Sunday, 21 March 2021
Topic: Living the Life in the World
By Elder Tan Seng Kee
Bible Verses: Matt 4:8-10
In my monthly devotions, I have been sharing on PBC’s 2021 church theme “Living the Life” and in my first devotion in January 2021, I shared on Living the Life in the church. In church I encouraged all of us to live a life trusting God fully for every situation and timing and to be confident that God always welcomes us into His presence and He will answer our prayers. In the February 2021 devotion, I shared that Living the Life in the family requires that I listen and speak more to my family members. I must also work on developing the fruit of the Spirit already within me so that I can live the life of obedience to Jesus in my family.
Today, I will share on Living the Life in the world. In Matthew 4:8, in the 3rd temptation from the devil, the devil took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain and there the devil “showed him the nations of the world and all their glory.” And in verse 9, the devil told Jesus that “I will give it all to you” he said, “If you will only kneel down and worship me.” The devil offered Jesus all the wealth and riches of the whole world on condition Jesus acknowledge and worship the devil. So often in the world and especially if we are young men and women just starting out in life, we will naturally be in a hurry to gather as much wealth and riches as possible in order that we can amass resources to accomplish more or to be set up for life without struggling every step of the way. Gathering wealth is not wrong if we have some of the following perspectives towards money and prosperity:
- In Matt 6:33, Jesus tells us to live for the glory of God in obedience to Him, and daily, to make the Kingdom of God our primary concern and focus. In other words, in everything we do each day, we must determine to live out the life of a disciple/follower of Jesus. From the first day we became a Christian and more so, with time as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us as disciples of Jesus, we will be more awakened to what is right and wrong. I must therefore check what I see, I must watch out for what I say and I must flee from what is wrong and is a sin. I have to work hard for a living but I must not sacrifice my life as a Christian for the sake of worldly success and glory.
- In Matt 16:26, Jesus asks us “How will we benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process…?” Loving and serving God is finally the ultimate and most purposeful objective of a human being created in the image of God. Rejecting God for temporary earthly pleasures and wealth is foolish compared to heavenly splendor for all eternity with God and everyone we loved in Jesus. So today, let us choose wisely “to worship the Lord our God and only Him shall we serve” was Jesus’ reply to the devil in Matt 4:10. Let us, together as a church, check that our worshipping life is lived in tandem to a serving life as well. Be involved in PBC’s many ministries.
- Proverbs 10:22 says “The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” God’s blessings may not be seen in physical wealth and material riches where there are much sorrow and pains in our lives accompanying such acquired wealth and riches. The blessings of peace, joy and assurance of His presence will see us through more storms in life than material blessings. Both, however, have a place in our life in this world but Jesus mentions the hundred times blessings in Mark 10:30 that comes from a life of putting our faith totally in Jesus in spite of persecutions. When we fully trust God and patiently wait for Him without compromising our faith, He will make up to us, on earth, many times more than what we may seem to have given up for Jesus in terms of time, resources, energy, skills and whatever we hold on as precious. Material possessions are necessary in our daily lives and we can be happy and rejoice in such blessings when we continue to walk close with God, to serve Him and depend on Him for all our needs. As in the case of Jesus after He resisted the three temptations from the devil in Matt 4, the bible records that “angels came and cared for Jesus” (Matt 4:11). Let us all resolve to Live the Life well in the world and trust the angels of God to come and care for each one of us.
Prayer:
God please help us all to live the life in the world with unwavering focus to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness and then fully trusting that Your angels will continue to be there for us and to care for us at all times. In today’s turmoil and in whatever situation I am in right now, I want to trust You Jesus that You will care for me and bless me in areas I need so much. Amen.
