Matthew 4:12–25 < The Light of the Gospel Shining in the Darkness: The Beginning of Calling and Restoration >

-

📖 Matthew 4:12–25 < The Light of the Gospel Shining in the Darkness: The Beginning of Calling and Restoration >

16 “The people living in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

✨ God’s Work Begins in the Darkness

After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus withdrew to Galilee.
From a human perspective, this appeared to be a retreat.
Yet it was precisely in this moment of darkness that God began His work of salvation.

Galilee was a marginalized and despised region.
But God shines His light in the darkest places.
The gospel always begins in the very center of human despair.

✨ Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven Has Come Near

Jesus’ first sermon was simple and direct: “Repent.”
Repentance is not merely feeling sorrow over sin.
It is a decisive change of direction—a transfer of lordship over one’s life.

The kingdom of heaven is not a distant future reality;
it is God’s reign breaking into our present.
The gospel is the event in which our King is changed.

✨ The Call Begins with Grace

Jesus called fishermen—not trained elites,
but ordinary people working faithfully in their daily lives.

“Follow me.”
This call came without conditions.
It was not based on qualifications, but on grace.

They left everything and followed Him
because they were seized by grace.
A true disciple is one who places Jesus at the very center of life.

✨ Word and Healing: The Restoring Kingdom of God

Jesus taught, proclaimed the good news, and healed the sick.
The kingdom of God is not merely words.

It is power that restores broken bodies and wounded hearts.
The sick, the demon-possessed, and the suffering came to Him.

The gospel renews the whole person.
The church is called to be a channel of this restoration.

🙏 Prayer

Lord Jesus, our true Light,
we thank You for shining the light of the gospel upon us
when we were sitting in darkness.

Do not let us delay repentance.
Enable us to respond in obedience to Your call today.

Help us remember that we were called not by merit, but by grace,
and lead us to follow You in every area of our lives.

🔍 Application

  • Are you still remaining in familiar darkness?
    Decide today to turn in repentance.

  • Do not calculate when Jesus calls—respond with obedience.

  • Proclaim the gospel to wounded neighbors, not only with words, but with your life.

💡 Meditation Point

The light of the gospel begins in the darkest places.
Repentance is the doorway to grace.
When we respond to Jesus’ call,
our ordinary lives become the very ground of God’s kingdom.
Walk in that light today.

コメント

コメントを投稿

このブログの人気の投稿

ヨシュア記 24:25–33 〈 契約として残された信仰、次の世代への証し 〉

-
📖 ヨシュア記 24:25–33 〈 契約として残された信仰、次の世代への証し 〉 25 その日、ヨシュアはシケムで民と契約を結び、彼らのために掟と定めを定めた。 ✨ 契約は言葉ではなく、人生として残る ヨシュアは告別のことばを語った後、神の前で契約を立て、その契約を書き記し、証しの石を立てました（ヨシュ 24:25–27）。 これは、信仰が一時的な感情や言葉で終わるものではなく、共同体の生活と歴史の中に刻まれるべきものであることを示しています。 信仰とは、個人的な体験を超えて、みことばと契約の中で形づくられる「生き方の秩序」なのです。 ✨ 指導者は去っても、契約は残る 本文は、ヨシュアの死と埋葬、そしてヨセフの骨が約束の地に葬られる場面で締めくくられます（ヨシュ 24:29–32）。 一つの世代の指導者は去りますが、神が立てられた契約は次の世代へと受け継がれていきます。 イスラエルが、ヨシュアの生きている間だけでなく、彼に仕えた長老たちの時代にも主に仕え続けたという記録は（24:31）、信仰が特定の人物に依存するのではなく、契約共同体の中で継承されることを示しています。 ✨ 信仰の遺産は「記憶」として残る ヨセフの骨は、出エジプトの約束を握り続けた信仰の証しでした。 神は、ご自分の民が忘れないように、歴史の中に信仰のしるしを残されます。 今日、私たちの生活の中にも、子どもたちや次の世代が記憶する福音の痕跡が必要です。 言葉で教えた信仰よりも、契約に忠実な生き方のほうが、はるかに長く残るのです。 🙏 祈り 契約の神よ、 一世代の熱心で終わることなく、次の世代へと受け継がれる信仰をお与えください。 私たちの信仰が、言葉や決断にとどまらず、生活と共同体の中に刻まれますように。 私たちの選択と態度が福音の証しとなり、キリストの恵みが次の世代の希望となりますように。 🔍 適用 ・私の信仰は、一時的な感情の決断にとどまっていないでしょうか。 ・家庭や共同体の中で、次の世代が見て学べる信仰の跡を残しているでしょうか。 ・今日、契約にかなった一つの選択を実践してみましょう。 💡 黙想ポイント ヨシュアは去りましたが、神との契約は残りました。 信仰の真の実りは、一人の偉大さではなく、契約に忠実な共同体の持続性に...
続きを読む

Joshua 24:25–33 < Faith Preserved by Covenant, a Testimony to the Next Generation >

-
📖 Joshua 24:25–33 < Faith Preserved by Covenant, a Testimony to the Next Generation > 25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem, and there he established decrees and laws for them. ✨ A Covenant Is Preserved Not by Words, but by a Life Lived After delivering his farewell address, Joshua established a covenant before God, recorded it, and set up a stone of witness (Josh. 24:25–27). This shows that faith is not meant to end with momentary emotion or spoken commitment. It must be engraved into the life and history of the community. Faith is not merely a personal experience; it is a way of life shaped by God’s word and covenant. ✨ Leaders Pass Away, but the Covenant Remains The passage concludes with the death and burial of Joshua, and the burial of Joseph’s bones in the Promised Land (Josh. 24:29–32). A generation’s leader may depart, but the covenant established by God continues into the next generation. The record that Israel served the LORD not only d...
続きを読む

Joshua 24:14–24 < The Truth of the Covenant Revealed at the Moment of Choice >

-
📖 Joshua 24:14–24  < The Truth of the Covenant Revealed at the Moment of Choice > 24 Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.” ✨ Israel Standing Before a Final Choice At the end of his life, Joshua gathered all Israel at Shechem. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). The gods of Egypt, the gods their ancestors served, or the idols of Canaan. Joshua allows no neutrality. There is no compromise between the LORD and idols. Faith is always a matter of choice, and that choice determines the direction of one’s life. ✨ God’s Warning Against Superficial Commitment The people respond immediately: “We will serve the LORD.” Yet Joshua does not accept their confession lightly. Instead, he says, “You are not able to serve the LORD” (24:19). This is not a denial of faith, but a sober exposure of human weakness. Joshua warns against formal decisions and emotional, momentary commitments. God is holy, and ser...
続きを読む