THE TITANIC, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, AND JULIUS CAESAR

Ahhh…April 15th…TAX DAY!  Is it a coincidence that the TITANIC sank AND Lincoln was assassinated on April 15th?  I don’t think so.

Filling out those forms reminds me why I have my degree in writing music and not mathematics (songwriting is easier); names and numbers, blood type, grandmother’s girdle size…all that information that you give nowhere else but on a 1040!

I always think of that time when Jesus was approached by the leaders (trying to get a good “quote” and hang Him with it) if the Jews should pay taxes to Caesar; something that they detested…not just the loss of income and the graft involved in the process, but the fact that Caesar’s face was on the coinage and he considered himself a god…therefore making the coin a “graven image”.  Jesus very cleverly turned the question on its ear and endorsed, of all things, the Roman tax while indicating that God should be given His due as well.

But what does God require?  Is there a form to fill out?  Is it a once-a-year event?  No, actually the scripture makes it quite clear…here are our taxes to God:

MICAH 6:8 “He has told you all what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you…only to act justly, to love faithfulness and to walk humbly with your God.”

TO ACT JUSTLY…God requires His children to “do the right thing”, after all, that’s what holiness is.

TO LOVE FAITHFULNESS…to act and behave with integrity, faithfully…and love God for His faithfulness

TO WALK HUMBLY…to remember that we are the sheep, He is the Shepherd.

There are few places in the scripture where our direction is specifically spelled out for us, this is one of those jewels that we can look to and know directly that this is what God requires.  It is a verse that can be confirmed throughout the scripture and in the words of Jesus Himself.

“Do you see these stars and stripes?” Jesus says, “Give to America what is due to America, and give to God what is due to God.”