day 809: Witholdings

"...The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do right"

There is lots of talk today about who pays how much tax and why. Politicians are having to defend their tax rate even thought they paid what was due to be paid. Corporations have also been under scrutiny for their tax rate payments, or lack thereof. The tax system is so complex that when we hear about what an entity has or has not paid in taxes we can't make sense of it anyway. What we do know is that we have to pay our taxes and that is whether we like it or not. In the corporate world some of the highest paid professionals are those who know how to manage the complex tax laws to ensure that a company is not paying one more penny than is required. Today, many international corporations will have offices and operations in place like Switzerland, the Caymans and Ireland to avoid paying higher taxes. It's a complicated subject and usually charged with some emotion, depending on what seat you sit. But, at the end of the day, what the government can withhold within the law, is what we have to abide within.

As workers we also pay taxes and we have those withheld from our paychecks. It is the law and we have to follow the law in order to be doing what is right. What David tells us in the Psalms is that if we do what is right that those things that are good will not be withheld from us. What we are being told is that in all that we do, let's stand upright and follow the moral compass and direction that we are given from God and be on the right side of all that we do. Going back to taxes for a second, I know many people who are small business owners where they have a choice in how they report their income. That choice is about doing the right thing, or not. God has given us a promise. Do the right thing and the good things for us will be delivered. See where I am going? What might feel like is good for us, but causes us to not do the right things, will hurt us in the long run, and worse yet, remove the blessings that God wants to give us. It's something for us all to think about when we think of what we may be withholding from God when we don't do the right thing.

Reference: Psalm 84:11 (New Living Testament)