day 1139: Know It All?

“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 for both of us.”

Every company and organization has those who "know it all".  In fact, we call them that; "Know it alls".  We probably learned this term when we were kids.  But, back then we probably said this out of jealousy because the kid on the front row with the hand up probably did know it all.  But, in business we run into people who are "Know it alls" and they are not very popular because as we all know, no one knows it all.  In the workplace, those who think they know it all are also the worst listeners and have a very high ego.  What we also know is that being the "Know it all" is a dangerous place to sit as the first day that they are wrong there will be plenty of people ready to point it out and dethrone them. It's never a good thing to be a "Know it all" and no company does well with allowing these people to have too much influence.

We never want to be known as "Know it alls" either.  It is the opposite of what Jesus taught us to be.  When Peter and Jesus were talking about taxes and Jesus told Peter to go fish (his profession) and that Peter would find a fish with a coin in his mouth, you can only imagine what was going through Peter's mind.  I know I would have wanted to say, "Hey Jesus, in case you missed it, I've been fishing for a long time and am pretty good at it, and with all due respect, fish don't swallow coins and if they did, the chance of me catching one that has one in its mouth, well, you might just want to keep that idea to yourself Jesus".  But, see if Peter had said that, he would have been trusting on his own knowledge and not the knowledge of Jesus.  In this case Peter wasn't a "Know it all"!  And thankfully he wasn't as we then learn of another miracle of Jesus and the lesson that each of us should never trust in our own knowledge before trusting in His first!

Reference:  Matthew 17: 26-27 (New Living Translation)

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)

day 635: Tax Day

"Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' But Jesus knew their evil motives. 'You hypocrites!' he said. 'Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the tax.' When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, 'Whose picture and title are stamped on it?' 'Caesar’s', they replied. 'Well, then,' he said, 'give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

It's "Tax Day" in the United States (well, actually in this year of 2011 it's Monday, April 18. The traditional tax return filing deadline is April 15 of each year, but the IRS has approved April 18, 2011 as the tax filing deadline for 2010 Tax Returns and extension requests in observation of Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia). Tax Day always brings with it a lot of stress and emotion and in these recent times even more emotion and conversation about what we should or shouldn't be paying in taxes for our government. These discussions, at work, at home, at parties, or wherever can get us riled up and can cause us to lose control of our emotions and/or words. Our discourse about politics and government has an edge to it today that I cannot ever remember before. I find myself right there too and the conversations that I am most sorry for or ashamed of after are too often rooted in politics. As we work with with others it is important that we not let our politics taint or hurt what are otherwise great relationships. Also, politics in the workplace can be career damaging, so in this area it might be best to just keep it to ourselves unless asked and even then, to only share with the highest level of sensitivity and respect of the opinions, thoughts, and feeling of others.

Jesus gave us all we need to know about our priorities and actions as it relates to our government views. He said that we are to render to Caesar what is Caesar's and then give to God what belongs to Him. As we think about all that we have, it is a small part of our life that we owe back to our government. While no one likes taxes, what I hear Jesus saying is that to not let what has to be given back in taxes to be a focus or the overriding concern. What He wants us to do is instead focus on what is to be given back to Him and that is who and all we are. As we complete those tax forms (and have the few extra days this year) let us do so with our hearts and minds in the right place and more ready than ever to render ourselves more to Christ and what He wants from us. Let's use April 15 as another marker and reminder of the gift that God gave to us in Jesus, the gift that comes without any owing, obligation, or tax and continues to multiply and multiply for each of us.


Reference: Matthew 22:17-21 (New Living Testament)