To God, What Is God’s

A well-known text in scripture is Matthew 22:15- 22. The verse most know being 21, “‘They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’” This verse is often brought up when discussing taxes or governmental authority, but I want to focus on the latter half of this verse. Jesus tells them to give to God what is God’s. This idea is a segway into our discussion of accounts in the book of 1 Samuel. In chapter 2, there is a sad account of a family who has taken something from God.

God informed those who served him in the temple and those who sacrificed to Him exactly how he expected it to be done and precisely what he expected to be done. The sons of Eli were acting as priests, and yet their introduction in scripture was that they “…were vile men; they did not know the LORD.” (1 Sam. 2:12) The text tells us that they were taking parts of the sacrifices other men made for themselves that were designated for God and ignoring what God had set aside for the priests to keep (v.14). These men even threatened those who wanted to sacrifice to God correctly. (v.16) They were not giving what was God’s to God.

In today’s American culture, it is ingrained in us that hard work is the answer to getting what you want. While this has some truth, this mindset has a possible side effect. We get “territorial” with what we have. Since we worked hard for what we have, it is ours and ours alone. This mindset is leaving out one MAJOR detail. Everything we call good and consider a blessing is a gift from God. All creation belongs to the one who spoke it into existence. So are we taking what is God’s for ourselves? We need to give more of what “we” have to God and His kingdom because we merely have it on loan.

Challenge

1.     Spend a little more time this week in study, prayer, and worship.

2.     Find places in your week where you could use your finances to bless God and further His work.

3.     Find places in your week where you could use your physical things, such as your car, home, or other things, to bless God and further His work.