The Cost of Citizenship

Good morning! I hope your Easter was a blessed time of reflection and celebration with family and friends.

Today is the deadline for those of us in the U.S. to have our income tax returns filed. I always seem to owe some money, so as always I will drop my return in the mail today before the midnight deadline.

This morning I want to challenge us with the thought of obligation and duty. For our backdrop this morning I want to use the following verse:

Mark 12:17 (NLT)

"Well, then," Jesus said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." This reply completely amazed them.

Jesus was being tested with a question of whether it was right to pay taxes or not. This answer goes much further than a simple question of tax management. In America, we enjoy the freedoms to express our views openly and to worship openly. We have an expectation that our nation is defended by our military and that our government is guarding the freedoms we hold so dearly.

There is a cost to being a recipient of those freedoms and benefits. We each are obligated to do our part in supporting that process. Paying taxes is one of the ways that we act in obedience to that obligation.

Jesus of course concludes this answer by reminding us that we are also citizens of God’s kingdom. And with that citizenship comes responsibility as well. Our lives were bought and paid for with the precious blood of Jesus. We have received blessing beyond measure, grace beyond what we deserve and the promise of abundant life forevermore.

The cost of citizenship for us is commitment and obedience. Just as taxes come out of your paycheck before anything else does, God’s will should be the first priority in our lives. Our commitment to him should take precedence over our careers, hobbies, and other interests. When we plan out our day we should “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” and then fill our calendar in from there.

The second component in good citizenship in God’s kingdom is obedience. True obedience requires a yielding of our will to his. Jesus himself prayed “not my will but yours be done.” The only alternative to obedience is rebellion. Obedience often times is the most difficult assignment for us. We fight daily with our will and our desires wanting to take priority over the will of God. But when we yield and allow ourselves to be truly obedient, we enter into a sweetness of fellowship with God that is intimate and refreshing. As odd as it sounds, in God’s kingdom, obedience will always bring spiritual freedom.

This week I encourage you to look over the tax statement of your life. Are you giving God what is rightfully his? Spend time in prayer recommitting yourself and ask God to help you in the areas of faithful obedience that you most often struggle with.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours today.

Carl