Daily Devotions: Tax Season

Because it’s an election year, there’s a lot of talk about taxes. One politician says there will be no more taxes, but doesn’t clarify if he’ll increase the present ones. Another candidate for the Presidency talks about a Fair Tax (although personally I think that is an oxymoron). As the scramble for voters continues, the promises about decreasing taxes increases, probably in direct proportion to how soon a nomination can be made.

Bible verse of the day

Matthew 22:21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

In Christ’s time, taxes were paid to foreign invaders who were loathed by the Jewish people. It’s bad enough giving your money to the government, but it must be a hundred times worse giving it to a foreign government. That’s like saying to the invaders, “Thank you for destroying our country. Here’s some money to make you even stronger.”

Because the Jews hated paying taxes to Caesar, some miscreants used this as a means to trap Jesus. He was becoming too popular, so His opponents tried to set Him up. They asked Him whether or not it was lawful to pay taxes. If Christ plainly agreed to pay the taxes, He would be portrayed as a collaborator. If He disagreed with paying taxes, then He would be denounced as a dangerous usurper.

Jesus was in between a rock and a hard place, but He dealt with the situation beautifully. If the image on the coin was of Caesar, then obviously it belonged to Rome. And since it was an image, devout Jews would have nothing to do with holding on to graven images. Or as Jesus put it so succinctly: Give to Caesar what is his, and give to God what is God’s.

Sometimes as Christians we are faced with similar dilemmas. We try to be faithful to Christ without being mean or confrontational in the world, but sometimes the world does things that confronts or demeans our faith. It’s a hard path to walk, but Christ understands. It’s a road that he traveled many times in His own life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we really want to be effective Christians in and to the world. Sometimes we fail because we allow our pride and anger to usurp our faith and destroy our good intentions. Grant us strength and determination to be all that You wish to become as servants in God’s Kingdom, and as witnesses in the world. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Devotional: Defying Dictators - Why Lee Bollinger was right

Audio version here

Daniel 2:18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. (NIV)

A lot has been made of yesterday’s visit by the President of Iran to Columbia University in New York. I watched the live debate yesterday because it was an historical moment. Right from the beginning, Ahmadinejad was put on the hot seat by the university’s President Lee Bollinger. Instead of courteously introducing the Iranian president to the audience, Bollinger interrogated the guest speaker and castigated him for the many human rights abuses that are taking place in Iran. In my humble opinion, it was a courageous and probably career-busting move to make.

The media, however, have condemned Bollinger for his discourtesy and undiplomatic confrontation of Ahmadinejad. A leader of any nation should be accorded respect because he or she represents their nation. Any insult against the president is taken to be an insult against the Iranian people. And sadly, into today’s divided world, any insult to an Islamic leader is considered an insult against the Moslem faith.

However, no matter what the diplomatic repercussions are, I believe that Lee Bollinger was right to do what he did. Ahmadinejad is a tyrant whose political regime terrorizes his people. A recent article in Time magazine, written by a female Iranian journalist, expresses some of the major concerns that free-thinking intellectual Iranians face in their country. People are imprisoned for expressing political views; women are killed for being raped; and young teenage boys are hung for being homosexuals. Much of what goes on in Iran is reported by Amnesty International. Ahmadinejad is a callous despot who only cares about power, not people.

When Daniel and his companions faced the possibility of execution, they turned to God for deliverance. They lived under a tyrannical king, whose anger at his advisers caused him to send forth an order to kill all of the wise men, clever teachers, and mathematical scholars in his nation. And that’s usually how tyranny manifests itself – by killing the educated people, in order to rule by fear and ignorance. In modern times, the names of Hitler, Stalin, and Phol Pot have been synonymous with such vicious cruelty. Perhaps Ahmadinejad name will also be entered into that Hall of Shame one day.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone know the hearts and minds of all people, so You know all of the atrocities that the president of Iran may have committed. If he is such a monster, then allow free people to castigate him for what he really is. Remind us that we have all promised never to let the Holocausts of the past happen again. Keep us from being bystanders and help us to confront evil wherever it exists. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stock market

With the stock market reeling this week and scrambling to recover its losses, some of us may feel a bit edgy about finances.

I've found a healthy alternative to worrying. It's called KIVA, which is an organization that has been set up to help people in under-developed areas of the world set up their own businesses.

I read about a young single woman in Samoa called Naomi who wants to set up her own home business making popsicles for local school kids. She works in the fields pulling up roots during the day and at night dreams about owning her own popsicle stand near the school. You can read her story at the following website

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=15722

I loaned her $25 via the KIVA website this evening - a loan that will be paid back in 14 months. I can then use the $25 to sponsor someone else. It's like recycling money or giving a gift that always gives.

Have a look at Naomi's page and see what you think - if everyone who reads these devotionals was to loan $25 tomorrow, Naomi could go into business for herself next month.

Thanks for your precious time. God bless you all.