"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them." (1 John 2:15)
Many things in the world seem desirable and we are yearning to possess them. They may not be necessary bad as they can be used for purposes which God intended them to be for His Glory. However, believers must not seek or value them for those purposes to which sin abuses them.
The world draws the heart from God; and the more the love of the world prevails, the more the love of God decays. The things of the world are classed according to the three ruling inclinations of depraved nature:
1. The lust of the flesh, of the body: wrong desires of the heart, the appetite of indulging all things that excite and inflame sensual pleasures.
2. The lust of the eyes: the eyes are delighted with riches and rich possessions; this is the lust of covetousness.
3. The pride of life: a vain man craves the grandeur and pomp of a vain-glorious life; this includes thirst after honour and applause.
The things of the world quickly fade and die away; desire itself will ere long fail and cease, but holy affection is not like the lust that passes away. The love of God shall never fail. Many vain efforts have been made to evade the force of this passage by limitations, distinctions, or exceptions. Many have tried to show how far we may be carnally-minded, and love the world; but the plain meaning of these verses cannot easily be mistaken. Unless this victory over the world is begun in the heart, a man has no root in himself, but will fall away, or at most remain an unfruitful professor. Yet these vanities are so alluring to the corruption in our hearts, that without constant watching and prayer, we cannot escape the world, or obtain victory over the god and prince of it.
Rev Dr. Ronnie Ng
Sowing in Abundance....Paying Forward
PaySpree: An Affiliate Network That Pays Instant Commission On Every Product
Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Caesar Versus God
"Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21)
They say unto him, Caesars - The image was the head of the emperor; the superscription, his titles. Julius Caesar was the first who caused his image to be struck on the Roman coin. Tiberius was emperor at this time.
Render therefore unto Caesar - The conclusion is drawn from their own premises. You acknowledge this to be Caesar's coin; this coin is current, in your land; the currency of this coin shows the country to be under the Roman government; and your acknowledgment that it is Caesar's proves you have submitted. Don't therefore be unjust; but render to Caesar the things which you acknowledge to be his; at the same time, be not impious, but render unto God the thing's which belong to God.
This answer is full of consummate wisdom. It establishes the limits, regulates the rights, and distinguishes the jurisdiction of the two empires of heaven and earth. The image of princes stamped on their coin denotes that temporal things belong all to their government. The image of God stamped on the soul denotes that all its faculties and powers belong to the Most High, and should be employed in his service.
But remember, if Caesar should intrude into the things of God, coin a new creed, or broach a new Gospel, and affect to rule the conscience, while he rules the state, in these things Caesar is not to be obeyed; he is taking the things of God, and he must not get them. Give not therefore God's things to Caesar, and give not Caesar's things to God.
Rev Dr. Ronnie Ng
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21)
They say unto him, Caesars - The image was the head of the emperor; the superscription, his titles. Julius Caesar was the first who caused his image to be struck on the Roman coin. Tiberius was emperor at this time.
Render therefore unto Caesar - The conclusion is drawn from their own premises. You acknowledge this to be Caesar's coin; this coin is current, in your land; the currency of this coin shows the country to be under the Roman government; and your acknowledgment that it is Caesar's proves you have submitted. Don't therefore be unjust; but render to Caesar the things which you acknowledge to be his; at the same time, be not impious, but render unto God the thing's which belong to God.
This answer is full of consummate wisdom. It establishes the limits, regulates the rights, and distinguishes the jurisdiction of the two empires of heaven and earth. The image of princes stamped on their coin denotes that temporal things belong all to their government. The image of God stamped on the soul denotes that all its faculties and powers belong to the Most High, and should be employed in his service.
But remember, if Caesar should intrude into the things of God, coin a new creed, or broach a new Gospel, and affect to rule the conscience, while he rules the state, in these things Caesar is not to be obeyed; he is taking the things of God, and he must not get them. Give not therefore God's things to Caesar, and give not Caesar's things to God.
Rev Dr. Ronnie Ng
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Armor Of God
" Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13)
Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is to be understood as entering into every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), but it is also the commencement of a great struggle with Satan and his forces. Let those who would dwell on the blessings of our faith also take note of the battle which we have entered into by faith in Jesus Christ, and which we must wage in His strength.
The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. These celestial enemies seem to have various forms, as is suggested by the variety of terms used by Paul to identify them: “rulers,” “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (verse 12). I doubt that we can fully grasp the variety and the number of those forces which oppose us. I would simply remind you that there seem to be various rankings of angelic beings, and that the description of heaven in Revelation speaks of creatures which will probably not be understood by us until we are in God’s presence.
Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is to be understood as entering into every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), but it is also the commencement of a great struggle with Satan and his forces. Let those who would dwell on the blessings of our faith also take note of the battle which we have entered into by faith in Jesus Christ, and which we must wage in His strength.
The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. These celestial enemies seem to have various forms, as is suggested by the variety of terms used by Paul to identify them: “rulers,” “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (verse 12). I doubt that we can fully grasp the variety and the number of those forces which oppose us. I would simply remind you that there seem to be various rankings of angelic beings, and that the description of heaven in Revelation speaks of creatures which will probably not be understood by us until we are in God’s presence.
The Christian must tend to his weapons, as every soldier in
warfare must, for not only is his life on the line but also the lives of his
buddies, as he is their keeper too. Without serviceable weapons, the battle is
often lost even before it begins. It is a terrifying thought to imagine oneself
on a battlefield with nothing in hand to fight the enemy.
The Bible makes it clear that God has willed that this warfare is
an absolute necessity for the development and preparation of His children to
live in His Family Kingdom. It cannot be avoided; we cannot remain neutral. In
one sense, we really have no choice. We must either fight or be lost.
Rev Dr. Ronnie Ng
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Clothe With Humility
"Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves to the elder. Yes, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5)
The advice to this group is to listen to the wisdom of the elders and live in accordance with their instruction; that is, they are ‘to submit.’ The term submission should be understood as ‘living according to some constituted order’ – here, the order established by the directives of the elders. And since they have already been instructed to lead, not by domination but by example, we can assume that submission here was not some onerous task. Rather, it was joyfully acceptable to those who wanted to live in accordance with God’s will. […] Whether leader or laity, whether old or young, Christians are to develop a deferential and humble attitude toward one another. Peter hinted at this in 3:8-12 and 4:7-11; he now makes it more explicit. The elder is not to arrogate himself to the position of dominant partner, nor are the younger members to rebel against the authority of the elders; rather, they are to respect one another mutually. The elder’s service is by way of leadership while the younger members’ service is by way of conformity to the norm of the elders.
A mind characterised by humility is a mind that has no arrogance, no self-consciousness, and exhibits a greater concern for others than for oneself. This is the way Christ's mind functioned.
Have you ever realised that the more you know about any subject, the more you realise that you do not know much about what you know.
Rev Dr. Ronnie Ng
The advice to this group is to listen to the wisdom of the elders and live in accordance with their instruction; that is, they are ‘to submit.’ The term submission should be understood as ‘living according to some constituted order’ – here, the order established by the directives of the elders. And since they have already been instructed to lead, not by domination but by example, we can assume that submission here was not some onerous task. Rather, it was joyfully acceptable to those who wanted to live in accordance with God’s will. […] Whether leader or laity, whether old or young, Christians are to develop a deferential and humble attitude toward one another. Peter hinted at this in 3:8-12 and 4:7-11; he now makes it more explicit. The elder is not to arrogate himself to the position of dominant partner, nor are the younger members to rebel against the authority of the elders; rather, they are to respect one another mutually. The elder’s service is by way of leadership while the younger members’ service is by way of conformity to the norm of the elders.
A mind characterised by humility is a mind that has no arrogance, no self-consciousness, and exhibits a greater concern for others than for oneself. This is the way Christ's mind functioned.
Have you ever realised that the more you know about any subject, the more you realise that you do not know much about what you know.
Rev Dr. Ronnie Ng
Monday, April 08, 2013
To Serve
25"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." (Matthew 20:25-26)
Jesus is the perfect example of servant leadership. Jesus humbled himself and became a servant of all. Servant leaders serve because they are motivated by love and humility.
In Jesus' Kingdom, leaders are not bosses and leadership is not about exerting authority. Leadership is about service and example.
Jesus' words are made even more powerful by his example. He doesn't just say it; he shows it in what he does to prepare his disciples for his death and how he goes to his death for them and for us.
Jesus is the perfect example of servant leadership. Jesus humbled himself and became a servant of all. Servant leaders serve because they are motivated by love and humility.
In Jesus' Kingdom, leaders are not bosses and leadership is not about exerting authority. Leadership is about service and example.
Jesus' words are made even more powerful by his example. He doesn't just say it; he shows it in what he does to prepare his disciples for his death and how he goes to his death for them and for us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)