(Book Review) “Aladdin and His Magic Lamp”

1. Introduction

The story is one of the Arabian Nights, the book of One Thousand and One Nights.

The story gives us a serious question regarding the lordship. Do we believe in Jesus as our Lord? Is the reason for my belief in Jesus not because I need another Aladdin’s Genie?

2. Summary

There lived a poor boy called Aladdin.  One day, a sorcerer visited Aladdin, deceiving himself as his late dad’s brother. 

He asked Aladdin to bring out a lamp in a cave under the ground. He put a magic ring on Aladdin’s finger to protect him. 

When Aladdin grabbed the lamp, he learned of the sorcerer’s scheme to kill him. He didn’t pass it on. The sorcerer closed the cave with a rock.

With the help of the magic ring, Aladdin was able to get out of the cave with the lamp. When he was rubbing the lamp by chance, the genie of the lamp turned up. The genie said he would do whatever Aladdin gave an order. 

Five years later, Aladdin happened to see a princess on the street. He fell in love with her. He wanted to meet the king for a proposal to her.

Aladdin ordered the genie to prepare for forty slaves and lots of jewels. The king accepted Aladdin as his son-in-law.  Aladdin finally married the princess.

The sorcerer began to revenge against Aladdin. He pretended to be a lamp seller, who was exchanging old lamps with brand new ones. 

The princess brought the Aladdin’s lamp to the sorcerer for a new one. The sorcerer summoned the genie of the lamp and ordered him to take the princess away.

Aladdin came to know what happened later. He lost the lamp but still kept the magic ring. The genie of the ring took Aladdin to the place where the princess was captive.

Aladdin got the princess back. With the wisdom of the princess, Aladdin was able to kill the sorcerer. Times had passed. The king passed away, and Aladdin succeeded to the throne. 

3. Lessons 

(1) Who’s the Lord, and who’s the servant?

The genie of the lamp can do everything, but he is only Aladdin’s servant. The owner was Aladdin.

It is not a Christian faith. God is not just a power. The faith is associated with the question of who’s the Lord and who’s the servant. 

Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’.....you will be saved.”

Don’t expect God to work for us like the genie. Think about prayer. Our prayer to God is not like rubbing our hands on a magic lamp. 

If our prayers are beyond what God wants, God will refuse to answer them. That’s the sovereignty of God.  

Remember! I am the servant: God is the Lord.

(2) If I believe in Jesus, can I expect prosperity in my lifetime?   

The genie of the lamp provides Aladdin with everything he needs. 

But the Bible places more value on eternity. 2Corinthians 4:18 says, ”So we fix our eyes.....on what is unseen.....but what is unseen is eternal.”

The cost of eternity could be hardship in our life. But Apostle Paul encourages us to pass through all that. The glory is waiting for us.

Romans 8:18 says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

(3) Are there any ethics in Aladdin’s magic lamp?

The genie solves any problem no matter what the lamp owner orders. He doesn’t care whether it is ethical or not.

Aladdin made a fortune with no effort, thanks to the genie. It’s just like winning the lotto.

Even if he didn’t have any political philosophy, he became a king. He would continue to rely on the magic power of the genie for his ruling. Do we want such a leader?     

Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)

The law in the Bible is the foundation of our life. Even after Jesus was crucified, the law was not abolished. Rather, it’s been fulfilled.

Aladdin’s genie is not something our Christians dream. Instead, it would be something we take warning. 

  

(Book Review) worship through “Snow White”

1. Introduction

“Snow White” is a 19th-century German fairy tale. She reminds us of a Christian justified by God. 

If Snow White is a Christian, then, who is the Queen and the Prince? Let's find it out.

<Summary> 

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Snow White. The queen of the kingdom was her stepmother.

The queen had a magic mirror. She asked the mirror every morning, “Mirror, who is the prettiest in the land?” Then, the mirror always replied, “My queen, you are the prettiest in the land.” 

But, it had changed as Snow White grew up. When the queen asked the same question, the mirror answered that Snow White was the fairest. The queen was so angry. She called a hunter and ordered him to kill Snow White in the deepest woods.

