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Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Key verse: Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

In August 2006, God opened a door for my family to come as student-missionaries to the University of Iowa. For the past five years, a lot of dramatic and unexpected things happened in my life. As a missionary, I had to serve in a house-church ministry and as a student, I had to pass a comprehensive exam within 2 years and final defense within 5 years. In August 2008, it was found that my previous wife, M. Sarah Yoo had lung cancer. I had to stop studying for about 6 months to take care of my family. It seemed like a large trial for my family to overcome. I was overwhelmed by the power of death many times.  Everything seemed to be desperate. On May 14^th, 2009, M. Sarah Yoo passed away after fighting the good fight against lung cancer for 9 months. At that time, my bible students, Kurt, Fabian, Tim left me also. It looked impossible for me to keep my life because of great grief. I was barely sustaining my life while looking at my two kids. In March 2010, through Dr. John Jun’s service and love for me, God guided me to marry Msn. Mary Yoo. After marriage, my grief has been gradually healed. I could continue the bible study with Tyler and restore the bible study with Fabian. Kurt also called me again and said he wanted to study the bible.Since last August, Msn. Samuel Kim and George joined our worship service and Natalie became gradually faithful to our ministry. Also, I could focus on my research without any worry and finally, I could pass my final defense and suddenly became a chemistry PhD last Monday.  To be honest, I am feeling like I'm living in a dream. Through my dream-like life for the past 5 years in Iowa, God gave me some lessons about Him and life.

First, God surely completes His plan and will on my life regardless of my spiritual level, ability, weakness, and sin-sickness. When I look back upon my life for the past 5 years, regretfully I confess and repent that I showed my weakness and infirmities to God. I repeatedly fell into anger, lust, and complaints. The only thing I could do was to repent my sins before God whenever I fell into sins. And I could not speak English fluently to serve American students. However, God used me to feed Tim, Kurt, Fabian, Tyler, and Natalie with His words. And He blessed me to get a PhD in His time. It was the marvelous grace and love of God.

Second, the purpose and meaning of my life is to worship God and God wanted me to light the light of worship service on UI campus. Although, sometimes, I worshiped God before empty chairs lonely for about 6 months, God used me as an instrument to light the light of worship service on UI campus and provided me with the clear meaning of my life through this humble worship service. After my family leaves Iowa, God is still planning to continue the worship service on UI campus through Msn. Peter Kim’s family and Samuel Kim.

Third, most of all, I must grow in Jesus’ love to serve him. I deeply realized that the greatest is love and the love is God’s will I strive to carry out. The problem for me was not language ability or lack of knowledge but lack of love. I easily judged and hardly forgave others. When I did not keep a truelove in my heart, it became a big suffering or agony for me to serve Sunday worship service and sheep on campus and to live a shepherd life. When there was no true love in my heart, I often felt the Holy Spirit strongly pierced my heart. God helped me to look over what Jesus had done for me. Jesus did not love me because I have faith in Him or I am a hopeful. Jesus loved me and died for me while I was still a sinner. When I had no faith and reason of hope, Jesus endured cruel sufferings of the cross and loved me to the point of death on the cross for my sake.I believe that only the love of Jesus Christ can make me truly blessed. Only this love can lead a soul to Jesus Christ and bring people back to true life. To practice the unlimited love of Jesus Christ is the way to have the Kingdom of God and join the delight of the heavenly kingdom.May I struggle to grow in Jesus’love to the point of death.

Fourth, I deeply accepted that my eternal home is not of this earth, but the kingdom of God "For, all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you”(1 Peter 1:24-25). I experienced that if God would not sustain the body for one second, it would suddenly collapse no matter how strong physically a man’s body is.  “Not every who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is heaven”(Matthew 7:21) Through this verse, I also deeply learned that the life-time on earth is the opportunity given to me to prepare for the kingdom of heaven.  When I accept and inscribe these truths in the heart, there is no reason why I grieve, fear, worry, anger, and complain to others on earth. When I keep these truths, I can forgive the one whom I cannot forgive and love him. These truths enable me to boldly take down the earthly things and enjoy the true peace from above in any circumstance. May I set my minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Now, it is the time for my family to leave the life in Iowa and go back to Korea. May God help Msn. Peter and Samuel Kim’s family to faithfully worship God on UI campus and give them a broken shepherd heart to serve UI souls.  May God bless Natalie, George, and Tyler to grow as Jesus’ disciples and good coworkers in Iowa. I pray that God may send more than 8 attendants to Sunday worship service. Also, I pray that my family may co-work well with  Wharang chapter in Seoul, Korea with Jesus’love and bear a fruit of love. May God give strong health to Msn Mary Yoo to support our ministry and bless my kids to grow as faithful second gens.

One word:Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.