Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

What came first?

Which came first – the chicken or the egg? For the Bible-believing Christian this is an easy question to answer. God created chickens, who in turn laid eggs. A much more difficult question to answer is which comes first – the celebration of Easter or that day known as Tax Day, April 15? This is a more difficult question because every year the answer changes. Sometimes Easter comes first and sometimes Tax Day comes first. This year it’s not even a contest. Easter comes first by almost a month. Easter is March 23. This is the earliest it has been in almost 100 years and the earliest it will be for another 220 years.

Every year I look forward to Easter. I can’t say the same about April 15. But, as much as we complain about paying taxes, they are what we must pay to keep our government functioning and our nation safe and secure and prosperous. This year our government has a bit of good news for us. They are going to return some of our money. Most of us will be getting a tax rebate – $600 per individual and $300 for each qualifying child. This return of money reminds me of Easter. I know, only preachers would be able to tie Easter in with money!

All of us must pay to live in this country. We owe our government money in the form of taxes. Most people don’t realize this, but we also owe God. We all have a debt called sin. The problem is – none of us can pay it. This is where God is so very much different than the government. God doesn’t throw us in debtor’s prison or sic the IRS on us. No, God sends His Son Jesus to pay what we owe. On Good Friday, Jesus hung on the cross and was punished by God for our sin. By His suffering and death, the debt of our sin has been paid.

This year the government will remove some of our financial debt by returning a portion to us. But the good news is that God did not just remove a portion of our debt of sin, but loved us so much that by Jesus’ resurrection our debt is paid in full; we receive eternal life. He returns victorious over sin, death, and the devil. He returns with a glorious promise – “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19)!

The return of Jesus from the dead is much greater than any return of money the government might give us. It is a return that pays eternal dividends. In Romans 6:23 the Apostle Paul tells us the following – “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It might be nice if someone paid our taxes – our debt to our government, but how much better it is to know that someone, namely Jesus, has paid our debt to God. Our sins are forgiven; heaven is ours. We might not celebrate April 15, but we celebrate Easter proclaiming that “He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!”

 

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