말보다 말씀! 빚보다 빛!

[Key Verse]
"Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.'" (2 Chronicles 20:20, NIV)

[Our Story]
Not long ago, I needed to find a friend using their KakaoTalk ID. Despite several attempts through the app’s menu, I couldn’t figure out how. Then I remembered YouTube. I quickly searched and found plenty of videos explaining it. I clicked on the shortest one, followed the instructions, and easily solved my problem. I regretted not watching it sooner. But then something interesting happened. Afterward, YouTube kept recommending more videos about KakaoTalk features. They looked so useful that it was hard to resist. Eventually, I found myself watching videos about features I didn’t even need.
At that moment, I realized something troubling: we are easily programmed to choose only what we want to see and hear. It made me wonder — what if we start treating God's Word the same way? What if we only listen to the parts we like, rather than the parts we truly need? That thought unsettled me. If we only listen to what pleases us and ignore what we must hear, we may end up spiritually malnourished.

[Bible Story]
2 Chronicles 17–20 records King Jehoshaphat’s reforms, all centered around the Word of God.
Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, became king of Judah and loved God’s Word. Because he listened to the words he needed to hear, God lifted him up and used him powerfully (2 Chronicles 17).
He didn’t just obey God personally — he also sent out teachers across the cities of Judah to instruct the people in God's law. As a result, Judah grew strong, and neighboring nations even brought them tribute.
In contrast, King Ahab of Israel only listened to the words he wanted to hear (2 Chronicles 18). Though surrounded by many prophets, Ahab chose only those who would tell him what he wished to hear. Before going into battle against Aram, his prophets falsely assured him of victory — but they were not speaking God's truth. Ignoring the word he needed to hear, Ahab went to war and was struck down by a random arrow. Meanwhile, Jehoshaphat continued listening to the true Word of God and pursued deeper reform (2 Chronicles 19). He traveled throughout the land, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, encouraging people to turn back to God’s Word. He appointed judges in each city to ensure God’s justice was upheld. Later, when Moab and Ammon joined forces to invade Judah, Jehoshaphat called for national fasting and prayer (2 Chronicles 20). Because the people had been trained to listen to God's Word, they united in prayer and faith. God granted them a miraculous victory.

[Your Story]
What voices are you listening to most these days? Economic news? Real estate tips? Stock market predictions? Political commentary? Job advice or college admissions updates? There are many voices competing for our attention, but the voice we must hear first is God’s. His Word sustains our spiritual life. His Word carries the path and power we need. Sometimes, the Word we need feels uncomfortable or heavy. When that happens, are we tempted to skip past it, choosing only the easy and pleasant parts instead? If so, our faith cannot grow properly. Just as a child who only eats junk food cannot grow strong, a believer who only listens to pleasant messages will suffer spiritual malnutrition. Today, I pray that we would listen to the Word we must hear and grow stronger in spirit.

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe." (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

With blessings,
Pastor Hyung Joong Kim
Copyrightⓒ 2025 by Hyung Joong Kim