EVERYTHING ON SALE!!!! Act now!!! Don’t miss out!!! Limited time only!!! 10 to 50% OFF!!! When retailers want to get your attention, sales start at 10%. Anything less than that benchmark just doesn’t seem attractive enough to get someone to notice the advertisement, let alone buy something. Would an ad that blared, “EVERYTHING ON SALE!!!! 1 to 9% OFF!!!” get a second thought?
So is it any wonder that tithing originally started at 10% (Lev. 27:30-32)? I’ll pause to listen for the collective groan from some who right now are thinking, “Ugh. The money talk – again.” Including me. Believe me, if you’re sitting near me on Sunday’s in the coming months during the Stewardship drive, you might just hear me groan, too. I realize I am supposed to give, but how many times do I need to be reminded?
However, my 2¢ on the 10% is this: We were purchased with the life of Jesus Christ, and although nothing we do can repay God, giving up 10% of what we earn helps tangibly demonstrate that our hearts are in the right place and not tied up in worldly things. Although I believe we are not obligated to give 10% if we cannot do it cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7), what other benchmark should we use to fulfill Christ’s charge to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow him (Luke 9:23)?
10% is not something we just mindlessly toss in a collection plate. 10% forces us to deliberately plan and consider what we must give up and let go. 10% compels us to think about why we are giving it up and letting it go.
We may not be able to teach the Word, take care of the widows, support the poor, comfort the afflicted, visit the lonely, heal the sick and feed the hungry by ourselves, but our money enables organizations that do to serve more effectively. Don’t like hearing the church ask for money? Give directly to Good Samaritan, God’s Love, or any other group spreading His Word or helping the less fortunate, and see what happens in your heart.
Giving up 10% of our meager stuff seems like such a bargain compared to everything Jesus gave up. But we better act now!!! Don’t miss out!!! Limited time only!!!
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Feel free to print a post in a non-commercial publication (like a church newsletter), link to this site or a specific post, or extract up to 100 words from a post on to another site, as long as you provide a link back to the original post and include the following notice: “©, Sean Connolly. All rights reserved. Originally published at http://freerangedevo.blogspot.com/.”
However, you must have written permission to repost or publish an entire post from my site anywhere on the internet, use a post for commercial purposes including selling or licensing printed or electronic versions of my content, or alter, transform or build upon the content of any post.
