As Alisa Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister, lay dying, someone in the room observed that nothing is as certain as death.  "Except taxes," added Alisa, thus making her last words among the most widely quoted in history. 

Taxes do seem to be an unavoidable fact of life, as well as death.  With the exception of accountants and the IRS, April is probably not a favorite time of the year for the average citizen, particularly not for those who are still scrambling to meet the April 15th filing deadline.  As Christians, however, we need to guard against a similar tendency to let the taxpayer’s mentality distort our view of biblical stewardship.  C.S. Lewis wrote about this danger in Present Concerns:

"There are three kinds of people in the world.  The first class is of those who live simply for their own sake and pleasure, regarding Man and Nature as so much raw material to be cut up into whatever shape may serve them.  The second class are those who acknowledge some claim upon them—the will of God, the categorical imperative, or the good of society—and honestly try to surrender to the higher claim as much as it demands, like men paying a tax, but hope, like other taxpayers, that what is left over will be enough for them to live on.  Their life is divided, like a soldier’s or a schoolboy’s life, into time ‘on parade’ and ‘off parade,’ ‘in school,’ and ‘out of school.’ But the third class is of those who can say like the apostle Paul that for them ‘to live is Christ.’  These people have got rid of the tiresome business of adjusting the rival claims of Self and God by the simple expedient of rejecting the claims of Self altogether.  The old egotistic will has been turned around, reconditioned, and made into a new thing.  The will of Christ no longer limits theirs; it is theirs.  All their time, in belonging to Him, belongs also to them, for they are His." 

One widely held view is that it is possible to achieve a "balanced life" simply by giving equal attention to conflicting interests, or by arranging one’s priorities in some descending order of importance, i.e., God first, family second, etc. However, such compartmentalization of the Christian life often results in a form of spiritual schizophrenia.  We can set aside one or two days a week for worship and ministry, while the rest of the week is relegated to the world’s standard of success.

A Jewish religion teacher said to Jesus, "Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you are."  But Jesus said, "I, the Messiah, have no home of my own—no place to lay my head."  Another disciple said, "When my father is dead, then I will follow you."  Jesus told him, "Follow me now! Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead" (Mt. 8:19–22, TLB).  Until the issue of lordship is resolved, the Christian life will always be a tug-of-war between competing loyalties.  Paul said, "You are not your own, for you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:20).

John Sebastian Bach wrote all his music sub specie aeternitatis.  That is to say, he did not compose to please his benefactors, or to win the plaudits of an audience or a congregation.  At the top of each score, he put two sets of initials: SDG—Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of God alone), and JJ—Jesu Juva (help me Jesus). 

As Albert Schweitzer points out in his work on Bach, these initials were no mere formula.  "Music is an act of worship with Bach.  His artistic activity and his personality are both based on his faith . . . All great art, even secular, is in itself religious in his eyes; for him tones do not perish, but ascend to God like praise too deep for utterance." 

In Bach’s own words, music "should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the recreation of the soul; where this is not kept in mind, there is no true music, but only an infernal clamour and ranting. 

"What does it mean to glorify God?  Jesus gave us an insight when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, I have glorified Thee on earth by accomplishing what Thou has given me to do" (John 17:4).

Ultimately, we glorify God by doing His will.  I’ve found that life is less complicated when I acknowledge His rulership over every area of life.  I simply do what He tells me.  I am no longer torn by a schizophrenic lifestyle or plagued by a neurotic need to be in control. You can live in a tax-free state!

"Either Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all."

Contact Dr. Chen at:  ychen@GoMETS.org.