[Passage]

1 Corinthians 4:20,
"For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power."

Introduction

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This is the 2010 Women's Mission Devotional Service.
Let us give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has blessed us to have this devotional service. I also give thanks to all the devotees who have prepared for this service with all your hearts, minds, and souls.
Dear devotees, in El Salvador, they have a fairy tale about a golden key.
Each person is born with a golden key around their neck, and this key has influence over a person's life.
If they cherish the key and make it shine by polishing it diligently, they will be wise and beautiful.
But if they don't polish it, the key will become dingier and more tarnished.
Then, the owner of the key will become foolish and their appearances will be uglier.
It's just a fairy tale, but I think we understand the lesson we can gain from it.
If you diligently polish your heart, your life will become a valuable and beautiful life like a dazzling golden key.
To the extent that we change our heart with the truth, we can receive God's blessings and bear spiritual fruit.
1 Corinthians 4:20 says, "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power."
If you really change your heart with the truth, you can have the power to accomplish the kingdom of God.
Of course, you devotees have been trying hard to accomplish this kind of heart.
You've been praying for a long time to cultivate hearts that are good and pure; humble and meek; the heart that rejoices with the truth and seeks others' benefit; the heart that sacrifices everything and does not insist on oneself.
You have been trying so hard to do this. But, what a pity it would be for you, if you learn of your shortcomings only at the Judgment Throne!
Through this message, I hope you will change your heart into the kind of heart that God wants.
I pray in the name of the Lord that in doing so you will live lives of power as children of God and you will be able to courageously receive the Lord when He comes again.

[Main]

Dear devotees, in order to cultivate the kind of heart that God wants, first of all, you should check whether you are acting with goodness in every matter.
You've heard a lot about what a good heart is and what an evil heart is. So now you should be able to easily discern between good and evil.
You know about the hearts of David and Samuel, and in contrast you also know about the heart of Saul, who was forsaken by God.
You know the heart of Elijah towards God, and the heart of Jezebel and Ahab.
You heard about how Abraham's heart was perfect, and in comparison you also know what Lot's heart was like.
You heard so much about the hearts of patriarchs such as Enoch, Moses, Daniel and his three friends, Ruth, Esther, Mordecai, the apostle Paul, Peter, and Mary Magdalene.
Because you've heard so much about them, you might mistakenly think that you can act in such goodness too.
For example, you may think, "If I were in the same situation, I could yield to my nephew like Abraham did. I could also act in goodness like Ruth, and not be like Orpha her sister-in-law."
You may think that you have achieved a certain measure of faith.
However, if you have truly cultivated such a heart, then you must have peace in you because you are at peace with God.
You would always be filled with joy and fullness of the Spirit and you would also be able to give your peace and comfort to others and give them the strength to practice the truth.
Your deeds would set a good example for others.
But even though you may know the truth well, as long as you don't cultivate the truth in your heart, you have many fleshly thoughts and there will be no peace in you.
You insist on what you think is right, thereby causing difficulties for the people around you.
Now, what kind of life are you living?
When choosing between good and evil, do you always choose the side of goodness?
In your everyday lives you cannot really face a situation like Daniel being put into lion's den or like Ruth having to give up everything in her life.
You can't always choose the side of goodness when you can't let your 'self' and ego 'die' even in very trivial matters.
Luke 16:10 says, "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."
Only those who always choose the side of goodness in little things of everyday life are able to also choose goodness in a difficult situation.
For example, in your homes, how do you talk to your husband or children?
Do you speak to them with meekness and gentleness with the heart of service?
Or, do you speak with brusque or frustrated tone when there are some things you don't like?
Do you serve your parents with as much respect as Ruth served her mother-in-law?
Or, do you hurt your family members' feelings with words that contain your ill-feelings, because you think only from your point of view?
You heard many messages so you know very well what truth is. But when you actually have to sacrifice yourself, many of you cannot practice what you know.
You use your fleshly thoughts, and you choose what is more comfortable and beneficial for you.
You do not take it seriously thinking, "This is not a big matter, so I can do it the way I feel comfortable."

