Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
A Walk with the Master Series
Give to God
Mark 12:13-17
And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. Mar 12:14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” Mar 12:15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” Mar 12:16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” Mar 12:17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.
Jesus was constantly under attack by the religious rulers. They sought many ways to trap Him into something that would make Him unpopular with the common people. Today, we see another of those attacks when the Lord was challenged with a question about taxes. Israel was under the rule of the Roman Empire, and as such, they were forced to pay taxes which were many times more than was called for. Since this was such a sensitive issue in the minds of the people, the Pharisees used it to get Jesus to speak against Rome. If He had done so, the Romans would have tried to take Him. If He sided with Rome about the taxes, the people would have called Him a traitor. So either way, the Pharisees thought Jesus would be in trouble. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”
The Lord Jesus understood what was happening, and He knew that His answer could cause problems. But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test?
In order to prove them wrong in what they were trying to do, He asked to see the coin which would have been used to pay the tax to Rome. He then asked them whose picture was stamped on the coin. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
The response Jesus gave was one they did not expect. They thought Jesus was in a trap from which He could not escape, but the Lord knew how to respond to their test. His answer was classic. He upheld the Roman law of taxes by telling them that they should use the Roman coin to pay the Roman tax, but they should give to God the things that belonged to God. They said to him, “Caesar's.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
Again, we see the wisdom of the Lord in upholding the truth of the Scriptures by honoring the authorities in charge, but He also made it clear that the Lord should be first in our thoughts and actions.
We should obey the law of the land, but we should also live for God and make Him known to the world. This is the way we give to God what is due Him!
Bible Reading for the Year
May 8th, 1 Kings 21-22; John 3:1-21
Prayer Needs
Pray for Dr. Joe Jordan. He has been transferred to another hospital to help with the kidney problem. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors
Please continue praying for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. She had a Keytruda infusion on Thursday, May 7th. She is also having stomach issues caused by the medication. Please continue to pray for complete healing.
Please pray for Shirley and Kenny Deans. Shirley saw the ear, throat, and nose doctor Monday about her throat cancer. She will have a PET scan on May 17th, then see her cancer doctor on the 27th. Kenny will NOT need a heart catherization. He saw a doctor on May 4th for a sore on his right leg that will not heal.
Please pray for Robbie Harvey, who has MAC lung disease. He fell and broke several ribs. He is now home from the hospital but in a lot of pain. He has started a new medication for his lung disease.
Please pray for Peggy Warren. She is in a lot of pain from a partially crushed disc in her lower back. Doctors have put her on some new medication that seems to be helping.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia