When Jesus says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” the appropriate response is to acknowledge that everything is God’s. Beyond that acknowledgement, His command really asks us whether we have invested our hearts in the right place, in something worthy of our life’s blood, something that will yield a return that is worthy of a whole human life.
There is a very good way to find out where our hearts are: by checking our daily choices and decisions, the little ones as well the big ones, and looking for the patterns. What do we usually do when decision-time comes for spending our prime time, our money, and our best energies? The choices we make in these area are pretty good indicators of what we truly value … and what we don’t.
For homework this week: Whose “image” do others see when they look at our lives and the example we provide? When people see us, do they see Jesus “engraved” upon us? Is the “testimony” we are giving each day making visible the extent to which we belong to the Kingdom of God?
