Shalom, peace in your heart. Praise God, we
can meet again on my YouTube channel
, Pastor Heni Momongan. Greetings of
love, joy and peace
to all of us. At this time I long
again to share the truth of
God's word in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 22 verses
15 to 22. May we be able to read
this part of God's word and we are
guided by the theme of giving what is
yours to the emperor and
to God. Beloved by
God, we often hear questions
similar to those asked of
Jesus. Which is more important,
world affairs or God's affairs? Often
we feel we have to choose between
the two. As if serving God
meant neglecting
worldly responsibilities. Or vice versa, when
we are busy with our respective jobs and
obligations, it means
reducing our loyalty to God. But
here Jesus teaches us a deeper,
deeper,
wiser and truer perspective. It
says in our reading that when
the Pharisees came to Jesus
with questions about taxes,
it turned out they did not come to
seek the truth.
They came with evil intentions, wanting to
trap Jesus with a trap of words.
Is it permissible to pay taxes
to the emperor or not?
This question lured Jesus
into a political and religious trap.
They thought they had put
Jesus in a difficult position.
Because if Jesus answered no,
then Jesus would be considered to be going against the
Roman government. On the other hand, if he answered that he
could pay taxes, he would be
seen as betraying his own people
who were suffering under colonialism.
But Jesus, with his divine wisdom,
did not fall for
their trap. Jesus looked into
their hearts. Jesus knew that they were
full of hypocrisy.
And Jesus' answer was so amazing and
full of wisdom.
Jesus said, "Show me the
coin for the tax." When
they showed them a dinar
with the image of the emperor, Jesus said,
"Give to the emperor what
you owe to the emperor and to
God what you owe to God."
God."
This answer solved their dilemma.
But more than that, Jesus is
revealing a truth that is very
important for our lives. He reminded
that the life of a believer is not separated
separated
between worldly affairs and God's affairs,
but rather there is a true balance.
As citizens, we have
obligations that must be carried out
honestly and responsibly. But
above all, remember that we are
citizens of God's kingdom.
Our greatest responsibility is to God.
This world will continue to ask for
our share. Is it our time, our energy,
even our attention. But don't
let the world steal what
belongs to God in our lives, namely a
pure heart, strong faith, and
loving obedience to God.
Let us live this life with
wisdom as Jesus taught.
Do our duties in this world
honestly, correctly,
responsibly. But never
forget that our lives belong to
Allah. If the image of God is within
us, then give our lives
completely to God. Because we are
created in the image and likeness of God.
God.
If the coin has the image of the emperor on it and must be
given to the emperor, then our life
which is in the image of God must be
offered to the Lord God. My
beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Often we are so regular in paying
taxes, on time, paying bills,
we are disciplined in working. But there is one
thing that we often neglect, namely
offering our lives to God.
We are too busy fulfilling the demands of
the world, but forget that our lives
belong to Allah.
Well, this is where Jesus reminds us,
give to the government what is
our responsibility. However,
let us not forget to give God
what is rightfully His,
namely our whole life, our heart,
our time, our loyalty.
Our life in this world cannot be
separated from worldly affairs.
We have to work, we have to pay
taxes, we have to obey the laws in
force. And it is all part
of the testimony of life as children of
God. But let
us not let our responsibility
to the emperor, to the government, make
us forget that we also belong to
God. This world can demand a lot
from us. But only God has
the right to fully control our lives. Well,
my brothers who are blessed by God, so the
question for us now is, what
have we given to the Lord
God these days? Do we only
give what is left of our time, what is left of
our energy, what is left of our attention after we are
tired of worldly affairs?
Brother, God does not deserve
leftovers. He deserves the best,
especially from our lives. Because
we belong to Allah. We can
be obedient citizens,
diligent workers, responsible leaders
. But all of this must be born from a
heart that has first been
completely surrendered to God.
Through God's word today, God
calls us back to
align our lives. Let
us not be trapped in a life
separated between the world and God,
but live as wise people of God .
.
Carry out our responsibilities in
this world honestly, faithfully,
seriously. As
good citizens, we have obligations to the government.
government.
We are law-abiding citizens ,
,
paying taxes on time, not
engaging in corruption or accepting bribes.
We believe that obedience is
part of our testimony as God's people.
God's people.
We also maintain integrity in the world of
work, are honest, responsible, and
do not abuse the
position or power that
God has entrusted to us. Even though there are many
people around us who
engage in dishonest practices,
we should not follow things that are
not right. before God.
Make use of all blessings wisely.
And we try to set aside
some of the blessings for church services,
helping the poor.
Because everything we have is a
gift from God.
Don't neglect hours of worship,
fellowship with God, personal prayer,
family prayer even in the midst of
busy work.
We believe that all blessings and
sustenance come from God. Not
solely from our efforts and hard work
as humans. Because without God
everything is in vain.
Gospel of Matthew 6 verse 33. But seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added
to you. Therefore, we must never
forget to offer our lives
every day to God as a
living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God. Because
God is the complete owner of
our lives. So let us always
make time to glorify
God. May we become
believers who are not only wise in
carrying out our worldly obligations, but also
know how to faithfully dedicate our lives to
God every day in all aspects of
our lives. The Lord Jesus helps and
blesses us all. Praise be to Christ.
Christ. Amen.
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