Benjamin Franklin said, “Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes.” And tax season is upon us. It’s time to get out our calculators, pencils, and slide rules to figure out if we paid enough, too much, or too little.

We can complain a little about how much we pay in taxes and how little we think is being used correctly. Some may even scream, “Taxation is theft!” But none of that relieves our burden to Caesar.

Jesus paid his taxes. He told his disciples to “render unto Caesar”. He paid taxes to the temple. He paid the salaries and financially supported the work of the government and temple even though he knew that same government would come to kill his followers and the priests and scribes would even murder him.

Keep all that in mind as we look for ways to lower our tax burden. Use all the advantages you can but keep it inside the lines.

Even if we don’t like how the taxes are used, we are still obligated to pay them. We must honor the king and render what is due. Jesus did, and he expects no less from us but to be honest citizens of our temporary home who “render” honestly.