Vital signs- Tuesday, July 27th, 2021

“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’”

(Mark 12:17)

Suppose you work for a person and he or she asks you to do something dishonest. Someone asks you to cook the books, to juggle things, to steal for them, and you try to be in submission. Suppose the government enforces upon you an unjust law and asks you to do something that is contrary to the will of God. Suppose the government was to tell us that we could not proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is important to understand that submission is not always the same as obedience. Your ultimate loyalty belongs to God. You’re to render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and unto God the things that belong to God, but never give to Caesar the things that belong to God. Our ultimate authority is God and we must always submit to Him above any other.

• When was a time you faced a conflict between honoring God and honoring man?

• When was a time you faced difficulty for choosing to honor God over man?

Make a list of ways you currently are called to honor human authority. Ask God to reveal to you any way you might be honoring people over Him and to help you change your course in this area.