Giving to God the Things That Are God’s

Devotional

Day 1: Currency of Communion: Flowing Like Living Water

The world measures value by coins and bills, but Christ redefines currency as currents of grace that sustain eternal life. Just as water and air flow to nourish bodies, our acts of worship, service, and generosity become divine currents circulating through a parched world. The early church turned communion and peace-passing into sacred economies—practices we inherit. Every choice to fix instead of discard, share instead of hoard, or listen instead of judge becomes a tributary feeding God’s river of renewal. What flows through your hands today? [41:03]

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. (John 7:38–39, ESV)

Reflection: What “current” have you treated as ordinary that God might redeploy as sacred currency? How could your next act of passing the peace or sharing resources ripple beyond this moment?

Day 2: Tending the Temple: Nourishing Body and Soul

Adam and Eve were placed in Eden not as tourists but caretakers—a model for stewarding our physical selves. The body, fearfully made, thrives on intentional nourishment: food that fuels, movement that awakens, rest that restores. Yet screens often feast on our attention while scripture gathers dust. Christ withdrew to pray, modeling soul-care as nonnegotiable maintenance. Your temple’s cracks—whether neglected checkups or hurried devotions—invite repair, not shame. [36:04]

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: What one adjustment to your daily rhythm—a walk, a vegetable, a screen-free hour—could better honor your body as God’s workshop?

Day 3: Emotional Alchemy: Turning Reactions into Holy Responses

Emotions aren’t sins to suppress but signals to interpret—a dashboard revealing the soul’s climate. Anger flares when boundaries erode; loneliness whispers for connection. Jesus felt indignation at hypocrisy yet wept with the grieving. The challenge isn’t to numb feelings but to let them direct us toward Christlike action. What if today’s frustration became fuel for advocacy, or today’s anxiety a prompt to pray? [36:40]

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: When did a recent emotional reaction reveal an unmet need? How might Jesus transform that feeling into purposeful love?

Day 4: Knots of Kinship: Weaving Reconciliation into Daily Life

Relationships fray like overhandled ropes—yet even splintered fibers can be rewoven. The Thessalonians, persecuted and doubted, chose to imitate Christ’s love through practical care. A shared meal, a handwritten note, or a humble apology become holy stitches mending torn connections. Polka dances at Oktoberfest and coffee with newcomers aren’t distractions from ministry—they’re its fabric. [38:12]

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3, ESV)

Reflection: Which relationship—a strained tie or an overlooked neighbor—needs the “labor of love” Paul praised? What small thread could you extend today?

Day 5: Sacred Seconds: Trading Chronos for Kairos

Time isn’t a tyrant to obey but a currency to invest. The world counts minutes (chronos), but Christ invites us to seize moments (kairos)—those God-saturated opportunities hidden in plain sight. Reallocating ten scroll-filled minutes to prayer or replacing a grumble with gratitude transforms mundane ticks into eternal transactions. The miracle isn’t more time but redeemed time. [40:00]

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: What daily “chronos” routine (commute, chores) could become “kairos” by infusing it with prayerful presence or intentional kindness?

Sermon Summary

Matthew’s account places Jesus before a trap built out of Roman taxes, political fear, and religious hypocrisy. The Pharisees want a reason to condemn him, especially with Holy Week moving quickly toward Gethsemane and the cross. Jesus turns their question inside out. Caesar can have the coin that bears Caesar’s image, but God must receive the things that are God’s.

Isaiah gives the foundation for that answer: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” Caesar may call himself the son of a god and demand devotion, but the Lord alone made the heavens. The psalmist carries that truth into worship, calling God’s people to declare his glory, bring an offering, and tremble before him in holy splendor. The gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord is the living and true God.

The whole Word of God keeps Christ’s words from being cherry picked into something smaller than they are. The phrase “money is a root of all kinds of evil” changes completely when Paul’s actual words are heard: “the love of money” is the root that leads people away from faith and pierces them with many pangs. Christ’s call is not a box to check, nor is stewardship merely a time, talents, and treasures conversation. God’s lordship reaches all of life.

Paul points to the Thessalonians as people whose faith, hope, and love showed up in real action despite persecution. Their service to the living God gives a picture of what it means to imitate Christ. The church’s own history of expecting a miracle and serving beyond its walls stands as a signpost for that same kind of faithful life.

The contrast between Caesar’s records and Christ’s grace gets right to the heart of the matter. Earthly rulers keep receipts and demand payment. Christ keeps no record in order to unburden sinners, because he has already paid the debt in full. The world says there is nothing left after the debt is paid; Christ gives all so that his people can live abundantly, right here, right now.

Stewardship therefore includes the earth, the body, the mind, emotional health, the soul, relationships, gifts, time, and treasure. The Garden of Eden still calls for care. The body still needs nourishment, movement, rest, and attention. Relationships still require intention and reconciliation. Currency still makes things go and do, revealing where the heart and its values truly lie. God’s Word finally gives the key: give to God the things that are God’s.

