Matthew 21:23 to 24:51
Mark 11:27 to 13:37
Luke 20:1 to 21:36
Mark 12:13-17 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They 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? Should 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.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, ”Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
God has put these verses in my mind this week in a few different ways. I have been thinking about Pastor Gil’s message on Sunday. We were urged to think about our decision-making. Do my decisions honor God? Do all of them honor God? If I were a nun in a monastery, that question would be easier to answer. There are so many decisions to make, every day. Many of them seem unrelated to my faith in God, but maybe I need to rethink that. There certainly are more times I could stop and pray before I act.
Father God, you have placed me here on this earth, and in this time, for a reason. Help me to always seek, and never overlook that reason. Amen
Becky, transforming