Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. – Mark 12:17
To get out of debt God’s way, we must first learn how to plant. Any financial counselor will tell you to invest in that which gives you the greatest chance of a good return. And God will always give us the greatest return on anything in life. God is our greatest investment, and if we do not honor Him with all He has given to us, everything else is out of line. God should be our first financial priority—His is the first bill we pay.
In today’s verse, Jesus taught that we are to give God His due and to give the governing authorities their due in the form of our taxes. Regardless of what we believe about the current tax system, God is greater than the government, and we answer to Him. He says to give to the government what is due the government. God is our greatest resource, and we should plant our investments in Him.
The second thing we must do to get out of debt God’s way is to plan. Proverbs 27:23 says, “Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds.” Proverbs 28:20 says: “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.” We must stop guessing about the state of our finances and make a purposeful plan to use our resources wisely. A budget helps us track the way each dollar is allocated, enabling us to better plan for a productive future.