The huntsman took Snow White into the forest. But he found himself unable to kill her. He told her to flee as far away from the kingdom as possible. After wandering through the woods, Snow White discovered a tiny cottage belonging to seven dwarfs. The dwarfs took pity on her and let her stay with them. 

Meanwhile, the queen asked her mirror once again, “Mirror, mirror! who is the fairest in the land?” The mirror replied, “My queen, Snow White at the Seven Dwarfs is a thousand times more beautiful than you.”

The queen was horrified to learn that Snow White was still alive. She made plans to kill Snow White. The queen disguised herself as an old peddler at first and a comb seller next time, and finally, a farmer's wife. 

After all, Snow White took a bite of a poisoned apple and fell into a permanent sleep. The dwarfs placed her in a glass casket.

A prince was traveling through the land. He came across Snow White in the coffin at the Seven Dwarfs. Instantly he fell in love with her. 

The moment he lifted the coffin to carry it away, the piece of poisoned apple fell from between her lips. Snow White was alive again! The prince kissed her and declared the wedding plan.

They invited Snow White's stepmother to come to their wedding party. The queen arrived at the wedding and saw that the bride was Snow White. She was frozen with fear. She was forced to put on the red-hot iron slippers and kept dancing to death.

<Lessons> 

(1) Who's the Queen? 

The queen is always anxious to make sure she is the most beautiful in the land. Satan, in the Bible,  is the same as the queen. Ezekiel 28:17 says, “Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty.” 

Although Satan was just a creature, he wanted to ascend above the tops of the clouds and make himself like the Most High. (Isaiah 14:14) 

Yes, Satan is the pride itself. But our tragedy lies in the fact that the sin of pride is not only Satan's but also ours.

We could blame the queen, reading Snow White. But if we realize that the queen is my portrait, we will be getting into repentance. 

(2) Who is Snow White? 

While I was reading Snow White, she reminded me of Christians who had been justified by God. God makes us righteous through our faith in Jesus, and he says that we are the most beautiful in the world, like Snow White.

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

(3) And finally, who is the prince? 

If Snow White is a Christian, the prince is necessarily Jesus, the groom of the church. Just like Snow White rose again by the love of the prince, we were dead and alive back by the love of Jesus.

The prince punished the queen by the red-hot slippers at the end of the novel. Likewise, Jesus will judge Satan by fire and sulfur at the end of the world. (Revelation 20:10)

Let's proclaim Revelation 17:14. “The Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

                                     

(Book Review) “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell

                      
1.Introduction 

“Gone with the Wind” is a novel published in 1936 by Margaret Mitchell of America. The book is all about the life of Scarlett O’Hara during the American Civil War (1861 - 1865).

Scarlett had never given up hope for the future. “Tomorrow is another day!” It was her famous quote. Can we Christians find any lessons from her story? 

2. Summary

Scarlett was the daughter of Gerald O’Hara, who owned the Tara Plantation in Georgia state.

Scarlett was cheerful and charming. She loved Ashley Wilkes, but she didn’t have a chance to confess it to him.

One day, she heard the terrible news. Ashley was going to marry her cousin Melanie Hamilton. She rushed to Ashley, but it was too late to get it right.

Scarlett went crazy. In anger, she got married to Charles Hamilton, Melanie’s brother.

The Civil War broke out. Charles joined the army of the South, but he died of pneumonia before he got into a battlefield.

‎Scarlett still loved Ashley and went to Atlanta, where he lived. Melanie’s giving birth offered Scarlett an excellent reason to stay there.

The army of the north invaded Atlanta. Scarlett tried to escape together with Melanie. She went to Tara, her hometown, with the help of Rhett Butler.

Rhett was good at making money. During the Civil War, he made a massive fortune from smuggling.

In Tara, Scarlett found herself in big trouble. Her mother died of typhoid, and the shock drove her father insane. Her farm was devastated.

At last, the War ended. The South was defeated. Farm owners lost all slavers.

Scarlett suffered from the considerable tax imposed on her farm. She headed for Atlanta to ask Rhett for help.

Rhett was in jail. Scarlet met Rhett, but she failed to get help from him. 

Scarlett ran out of the due date for tax. Her last resort was marriage with a rich man. She had chosen Frank Kennedy as her new husband.