每日灵粮
星期日，2021年3月21日
题目：在世上活出生命
作者：陈诚基长老
翻译：杨仕涵弟兄
马太福音4:8-10
魔鬼又带他上了一座最高的山，将世上的万国与万国的荣华都指给他看，对他说：“你若俯伏拜我，我就把这一切都赐给你。” 耶稣说：“撒旦，退去吧！因为经上记着说：‘当拜主你的神，单要侍奉他。’”
我在每月的灵修中分享了我们PBC教会 2021年的主题“活出生命”，并在2021年1月的第一次灵修中，我分享了“在教会里活出生命”。在教会里，我鼓励我们所有人过上每时每刻都对上帝完全信靠的生活，并确信上帝都一直邀请我们进入祂的同在，也将回答我们的祈祷。在2021年2月的灵修中，我分享了“在家庭里活出生命”需要我多与家人沟通。我还必须努力操练已存在我里面的圣灵果子，以便我可以在我的家庭中过着顺服耶稣的一个生命。
今天，我将分享如何在世上活出生命。在马太福音4：8中，在魔鬼的第三次试探中，魔鬼把耶稣带到了一座高山的顶峰，魔鬼“将世上的万国与万国的荣华都指给他看”。而在第9节中，魔鬼告诉耶稣说：“你若俯伏拜我，我就把这一切都赐给你。”耶稣若承认并崇拜魔鬼，魔鬼必将所有的财富都赐给他。经常，尤其是刚刚起步的年轻人，男或女，我们自然会急着尽可能地积累财富，以便我们的资源可让我们无挣扎地完成更多的工作或定下的目标。如果我们对金钱和财富有以下一些看法，那么积累财富并没有错：
- 耶稣在马太福音6:33中告诉我们，活着要顺服上帝荣耀祂，每日关心、专注于上帝国度的事。换句话说，我们每天要做的每一件事，都必须活出耶稣的门徒/跟随者的一个生命。从我们作基督徒的第一天起，随着圣灵不断使我们成圣，更像耶稣，我们将更加能够分辨是非。因此，我必须省察自己所看的、说的，并且必须逃避犯罪，离开那些不讨神喜悦的事情。我应该努力工作，但我决不能为了世俗的成功和荣耀而牺牲了自己作为基督徒的生命。
- 耶稣在马太福音16:26中问我们：“人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？”最终，爱和侍奉上帝是一个按上帝形象被造的人最终、最有价值的目标。拒绝上帝天上的荣光、与上帝和所有爱耶稣的人同在，而追求短暂世界的享受和财富，是何等的愚昧。因此，今天，让我们有智慧，选择“拜主我们的神，单要侍奉他”，这也是耶稣在马太福音4:10中对魔鬼的回答。让我们一个教会，检查我们的敬拜生活是否与事奉生活同时存在。鼓励我们都参与我们教会的事奉。
- 箴言10:22说：“耶和华所赐的福使人富足，并不加上忧虑。”主的祝福可能不在世俗的财富和物质上的富足能看见。这些财富可能伴随着悲伤和痛苦。与主同在有的平安、喜乐和保障能够使我们胜过生活中的风暴，过于物质上的祝福所能给的。然而，这两者在我们这个世界的生活中都可共存，但耶稣在马可福音10:30中提到了百倍的祝福，这是来自一生遭受迫害而完全信靠耶稣的生命。当我们完全信靠上帝并耐心等候祂而不妥协我们的信仰时，就时间、资源、精力、技能和能力而言，上帝将在地上补偿我们，高过于我们为耶稣所放下的。物质的财富在我们的日常生活中是必不可少的。当我们继续与上帝亲近，侍奉祂并依靠祂会满足我们的需求时，我们可以为这些祝福感恩和感到喜乐。就像耶稣在马太福音4章胜过魔鬼的三个试探之后，圣经记载“有天使来伺候他”（太4:11）。让我们大家下定决心，在世上活出生命，并相信，必有上帝的天使来看顾我们每一位。
祷告
上帝啊，求祢帮助我们坚定不移地先求祢的国和祢的义，也坚信祢的天使必继续的看顾着我们，使我们在世上能以活出生命来。在今世的动荡中，我们所在的任何境况中，我们要相信祢耶稣，相信祢必看顾我，并在我有需要的地方祝福我。阿们。