Pay to Ceasar

 “A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” – Mark 12:42-44

What I have noticed in life is that the more we have the harder it is to give it away.  There was a time in my career when I would scrape and dig just to find a few quarters or a dollar to put enough gas in the car to get home.  It was at those times, though, I was certain to put a tithe in the offering plate on Sunday morning’s.  This tithe was often times quite small, but fully represented my heart in giving back to God what He had given to me.  As we draw toward the tax day in the U.S., I look at the unjust economic system and cringe as I realize that, even in retirement, my Government is demanding nearly 3X what my God requests from me.  Where should my loyalty rest?

 I have been truly blessed in my life, not by any of my doing.  Certainly, my fingers may have been on the keyboard, and my mind has been at work to shape and mold successful business structures, and models that have helped the companies I have worked for flourish.  But all of that comes from the Lord.  He alone has given me the wisdom, passion, gifts, and strengths to achieve what my employer had asked me to accomplish.  I was able to deliver on projects at work only because the Lord gave me the strength and knowledge at the right time to provide guidance and leadership as necessary.  If it were not for His love for me and His desire to see me move forward in my career, I dare say I would still be digging for quarters in the back seat of my '73 Buick Lesabre.  My philosophy is simple: everything I have is from the Lord – money, material possessions, health, family, love, talents, skills, knowledge, and passions.  For how could I have created a brain cell or a muscle or a tongue or eyes in order to do the things I have done since birth. 

Do not get me wrong, I am certainly aware that my life is an amalgamation of experiences, learnings, wisdom acquired through trial and error, and many mistakes along the way.  Just like you and every other one of the 8 billion people on this planet, I learned that a stove is hot, either by touching it or by listening to my parents.  I’m saying that before that, from the very moment of birth, my brain was already functioning to the point of capability to take in these new experiences.  At birth, only minutes old, you have already learned to breathe, cry, speak audible tones, hear, move your muscles, suckle, and sleep.  Who taught you to do these things?  Where did that knowledge come from?  Your brain started to create knowledge long before you actually began experiencing life. 

There is no denial that something greater than I created myself.  By acknowledging this simple fact, we must then come to realize that this greater force is still working within your mind and soul to survive and succeed in this world.  Nothing you have is without His doing, for at the core of your capability to achieve anything in life is His design, creation, and execution.  You are a result of His creative process, and therefore, He is responsible for all that you have obtained.  Humble yourself to realize that though you are extremely knowledgeable, wise, and capable in this life, only because He designed you to be.

What are you giving back to Him who created you?  Malachi 3:10 we read, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”   Why do we find it so hard to follow this simple guidance from the Lord?  A tithe is 10%.  This means 10% of your time should be focused on expanding God’s Kingdom, 10% of your talent should be given back to serving those in need, and 10% of your treasure.  We pay taxes to our Government because it is legal, but we shouldn’t tithe for the same reason.  We should be tithing because it is our way to demonstrate our faith, love, and thanksgiving for the Lord’s provision in our life.  You may not have a church family to tithe to.  If this is the case, then tithe to a local charity, food bank, shelter, or ministry.  Give back to God what He has given to you, and trust in His promise to bless you.  As my Pastor has said multiple times, “I would much rather have 90% of my income with God’s blessings, than 100% without.”  Seems pretty logical to me.

Let There Be Peace

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15

The joy we can experience in life is completely dependent upon our ability to seek it with our heart.  There will always be others who have a difference of opinion or perspective on something in your life.  Your choice is in how you choose to deal with that difference of opinion.  In most cases, when we feel passionately about something and another offers an opposing view, we become defensive and try to justify our position.  The simple fact of the matter is that you both are probably right, based on the life experiences that have led each of you to this point in your respective lives.  This is not to say that we shouldn’t hold firm to our beliefs and convictions, but we must also understand that the other person has that same right.  Joy is taken quickly when frustration ensues and tempers rise.  Finding peace is only accomplished through patience, love and enough grace to understand that God has created each of us uniquely.

We are created uniquely with a personality, gifts, talents, passions and desire in a way that can best glorify His purpose in our life.  This is a great thing in that when we are joined together our experiences, our passions and our desires can complement one another for the greater good of the whole.  This requires acceptance and understanding of the uniqueness of each individual, and the grace given to each to create a stronger body of believers.  What you and your brother or sister in Christ have in common is greater than the small differences that separate you.  Accept them for their differences and embrace the bigger purpose that God has placed before all of us to further His kingdom on earth through love, grace and mercy.  Pursue the challenges we face as humanity, bound together by the common good from the Father above.  In the 1950’s there was a song that went something like this:

“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me

Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be

With God as our Father, brothers all are we 

Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony"

Be thankful for the love we have been given from God above and for the grace He has demonstrated through the redeeming sacrifice of His Son.  In this world you will have trouble, but God has overcome the world and has brought you eternal life.  In that you can be thankful and filled with joy.  Be blessed my friends and bless others in the process.