In this third in our seven-part blog series on the theme of generosity, we focus on Simon Peter’s encounters with the generosity of Jesus. I hope these reflections will inspire you to cultivate a more generous lifestyle, as you follow Jesus, too…
Image courtesy of @rachelhisko
An odd, but memorable story about money, in the life of Peter, is the one where Peter pulls a coin out of a fish’s mouth to pay Jesus’ taxes with (Matthew 17.24-27). Why does Jesus ask Peter to get money in this strange way? Well, I feel that Jesus uses this example, not only to build Peter’s faith, but also to explain to Peter that Christians must have integrity as they go about their work in the place where they live. In the Bible, we see that Jesus is fair and just in His dealings. “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s” is often quoted when referring to how Jesus paid his taxes in the Bible and there are certainly no stories of anyone feeling ripped off by Jesus in His carpentry work!
This New Year – How are encouraging those you lead to work with integrity? How will you model integrity in your work to those around you?
By Mary-Jo Coxhill