some who believe in God say that we are too devout or fanatical. They ask why we have to be so zealous when God knows all our circumstances and situations anyway.
But God said in Deuteronomy 10:13, “To keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good.” Father God wants His children to live a happy life even in this world. The secret to living such a happy life is recorded in the Bible. Today, in line with the Korean Thanksgiving holiday which is Choosuk, we’ll look at attaining ‘peace,’ one of the secrets to a happy life. If you can completely achieve harmony, wherever you go will be filled with happiness like heaven. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will embed these words in your heart and become the happiest ones in the Lord while on this earth.
Dear brothers and sisters, If you can always live in agreement with everyone around you, then your life will truly be happy. But there’s an order in achieving peace. When you understand this order and follow through, true happiness is attained. Who do we need to reconcile and have peace with first? He is our Father God. Brothers and sisters, why did God create men and cultivate them on this earth?
The reason was to gain true children who can share love. God created mankind in His image and embedded spiritual knowledge in them to gain children who can share love. When the first man, Adam, committed the sin of disobeying God’s word, all of Adam’s descendants began walking down the path of sin. Becoming sinners, men were no longer children of God but children and slaves of the devil. In the end, they were supposed to be thrown into the eternal fire of hell. But God did not leave mankind, created in His image, to live as slaves to the devil like that and face eternal death. Despite men having sinned against His will, God extended a hand of reconciliation first by sending His only Son, Jesus, to atone for all our sins.
Regarding this, 2 Corinthians 5:18 tells us, “All things are from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ.” God completely sacrificed His beloved Son, Jesus, on the cross for reconciliation with sinners. Whoever believes in Jesus as His Savior receives forgiveness of all sins, is given the Holy Spirit, and become children of God. Galatians 4:6 says, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Those who have received the amazing grace of being born again as children of God through Jesus Christ must not sin again. If they sin, the reconciliation with God breaks.
They become vulnerable to the work of the enemy devil and Satan, which leads to their prayers being unanswered. Jeremiah 5:25 tells us, “Your iniquities have turned these away (fearing God & reconciling with God), and your sins have withheld good from you.” But if you walk in the light, God’s word, being grateful for the grace received, you can receive whatever you ask of God amidst peace with God. In a peaceful family, parents listen and respond to their child’s request when possible.
Then, why would God, our spiritual Father, not answer those who’ve become reconciled to Him? Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” 1 John 3:21-22 also writes, “21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence [a]before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” If we are not in peace with God because of sin, we cannot ask with confidence, which means we cannot receive answers or experience His blessings. When we reconcile with God, nothing is beyond our reach.
I pray that you will always walk in the truth and keep peace with Father God. Dear brothers and sisters, first, we need to reconcile with God, the Father of our souls, before reconciling with all people. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 records, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and [a]He has [b]committed to us the word of reconciliation.” ‘Giving us the ministry of reconciliation’ means we are called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those still living in sin, separated from God and headed towards death so that they too may be reconciled with God. 1 Thessalonians 5:13 tells us, “and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.” What is the main reason that people fail to be in peace with each other? It’s because they insist on their being right.
However, many of their thoughts which they believe to be right are not accurate when measured against the truth. God’s word instructs us to forgive, love our enemies, and serve. Yet, they cling to their thoughts while not practicing these teachings. When people set aside their will and righteousness and align their actions with God’s word, the truth, peace can be achieved. This is particularly important within the “family” unit, which should embody the highest levels of love and peace. For Father God also desires our families to be in peace, He instructs us to honour our parents, love our spouses, and maintain a loving relationship with our siblings. It’s said that peace in the family is the key to prosperity in all things. When we are in peace with all things in the truth, our prayers can be answered and good things follow. Proverbs 17:1 tells us, “Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it than a house full of [a]feasting with strife.” The verse puts emphasis on the value of peace in the family.
For a family to be peaceful, it’s crucial for the husband and wife to be united. When spouses have harmony, they can have peace with their children. As their children learn from them, they can have peace with their siblings and the whole family would be in peace. Achieving peace between spouses is not as challenging as it may seem. Proverbs 16:7 tells us, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” By following the word of God, spouses can find it easier to achieve peace. Ephesians 5:28 instructs, “So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.” 1 Peter 3:1 also advises us, “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives.”
If only husbands and wives fulfill these teachings, no couple would fail to achieve peace. Challenges arise, for example, when a husband demands submission without fulfilling his own responsibilities; or when a wife expects her wishes to be met without doing what she has to do. These attitudes break peace. If either spouse humbles themselves and takes the initiative to serve according to God’s word of truth, peace can quickly be restored. While reaching out and showing humility first can be a blow to personal pride, it leads them to become a greater vessel spiritually. As I share a few stories related to this, I hope for you to gain wisdom which can be applied to yourselves. The first is about Queen Elizabeth of England. One day, the queen had an argument with her husband.
The queen returned home when all her work was finished. But, she found her room locked from the inside. Having been hurt, the queen’s husband locked the door and didn’t open it. In frustration, she commanded, “I, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, order you to open the door.” But there was no response from inside the room. Imagine yourself in the queen’s position. What would you have done? Would you raise your voice even louder, exercising your authority? But, the queen soon realized her wrong approach. In a softer and more affectionate tone, she said, “Darling, this is your beloved wife, Elizabeth. It’s cold outside. Please open the door.”
