“Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Him in His words. They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, ‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought Him a denarius, and He asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then He said to them, ‘So give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.”
As I read this passage I thought about Christ’s response to the Pharisees in a different light than I had previously thought about it in. His response was, and is, a pretty simple one: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” As I read this God seemed to be telling me “give to the world what is the worlds, and give to me what is mine.” Give to the world production at work or school, but give to Me production in My Kingdom. Give to the world your money by paying off your loans, your expenses, and providing for yourself what you need, but give to Me your money by budgeting, giving and acknowledging whose it really is. Give to the world your time by investing in the relationships I’ve given you and accomplishing the tasks set before you, but give me your time by purposefully allowing Me to use you in those relationships and by intentionally making time for Me as well. In this new light I found His response to be incredibly freeing and also incredibly practical, where prior I had hardly thought twice about it as I hurriedly read over His words. These examples aren’t specifically what I heard, it was really just a broad reassurance from God that you can live in the world and at the same time not be of it if you are intentional about giving God what is His.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your reassuring words and loving reminders. Help me to find the right balance between giving to the world and giving to You. Help me to put You first in all that I do. Teach me to see with unbiased eyes as I make decisions regarding my time, money, and skills. Teach me to use all my resources in a God honoring and Kingdom progressing way. Thank You for Your words of instruction and Your guidance, help me to be a good follower.
Amen
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