Benjamin Franklin, in one of his letters is said to have written, ‘…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes’. And so it is that the time of the year has come once again when those who death has not claimed download e-tax from the ATO website (http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.aspx?doc=/content/32234.htm&page=5&H5) or make that appointment with the accountant. And thus shall the forms be filled out and sent forth by one and all. And so it has been and so it shall be for evermore (or that’s what it feels like anyway).
Getting those receipts together for the taxman can be helpful. It can be a time of reflection on spending habits in the past financial year. Was it really necessary to buy that plasma TV? Were those alloy rims really that important? Perhaps impulse buying those shoes/clothes/latest electronic widget was just a bit extravagant? But then again, how much should one spend on oneself and how much should one give to God?
Both Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 24:1 remind us that everything on earth belongs to God. So we are merely then stewards of what God has made. God wants us to enjoy what He has created and gives us many good things as an expression of His love and generosity (Genesis 1:28-30). The danger is that we can take all these things for granted and forget who really owns them. We may think what we own is ours through hard work or ingenuity but we should always remember that all things belong to God and we take nothing with us when we leave this mortal plane.
In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus points out to his disciples a widow who has just put in two small copper coins into the temple treasury. She did not give out of her excess. She put in all she had to live on. Perhaps just as importantly, she was a widow in an age when women depended on their husbands to put food on the table. She may not even have known where her next meal would be coming from. Was she being foolish? Jesus thought not.
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