Pay your taxes.

I’ll be brief this morning, mainly because the verse is so straightforward. It’s verses like this that make me love the Bible. Yes, the Bible is full of deep wisdom and mind-bending truths, but it’s also full of practical advice and instruction for living.

I love it.

Romans 13:6-7

⁶ Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.

It’s also very funny becuase today is tax day . . . April 15. Or did they move it back? I can’t remember. In any case, that’s probably why this is the verse for today.

In either case, I know I tend to gripe about paying my taxes because they just seem to keep going up and up. But taxes are a part of life, and you will have to pay taxes no matter where you live. And I can tell you that no matter how high my taxes have gotten, God has always provided for me financially so I have still had everything I needed and most everything I wanted.

The set of verses before this one are talking about submitting to authorities. The whole of Romans 13 is really good. If you have a chance to read it, I’d really recommend it.

Basically, the reasons mentioned in verse 6 are stated pretty simply: “All authority comes from God.” Period. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with your authorities. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t vote for them. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is. If they are in authority over you, God appointed them.  So by rebelling against who God has put in authority is the same as rebelling against God’s plan.

Don’t you think that God can use anyone, no matter who they are? Or do you think it was an accident certain people were elected?

The government we have right now isn’t perfect. No, it’s not even close to perfect. But the people who are in authority over us have been put there because that’s what God wanted. So not matter how much I disagree with them, I still need to respect them. I do struggle with this, though. It’s very hard to say good things about people you don’t think highly of.

So pay your taxes.

It’s the right thing to do.

And realize that all authority comes from God. And if the people who are in authority over us make poor decisions and lead us wrong, it’s not us that they will answer to in the end.