Devotionals

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On the way home from church, little Johnny listened to his
parents fuss about the slow hymns, the long prayer, the room was
too hot and on and on. Finally, Johnny spoke up and said, "I
thought it was a pretty good show for a buck!"

Yesterday I got a letter from the man who was my employer when
I first started with the Allen Organ Co. in 1955. He sent me some
old service invoices hoping I would want them for my mementos.
I am very grateful for these papers.

Can you believe that in 1955 we were only charging $2.50 per
hour for service plus 6¢ per mile for travel? How long has it been
since you paid $2.50 per hour for service on anything? Have you
had any item fixed lately? We moan and we groan about prices,
but in reality, it is all relative. The ratio of prices to salaries is
probably still about the same. The one place that is terribly out of
line is the cost of pharmaceuticals (prescriptions). They're out of
sight!

How about the ratio of our giving to our churches. Is that in line?
Are we still giving a buck like Johnny's Dad? Times have
changed, even in the costs of operating a church. Therefore, what
we would have given in 1955 won't work in 2003.

Can we prove by the New Testament that we are required to
tithe? Probably not, but that isn't the point. The point is that
since Christ sacrificed His life for us, shouldn't we want to
sacrifice a portion of our income out of love for Him? If we need
to have our giving forced, there is a cog missing in the relation-
ship.

As Paul said in 2 Cor. 8:7 (nlt), "...now I want you to excel also in
this gracious ministry of giving." Giving is a ministry, and it can
be your ministry. Make it happen.

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