Give to God, What is God's

Prayer: Heavenly Father, whose image we are fearfully and wonderfully made in; show us how to give You all that we are and all that we are created to be.  In the Name of Jesus, amen.

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JESUS' MINISTRY IN JERUSALEM

Mark 12:13-17 (NIV)

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹³Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. ¹⁴They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ¹⁵Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." ¹⁶They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
¹⁷Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."
And they were amazed at him.

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Sent by the religious leaders, two groups that normally had nothing to do with each other, joined together on a mission to bring Jesus down.  The Pharisees (primarily a religious group for ritual purity) and supporters of Herod (Jewish political group that approved Herod's compromises with Rome), thought they had the perfect question to trap Jesus.  But Jesus answered wisely, once again exposing their self -interest, hypocrisy, fear and wrong motives.  Jesus said that the coin bearing Caesar's image should be given to Caesar.  But what belongs to God? 

We, who are created in His image... We belong to Him.  YOU belong to God.  Our life belongs to God.  YOUR life belongs to God.

Are you giving God all that is rightfully His?  Not many of us can say yes to this question...  You may have accepted Jesus into your heart, but have you given Him your life?  All of it?  Not just Sunday mornings; every day.  Not just when things are going wrong, but when things are going right.  Not only when we're in a relationship, but when we're single as well.  Not only when we're with believers, but when we're with everyone.  Not when we have everything we want, but when we have everything we need.  Not in our timing, but all of the time!  Let's make a decision and commitment today; and every day:

Give your life to God-YOU bear His image.




STOP PUTTING ON THE IMAGE OF THIS WORLD; IT IS NOT WHAT WE ARE CREATED FOR.