Tuesday, November 20, 2007

I laughed when the offering was taken up last Sunday.

Dear Church Member,

Did I have a great laugh when the offering plate was passed around last Sunday!

I saw people putting in spare change, people putting in just a few dollars, and people not putting in anything! If Christians are supposed to tithe ten percent of what they earn, I would say most of you are living off of a pittance.

That is fine with me. It takes money to buy Sunday School curricula, pay the mortgage, and have electricity. It takes money to provide food for the needy and to pay the salary for the church secretary (and nothing is better than for someone to call the church and having no one to answer the phone). It takes money to have running water and provide snacks for the kids in children's church.

So I will keep whispering in your ear how that money is really yours and how the church shouldn't ask for money, anyway. After all, why does it matter that He provides your job and He makes sure your every need is met? You are the one working, right?

Just keep your hand on your wallet and don't give up a cent.

Lucifer


"But I really need this money! We are struggling to pay bills as it is! We can't live on 10 percent less than what we already live on! We'll be out on the streets if we do!"

I know exactly how you feel. I really do.

My husband and I did not tithe for the longest time. We really were struggling, too. I had tithed as a single mom, but when I remarried, we just gave less and less and then stopped because we were struggling so much.

But then we made a decision. God can and will provide. So we started tithing.

Immediately, a financial disaster struck. Someone had compromised our bank account and fraudulent charges were made. We were in dire straits. But we remained unwavering. We. Would. Tithe. Period.

Then, the blessings started coming. My husband began getting more hours at work (they had been cut to less than 40 hours per week). We're better off income-wise after tithing (because of the extra hours) than we had been previously without tithing.

Malachi 3:10 flat-out says to test God with your tithe and He will bless you. So what are you waiting for?

For those who are financially blessed and still don't tithe, I am baffled. If you think you did it all yourself, you are wrong. If you think you do not have a responsibility to God to give back a portion of your earnings, you are wrong.

-----Shay :o)

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