Romans 13:6

NASB	NLT	VOICE
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.	6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.	6 Pay your taxes for the same reason because the authorities are servants fo God, giving their full attention to take care of these things.

In the Roman Empire, taxes were a main part of life, funding things like public works and military. The command by Paul to pay taxes connects of what Jesus said in Matthew 22:21. It’s emphasizing our role to support governmental structures (even if we don’t agree with them.) It’s about recognizing God’s power of earthly authorities and our role to live peaceably with each other. Governing authorities, regardless of personal beliefs or actions, were created to maintain order and justice. The idea of authorities being God’s servants shows that God uses even secular government to accomplish his plans. In the Roman context, officials were responsible for keeping the peace and order, collecting taxes, and administering justice to keep their society(s) stable. Our devotion to supporting this to show accountability, because of human leaders are not perfect, but are a part of the bigger plan set by God. It’s also a call to maintain a standard of integrity and diligence.

What a moment to have this passage come up, right? In a time when our national government is at odds with each other about a national budget. In a time when people are starving and losing out benefits because there is no civility between our leadership. In a time when other countries are suffering at the hands of our discourse and actions. How can we support what Paul says? Shoot, how can we support what Jesus says? Why should we support our government when they are busy fighting among themselves, not caring for their citizens, and not helping those less fortunate in and out of our country. I’m sure many of us nowadays have had this conversation. I had part of this conversation in Part 1 of my “Serving Up Justice” series when I talked about the national budget situation related to the healthcare crisis. As of now, this has escalated to the halting SNAP benefits that will affect millions of Americans. It’s a complete shame that our government is on full display having this kind of argument while their constituents are starting, hurting, and absolutely frustrated about how to survive day-to-day. What can we do to cope? How can we move forward? Is it worth moving forward? These questions and more are what I want to talk about today. (Yes, I know this is about paying taxes – but I will connect everything together with resources. I promise).

The first thing we can do right now is to understand the context of what’s going on. Paul discussed paying taxes to talk about our relationship with the government. So for us, I believe it’s important to know: where does our income tax go? Here is a quick list of resources that help answer this (links to different articles at the end of the blog) with an average percentage spent on each:

• 24% on Health programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP)
• 21% on Social Security
• 13% on Defense and international security assistance initiatives
• 13% on Economic Safety Net Programs (unemployment, food stamps, low-income housing)
• 10% on Interest on the national debt
• 8% on Benefits for federal retirees and veterans
• A combination of 11% on the following:
  • Transportation infrastructure
  • Education, including student aid and Pell Grants
  • Science and medical research
  • Emergency and disaster relief

Per $100 of our income taxes that we pay, $24 goes to support different health programs, $21 goes to support Social Security, $13 on defense and international security initiatives, and $13 goes to support food stamps, unemployment, low-income housing and more. As a tax preparer, I’ve often found this to be vital information because not many people know where our tax dollars go and how our tax dollars are spent. Knowing all this, what are the issues happening with our national government right now regarding the budget situation?

Republicans have voiced concerns with recent budget proposals regarding unnecessary and waster” items like disaster relief (which as we learn doesn’t a high chunk of our income tax) economic aid for farmers, healthcare extensions, and tech regulations. We know now these latter items make up the majority of income tax total with 71% focusing on these areas. There’s tension about restrictions on US capital investment in China, pay raises for congress, and different provisions unrelated to core funding issues. Democrats have said the republicans are moving away from bipartisan deals and focused on pleasing donors and hardlines. As we can see, it’s a little “he-said, she-said” and a little “my way is better than yours” thinking. The goal of working to accomplish the same end goal is that much harder when there is this “all or nothing” mindsets with both sides of a discussion. It closes the door to having mutual discussions, negotiations, and compromises. In summary, the current discourse in the debate is the following:

• How much to allocate for national defense vs. domestic programs
• Whether to add unrelated policy priorities to the essential funding bills
• Disagreements over debt ceiling increases and fiscal responsibility.
• Attempts to reduce spending on social programs, healthcare, and disaster aid
• Influence of prominent figures and public campaigns on congressional decisions.

