2016.01.17_Render to God What is God’s

We work in company with God, for we are God’s.
God is the creator. He created heaven and earth, and everything within them for Himself and for His Son. He is the master of all things. Nothing He intends goes undone, and similarly, even the greatest efforts of man will yield nothing if He does not permit.
Before we came to know God we used to trust in tangible things, and with a bit of our imagination, we even had some dreams. However man’s dreams are easily shattered. Some people have great dreams but are forced to give them up upon marriage and having children. Others fall into despair as their business which started off so ambitiously does not go to plan. Concerning the vanity of life, the preacher says in Ecclesiastes lamented and said, “Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecc 1:2). Without the help of God, there is no guarantee that man’s dreams will come true.
People who do not have faith in Jesus tend to submit themselves to fate. However, there is no such thing as fate for those who are in Jesus. Our lives are in God’s hands. We work in company with God. Instead of blaming our fate or destiny, we must move God to work until He is glorified. When our fervent love for God brings Him pleasure, God will lend us a helping hand to be glorified through us. Hence we must give Him no rest.
God sent us Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Word, in order that we might receive the blessing He endows. And we must receive His blessing. The Bible says that God’s command is in turn, His blessing. Thus whoever desires to be blessed must accept God’s commands. Though God is giving us the command to supplicate, the command to overcome, and the command to be prosperous, people fail to receive His blessing because they doubt God and shut their hearts towards Him.

Render to God what is God’s, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s
Some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?” Jesus told them to bring Him a coin, and pointing to the portrait of Caesar on the coin He said, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matt 22:15-22). By this the Lord is asking us the question, “Whose image do you have?” It says in Genesis 1 that man was created in the likeness of God’s image. It is not only our physical appearance but also our soul which have been created in the likeness of Christ. The Lord now speaks to us: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”.
A great number of people today are struggling to find balance between these two. Some say they cannot serve their parents because they have to serve God. However the Lord disapproved such attitude (Mark 7:11). Ephesians 6:2-3 says, “Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
It has become a common affair for people nowadays to despise their parents unlike the people in the past who honored their parents with great respect. According to a statistical survey conducted by a television program, the number of people who wished to live separately away from their parents was higher than those who wanted to live together. People are becoming less and less inclined to take care of their elderly parents as well. One trend that is on the rise among seniors is that they are not leaving any inheritance to their children. There are even legal battles for parents to reclaim properties which they gave their children. This is all because children fail to respect and honor their parents. However Christians should not follow such trends of the world.
The Bible speaks not only about the relationship between parents and children, but that of husband and wife, as well as master and servant. Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord”, and it continues to say in Ephesians 6:5, “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ”. We cannot inherit the kingdom of God with our flesh. Nevertheless, the duties we have in our flesh cannot be neglected. As the Lord said to give to God what is God’s, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s, we ought to obey His words.
It is not right if we do not give tithes and offerings which are due God, simply because we pay taxes or donate our money to help those in need. Conversely, it is not right if we do not pay taxes for the reason that we are giving tithes and offerings to God. Not everything we do in this world is relevant to our inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. However, God wants us to be faithful even in matters that do not pertain to the kingdom of heaven directly.

Be faithful in the unrighteous mammon
Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:10-11). Unrighteous mammon does not imply that it is stolen, but rather that does not have direct bearing on the kingdom of heaven. People manage money in this world for the betterment of the flesh. Yet no matter how comfortable one’s physical life may be, with that he cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. Even so, the Lord wants us to be faithful in such matters, as well as to the kingdom of heaven.
We are Christians, and Christians belong to God. Hence we ought to submit ourselves to God so that He may use us as He pleases. In the same way, each of us has to be faithful to our respective duties as a member of the family. Whoever has a husband should be faithful as a wife, and vice versa. Children must be faithful to their parents, and parents ought to do likewise to their children. There needs to be a balance between our lives before God and before men.
Being a Christian does not mean that we can neglect our lives in this world as long as we succeed our worship to God. This is not the right attitude to have. It is not only our worship on the Lord’s Day which God receives; He receives our entire life. The notion of worship actually embraces the entire life of a Christian. Thus our whole life should be a pleasing offering to God, and for that, we must do our best.
The first four of the Ten Commandments commands us to love God, while the next six commands us to love our neighbors. The principle of the Ten Commandments is love. Love God! Love your neighbors! Render to God what is God’s! Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s! Regardless of how great our faith in God may be, without love for our neighbors, we are nothing. Even if we can perform the great wonders of God, if we do not have love for our neighbors, we are nothing (1 Co 13:2). Christians need to find a holy balance in their lives.
We are being protected by our own country and enjoying the benefits the country provides. Therefore, we must love our country and fulfill our duties towards our country. People with a job should have love for their work and faithfully carry out all of their responsibilities. Receiving a low salary cannot be an excuse to slack off in their work. When asked about their work, some people reply, “I’m going to quit after a few months”. These are the things that God observes. Blaming their small wage and slacking off at work will not do any good to their employer, and the consequences will all return to them in the end.
Japanese people’s diligence and honesty are recognized globally. Many restaurants in Japan have been in business for hundreds of years. There is even a sushi shop run by a young person, who is a graduate of an elite university, continuing what his ancestors started many generations ago. What is remarkable about these restaurants is that the food quality and flavor have not changed even after hundreds of years. In a world where people are lying and deceiving each other for their own profit, this attitude of Japanese people are touching the hearts of countless people.

God is seeking the faithful
There was a time during my childhood when I worked in a poultry farm. Over the course of the years I worked, I did not eat a single egg produced there. At times, some of the eggs collected had cracked shells, and even if I ate them, nobody would have said anything. However, each time I found a cracked egg, I took it to the owner. And I still think back on those days, whenever I receive God’s help in my faith life. When Nathanael asked the Lord, “How do you know me?” the Lord answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree”. The Lord probably watched me when I was working faithfully at another’s business.
It goes without saying that every Christian should serve God. However we must do likewise to people. Some people are fervent in their faith life and service at church but fail to bear fruits through evangelism. They appear to have great faith, but strangely enough, people are not led to church through them. If they truly love God with all of their heart, mind, and soul, they ought to do the same to their neighbors. Yet they have little interest and care for their neighbors. It is important that we understand that a person without the fruits of saving souls will receive nothing on the day of the harvest.
The Lord said, “You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16). Christians do not only have a spiritual life but a physical life which they must equally manage well. If there is love for God, there must be an equal measure of interest in their neighbors’ welfare. Moreover, they must ensure they fulfill every responsibility they have in all the relationships that involve them.
Though King Saul was highly esteemed by people, God was not pleased. Instead, God said of David, the son of Jesse as a man after His own heart. When did God notice David? God watched him when he was tending his father’s flock in the field. When a lion took away one of the sheep, David went after the lion and killed it, delivering the sheep from the lion’s mouth and returning it to his father. God appointed this David as king to deliver His people from the hands of the enemies.
We must receive God’s love. We should be acknowledged by God so that He may help us. We ought to render to God what is God’s, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and be able to handle the blessing God bestows.