Give to God What Is God's
"Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
He saw through their duplicity and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's"
Tax day has come again. Some of us grumble and complain as we send in our money. Others wait expectantly for the refund they've already spent in their minds. It's just part of life.
The government expects us to pay taxes. Indeed, we face penalties and even jail for failure to do so. It's the price we pay for being a part of the United States. We may get upset with how our tax money is being spent, but we pay taxes anyway.
I wonder if we would feel the same, and do the same, if we faced penalties for failure to tithe. The Bible tells us that the first 10 percent of everything belongs to God. It doesn't say the 10 percent we have after we've paid bills. It's very clear. Give first to God.
This isn't always the easiest thing to do. It's difficult, especially when money is tight and you're worried about paying the mortgage and buying food. It's like deep down we don't trust God to provide for us. We think we have to do it all on our own. What an awful, scary place to be. I know. I've been there.
Would we tithe if there was a penalty for failure to do so? What if God punished us, much like the government does, if we refused to give back to Him? He has given us free choice but I can only imagine how much it hurts Him when we refuse to do as He has commanded us to do.
We pay taxes because we are citizens of the United States. It is a requirement for living and working here. We should view our tithes much the same. As Christians, we are required to follow the Bible. We are expected to do what it says. God says to give back to Him the first 10 percent of everything He gives to us. We should do it without complaint or excuse. Tithing seems like a really small way to honor all He has done for us.
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