Let me give you another example. Those who are working faithfully for God's kingdom should also check whether they are really seeking the benefit of others.
Some people work hard seeking their own benefits and to be recognized by others even though they work for God.
But they just think that they have faith and they love God because they work hard.
But God knows the heart of each one and measures it accurately.
Even though it may be such trivial evil, if it's not goodness, then it is still evil.
The character of your heart will be formed depending on your moment to moment decision to choose goodness or evil.
The more you choose goodness, even in small things, the more your heart will be filled with goodness.
I urge you to be able to choose the goodness but not the evil, even though it means you lose all your possessions and even your life.
Dear devotees, in order to accomplish the kind of heart that God wants, secondly, you should follow God's will, and not your self-righteousness and frameworks.
Those who are following their righteousness and frameworks will try to force others to accept their ideas.
If you are acting with evident evil, it is relatively easy to realize the wrongdoings.
But if you have self-righteousness and frameworks thinking you are living by the word of God, it is difficult for you to realize your evil.
Especially, if your self-righteousness and frameworks were made by wrongfully applying the word of God, it is even more difficult to realize it.
For this reason, sometimes you might still insist on your self-righteousness and frameworks, even though you come to understand what God's will is.
It's because what you think seems to be similar to the will of God.
You justify yourself thinking, "God's will is this. But, that is not really against the will of God, either."
Those who follow the will of God accomplish peace and consider others with a heart of gentleness.
On the contrary, those who follow their self-righteousness and frameworks might have conflicts with others.
Even though it might look like they are acting in the truth in the eyes of men, they are not able to bear good fruits.
Let me give you an illustration. Suppose a mission group leader is visiting the members with other workers, and one of the workers habitually says something negative.
For example, they visit a new comer and the leader greets this newcomer.
"Your face is brighter than before, you have become more beautiful by the grace of God for you are leading life diligently in faith."
Then this worker cuts in to explain to this mission group leader.
"Oh, she wasn't really that diligent in her faith, and I think she looks brighter because she eats well now and doesn't skip meals."
Here, the leader of course knows the level of the newcomer's faith, and the leader said what she did with faith to encourage her.
But, with her negative words, the other worker contradicted what the leader said.
If it happens not just once or twice but many times, how would the leader feel about it?
I want you to check your own heart in this illustration.
Wouldn't you think, "Why does she always say such negative things? She only hinders our visitations with her words, and it's so hard to work with her!"?
Or, you think, "I can bear with her, but it's actually disturbing the kingdom of God, so I shouldn't bear with her unconditionally. I have to give her some advice for she also has to change!" Would you then advise her?
Here, if you can give the advice with love and change that person, it's something good.
But if you have some hard feelings and rebuke her, this is something evil.
You are masking your hard feelings with goodness, and you think that it's your love for that person.
But sometimes, even though you don't have any hard feelings, you might not be able to follow the will of God because of your self-righteousness and frameworks.
What does this mean? It is the will of God to provide advice out of love for others when they do not act within the truth.
But it is yet the deeper will of God to act with the love that bears, trusts, and endures for a long time.
In the illustration above, the worker who is negative doesn't act that way because she doesn't know the truth.
She knows the truth because she heard many messages, but she didn't receive enough grace to realize it in herself and cast away her shortcomings.
Therefore, even though the leader gives her advice, it cannot change her if it is not done by the works of the Holy Spirit.
It might only embarrass that worker and hurt her feelings. God's will is peace, service, and love.
Just like you accept and bear with newcomers, you should also accept, bear and endure with other workers until they change.
This is the heart of a person who follows the will of God and not their own righteousness.
But even though you know God's will is love and peace, you cannot follow it if you have strong self-righteousness and frameworks.
Namely, you insist that workers are supposed to have certain qualities, and you have to teach other workers as the leader.
This is not really depending on God, but you are putting yourself first, thinking 'you' are the one that has to change the other person.
It means you have arrogance deep in your heart, and you don't have true love for the other person.
You are acting according to your will. So, even if you say you are 'doing the will of God' by discerning the truth, God will just say that is not so.
While the Holy Spirit is telling you a certain thing is the will of God, if you say another thing is also the will of God, then, God's true will cannot be accomplished.
I urge you to check yourself with this message having a humble heart.
I hope you will completely break down your self-righteousness and frameworks and follow the will of God in all things.
Dear devotees, in order to accomplish the kind of hear that God wants, thirdly, you have to become true women of God.
You can have the perfect heart that God desires of you if you cast away evil and choose goodness; if you demolish your own righteousness and frameworks; and if you follow the will of God.
God is looking for true men and women of God who have such perfect hearts.
The reason why God created the world and mankind is to gain true children of God who resemble Him.
But not all people since the creation have recovered the image of God.
Countless people were born since Adam, but only a few actually cultivated the kind of heart that God desires of men.
Those people walked with God and lived a life revealing the glory of God.

Elijah performed power that was unimaginable for human beings and even brought down fire from heaven. Abraham gave to God of his only son, Isaac. The apostle Paul became faithful with life-giving love and fiery fervor. How happy God must have been whenever such people came forth!
On the other hand, even among those who were used by God, some of them cannot really be called true men of God.
For example, Elisha learned from Elijah and received a double-portion of Elijah's power.
But, his heart was not completely sanctified like Elijah.
Also, Lot witnessed true goodness from Abraham, but he couldn't accomplish such goodness of heart.
He received material blessings and he was saved from dangers of life because of Abraham, but he couldn't cultivate a perfect heart.
Of course, Elisha performed many great and powerful works, and for this reason people called him a 'man of God' at that time.
But this was because the people respected the prophet who manifested God's works.
The true men of God in our context are not just those who are used to accomplish the works of God.
They are the ones who have completely recovered the image of God having blameless, spotless, and holy hearts.
Dear devotees, you have been trying hard in your Christian lives with your love for God.
You are faithful to God's kingdom with your fervor for New Jerusalem.
But what God really wants of you is for you to come forth as true women of God.
Even though you know the truth very well and experience spiritual things, and even though you are faithful in so many duties and love and follow the shepherd, you cannot become true women of God just with those things.
Now you have to cultivate perfect hearts.
Whether in your homes or in the church, and in whatever you do, remember God all the time.
I hope you will say each word and have each thought only in the truth, so that you can be spotless and blameless.
Then, God will acknowledge you as true children and true women of God and receive glory greatly through you.

[Conclusion]

Dear devotees, and other members, as you look back on your past lives, some of you lived a relatively comfortable life while some others lived some rough and difficult lives.
But no matter what kind of past you have, you can change your future with your free will.
It's because you've met the almighty God the Father, and the Lord has become your bridegroom.
Also, it's because you learned so clearly the ways to receive blessings through the holiness gospel.
Whether you will stay within fleshly limits or quickly go into spirit and lead a life of giving glory to God and receiving blessings, wholly depends on you.
2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
As you heard so many messages, I urge you to try harder to cultivate perfect hearts that are without blemish before God.
In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become spiritual workers who are used for noble purposes of the kingdom of God and become beautiful brides of the Lord.

[AMEN]