Many years ago, when I was leaving a church after finishing a revival conference, the pastor of that church approached me. “Pastor Yoon, I received so much of grace.” he said, politely giving me an envelope, filled with an honorarium he prepared. But since the Lord said, “Freely you have received; freely give (Matthew 10:8)”, I turned it down politely. Then, he told, “But I think you deserve receiving this for you served my church during this revival conference. Why do you refuse this?” So I explained him the reason I turned it down saying “Pastor, I did my father’s work.” “The Lord’s work is all our Father’s work. If I have done my Father’s work, why should I be paid for it? I already have enough money to use as well as the car to travel back to Seoul. Even I have enough food to eat.
Even then, the pastor replied, “It makes me feel sorrowful when you say like that.” So I asked back to him, “Why are you feeling that? I just did my father’s work. Is the God the Father you serve different from the God the father I serve?”
Let’s see this situation in the perspective of God. God would be happier to see His children helping each other – like an older one works for the younger one and the younger help the older- so that both may prosper? Wouldn’t he be displeased when they exchange wages each other. In whatever I do, I always consider about whether God will be pleased with it. It is my earnest desire to please God and to make him be comforted in His heart. Can anyone have such mindset if that don’t acknowledge God?
Godliness is the attitude and mindset of fully being living conscious of God. Philippians says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,(Philippians 4:8) We should always be conscious of God at all times and in all places in order to be filled of godliness for God.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #908
