Throughout the decades, April 15th has been one of the more dreaded days for Americans. It’s tax day. The day we owe the government our income tax forms and possibly money.
In today’s society, there seems to be a less frantic filing frenzy due to the internet. In the past, those who waited until the last minute would count on the post office staying open until midnight, just to ensure that the filing was postmarked by twelve o’clock.
Seems pretty straightforward: We owe the Government our Tax Forms by April 15th. Sometimes they owe us a refund…sometimes we owe even more money.
Jesus told us “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
The question then becomes, what do we owe God?
The easy answer is that we owe Him everything. We have literally been purchased at the terrible price of Jesus’ torture and execution on the cross. As a result of that very high payment, you would think we would have a laundry list of what we’d like to “owe” God.
Because we belong to God, if we have accepted Christ as our Savior, God has a right to expect that we will render certain things unto Him. Similarly, if we are citizens of the United States, the government has the right to expect we will pay income taxes.
But the eternal impact of our salvation is a much greater rendering than simply paying taxes. We have an obligation to present ourselves as a “living sacrifice, made holy and acceptable to God.” We are commanded to present God with our tithes and offerings (this includes the offering of our time and talents through service to others). God desires relationships with us and fellowship that is meaningful. There is an expectation that we will speak to Him through prayer and that we will study His Word. It is expected that we will share the Gospel, guide others to the gift of salvation, and continue to mentor others as we mature in our own walk.
– Present myself to God as holy and acceptable.
– Tithes and offerings.
– Relationship with God.
– Prayer and Study of the Bible.
– Share the Gospel.
– Make Disciples.
Sounds pretty reasonable, considering the price that was paid for my salvation.
At a time when we are preoccupied with what we owe the American government, we would be better served to consider what we owe God…on tax day…and every day…and especially when Tax Day and Good Friday coincide.
~Emily
Iron Porch 