1 Corinthians 16:2
On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
When I was a little girl, our church gave a box of envelopes to every person in each family who were members. There was one for each Sunday, and I think a box held enough envelopes for three months. We were to put our “offering” in this envelope and take it to church on Sunday. I’m sure there wasn’t much money in the envelopes for myself and my sister and brother…and I can remember a few times when we had nothing to put in and felt embarrassed. When I took over caring for my Mam-ma Polly as she aged, I paid her “tithe” each month. Mam-ma gave me her envelopes…almost the same ones as those from my childhood. For a while, I put a check in the envelopes each week so that she could put on the collection plate…but she began to forget, and the envelopes collected in her purse! So I started making a direct deposit each month. When she would ask, “Did you send my tithe?” I would answer confidently, “Yes…it’s there.”
There are a lot of ways that I could go on this scripture passage, but what I want to emphasize today is not that we should give an envelope of money to the church each Sunday. Rather, I would like to remind each of us that God wants us to be present and to give Him all we can each and every week. If we have to set up some sort of “auto-draft” system for ourselves in order to serve Him, let’s do it! The point is not to put off serving God until another day/week/month that seems better. In the words of the Apostle Paul, don’t wait until the end and try to collect your gifts to present all at once!
You know what I’m talking about. We feel that gentle nudge from God to help someone or make a phone call, and we say, “I’ll do that later.” And “later” never comes. We say, “I would LOVE to serve in the soup kitchen or deliver Meals on Wheels” – or whatever it is that tugs at your heart…but we never do it. This scripture is reminding us that NOW is the time to serve. TODAY is the day to give!
I can assure you that none of us are assured another day on this earth…so procrastinating with our “giving” is simply not an option! Use the “envelope” system or whatever helps you stay on track, but get busy giving in the name of Jesus! When you meet Him face-to-face, be able to say, “I heard You calling, and I did my best to give my all.” That’s the least we can do for the One who gave ALL for us, isn’t it?
©2016 Debbie Robus
On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
When I was a little girl, our church gave a box of envelopes to every person in each family who were members. There was one for each Sunday, and I think a box held enough envelopes for three months. We were to put our “offering” in this envelope and take it to church on Sunday. I’m sure there wasn’t much money in the envelopes for myself and my sister and brother…and I can remember a few times when we had nothing to put in and felt embarrassed. When I took over caring for my Mam-ma Polly as she aged, I paid her “tithe” each month. Mam-ma gave me her envelopes…almost the same ones as those from my childhood. For a while, I put a check in the envelopes each week so that she could put on the collection plate…but she began to forget, and the envelopes collected in her purse! So I started making a direct deposit each month. When she would ask, “Did you send my tithe?” I would answer confidently, “Yes…it’s there.”
There are a lot of ways that I could go on this scripture passage, but what I want to emphasize today is not that we should give an envelope of money to the church each Sunday. Rather, I would like to remind each of us that God wants us to be present and to give Him all we can each and every week. If we have to set up some sort of “auto-draft” system for ourselves in order to serve Him, let’s do it! The point is not to put off serving God until another day/week/month that seems better. In the words of the Apostle Paul, don’t wait until the end and try to collect your gifts to present all at once!
You know what I’m talking about. We feel that gentle nudge from God to help someone or make a phone call, and we say, “I’ll do that later.” And “later” never comes. We say, “I would LOVE to serve in the soup kitchen or deliver Meals on Wheels” – or whatever it is that tugs at your heart…but we never do it. This scripture is reminding us that NOW is the time to serve. TODAY is the day to give!
I can assure you that none of us are assured another day on this earth…so procrastinating with our “giving” is simply not an option! Use the “envelope” system or whatever helps you stay on track, but get busy giving in the name of Jesus! When you meet Him face-to-face, be able to say, “I heard You calling, and I did my best to give my all.” That’s the least we can do for the One who gave ALL for us, isn’t it?
©2016 Debbie Robus
