"This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." (Romans 13:6-7)

Let's talk about money for a second, because how we handle it says a lot about us. Paul's instruction here is refreshingly simple: settle your accounts. Pay what you owe. Don't leave a trail of unpaid debts and unkept promises behind you.

There's a great story about this in Mark 12. Some religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a loaded question about paying taxes to Caesar. If He said yes, He'd look like a sellout. If He said no, they could report Him. Jesus asked them to hand Him a coin. "Whose portrait is this?" he asked. "Caesar's," they said. Then came the line that shut the whole thing down: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" (Mark 12:17).

They walked away speechless. Luke says they "were unable to trap him... and astonished by his answer, they became silent" (Luke 20:26). In one sentence, Jesus made it clear that honoring your government and honoring God aren't in competition. You can do both.

Paul picks up the same thread. The people who govern spend their days keeping society running, so it makes sense that citizens support that work. But notice how far Paul stretches the idea. It's not just about taxes. Owe someone respect? Give it. Owe someone honor? Show it. Whatever the debt, whether it's cash or courtesy, pay it in full.

There's something freeing about living this way. When you're not dodging bills or withholding the respect people are due, you get to walk through the world with nothing hanging over you. That's a clean way to live and it honors Jesus.

A Few Honest Questions:

1. Are there debts in your life, financial or relational, that you've been avoiding?

2. Who deserves respect or honor from you that you've been slow to give?

3. What would it feel like to owe no one anything?