God’s love, which is stronger than death, is causing me to continue walking the path of the mission the Lord has given me (John 6:1–15). “At that very time some Pharisees came and said to Him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill You.’ He replied, ‘Go tell that fox, “I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.” In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:31–35). ...
Don’t be mistaken.
“For he supposed his
brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but
they understood not" (Acts 7:25)
As I meditated on this Scripture, one word I said to
myself was 'James, do not be mistaken.' The
reason is that Moses, before he attended the church in the wilderness (Acts
7:38), during his 40 years of life in Egypt, remembered to consider his fellow
Israelites. When he saw an Israelite
being mistreated by an Egyptian, he struck down the Egyptian in defense (v. 24).
After this incident, Moses mistakenly
believed that God had used him to save the Israelite by his own hand (v. 25). To put it in modern terms, a pastor like me
could mistakenly believe that the church has grown because of my good
preaching, effective administration, good interpersonal relationships, and so
on.
Of course, it would have been natural for the
Israelites not to realize. The reason is
that Moses' human nature and his own abilities were displayed, rather than
God's salvation work and His power. In
other words, instead of God's divinity being revealed, it was Moses' humanity
that was revealed. How could the
Israelites think that God saved an Israelite who had been mistreated through
Moses killing an Egyptian? Does God's
salvation come from human bloodshed?
It seems that we humans are easily mistaken. The reason is that we do not know God well and
do not understand our own nature well. No
one is truly competent. What do we have
to offer God? We have no righteousness,
no ability to save anyone, and no worth if the Lord does not dwell within us. Therefore, if someone feels loved, comforted,
and uplifted through us, it is not our doing, but the work of the Lord who
dwells within us. That is why we have no
one to boast about except the Lord.
Although they may dwell in misconception, those who
know the truth believe they can find freedom even in misconception. I desire to
abide in the truth without being mistaken.
Even
if I dwell in misconception, I believe that the Lord will rescue me from that
misconception, so I remain,
James
Kim
(Embracing
freedom from misconception)
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