Pay

DEVOTION
ROMANS
PAY
Rom 13:6-7
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
NIV
It seems to me, I think, at least, I may be ok here, but then maybe not. I mean I do pay the taxes I am supposed to pay, no doubt it may not be as much as others, but then I pay according to my income. It is the other stuff I wonder if I am lacking in. What does it mean if I owe revenue? I know what it means to owe respect and honor, but what is this revenue. I must look into this. Ok I have and in this culture and society I must have to think it is not stealing from others. That is pay the price asked for, be fair. Now the more difficult tasks lay ahead. Do I give respect when respect is due? This would require not thinking more of me then I should. Can I honestly say I am able to remain humble enough to give respect and honor to another? Sometimes I think it may not appear I do this, but I must search into my own heart and ask, deep down do I? I know my feelings are not always reflected in my outward appearance. This does trouble me. Am I kidding myself, when I know that as I think so am I. If I think I respect someone, do I, even though I may appear not to? Is not my appearance the reality of my thinking? Puzzling idea, I think. So I really do need to consider how I react in situations and to allow my true feelings to leak out, if in fact those feelings are of respect and honor. Yet, I do think there is even more here than just a list. It goes deeper to the whole idea of giving whatever is owed. Whatever that is, whatever someone is due, I must make sure I pay that, not so much in the monetary sense, but in the relational sense. This I believe I still need to work on and I will, with the Lords help.