Give to God What Is God's

“…The he said to them. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Matthew 22:21

It’s tax season here in the U.S. for some it will be a time of rejoicing, as the prospect of a refund for having paid the government too much becomes reality. For others however, rejoicing is not what comes to mind as they see the amount owed go up and then discover there may also be a penalty because you didn’t pay enough up front so to speak. This is where my husband and I find ourselves at the moment. The realization that we had not planned well enough in the first place and that the amount was way bigger than we had even imagined. After the initial shock wore off, we came to the conclusion that we should be grateful for the progress we made in the past year. Gratefulness in the midst of trial is the inspiration behind this week’s devotion.

This week’s passage from Matthew Gospel is the conclusion of an encounter Jesus had with the minions of the religious leaders of His day. They were trying to trap Him by getting Him to speak against the government, which would have made Him guilty of subversion and that could be punished by death according to the Romans. Instead Jesus turns the tables on them asking to see the coin used to pay taxes and then asking in essence who does this coin really belong to? He told them to return the coin to its rightful owner – Caesar and then He takes it a step further and tells them they also need to God what belongs to God. Did this group really know and understand what that meant? Do we?

What is it that we need to be giving God back, what does HE really want from us? He wants our hearts, our minds, our gratitude, our praise, our awe inspired respect, our love, our brokenness, our doubts, our fears, our struggles, our sin. He wants us to let the world have what belongs to it – all the stuff that draws us away Him and He wants us to give Him our whole selves – not just the good bits but every bit of ourselves – because we belong to Him.

I don’t know how taxes work in other parts of the world, if there is tax season or not – I do know that most of us no matter where we are, give to Caesar what is his or hers in some shape or form. If you find yourself challenged at times by this remember Jesus instructed those who would trap him to pay their taxes and give God what is His. Which is more difficult? Which has the greater return?

I’m happy to give to God what is His, for a future in His presence.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for making the challenge out of paying taxes – since all the worlds money bears the image of a human leaders – lighter. Grant us the courage and strength to give the harder thing – ourselves to a Sovereign God, who loves us and wants the best for us. May our daily acts of giving to God what is His attract others who have been swayed by the world and bring them to a place where they too will connect with Jesus and find hope. In the name of Jesus, who gave to God what was demanded of Him and in the process brought grace, mercy and forgiveness to all who believe – Amen.