Not Giving Reasons to Talk...


“But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” -Jesus (Matt 17:27)


Here is an interesting verse. Jesus and Peter is approached by these regulators on paying a temple tax to the people there. Jesus knew it was wrong. He knew it wasn’t necessary but instead of just walking away, he instructed Peter to just go ahead and pay the tax. Don’t offend them. Jesus here picks his battles wisely. He did not give the temple tax people reason to find fault with Him or Peter. Jesus made sure that people mentioned here were not offended by He and His followers. He stopped the talk before it began. He made a decision put a small battle aside for the sake of keeping the ministry going.

I needed to hear that. I needed to hear that not all battles are equal. Know when to hold and know when to fold, is a good strategy for poker and it is also a good strategy for life. Jesus here knew what battles were important and knew what battles were not. Likewise often I get super offended by certain things or a certain someone. But now, I know that sometimes it’s just not that important. Some battles are not worth fighting because the plunder is not that valuable. I know there are times that I fight for what is right, and even though I am right, I am totally wrong. I leave a path of destruction rather than encouragement. So take a lesson from Jesus, don’t give them a reason to talk.

Lord thank you for showing this to me.

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