Proverbs 27:13-27 reads as follows: Get your neighbor to do the talking to you and don't be a loudmouth. A timely word may mean much. Like a golden apple in a silver setting is a word aptly spoken. Like a fine piece of jewelry is a wise man's reproof to an attentive ear. Like the coolness of snow in harvest is a loyal messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters. Like a cloud and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given. Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit. Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house—too much of you, and they will hate you. Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor. Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble. Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

Do not cling to regrets, diligently live your life, and set your heart on me. For water cannot forget the source. How long can the bamboo hat be passed down through generations? When grass is cut, new shoots sprout, and when a mountain is grazed, it will grow back. The wool of young sheep becomes my clothing, goats are sold to buy fields, and goats generously provide food for you and my household, as well as for my maidservants. Amen. I have mentioned that wisdom is the discernment of priority. Therefore, as we live, we will follow the two main axes of relationships and work. How we will live in relationships and how we will handle things that happen through those relationships. Many people focus on their abilities. They concentrate on the achievements and accomplishments of work, neglecting relationships. In a society centered on work, they do not realize how much damage is done to relationships. Therefore, wisdom means shifting the axis of life from work-centric to relationship-centric, even in a society focused on work.

Moving is about relationships, everyone. It stems from our work relationships, so if we don't always think with a relationship-centered mindset, our lives will always revolve around work. Even if we go to church and practice our faith, we can't break free from work-centered habits. And do you know how many people are still breaking those relationships within the framework of religion? So, as you listen to today's message, I hope it becomes a morning for us to think about how we can manage those relationships well. Let's read verse 13. It says, Get the garment of correction for the sake of others; a stranger's garment for a foreigner. A garment of correction is to embrace his body. How generous do you think a relationship like that is? If someone loses their home or if their family faces difficulties because of the relationship with the one who corrected them, it means they did not discern the important relationship priorities.

So, the clothes of those people should be taken back, not returned. It might seem too cruel to say to grab his body, but those who give love by saying to grab his body should pay the price. Foolishness may not necessarily lead to wisdom when paying the price, but there is no guarantee that a foolish person will become wise just because they pay the price. However, by not letting foolishness pass without consequences, we must prevent the continuation of foolish actions. That's the meaning. So, in this regard, the message Do not use credit comes out twice. Do not use credit inside and Do not use credit outside. At that time, it was all about financial transactions. Nowadays, maybe credit is not used much, but it's the same when you borrow a lot of money from a bank. The bank gives you a credit card, so now...

Aren't we facing big challenges right now? Anyway, it's said that difficulties will come again next year, so it's wise to settle debts quickly if you have any. It's like living with a heavy burden if you have debts. Proverbs 22:26 says, Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts. In the morning like this, if you bless your neighbor loudly, it may end up being a curse instead. For example, meeting someone early in the morning and saying loudly, Hey, you're doing well, that's not praise, it's an insult. Everything can be a blessing or not depending on the time and place. It's important to distinguish the timing and place to maintain and continue good relationships. That's why, no matter how much we read the Book of Proverbs Chapter 13 Verse 1, it says the same thing.

Even if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

It's like counting the drops of rain on a sunny day. If water droplets keep falling from above, you can't do anything all day long. I didn't grow up in a house where raindrops are counted. It really bothers me. I'm so preoccupied that I can't focus on anything else. People like this are said to control the wind when they try to control others. This expression originally means to hide or conceal. When you look at the original text, it means that such a person's foolishness is clearly revealed. No matter how much you decorate or try, that foolishness is all exposed. It's like trying to squeeze oil with your right hand, it's all in vain. Even if you wander around, it's all in vain. It's all futile effort. Trying to hide and conceal that person is all in vain.

This is the saying of a song. It's something that cannot be hidden. It's something that cannot hide foolishness. How can you hide going around showing foolishness with your own mouth? It's not just a matter of explaining once or twice. That's why choosing a spouse is a really big issue. Young people just rush into marriage without much thought. Choosing a spouse is the most important decision in one's entire life. Parents didn't choose for me, right? So, what criteria should one have when choosing a spouse? This is a truly wise way to live. It's a big crossroad in life, how to live. Parents diligently pray for their children's future spouses from a young age. That's the right thing to do. This is really a matter of a lifetime. Providing good education to a child is important, but if they end up dating someone strange, it will be a lifelong struggle, isn't it? It starts in verse 17 and 18.

