We have responsibilities to the world, but we also have them to God, too. Whenever these do not conflict, then we are obliged to perform both duties. It is a good thing to act as a responsible citizen and we should not shirk our worldly tasks. However, when they conflict with doing God’s Will, then we have the obligation to put God first and our country second. This does not mean that we should look for loopholes and try to rationalize our own selfishness or laziness. It means that we should be discerning about how our government acts and if it is acting contrary to our Christian morality, then we should attempt to work within the system to bring it back into compliance with God’s message of love, mercy, and grace. As Jesus says, render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, then we shall be acting not only rightly, but for the good as well.
What are our obligations to our family, friends, neighbors, country? What are our obligations to God? When they are in conflict with each other how do we resolve the crisis?
O Lord, help us to remember to repay you first and the world with what is left over.
Amen.
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