One day, Scarlett was nearly raped in the black slums. Frank was furious and tried to revenge it. But, he was shot dead.

Rhett proposed Scarlett to marry him. She accepted it. Rhett’s love was real, but Scarlett’s love was pretending. 

She still loved Ashley. Rhett knew Scarlett was not in love with him. When their daughter called Bonnie fell from a horse and was dead, he left Scarlett.

Melanie asked Scarlett to look after Ashley just before her death. That meant Melanie had already noticed Scarlett loved Ashley. Melanie had forgiven Scarlett. 

Knowing the truth, Scarlett made up her mind quitting loving him.

Scarlett found her real love was in Rhett. She murmured, “Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back.”

Regarding Tara, she also said to herself, “After all,  Tomorrow is another day.”

She never gave up anything, whatever the circumstances were.

3. Lessons

(1) Scarlett’s hope and the hope of Christians

Even in despair, Scarlett holds onto hope, saying, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” What is the reason Scarlett can have confidence? It’s nothing but herself.  She believed in her never-give-up personality.

If so, where does our Christian hope come? Let’s stand on the promise, which is based on Jesus, not on me. The trust in Jesus, who saved us, is the root of our hope. Praise the Lord Jesus, who can let us live with the desire!

(2) The contrast between a selfish life of Scarlett and a selfless life of Melanie

Scarlett is a self-centered woman. For her, marriage is only for the sake of money. Although she is seeking true love, she has never sacrificed herself.

This novel places Melanie in contrast with Scarlett. In terms of the spectrum of light, the two are at each end: Selfish Scarlet and selfless Melanie.

Scarlett loved Ashley Melanie’s husband, so she deliberately stayed with Melanie all the time. She thought Melanie didn’t know her love for Ashley.

But when Melanie, at the moment of death, asked Scarlett to look after Ashley, she suddenly realized that Melanie had already noticed everything. 

Ironically, Melanie’s forgiveness led Scarlett to quit her love for Ashley.

As a Christian reader, I hope Scarlett to go further. Is Scarlett not able to quit her self-centered desires? 

If the heart of Scarlett opens to neighbors, she will be able to encounter the real love of Christ Jesus.

(Book Review) "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant

                              

1.Introduction  

   The Necklace is a short story by the French writer Guy de Maupassant. It was first published in 1884. The story makes us think about what matters in our lives.

   Matilde didn’t know that the diamond necklace having lost was just an imitation. Matilde and her husband had to go through tough times for ten years. Did Matilde waste her life because of that? Otherwise, did she grab something else valuable?  

2.Summary

   Mathilde Loisel was beautiful but full of vanity. She longed for the life of the upper class. She would have given anything to be popular, envied, attractive, and in demand. But her husband was a low-level official, and could not meet her desires.

   One day, the husband brought a party invitation to her, which was held by his minister. Matilde got unexpectedly angry with it, saying, “What earthly use is that to me?” It meant she didn’t have any gown for the party. The husband bought her a pretty dress with the money he had saved.  

   But Mathilde was still angry. She said she didn’t have any jewel to match the dress. There was nothing the husband could do for it. After all, Matilde went to her friend Jeanne Forestier. Jeannie was wealthy and willing to lend a luxury diamond necklace to her.    

  
   The luxuries allowed Mathilde to attend the party with pride. She was the prettiest woman there, elegant, graceful, radiant, and wonderfully happy. All the men liked to dance with her. It was the best time ever.

   But a terrible thing happened. When Mathilde returned home, she found the diamond necklace lost. It was no longer round her throat.

   Matilde and her husband searched all the places, but it was nowhere. They tried to buy the same necklace from a jewel shop, but not available. They managed to find the most similar one. It was too expensive for them to buy it.

   Nevertheless, they paid for it with considerable debt and returned the necklace to Jeanne. Fortunately, Jeanne didn’t realize it was not the same as her original one.    

   But it cost too much. Mathilde and her husband had to go through dark times to pay back the debt. Finally, all obligations had gone in as much as ten years.  

   One day Matilde came across Jeanne Forestier on the street. Jeanne didn’t recognize her at once, because Mathilde looked old and turned different looking. Matilde confessed all the old stories to Jeanne.

