God first . . . but then other responsibilities . . .

They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of honor. You don't let others tell you what to do or say. You don't care how important they are. But you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew what they were trying to do. So he asked, "Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a silver coin. Let me look at it." They brought the coin. He asked them, "Whose picture is this? And whose words?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give to God what belongs to God." (Mark 12: 14-17)

There are guidelines, laws, and regulations all throughout society . . . some may be a bit restrictive but they are intended to keep us safe, provide for us, and provide for those in need. Yes, people do abuse many of the things provided for citizens of this nation, yet we still are the best nation in the world! Even as our society seems to be going down quickly morally, it is our responsibility as Christian citizens to honor God first, but then other responsibilities. God is always first, but as believers, we must set the example as good citizens as well. Here is a small list of things we as CHRISTians can use to check ourselves when going through life: *Do we do the speed limit, use turn signals, stop before turning on red? *Are we honest on our personal tax returns? *Do we clock in and out on time at work? *Are we participating in local and national government decision making (voting, letter writing, interacting with our government representatives)? *Do we watch R-rated movies just because we are over 17? *Do we enjoy or allow the office gossip and course joking? *Are we tithing at least the minimum? We are not in this world to hide, but to participate! We are to influence this world, not be controlled by it. We are in this world as a Godly influence to change it, not of this world to be changed by it.(Romans 12:2) The guidelines our society are generally biblically based moral laws. Abiding by them is usually not going to cause us to disobey God. However, there is coming a time (and it has happened in the recent past) that we must stand up and disagree with the politically correct and face the consequences. We must however, honor God first when doing so! Are we getting too comfortable in this society? Should we be? What are the challenges we face today and in the coming years? How will we set the standard for our children and grandchildren?