Give to God what is God's

As I posted yesterday, my busy season life is finally becoming just life again.  Yay!!!  It will be official next Friday, October 15th, but the craziness is finally fading away.  Woo hoo! 

I posted Colossians 3:23-24 and Phillipians 4:13 yesterday, but I just want to reiterate and THANK GOD for being with me this past busy season.  I know that everything I am, have, and do is from and because of God.  Thank You, Father!  Thank You for the opportunity, when so many are without a job, to do a job I really enjoy at a place that is pretty much the perfect place for me.  Thank You for the ability...to do it, understand it, prepare it, get to go to college to learn it, and to finalize and file all that we do.  Thank You for Your strength, Your guidance, Your determination, and Your protection throughout it all.  Thank You, Lord!!!  I know You don't care about tax returns, per se, but You care about me and helping me.  Thank You, Father!!!  :0)

I read a very interesting article about taxes and Jesus recently.  I was thinking about this post and my "Tax Returns & Jesus" blog title yesterday, and Jesus' words "give to Caesar what is Caesar's" (Luke 20:20-25) popped into my mind:

 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.  So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.  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."

I googled the verses and found a lesson by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson on JesusTalk.com.  I've never been to that website or heard of Dr. Wilson, but I thought his comments were so honest and true:

You and I pay our taxes because we are afraid of being penalized for cheating. But are our motives to serve God any more exalted. Do we serve him because we fear displeasing him or because we love him?

My dear friend, whose coinage are you? Whose stamp and image do you bear in your soul? God's. Then you own Him your full allegiance -- to love him with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Luke 10:27).

The lesson the Pharisees and chief priests learned from this encounter was not to ask Jesus trick questions. But disciples learn two lessons infinitely more important: to submit willingly to the requirements of the civil government, but even more important, to give our all in tribute to God, for it is his image we bear in this world.  (emphasis mine)

What a great explanation!  Submit your taxes to the IRS...but sumbit your LIFE to CHRIST!!!  Serve Him not out of requirement or fear...but because WE LOVE HIM and HE LOVES US!  Hallelujah!!! 

It is CHRIST'S IMAGE that we bear upon our hearts!  Give them to God.  (And not at your marginal tax rate!  100%!!!)

I'll close with a busy-season-is-almost-finished praise / chant!  (Rah!)

Praise You, Father!  You have gotten me through!

All this work I give to You!!!

Gooooooooo Jesus!

(Okay, that last part was really cheesy.  But what do you expect?  I'm exhausted and hopped up on coffee.  :0)  Sorry!!!)