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Friday... It is so easy to live by our rights.


Matthew 17:27a (NLT), "However, we do not want to offend them."

Friday... It is so easy to live by our rights.

Now Matthew 17 starts with Jesus taking Peter, James and John up this mountain. And while Peter was talking, verse 5 (NLT) says, "But as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great pleasure. Listen to him.'" Yes, it was God speaking to them and telling them who Jesus really was.


Then go to the end of this chapter. Verse 24 says, "On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, 'Doesn't your teacher pay the Temple tax?'" Now Peter didn't say what many people would say, "Don't you know who this is? He is the Son of God. He doesn't have to pay any tax."

Now let's not get into politics and taxes but into our actions and attitudes and responses.

Verse 25 says, "'Yes, he does,' Peter replied... But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, 'What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?'' Verses 26-27 says, "'They tax the people they have conquered' Peter replied. 'Well then,' Jesus said, 'the citizens are free! However, we don't want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax.'"

It is so easy to live by our rights but Jesus, the Son of God said, "However. we don't want to offend them."

New International Version says, "But so that we may not cause an offense."

New International Reader's Version, "But we don't want to make them angry." Or is that what we want to do but not Jesus the Son of God.

The Message, "But so we don't upset them needlessly."

O God, if we loved like you loved it would make such a different in our actions, our responses and our influence.

In verses 22-23 Jesus tells his twelve disciples that he is going to die and then be raised from the dead. And then Matthew puts the story of the payment of the temple tax right where it is supposed to go.

When we give our life to Jesus we also give our rights to God and he gives them back to us as privileges.

Love makes all the difference in our responses.

Psalm 27:13 (NIV) says, "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." And let's see it through through us. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning


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