Just as iron sharpens iron, a person brightens his friend's face. The one who protects the fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever shows favor to his master will receive honor. Iron sharpens iron, and this side of the coin is often written and remembered, but it all depends on the relationships you have. When it comes to revealing oneself, it's like making someone's face shine. So, when you meet certain friends, your face can shine, and when you meet others, your face can darken, right? But hey, parents are like the foundation already laid in us, like a computer. From an early age, it's already there, right? Friends are like apps, it's the same. Apps are something you choose and download. Depending on which app you choose, it will always work the same way, but with so many different uses.

You get to have it. Some of you are going to weird apps, even same-sex apps have come out, so when you turn that on, it shows who are the same-sex people at the bottom of the screen. It's a world where such apps are made and sold. So, what kind of app are you going to get? It's the same as what kind of relationship you have. Whether you establish a new app today or not, it's the same. Therefore, those who guard the tree will eat the fruit, and those who serve their master well will receive honor. Those who live in faithful relationships, not in empty relationships, gain honor like this. If you look at Ephesians chapter 6, verse 7, it says to serve with joy, as if serving unto the Lord and not unto men. Those who do this are you.

What will the relationship be like? It will be an emotional relationship, right? Not insincere, but wholeheartedly speaking without lies, serving like this, are those people, right? Yes, that's different. So, when I look at this, there are commonalities between time, space, and humans. Time, humans, time, space, humans. It ends as an interrelationship. So, time or space, humans, relationships are essential. This means that the essence of time and space is the relationship. Einstein pointed out that the essence of time and space is the relationship. It means that humans are fundamentally about relationships. It's not about work, but if the relationship with God is broken, God says, You shall work and live by the sweat of your brow. This means that you should first restore that relationship. Then work will follow, believe that.

Yes, there is no one as foolish as someone who breaks relationships and works as if there were. So, you really have to think when you say you work hard but things don't work out. When you feel like everyone hates you and wants you dead, then you need to think about why people dislike you, why they keep their distance from you, right? So, in Revelation 2:10, it talks about how important relationships are. Revelation 2:10 says, Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Being faithful is not about loyalty. It means considering Him as the top priority, thinking of Him as more important than yourself. Of course, if you do it wrong, it can turn into flattery, but if you do it until the end, it becomes loyalty.

That's right, so if you live with an unwavering attitude to the point of death before God, He will give you the crown of life. It's God's promise. But if you serve God according to your mood, leaving when you feel a bit disappointed, praying and receiving answers, giving offerings a little more, and if it doesn't work out, going far away, wavering like that, then you won't be able to take a step further. Isn't God more than just a neighborhood friend? You should meet Him every day, not only when you are in a good condition. That's loyalty. If you can't see clearly in the neighborhood this morning, it will be tough to clear the snow off your car, start the engine, and go up. Ah, today, instead of just going and sighing, you should sleep a bit more. But isn't it that you've come this far? Clear the snow off the car and wipe it.

Also, such loyalty should be there. This is in verses 19 and 20. It starts, As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. A person is never satisfied with money, nor a person's eyes with his wealth. Just as water reflects a face, a person's heart reflects the person. This is a very important expression to understand relationships. When hearts reflect each other, but if someone is feeling bad, it means that person thinks I am feeling bad. When I feel bad, it means that person sees me in a bad mood. In that case, what should we do? If someone is cursing at you, what do you do? Wisdom is recognizing what is reflected in my heart and changing my heart. Knowing how to change my heart is wisdom. The climax of wisdom is changing myself first. Trying to change others is foolishness. It's wise to change yourself first. Transform your children, then your family, and your spouse.

Do you change? No, you don't change. The only person who can change is me. There are only two types of people in the world: those who change me and those who try to change others. What is wisdom? It's when I change first. I have to change for the relationship to change. Understanding this is what it means to be wise. A person who understands this is good at building relationships. Then, that person will experience things getting resolved, will encounter helping hands, and through that work, will experience relationships becoming stronger. How many people become enemies after working together once? Life is foolish like that. Seoul and Abado express this as dying while alive. Expressing dying while alive in two ways, what is that? It's like hell. Hell, how about satisfaction? Is there satisfaction in the grave? Is there satisfaction in foolishness? - Is there satisfaction?

