Give to God what is God’s
Matthew 22:21
Thomas Kempis puts a unique twist on this phrase which is from Jesus.
Kempis’ twist is: “Give to God what is God’s and ascribe to yourself what is yours.” (1)
What do you have that is God’s?
Perhaps, asking the question in the negative is more illustrative and to the point: “What do I have that is not God’s?”
On one hand, everything I have is God’s because it comes from what God has provided me. There is nothing I have which I can truly claim is mine. But I must ask, “Does God really want all the junk in my basement?”
No! God does not need nor does He desire all my junk. What he wants is my heart, your heart.
God wants our first love, if He has that, He has all of us. If He does not have our first love, there is nothing we can give Him of value.
Jesus’ original response to the inquiring and savvy Pharisee who hoped to get Jesus arrested by the Roman guards was: “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.”
Jesus made clear that God neither needed nor desired our worldly stuff.
God wants what He deserves.
God wants the one and only thing we have which is of value to Him.
God wants our grateful and humble hearts, our first love.
Does he have yours? If not, go read Revelation 2:4.
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(1) Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 83.
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