Tuesday 6 Jun 2023

June 6: Mark  12:13-17

Key Verse: Mark 12:17
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him.

Devotion:
When a new Christian asks me about the laws of the world or when someone tries to object to the work I do, this story always comes to mind. Have you ever thought about how you would approach the subject when someone tries to make you choose between following the local law or following what they think God says? Note how I word the question: how they think God says!

After years of working in a company where the majority of people were not Christians and seeing the growing difference between their lifestyles and the life I was looking to live, I grew to depend more of Christ and what I believe He is asking of me rather then what the world or the people of the world ask of me. When I am asked about why I do things the way I do I like to try and open up about my life as a Christian and one of the biggest hurdles some have is how I want to support the church and other people all the time!

Just because I am a Christian who does things differently from the rest of the world does not mean that I can ignore the laws of the world; instead I strive to live within the law and to be a better example for others. This is what Jesus was saying here to the Pharisees and Herodians who were trying to see if Jesus would break the local laws. We do things differently because of what God has asked of us, but we still have to obey the local laws of the places we live.

There are few places in the world where local laws will demand you do not obey Christ’s teaching; when that happens you make the choice yourself as to what you are willing to do. God calls us to be disciples who are willing to go out and spread the gospel. If we can do that without upsetting the locals then we have an easier task to be able to tell them about the truth as we know it.

Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle with non-Christians?

Do they see you as a law-abiding person?