Have you ever found yourself dormant and inactive in your walk with God? More often than not, I find myself in situations in which I concern myself with me more than with God. What clothes am I wearing today? How much caffeine must I consume to stay awake in physics? What test do I need to study for? What homework is due? What essay do I need to write? What am I doing this weekend? Did I hear my teacher correctly when she said we had three projects due tomorrow? Wait! Did I eat lunch? Since when has it been 11:46? Needless to say, I get caught up in a daily routine that has way too much control over my life. It’s stressful and bothersome to endure, but it’s what I choose to give my time to. But since when has it been my time to give?
In Matthew 22:15-22, Christ is tested by a group of Pharisees who intend to trap Him in treason against the Emperor. They ask Him whether or not it is right to pay taxes to a man who is so anti-God. Jesus already knew that they’d planned to trap him, so He asks for a coin. A Pharisee gives Him one, and Christ says, “Whose image is on the coin?” “Caesar’s,” they reply. Christ then responds, “Give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and give unto God that which is God’s.”
Whoa! Did you see what He did there? The Pharisees sure did; Scripture tells us that when He said this, they were amazed and left Him alone. “Give unto God that which is God’s.” Why did He say that? His point was proven by saying to give Caesar that which is Caesar’s. He didn’t have to say that to tell these guys they have to pay taxes. He said it because He wanted to remind these guys of what Genesis 1:27 said. “So God created man in His own image; He created them in the image of God, He created them male and female.” Jesus wanted these guys to remember that they are created in God’s image. He’d just told them that because the coin had Caesar’s image, it was his. Now He’s telling us that because we have His image , we belong to Him.
Everything we have belongs to God. He is the provider of all things. My mistake is thinking that these things are mine. We often find ourselves trying to “find time for God,” when, in fact, He is the one who gives us the time in the first place. The time isn’t ours, nor is anything else we claim to have possession over. This goes against our nature as sinful humans to be told that what we have is not ours. This is annoying and rough, but it’s true. We are not promised anything in life; we are given no guarantee. We are called to pick up our cross and die daily so that Christ can live through us.
So how can we live this Christ-like life? Well, we can start with the basics. Daily prayer to God keeps us in contact with Him. Daily reading of the Bible teaches us His word, and joining others in Bible study or accountability groups helps us keep to the way. I admit that it is hard to build a routine of doing these things, especially since the world will throw everything at us to try to keep us from living like Christ. However, we practice these things to build our firm foundation for our lives.
As your foundation grows stronger, so, too, does the rest of your walk with Christ. Going on mission, practicing tithing, living in worship, and trusting His plan are all part of living the Christ life. We love the Lord our God with all of our strength, all of our hope, and all of our life, and we love our neighbor as ourselves, all for the goal of growing in Him and reaching out to others for Him.
When we live like Christ, we find ourselves loving like Him, too. Because we love others with a new spirit of joy and desire for them to come to this well of life, we do anything to get them to the compassionate and caring arms of Christ. I’ve personally seen many different lives forever changed by Christ because He used people that follow Him to do amazing things for Him.
Following Christ is not easy. It is tough to put aside our sinful ways and repent from them. We want to do these things, but they are short-term indulgences, whereas Jesus’ love is everlasting and overwhelming. We work to get to Him. It is a daily struggle that every Christian goes through.
John 4 tells the story of the Woman at the Well in which Christ meets a Samaritan woman and asks for a drink of water. She is astounded because Jesus is Jewish, and the Jewish people despise the Samaritans, so for one to ask her for water is crazy to her. Jesus responds by informing her that if she only knew whom she was talking to and what He could offer her that she would be asking Him for water. His water brings everlasting life, and not only does it satisfy, it also springs up a well inside of the one who drinks it so that he or she can spread it to those with whom they come in contact.
We are called to live like Christ and to spread His word to others anywhere and everywhere. We owe everything to Him for what He has done for us. We fight against our sinful desires to be closer to Him. We have the wells of eternal life living inside of us.
Whose image is on the coin?
Whose image is on you?
Awesome article, Ethan! God has blessed you and I pray His continued blessings upon you!
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