So, being ignorant means not having satisfaction, it means not being wise. People say that even the eyes of a person are not satisfied. So, if you are not satisfied, it is a sign of foolishness. Why am I not satisfied like this? Ah, it's because I am foolish. If you know that, it's because you are foolish. Proverbs 5:10 says, Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. Why is there no satisfaction? It's because of loving money. If you love God, even small blessings will bring satisfaction, but if you love money, there will be no satisfaction. Loving gold won't bring satisfaction, loving honor won't bring satisfaction, and you shouldn't love those things. As it is said, you cannot serve both God and money. God should come first.

Those who are greedy are never satisfied with what they have, and those who seek satisfaction with what they have are plagued by dissatisfaction all their lives. Even if they have everything, they are still dissatisfied. If they lack one thing, they are upset about that one thing they don't have. How pitiful it is for such people. It's from the Book of Luke, chapter 12, verse 15. It starts with the words of Jesus. He said to them, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. No matter how much wealth one may have, life does not become abundant with possessions. So, reduce your greed, overcome your greed, and then you will know abundance. Therefore, whether someone has only ten thousand won in their pocket and lives abundantly, or whether someone has numerous assets but lives in constant anxiety, there are people like that. So, when we read these words, it's really amazing how these wise words from three or four thousand years ago are still relevant.

Yes, humans have not changed at all. Even if your house or appearance changes, do relationships change? No, relationships do not change at all. That's why there are people who are good at managing relationships now, while others are getting more tangled. It's because faith is crumbling, ethical and moral foundations are crumbling, which means relationships are becoming more difficult. So, this society is not progressing. Even if you don't know how the shape of things is changing, relationships are becoming more and more harsh, crumbling, and becoming precarious. This is not a sign of a country doing well or the world progressing. Thinking that progress comes from using AI is not true. If later on, AI acts on its own, do you know what it might do? That's why, using morals to discipline people with kindness and praise, not just through force, is essential. Put the foolish person in the mortar with the grain.

The ball cannot remove his obsession. So, praising people is fun. If you praise, you know. When praised, some people become anxious. When receiving praise, a person's flaws are revealed. Even when criticized, flaws are exposed. Therefore, people can improve through praise. However, the stubborn person cannot remove his obsession, even if put in a mortar with grains. No matter how hard you try, you can't tear it off once it sticks to someone's head. What should we do with this? It won't come off. Yes, among those people, there is one who must encounter disasters one or two times and should end it. Even if disasters come ten times and all his descendants die, the obsession is not removed. So, what about the Israelites who left Egypt? They wandered in the wilderness.

If you wander around the land of Canaan for 43 years after a three-day journey, and when you finally enter the land of Canaan, do not repeat the idol worship that you have been practicing and repeating, being dragged to Babylon, being dragged to Assyria, and not being able to escape from the foolish stubbornness, the Israelites are the same. Yes, we don't know. Each person should think once, think once for themselves. Each person should think once, truly. So why do we keep trying to receive such treatment from people, keep seeking praise? It's all foolishness. That's why you must memorize Luke 17:10, So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'

You need to get rid of the desire to be praised. It's not something to be proud of even if I worked hard, I just did what I had to do. It's not something to be praised for. People who live like this won't easily stumble, but if you look around a bit, even in church, there are many resentful spirits. Even on Sundays, if you shake hands with less strength, that person might feel bad, right? Some people don't even make eye contact when shaking hands, so I moved to another church. Those who are possessed by resentful spirits. So, if you feel like you might be resentful no matter what you do, it's better not to do it from the beginning. I do it because I'm happy. If I'm happy, I do it; if not, I don't. That's how it is. I am involved in church work.

There is no society that tries to minimize everything. Just as there is no household without a family ministry, there is no church without a social ministry. Both the household and the church are communities, so they just do things naturally and joyfully. Who enters the house and decides, Today, I will do my wife's ministry for only an hour, the eldest son's ministry for 30 minutes, and the eldest daughter's ministry for 20 minutes? Where can you find such a person? When a child is sick, who are the parents who have not held their child all night to watch over them? When a child is burning up with fever, then you carry the child and speak to them. That's how life goes. That is ministry. Those who have done ministry will write it all down in the record book later. They will say, Hey, I spent so many hours on you, including getting you through college, which cost a total of $108,500. Now, starting from today, you will pay back the study abroad expenses. It's heartbreaking. Parents sacrifice for their children until the day they die.

