Elder Jethro’s advice



Exodus 18:13~27If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied. (23)



♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal # 412 Far Away in the Depths of My Spirit (#469 in previous version)



 As we live our lives, the experiences of our childhood become very important. What we see and hear as children influences our whole lives, and bad habits and distorted ideologies that we take root in sway our adulthood. That is why it is very important to meet the right people and listen to the right words. The most important thing in our lives is the Gospel, and the Gospel alone. The greatest blessing is to meet someone who can explain this Gospel, reveal it and help you take root in it. What kind of blessed meetings should we encounter and how should we pray for this to happen?



1. Advice from those who know the covenant
  It is important to meet with people who know God. It is precious to be able to meet with co-workers and leaders and communities that experience God’s angels guiding them from ahead of them and behind them as they pass through the difficulties of the wilderness together. The advice of Elder Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, allowed Moses to be a good leader. Elder Jethro knew the mystery of the blood covenant (Exodus 3:18), realized who Moses was, and understood the problems in the wilderness. When Jethro’s rich life experience met with the covenant, he knew what the field needed and what the future of Israel would be. He was able to help Moses be raised as a disciple who had both the Gospel and skills. As we live our lives, there are people who help us grow spiritually - parents, friends, church teachers, spouses, evangelists, etc. We should be able to learn from these blessed meetings and be ready to take their advice. We must open our eyes and hearts to overcome ourselves.




2. The ability to go together
 In order to do your job properly, you need to be skilled. Remnants must use their time to prepare their skills like David. Yet, more important is the ability to be considerate of others and move forward together. Satan tries to deceive those united by the Gospel and takes every chance to dismantle it. Yet Satan cannot penetrate into a place where the people who have the Gospel are gathered. We need the ability to be able to move with others in the field. We should be open to advice and be cautious when we relay words. Nothing will be properly relayed when people''s feelings are hurt. We need wisdom to watch over our words and the Gospel-oriented perspective to perceive the incidents and people around us. Sometimes we have to be patient, too. The rhythm you acquire through scheduled prayer will grant you the ability to be patient and wait, and nurture the integrity that David possessed.
 



°Forum Topic - Let’s recount the blessed meetings God has allowed. Meditate on whether there is anything you lost hold of, whether you are going forward with other people, and whether you are growing in the midst of that.




Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / 2009.06.14