Title: Set Your Heart on God!
Set your heart on God!
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Eighth Sunday of Creation, October 23, 2011
mother's heart
flattery and covetousness
In fact, Paul did not have good relations with the Jewish religious authorities as well as with Jesus' disciples. It seems that he also felt inferior to his apostleship. After all, Paul had never met Jesus before he was alive. Such a person is not qualified to be an apostle. Nevertheless, Paul called himself an apostle of Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:1...). The apostles were passive in missions to the Gentiles, while Paul was active. In particular, they differed from each other on whether or not the Torah and circumcision should be taught that Gentile Christians should also observe. Paul was eventually rejected not only by Judaism but also by Jewish Christianity. Paul's position in early Christianity was very difficult.
from God
Although this passage that Paul is appealing to is important, it is not an absolute criterion for distinguishing true ministers from false ministers. It is difficult to tell the difference between flattery and covetousness. Can you tell whether a religious or political leader's words are flattering or not? Now, on the 26th of October, the country is in turmoil with the by-election. This is especially true of the mayor of Seoul. Former Mayor Oh Se-hoon has already held a vote that costs a lot of money due to his political misjudgment. Now, Seoul citizens don't seem to give much thought to why they voted. In any case, can you tell which of the current candidates is flattering or not? To some extent, you know, but it's hard to be precise.
Now, Paul is not bragging that he did not speak of flattery and that he did not disguise himself of covetousness. It is the result of faith. It is a fruit. More importantly, it is the foundation of faith. Trees are important. Paul used flattery and covetousness as examples to emphasize that he is now entrusted with the gospel by God. If you read verse 4a correctly, it reads: “Only because he was approved by God and entrusted with the gospel...” For Paul, the fact that he was approved by God is important. That is the foundation of gospel ministry. Of course, such a person does not speak flattery, and does not wear a mask of covetousness. You may not seek the glory of a person. Such people, no, only such people can preach the gospel of God correctly even if they suffer unjustly and suffer persecution.
What does it mean to be approved by God? How do we know that? How can we be accepted by God? These are questions for you to think about further. If you can answer these questions by grouping them together, you are putting your heart completely on God. This is not easy. People mainly focus their hearts on people. They try ignorantly to win people's hearts. You put all your life's energy into it. Do you know how vain it is? Did you know that it eventually leads us to flattery and covetousness?
To set your heart on God, you must first focus your soul on the events of salvation that God has performed. It is important to have a deep understanding of what God has done through Jesus Christ. It's not just about knowing information. It refers to the dimension of great enlightenment in which knowing is consistent with life. There you will experience the fact that the light of life illuminates the soul. It is truly an amazing and mysterious experience. That experience will give you spiritual strength to break through a world full of persecution, hardship, misunderstanding, and doubt. So put your heart completely on God!