Giving until the day you die. What are you hoping for? If you live well, I'm grateful. Not fighting, not getting divorced, being thankful for life. It's not about that. Don't think it's weird just because the socks are getting old and making strange noises. Keep giving until the end. The church is about giving until the end. There's no reward here. There are useless servants. What do you receive from God? Everything is from God. Amen. When you say Amen in times like this, it's just a distraction if you keep saying Amen unnecessarily. This is from chapter 23 and 24. Take good care of your flocks; pay attention to your herds, for wealth is not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. I translated it as Take good care of your flocks, but if you look at the original text, it repeats know, know twice.

Know the situation of my flock in detail, know it in depth, know it deeply. This is the meaning. You did well with the translation. Understand it with your heart, yes, understand it with your heart. And devote your whole heart to it. This means to give your all to what you are entrusted with. It means to do your best in the responsibilities entrusted to me. That is the path to living happily for all of you. There is no fool who does not do his own job but interferes in others' affairs and goes around. I used to play golf in the past, believing in Jesus, but there is only one secret to playing golf well, which is to watch the ball until the end. Amateurs watch the direction the ball flies, keeping their heads up. Pros are those who watch the ball until the end. Amateurs always look at where the ball went and end up hitting it wrong. So, for all of you, Chairman Hee-jin is the one.

I called Claus over there and what I learned in one word is that it's a well-known story. When I went there and asked him to teach me, saying I would pay a lot of money to bring him here, a letter came. I said I would go to the U.S. and write back in a letter, but when I actually went there and said it, he said, Don't do it. It may be an uncomfortable story for those who don't play golf, but yes, it's about looking at the position where I am and living. That's what I'm saying. Even when I go abroad, people who live well there are the ones who look at that place diligently. But the people who really need to be told are the ones who watch Korean news every day, listening to strange news, complaining every day, pouring out complaints about Korea. Immigrants should adapt to the spirit of the country they are in. So when Korean people go there, they are behind the Vietnamese, behind the Indians, behind the Chinese, always lagging behind. Those people gather and buy shops.

We even fight when we build a town. So, this nation truly believes in Jesus well, if not properly, there is no answer. Even if you build it with justice, these people who cannot shake off their lingering attachments are in such difficult times right now. What party, what fight do we have? Anyway, naive people all get involved in politics. It was frustrating. Do it well. They say they will run again next year. That's right. We have to pray. So, next year, we have to pray hard. We have to shout. What should we do? We have no way. Let's read verse 25 to 27 and finish. After pulling the thread, a new cloth is made, and the wool is sheared from the sheep. The lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed you, your family, and your servant girls. If you work diligently and honestly,

If you know how to be self-sufficient, you will enjoy abundant fruits. This means being diligent, sincere, and honest. By doing so, you will attain self-sufficiency and enjoy abundant fruits. Remember, it's not a matter of know-how, it's a matter of old age. Focus on the know-how in life. How to make money now, how to increase efficiency, how to bear fruit quickly - that's not it. Life is not about know-how, it's about relationships. Do you know who you are? Who do you want to associate with? That's the conclusion. The conclusion of wisdom. Don't place too much emphasis on know-how, focus on the importance of relationships. Rather than knowing people, it's more important to know the person you are in a relationship with, isn't it? Isn't it wiser to know God than knowing anything else?

So, knowing the Lord is the root of wisdom. Knowing diligently, striving to know, making an effort to know in detail, this is the way to live wisely in our lives. When praying, please help us to know God more, to be closer to God. Please help us to be closer to the invisible God's words that He has spoken. Let's pray once. Father God, even today, knowing that everything comes from You, we will not turn away from discomfort or complaints. There is nothing that we are not thankful for, nothing that is not a subject of prayer, nothing that is not a topic of joy. Today, once again, may You always be pleased with us, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

May God make you happy, grateful, and prayerful, so that even today, in this dry and desolate land, like a desert, you can live the life of a sojourner well. Please bless us, Lord, so that today we may live with unshakable joy within us, and lead a life with unwavering faith. You have said that the word I have received is spirit, and the word I have received is life. Please let Your word be a word filled with the Holy Spirit within us, and make our lives bear abundant fruit. Now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who bore the fruit of eternal life on the cross, the love of the Father, and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, guide us today as well. I earnestly pray that from now on, and forever, we may be together with those who are the people of the word, who desire to live a day led by the word within them. Amen.

나 먼저 바꾸는 지혜 - 조정민 목사 베이직교회 아침예배 : 갓피플TV [공식제휴]

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