22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
I'm sure we've all heard the highlighted verse in one context or another, often having to do with tithe and offering and our responsibility to respect those in authority over us. But, I want to give a little different slant on the subject and hearken back to lessons our Pastor has taught several times over the years (after all, repetition is the key to learning).
We are to be stewards of our time, our talent, and our treasure. In all of those things we also have a responsibility to render unto Caesar what is his. Caesar could represent our employer and how we are to accomplish our job responsibilities while on the employers' time and using our talents. Caesar could also represent our government and creditors and our responsibility to pay our bills and taxes (boooooo). Caesar could represent any wholesome activity we have committed ourselves to (such as charity work, side jobs, donating to the T-Bone Go Fishing More Often Fund). After all, by accomplishing these things in view of "the world" we are showing Christ through us. But, let us not forget our responsibility to render unto God the things that are his.
Our time, our talent, and our treasure all come from God anyway, so with a cheerful attitude we need to be willing to give back a portion from all of those areas. I'm thankful to be a part of a bunch of men that fully understands the health of the Church depends on our willingness to sacrifice in all of these areas.
Thom Creel
