February 22, 2012
Today’s Text: Luke 20:19-26
Today’s Key Thought: A wise steward of their resources honors both God and government with them.
For many, the idea of taxes and the government’s spending of them is a sore subject. Benjamin Franklin once wrote in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy that “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Jesus also gave his own Godly wisdom about taxes when answering some questioning men in Luke 20. According to the Bible, authority is ordained of God and is to be honored by its subjects financially. A wise steward of their resources honors both God and government with those resources. Honor is shown to God in obedience to His Word in honoring our government with its design for financial stability, taxes. Regardless of how the government uses its collected taxes, this does not negate our responsibility to honor our God and government with them. It is important though, that if how our government uses its collected taxes is inconsistent with Godly principles, we exercise your ability to change it by voting for the right use of them according to God’s principles.
Application:
I know for you guys that the idea of taxes seems like a long ways off. But, here is my question for you… How are you supposed to honor God and do right by your country right now at the age you are at?
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
I thing tht u can do tht by being a good example to the kids around u or even at ur school. Show the words to others!!! Like I did one of goals for this year was to rech out to 1 person per month so at the end of this year I would have reached out to 12 people. Well for the month of February, I reached out to one of my friends. She was on here yesterday & thanked me so much for telling her tht she should try and get on these. & she said tht it’s been so long since she’s been into the bible and she said tht it really opened her eyes and really helped her and she also said tht she loved this site. I’m so proud of her trying to take tht next step.
Great Devo and c u guys later!!! 🙂
Wow tristian just like I used to take the words right out of your mouth you did the same to me hehe! 🙂
Ditto! i was thinking basically the same thing! 🙂 good job! 🙂 see ya guys later! 🙂
keep up the good work encouraging your friends Tristian? Have I met Alicia?
No you haven’t Laura. But I think u will soon! 😉 and thanks guys! 🙂
I know for some of you, the devotionals this week may seem a little irrelevant to your age group. I notice some of you are not really sure how to answer these questions, understandable. However, these topics will be quite important to you as you get older and start to have jobs and be more independent. It is never too early to learn how to handle finances. Taxes are a fact, and as you get older and start working you will also have to pay them. Taxes are ordained of God and necessary for our society to function. We may not always agree with how our money is spent, but that it why it is important as you get older to voice your opinion by how you vote. For example, if I felt led by God to give a homeless person some money, does it mean I necessarily know how he is going to spend it? No. He could be holding up a sign that reads: need money for food. But in reality maybe he is going to spend it on cigarettes or alcohol. Is it OK for me not to give the homeless person the money because I am not really sure of his/her intentions? No. I need to be more concerned that I am doing what the Lord would have me to do. We need to do the right thing even when we are not sure others are using it correctly. It is the law. It is really important to pay attention to the news and start to formulate some of your own opinions, based on God’s Word, when it comes to the political arena. Before you know it, you will be 18 and able to vote. Your vote really does count and is important. I wish I had been more financially savvy at a young age. If you guys learn how to handle finances at a young age and understand how important a budget is, you guys could seriously retire some day millionaires. Just think how you could impact the kingdom of God! How can you implement these ideas now? Budget your time wisely, start a bank account with money you may receive as gifts, and learn to tithe the money you receive and start giving to your church. Of course it is OK to have some fun with your money too. Some times we feel selfish about our money. When you think of it, God only asks for 10% but He lets us keep 90%! That is an awesome deal. I speak from experience here guys. I really wish I had had a better handle on my money when I was a teenager. I started off with some really bad habits due to my inexperience with handling money. I had a checkbook and bounced my fair share of checks. I was not responsible with money at all! Even in my marriage we have made our fair share of financial mistakes. Please learn from adults who know, it is much easier to start out with a clean slate and be educated about finances.