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Key Takeaways

1. God alone deserves ultimate devotion. Isaiah confronts every rival claim to the heart. Political power, money, comfort, and public approval can all ask for reverence, but none of them made the heavens. God’s people can honor earthly obligations without confusing temporal authority with the worship due to the Lord alone. [28:20]
2. Christ has already paid the debt. The world trains people to count what remains after every obligation has been met. Christ reverses that economy by paying in full what sinners could never pay themselves. Grace does not leave a person with leftovers; grace creates an abundant life of love, peace, mercy, and service. [32:41]
3. Stewardship reaches every part of life. Stewardship is bigger than a financial pledge or a volunteer assignment. The earth, mind, body, emotions, soul, relationships, abilities, and daily hours all belong under God’s care. Every choice can become an offering when it is made in response to God’s ownership and mercy. [34:03]
4. Money reveals the heart’s true values. Money itself is not the enemy, but love for money can become a master that wounds the soul. Currency makes things go and do, which means its use reveals what a person truly wants to set in motion. Christ calls his people to let treasure serve love rather than replace it.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:29] - Taxes and Giving to Caesar
[24:39] - The Pharisees’ Trap
[26:06] - Give to God What Is God’s
[26:46] - Reading God’s Word in Full
[28:20] - The Lord and No Other
[30:35] - Faith That Shows Up in Love
[32:41] - Christ Paid the Debt in Full
[34:03] - Stewardship Beyond Time and Treasure
[34:35] - Stewardship of Earth and Self
[37:16] - Stewardship of Relationships and Gifts
[39:28] - Stewardship of Time and Treasure

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 22:21
“They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” [24:33]

Isaiah 45:5-6
“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.” [14:44]

1 Timothy 6:10
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” [27:26]

Observation questions

What situation were the Pharisees trying to create for Jesus when they raised the question about paying taxes to Caesar? [25:20]
What two distinct responsibilities does Jesus name in Matthew 22:21, and how does his answer avoid the trap set before him? [25:36]
In Isaiah 45:5–6, what does God declare about himself, and how does that statement challenge Caesar’s claim to honor and devotion? [28:38]
According to 1 Timothy 6:10, what is the danger connected with the love of money, and what can happen to those who follow that craving? [27:26]

Interpretation questions

Why is it important that Jesus recognizes earthly authority while still making clear that God alone receives ultimate worship and devotion? [29:23]
How does reading 1 Timothy 6:10 in full correct the common idea that money itself is evil? What difference does that make in how believers handle money? [27:23]
If everything ultimately belongs to God, what does it mean to “give to God the things that are God’s” beyond giving an offering or serving in a church role? [34:03]
How does Christ’s payment of humanity’s debt change the reason believers serve, give, and care for others? [33:14]

Application questions

What competing voices most often ask for ultimate devotion in your life—security, comfort, political identity, success, approval, money, or something else? What would it look like to place that area under God’s lordship this week? [28:38]
Where have you felt as though your obligations leave you with “nothing left” to give? How does Christ’s grace, which has already paid the deepest debt, reshape that feeling? [33:19]
What is one way you could better steward the “garden” where God has placed you—through reducing waste, repairing rather than replacing, using less plastic, or another practical act of care? [34:49]
Consider the care of your mind, body, emotions, and soul. Which area has been neglected lately, and what is one realistic step you could take to care for it as something entrusted to you by God? [35:29]
Is there a relationship that needs more intention, a conversation, forgiveness, or reconciliation? What would a faithful next step look like, even if the relationship cannot be fully repaired right away? [37:31]
Look at your calendar and your spending. What do they reveal about what you value most, and is there one change you could make so that your time and treasure more clearly serve love of God and neighbor? [40:24]

Sermon Clips

47s

#LiveAbundantly

“On this side of heaven, we are required to pay the debt we owe, whereas Christ already paid it in full. The world wants us to believe we deserve to live on the leftovers after the debt is paid, while god calls us to live life abundantly right here, right now. In this life, we are led to believe that we have nothing left to give when in reality Christ gave all so that we might be imitators of his love and grace and peace and mercy.”

40s

#ChristPaidItAll

“In a world full of naysayers and false prophets and persecutors, hell bent on hiding the truth of the gospels. That Christ lived and died for our sakes, that we might live and carry on his message of light and life and love to a wary world. For you see, on the one hand, the rule... Rulers of this world keep a literal record of our receipts to tax us, while Christ keeps no record to unburden us.”

57s

#FaithfulTime

“But not just here. How about in your vocational life, stewarding that, and your avocational life, your hobbies? Are you glorifying god by sharing them with others? Stewardship of time. All of us only have 24 each day. How have you been spending your hours? Are you feeling overspent and overtaxed at the end of the day with nothing left to give? Sometimes I do. Here's some great good news. All of the ideas I've been talking about involve reallocating time from something else and giving it to God. Hallelujah for that economy. Come, lord Jesus.”

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St Luke Lutheran Church Memphis Tennessee This sermon · AI assistant

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