A Day of Rendering

"Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.   And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.   Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?   But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?   Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.   And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?   They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. "  Matthew 22:15-21

 (Photo credit: nffcnnr)

Like in the time of Jesus, when He told the Pharisees and Herodians to "render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's. . . "  our coins and dollars today bear the images of our Presidents and great leaders of the past.  Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Hamilton, Grant all grace our money.  We do well especially on this day of the year to remember it is good to "render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's."

But what things are God's that we are called to render unto Him?

"And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.   So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them."  Genesis 1:26, 27

WE are that which is God's.  We bear His image, created in His image, after His likeness.  What that means I cannot explain to you, but I know the Lord said it, so therefore it must be true.  We are His and we are to render ourselves to Him just as faithfully and surely as we render our taxes to our modern day Caesars.

Can there be anymore joyful rendering than the giving of ourselves into the hands of the loving and just God who created us in the first place?

Psalms 100:3 
"Know ye that the LORD He is God:
it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;  
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture."