Taxing Heaven

This blog is my window seat, the place from which I look out on the world and ponder about its happenings. Most times, I just ponder. Sometimes, I laugh, and occasionally, I get sappy. Even more occasionally, I step down from my window seat and briefly stand on my soapbox. Bear with me for a second while I stand on said soapbox. I promise I will quickly put it away and continue to use it only sparingly in the future. 

Clergy taxes are hairy. We used to have “regular” jobs, the kind whose taxes we could reasonably figure out on our own if we wanted to. Now, however, even though we don’t make much more than we used to, we must have an accountant. Taxes are higher than when we had "regular" jobs even though our income isn't much different. We also have to pay those taxes 4 times a year instead of once, and we can pretty much count on never seeing a refund check. 

One of the breaks we get is our housing allowance, a nontaxable portion of a minister's income that is used for housing expenses. The housing allowance brings our

taxable income down a few thousand dollars. Recently, a federal judge struck down the law that provides for that allowance. It’s pretty crazy. The amount of money we live on might stay the same. Our utility bills might be the same. Our mandatory health insurance premiums will not go away. Only "non-essential" expenses can be trimmed....like our grocery bill and our gasoline budget....yea. Yet the amount of money we have to pay in to the government four times a year might go up. 

I guess it’s time to have a talk with that accountant? I'm ok with our taxes being more confusing. I'm not complaining. No matter what my taxes are, I will do what Jesus said and "render under Cesar what is Cesar's."  My willingness to obey the law, however, doesn't change the fact that there are people out there who will try to make it more difficult to serve
God. 

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" Eph 6:12

    I've got news for that darn Devil and all the sad, misguided souls who willingly and unwittingly listen to him. You can threaten my life, but you will only be threatening me with Heaven...a place I would give everything to be anyway. You can tax me poor and rob me blind, but you cannot reach my soul. You can't tax away my salvation or legislate me out of ministry. 

    We aren't Christians for money. We are Christians because we follow Christ. We aren't going to stop following Christ because our taxes are higher. We aren't missionaries because we want to have a big bank account. Our bank account has nothing to do with it. We are missionaries because we want to have a really, really big family in Heaven.  You can't tax Heaven. You can try, but you ain't gonna collect.