   Hearing it, Jeanne said, "Oh, My poor Mathilde! But it was an imitation necklace. It couldn’t have been worth more than 500 francs!" 

3. Lessons

  1) Matilde didn’t know that the diamond necklace lost was just an imitation. Matilde and her husband had to work hard for ten years. 

   Did Matilde waste her life because of that? I think she didn’t. Matilde has found a valuable treasure rather than that.

   What is the treasure? Let’s return to Adam's mission in the Garden of Eden. God gave him a task to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). 

   The hands of Adam and Eve would have been the harsh hands of working farmers. Mathilde reached the life God wanted Adam to live. That’s the treasure.

   2) This story gives readers another lesson. That is, we need to pursue the real value, which is eternal. What is the precious one? 

   The apostle Paul explains that in 2 Cor. 4:18, "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

   The authentic treasure is in heaven. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden ln a field...." (Matthew 13:44)

   So, what does Matilde have to do once she realized the necklace was fake? She should ask herself, "How should I live from now on?" 

   Her new life should be focusing on eternity. The way to eternity is Jesus. Jesus is waiting for Mathilde.    

(Mini Bible Story) The Story of Ten Lepers

                                            

(1) a story based on Luke 17:11-19

   When Jesus and his disciples entered a village, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

   Jesus looked at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." That meant they would be healed, and it did really happen. As they moved on, their leprosy disappeared.  

   When they realized the miracle, they shivered and shouted.

   "Look at this! Oh, my God!"
   "Is this real? Isn't it a dream?"

   All healed. Ten of the lepers shouted, jumped, and hugged. The person at the front said to all the others, "Let's return to Jesus and give thanks."
   All nodded except one.
   He shook his head. He had been from Jerusalem. So, he had a vast knowledge of Jerusalem.

   He said, "Listen to me. Are you all sure this comes from Jesus?"

   The person at the front retorted. "What are you talking about? Just after Jesus said, we got well. That's the fact."

   "Yes, it's true. But it could be just a coincidence."  
   "???"
   "I mean, we need to cool down. First of all, we have to look after ourselves. I heard something from Jerusalem.  Jesus is not associated with the great priest. Think! When we go to the priests, they will surely ask us what happened. Do you think they like to hear the name of Jesus over this miracle? They won't send us back home."

   All the people were terrified. 'What if I cannot go home?' It was something they didn't even want to imagine. They took a backward step.   

   But the person at the front was in a firm position.    
   "I don't mind what the priests think about Jesus. What matters to me is Jesus healed me. I will return to Jesus right now." 
   He was a Samaritan, who was despised by the Israelites. He went back to Jesus and shouted, "Praise God, I'm healed!"

   He fell face down on the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done. 

Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten people? Where are the other nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?"

   And Jesus said to the Samaritan, "Stand up and go. Your faith has made you well."  

(2) sharing

   Psalms 50:23 says, "But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God."

   It's just the same as what Jesus said to the Samaritan. "Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?"

   The Samaritan was offering the worship of giving thanks to Jesus. That faith saved him. Let's remember. A heart of giving thanks is a heart of faith.

(Mini Bible Story) God's grace for stopping the construction of the Tower of Babel

1. A story based on Genesis 10, 11 

After the Flood, Beasts were increasing in the number. The earth had become more dangerous for humans to live. Excellent hunters were desperately needed. The popularity of hunters soared to the sky.  

"Oh, Nimrod! He is the best hunter ever."

There was a heroic warrior in Shinar named Nimrod. He was a mighty hunter in the Lord’s sight. His name became famous, and people would speak of someone as being “like Nimrod, a mighty hunter in the Lord’s sight.”   

Nimrod was so proud of himself. He asked people, "Look! Who’s protecting you from fierce beasts? God? or Nimrod?"

All shouted, "It’s you, Nimrod!"

Nimrod had risen as the leader. He said to himself, “I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.”

One day, Nimrod came to remember the Flood in Noah’s days. No one had survived except Noah’s family from it.

'Beasts are rather nothing compared to the Flood! If God sends back such a flood, everything on the earth will be over.’

Nimrod came up with a flashing idea -Let’s build a tower the highest enough to survive any flood! He gathered all people and announced his ambitious plan.

"Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. The tower will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

They made bricks and bake them thoroughly. They used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar. The tower, namely The Tower of Babel, was being built higher and higher, day by day.

"Wow, How great we are!"

The higher the tower, the more forgotten God was. People didn’t worship God anymore. They worshipped themselves.

But One day, a strange thing happened that turned everything upside down.

"# $% @ ^ & ^"
"* & () & ^% @"

All of a sudden, people spoke different languages, and won’t be able to understand each other. It also happened to Nimrod. Whatever he commanded, people didn’t understand him at all. 

The construction of the Tower of Babel suspended. The ambition of Nimrod collapsed. His kingdom went down like dew that had gone in the morning.

It was a disaster for Nimrod, but a blessing for the people. If the Tower of Babel had completed, all humanity would have gone through another punishment like the Flood. God allowed people to return to him. God’s grace to save people stopped the building of the Tower of Babel.     

2, sharing

-Who is Nimrod?

In Genesis 10: 8-12, Nimrod is called a mighty warrior, and a mighty hunter before the Lord. His name became famous, and people would speak of someone as being like “Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

He built the foundation for his empire in the land of Babylonia, including the city of Babel. Later on, he extended his reign to Assyria and Resen.  

Genesis 11: 1-9 is a record of the Tower of Babel. The Bible does not refer to the name of Nimrod regarding the construction.

But it is highly likely that he was the leader of the construction, given that his empire included the city of Babel. 

-What is the lesson in the story?

In genesis 6:15, God already declared, “Never again will there be a flood that will destroy all life.” But, people disregarded it. They rebelled against God by building the tower of the Babel to survive any flood.       

They didn’t worship God but worshipped themselves. Let’s ask ourselves. What about me? Who’s sitting on the throne of my life? God? Or Me? If the answer is me, we are going the path of the tower of Babel. We have to turn round right now. 

(Mini Bible Story) Abraham comes to understand what God’s promise means

*This story is based on Genesis 14,20.  

One day God’s words came to Abraham.

"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."

Abraham.thought, ‘Is God saying that I am going to become an emperor or something?'

He got so excited and left his country for Canaan, which would be the promised land.

But not long after, there was a famine in Canaan. Abraham.went down to Egypt for food.

Abraham.fell into deep concern. It was because of his beautiful wife, Sarah. The Egyptians might kill him to get Sarah if they found Abraham her husband.

He said to Sarah, "I'll call you my sister. If I were your husband, they would kill me."

Sarai said, “Do it, God will protect us!"

They acted like brother and sister. One day Pharaoh heard about her beauty and brought her into the palace. There was nothing Abraham could do for her. In the end, God saved Sarah.

Returning to Canaan, Abraham.trained his soldiers. They were 318 people. Abraham didn’t want to be a coward anymore who couldn’t even protect his wife.

Around that time, the international situation had changed rapidly. It was the empire of Kedorlaomer that had ruled the area for the last twelve years. 

The five kings, including Sodom and Gomorrah, brought forces together to rebel against the empire.

But the allies were defeated. The King of Kedorlaomer took the Sodomites to their city. Lot, the nephew of Abraham, also was taken captive because he lived in Sodom.

"Call all my men!"

Abraham pursued the king’s troops. During the night, Abraham.divided his men and made a surprise attack. 

He got a big victory. He recovered all the goods and brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. 

Abraham became a hero. He muttered, "Oh, is it the time for God’s promise?"

He defeated the Emperor’s troops with just his men of 318. Abraham thought God was about to give him an empire. It’s just the beginning.

But nothing more happened to him after that. Time had passed. Abraham’s ambition for an empire had faded. He only wished for a son born to Sarah. 

It’s a small dream but a much more difficult thing to achieve than being an emperor. Abraham was already 100 years old, and Sarah was 90 years old too.

At the time, a miracle happened. Abraham and Sarah had their baby! At last, Abraham could understand God’s promise.  

"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."

God’s promise aimed for his kingdom, not the worldly empire. It will be fulfilled through Isaac, the son of Abraham. And we know the end. After all, Jesus the Savior will be born of the family of Abraham. 

In such a way, Abraham will be a great nation and a blessing. God has accomplished his words, as he said.