It’s Tax Time! I know probably not as nice of a welcome as wishing you a happy Lent last week.

However, the reality is that every year Lent and tax season in the United States run hand-in-hand. Whether this is a good or bad thing, I don’t know, but it got me thinking the other day. For many, tax season is a celebration of refunds and vacations, but for others it is quite the opposite and not so joyful. No matter which of these camps you fall into I guarantee that there is one thing that we all have done while preparing our taxes, we’ve complained. 

 

We’ve all probably complained about the process of doing our taxes, but I know that we’ve all complained, in one way or another, about our government while doing our taxes. Even if you have received a refund you still look at how much you paid in taxes to the government, either federal or state (I’m looking at you Oregon), throughout the year and you just can’t believe how much of your hard earned money has gone to who knows what. The simple fact of the matter is that governments are greedy. Look, no matter what your political slant is, it’s obvious that governments are always looking to get the most from us, mainly our bank accounts, that they possibly can. In their eyes we are consumers, and what are consumers good for? Payment.

 

A quick side note: I always find it humorous that as Hannah and I are celebrating the refund we are getting we are really just high-fiving about getting back what is rightfully ours to begin with. I  mean it’s like if we threw a party for my brother giving me back the ten dollars he owes me. It was my money to begin with, what’s the big deal? Right?

 

So how does this relate to Lent and the our journey to Calvary? Well, in the same way that the government is greedy, looking to get as much from you as they can, so is God. Look I know it’s weird to think of God as greedy (it’s kind of weird to write), but hear me out for a second…

 

God tells Israel, in giving them the first commandment, that they aren’t to have any other gods other than Him. Why? What’s His reasoning for this demand? Well, He tells them, “for I am a jealous God.” To me jealous=greedy. God wants the relationship between you and Him to be it. He doesn’t want anything to get in between. He wants as much of you as He can get.

 

So, what is He greedy for? Your money? Your work? Your stuff? In one way or another these things work into it, but only because they are the parts that make up a whole life. Simply, He’s greedy for you, and, I would say, mainly your time. He wants as much of it as He can get. He doesn’t see you as a consumer needing to pay some required tax, but He sees you as someone of great worth with whom He wants to spend eternity. So here’s the crazy part….

 

With paying the government our taxes we are required to pay these set out fees, and all we get in return is what was merely ours to begin with (I know the government does other things for us, but I’m making a simplistic argument for a point). So we are required to give what is designated, and we are refunded what was already ours. But with God, He asks for our time, never really dictating a minimum or maximum that we must give, He just simply says He wants as much as He can get. Then, the amazing thing is that what we get back from giving Him this gift of ourselves is more than we have ever had or could ever deserve. We are his children. We are loved. We are saved. We are valued. We are honored. We are listened to. And the list goes on. He wants as much as He can get from you so that He can give you as much as He can.

 

As we continue to walk towards Calvary, be thinking about how much of yourself you are giving to God. As you do your taxes and think about the greed of others and what you get in return for what you give them, think about the greed of God for you and all that He offers in return for what you are willing to give Him. God will always win in this cost-benefit ratio analysis. While it may sound weird it is actually a pretty awesome thing that our God is as greedy as He is. In fact, He is the only one that is greedy in order to be generous.