Her gentle plea was met with an open door. This lesson doesn’t just apply to spousal relationships. This can be applied similarly to our spiritual lives as well. There are believers who are distressed in temptations and their first love has been lost or cooled. There may be workers like smoldering wicks, speaking and evil and making others suffer. As for a person with weak faith, his heart can be reached through genuine, humble acts of kindness and service instead of commands or words of rebuke. Only a warm and humbling heart that prioritizes others’ positions can open a closed heart. A person who can humble himself in this manner is advancing spiritually.
When a person does evil to you, if you respond with evil, it’s a sign that your spiritual maturity is similar to his, regardless of your long religious experience. When you listen to the second story, I want you to put yourself in their shoes. Think about how you acted in the past and how you would respond in a similar circumstance. This story revolves around an elderly couple who had a quarrel. One day, they quarreled and the elderly woman became so upset that she refused to talk to her husband. During mealtime, she set the table for him but sat at one corner of the room and sewed in silence. As he finished his meal, she just brought him water without saying a word. Though they used to have lively conversations over meals, she didn’t say a word.
So, he was frustrated. The man was eager to break the silence and get along with her like before. But even after the meal, the woman remained silent and focused on her own activities. How would you respond if you were in the elderly man’s position? Would you engage in a prideful standoff, thinking that it’ll hurt your pride to ask for forgiveness first? Instead, the elderly man suddenly went to the closet and earnestly searched for something. He searched through the drawers, pretending to look for something. At first, his wife ignored the man’s actions. But, as he took out more items from the drawers, making a mess, her curiosity got the better of her. She bluntly asked what he was looking for. The man smiled brightly and said he was searching for her voice and that he’d finally found it.
Brothers and sisters, achieving peace is often easier than we might think. With a bit of humility and more consideration for others, even deep-seated conflicts can be resolved. But as we stick to our own egos, humbling ourselves can feel challenging and difficult. Misunderstandings over trivial things can arise. And, pride prevents open communication, causing negative emotions to fester. As children of God who know the truth, we should recognize that dying everyday like Apostle Paul is the path to living in spirit instead of sticking to our pride and egos. Our Lord Jesus completely died according to God's will and was resurrected in glory.
There is a story with a lesson that as much as die in the word of God, the truth, we can live a truly happy life. Though it’s just an example, I pray in the name of the Lord that this next story will lead you to have peace and abundant joy wherever you may go. Once, there was a wife who wished for death overwhelmed by her unhappy family life. She prayed to God, saying that life was too difficult and that she longed to go to heaven quickly. God responded by saying that He understood her heart and would grant her wish. But, He told her to do a few things first. The woman agreed and God instructed her to clean her messy house for the next three days so that after she died, people would positively comment on her housework. After the woman diligently cleaned her house for three days, it transformed into a pristine, fresh space and vastly improved from before. God then asked her, “Aren’t you concerned for your children? Why don’t you shower all your love on them for the next three days so they would remember you as a loving mother after you die?” The woman showed them love with all her heart, wholeheartedly making meals for them. After three days, God said, “It’s almost time for you to come to heaven.
But, there is one final task left. I know you’ve been hurt and distressed because of her husband. But why don’t you serve him with as much love and dedication for the last three days so he will remember you as a truly wonderful wife?” Though reluctant at first, the wife devoted herself to serving her husband, knowing she was close to the end. After three days, God told the woman, “Now it’s time. But, before you come, look around your home.” As the woman looked, she saw her children smiling for the first time in a long while in a now clean house, and her husband also looked happy. Seeing this, the woman thought of her home as heaven and wished to stay with her family.
Then, God said to the woman, “You’ve created the kind of heaven you longed for over the past nine days. You can live there happily.” Despite being a story, it makes you realise that whether we are happy or unhappy is often determined by our actions. Are any of you experiencing similar family difficulties? Or do you find yourself agonized by your bosses or colleagues and wanting to quit? Regardless of your circumstances, I encourage you to follow the example of the woman in the story, completely die in the truth, and serve others with all your heart.
If you walk in the truth by trusting in God’s word, God the Father who watches over you will be truly pleased and surely grant your desires. God can bring reconciliation even with your adversaries and help you, as His children, to be loved and admired by others. This is because God’s word is true without deceit. And, our Father God is faithful in fulfilling every promise made. I pray that all of you will trust in this faithful God and walk in the truth with even greater commitment.
Dear brothers and sisters, when life on earth ends, we will enter beautiful heaven that God has prepared for our happiness. There, we will live eternally, praising and loving our Father God. What does the Bible tell us to do to be able to see our beloved Father’s face to our heart’s content and be in our Lord’s embrace as God’s true children? Hebrews 12:14 and Matthew 5:9 both emphasize being “peacemakers.” Wherever peacemakers are, people have peace. First, we talked about reconciling with God.
And then, we looked at examples on extending this reconciliation to all people. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will grasp this secret to living a happy life which is making peace, live happiest life on earth, and enter New Jerusalem, the most blissful place in heaven.
