Balancing Life and Faith

"Then Jesus said, 'Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.'" - Mark 12:17

It is often very difficult to reconcile our faith with work and our everyday lives. At the time of Jesus, the Jews lived under Roman occupation. They were pagans, so it was difficult for the Jews to know how to manage the two. For us, it's hard to incorporate our faith in Jesus into every aspect of our lives after Sunday. Jesus left us an instruction manual, but we need to ask ourselves what belongs to Caesar, or the world we live in, and what belongs to God.

What belongs to Caesar is everything having to do with school, work, duties, etc. Jesus understands that we live in the world and need to dedicate time to work, friends, and everything else in our lives. Now, what belongs to God is how we choose to treat those around us and what we do when we're not busy. Do we treat school mates or co-workers with compassion? How about while commuting? Do we cut people off or shove people on the train? We don't have to be preaching about Jesus to show off our faith; the love we show is enough example. And how about while we're off work, do we give back to God the time He gave us with prayer? The key to balancing our lives and our faith is to remember that we have received everything as a gift from God, therefore, it's all connected and up to us to give God thanks for this gift by trying to give back to Him as well.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, You lived a full life with Your ministry and Your friends. Show us how to do the same and bring You into everything we do. In Your Name we pray, amen.