I’m sure some of you are asking me, “What does this have to do with honoring our government or helping our neighbors?” I believe that when we understand the argument that is being publicly displayed, we get a greater idea of each party’s perspective (right, wrong, or indifferent.) When we have that context, we can better see where and how we can get involved. Now that we are knowledgeable (and this scratches the surface, please check out the links at the end if you’d like to learn more) about what’s going on, we shift our focus to how we can help each other out today. With the halting to key government resources, the necessity of food and health resources will be increasing higher as the government shutdowns continue. So, here are five things we can do today to help be God’s hands and feet in these situations:

We can donate to food banks or community funds. Your financial support helps food banks feed families directly by the SNAP withholdings. You can support your local food pantry or food bank either financial or with different foods. There are also local funds like the Good Neighbor Fund that offers emergency assistance for immediate needs such as food and healthcare expenses. We can organize and participate in drives. Hosting or contributing to food and supply drives for things like food, hygiene products, and more helps make sure that our neighbors in need have access to essentials when government support is disrupted. We can volunteer with local nonprofits such as food banks, shelters, and mutual aid networks. These will be in high need for food distribution, outreach, and support during these budget shortages. Pay attention to the nonprofits that mention they are receiving funding due to the SNAP halts. We can spread information. This is so crucial in my opinion, especially being in the age of misinformation. We need to understand why this is happening to so many people and what we can do to help out when our government is not. It’s why I include all the links in my blogs when I discuss topics like these because I do not want to spread misinformation. Encouraging your neighbors to also contact 211 for local resources or to visit websites like the Food Bank Council to learn about relief initiatives and emergency services. We can also advocate for policy action. Go support petitions, write to your lawmakers and local representatives (especially those in the Senate and House of Representatives), join advocacy groups and push for them to fund SNAP and healthcare programs and to reverse the cuts affecting the most vulnerable populations.

All of this can feel like a lot, and I understand that. Your call to action for this devotional is simply: check on your neighbor. Talk with them, offer rides or groceries, help them filing for benefits – any of that can make a major difference. By acting locally, donating, volunteering, engaging, and more, we can help bridge the gap and ensure those at risk, those that are marginalized, have support through caring individuals and can feel the love of God through these tough times.

Next slice of manna: Understanding God’s Mystery || Ephesians 1:9-10 || Manna for the Mind #296

Links Used:

• https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/teacher/whys_thm01_les01.jsp
• https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/income/other-income/income-tax/
• https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/general/how-are-federal-taxes-spent/L6kinGuUt
• https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go
• https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/federal_income_tax.asp
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_the_United_States
• https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/what-kinds-of-revenue-does-the-government-collect/
• https://ourpublicservice.org/video/our-government-explained-in-3-minutes-or-less-why-do-we-pay-taxes/
• https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/personal-finance/tax-brackets
• https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/2025-federal-income-tax-brackets-and-other-2025-tax-rules/
• https://www.cato.org/blog/its-tax-season-five-charts-who-pays-whats-risk
• https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/131/Graph-Distributional-Analysis-2025.pdf
• https://taxpolicycenter.org/feature/baseline-estimates
• https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/131/Distribution-of-Tax-Burden-Current-Law-2025.pdf
• https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go
• https://www.irs.gov/statistics
• https://www.cbo.gov/topics/taxes/distribution-federal-taxes
• https://www.crfb.org/blogs/cbo-estimates-2025-deficit-totaled-18-trillion
• https://www.congress.gov/committee-report/118th-congress/house-report/568/1
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_federal_budget
• https://www.pgpf.org/article/chart-pack-the-us-budget/
• https://www.usa.gov/federal-budget-process
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/budget_fy2025.pdf
• https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/budget/2025
• https://www.usaspending.gov/explorer/budget_function
• https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61172
• https://www.crfb.org/blogs/cbo-estimates-2025-deficit-totaled-18-trillion
• https://www.congress.gov/committee-report/118th-congress/house-report/568/1
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_federal_budget
• https://www.pgpf.org/article/chart-pack-the-us-budget/
• https://www.usa.gov/federal-budget-process
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/budget_fy2025.pdf
• https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/budget/2025
• https://www.usaspending.gov/explorer/budget_function
• https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61172