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| Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay |
Giving can be a pain and extremely hard to do. One Sunday during a service some years ago, at collection time, I found myself nervously fingering the money I had brought. How much should I give? The collection plate was being passed along the pews and I needed to do my sums quickly. What did I need to buy at the shop on the way home? How much could I give and not feel guilty? What about later in the week, would I have enough to get through? I made my calculations and never gave that week or the next. It was only later, a long time later, that I took the time to consider my dilemma in church, and it dawned on me that while considering my own needs, I gave no thought to the needs of the church or congregation. Every Sunday I sit in relative comfort, in a clean building, with electric lights and running water. How many of these things could be maintained with the paltry amount I had held back? It had never occurred to me that the preacher might not have enough to feed his family or service his car. What about the cleaner, the groundsman, the property tax, electricity, and water accounts, all these needed to be paid, and the building needed to be maintained.
