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Loving the Present and Loving God (Number 14:1-10; Philippians 3:7-14)

Loving the Present and Loving God (Number 14:1-10; Philippians 3:7-14). Winter in Elmore. People ask, “Do you still like Worcester?” You are wondering whether I am now sick and tired of my country life here in Worcester.

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Loving the Present and Loving God (Number 14:1-10; Philippians 3:7-14)

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  1. Loving the Present and Loving God(Number 14:1-10; Philippians 3:7-14)

  2. Winter in Elmore • People ask, “Do you still like Worcester?” • You are wondering whether I am now sick and tired of my country life here in Worcester. • Once a month, I have to go to Boston to have a conference education. • My friend asked, “Do you still like Vermont?” • He might think I am sick and tired of here and by now I may miss Boston a lot.

  3. “Winter is coming and it’s getting colder.” – Is this why you wonder whether I want to go back to Boston? • I am actually longing for the winter. • 1) I am planning to hike the winter mountain along with you. • 2) I may go for the down-hill skiing or cross-country skilling. • 3) I may jump into the lake. • I enjoyed the summer and fall seasons with you. • Then, I will love the winter season as well no matter how cold it is.

  4. God in the present • Why do I love Worcester and Elmore so much? • Boston is one of the top cities in the United States and a major tourist city in the world. • Jesus says to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, let the one deny oneself, take up one’s cross, and follow me.” • Because Jesus is my Lord and I am his servant, I was willing to deny all my fun in Boston, take up my loneliness, and follow Jesus to come to Vermont.

  5. How to love God: • How can we show and prove we really love God? • “By this all men and women will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn 13:35). • “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 Jn. 4:20). • “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62). • “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Lk. 16:10). • To love our present life and try our best in our circumstances is the way we love God. • If we really love God, we must love our present life.

  6. Why do I love Worcester? It is because Worcester is my life. • God has led me to come and live here in Worcester. • Boston is the past and Worcester/Elmore is my present life. • Nevertheless, if I miss my previous place, want to go back there, and even complain about my current circumstance, how can I say I love God and I am his servant?

  7. The disciple Paul considered his past as “rubbish” (v. 8). • “I refuse to be influenced and controlled by my past.” • Our present life can be worse than the past: aging, sickness, divorce, unemployment, loneliness, etc. • Look up and look back. You still have people to meet, things to take care of, and the community you belong to. • God is not far away but close to you, and you may have salvation from whom you love and what you serve!

  8. Looking Ahead Two types of people in the wilderness: • 1) The Israelites were weak from wandering in the wilderness, and they tried to go back to the slavery and bondage of Egypt. • 2)Caleb and Joshua encouraged people to trust that the almighty God is on their side. They urged them not to turn their backs on God but to press forward in God’s promise. • Those, who complained and tried to reverse the Exodus, all perished in the wilderness. • Joshua and Caleb, who kept their faith in God and did their best even in the wilderness, could finally enter the Promised Land.

  9. Where do we see God at work in our wilderness journey? • Our past is a lot better than now, that we want to go back to the past? • If we want to follow Jesus Christ, we must not live in the past. • No matter how good or bad, we must forget those things that are behind us and press on toward the goal in heaven. • As God is our Lord and we are his servants, let us fix our eyes ahead and not behind, and let us fix our minds on God’s faithfulness to us along the way. Amen.

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