Word of the Week – Give God What He Paid For

In a tough economy we are counting every penny.   We are watching what we spend our money on.  We are making sure to stretch our dollars, but imagine paying a whole lot for something and not getting what you paid for.  In this day and age that would cause an outrage.  In Mark 12:14-17 Jesus is approached by the Pharisees and Herodians first with complements and then with a “trick” question…or so they think.  “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”  They asked him knowing that if he said yes he would be supporting a corrupt government which would turn the Jews against him.  But if he said no he would be breaking the law and they could have him arrested.  But Jesus asked them, “Who’s image is on a coin?”  It was Caesar’s image so he told them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  But what is God’s?  God says in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image” which means that we bear the image of God.  And Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we should, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God”.  Jesus died for your sins.  God paid the price for you and now it is only right that we give God what he paid for and that is YOUR LIFE.  Dedicate your life to Him!