THE WORD 4 ev 1

Read Matthew 17 (click here for link)

"But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

What an unusual story. Concerning Jesus’ teaching on taxes we would normally think of his words, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” But it is here as a reminder to us that we do live in an earthly world with earthly obligations and earthly influences. While our values and our Lord’s glory may not be displayed in a way that the world accepts or even understands, our responsibility to be good citizens and to participate in society is essential. We can’t just ignore the problems and the issues of the world—abortion, immorality, hunger, poverty, nor even our taxes. However, it is not just the big problems that we are called upon to address as the people of God. Everyday matters are important too. We can't influence people to come to Christ if they don't respect our desire to be people of integrity as we reflect the character of our Savior.

Ask yourself, “Does my unbelieving neighbor rejoice that he lives next door to a Christian? Is this a source of comfort for him knowing that no matter what I will deal with him honestly and in love?"

God’s peace as you bear the light of Christ today,

Pastor Aaron