Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
As we read today in the prayer guide, Jesus’ brilliant answer cut through the trap of the religious leaders. He very decisively stated that we should indeed pay taxes to the governments in which we live. However, Jesus went on to say more than they asked. He added that we should render to God the things that are God’s. Just as the coin had the image of Caesar on it, we also have an image on us. We are created in the image of God. By the same reasoning, Jesus said we should give to God the things that are God’s, namely, ourselves. We have been made in the image of God, and then redeemed in Christ and are being formed into the image of His son. Therefore, we should give our entire selves to God. Often, we can view our lives as our own, to do with what we please, and we’ll slice a little off for God from time to time. Jesus makes it clear that we are entirely God’s and should therefore give ourselves fully to him. This can be viewed as dread, or obligation, having to live our lives for him. In reality, a life in Christ is true life, life that lasts, life to the full. To lose our lives for Jesus is to find it. In your prayer time today, offer yourself to God. Ask him to reveal any areas in your life that you are keeping back and for help giving them over to God.