Paying Tribute

To whom do you pay tribute? How do you pay tribute? What is the reason beyond you paying tribute? Is your tribute financial? Is it paying respect? Is it honoring someone else? Is it praising someone else? Or are you only focused on your own accomplishments?

We don’t often use the word tribute for paying taxes, honoring someone, or praising someone for a significant accomplishment. Yet, that is what we are doing. Paying taxes is a requirement, even if one we wish we did not have to do. Honoring or praising someone else is voluntary.

When the Magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus, they were doing so voluntarily. They had read the prophecies, saw the signs, and were paying tribute to the King of kings. We may think it foolish that they brought such gifts as frankincense, gold, and myrrh to an infant. Yet, this was God’s plan. Each gift was valuable. Mary and Joseph were poor. And God was going to send them to Egypt to stay for a while. The gifts would have paid for their travels.

We, too, can bring gifts to Jesus. We can give financially to the church we belong to. Rather than viewing it as giving to an institution, we should view it as giving it to Jesus. Churches have a group of leaders who determine how those funds are spent. Being part of that leadership, I can truthfully state the leaders pray about how to be good stewards of those funds. They pray for God’s guidance.

We can also pay tribute to Jesus in other ways. We can bring our spiritual gifts and physical talents to the work He has set before the church. We can praise Him every day and especially when we are in corporate worship. We can honor Him through obedience to His commands—namely by loving God and loving our neighbor.

I pray we all decide to pay tribute to Jesus. I pray we give financially to God’s work in this world. I pray each of us will put our spiritual gifts and physical talents to work to execute God’s plan for the local church. Pay tribute to Jesus. Give financially. Give your spiritual gifts. Give your physical talents.

Psalm 72:10

May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles 

render him tribute, 

may the kings of Sheba and Seba 

bring gifts.