Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
When I first went on a mission trip to Cuba in 1998, I spent a week with a sweet congregation in Santiago de Cuba. The church was beautiful, the worship was great and the congregation very mission minded. I noticed at the front of the sanctuary that there was a large chalkboard with the names of all the church families on it. And beside each name was written the amount that they had given each Sunday!! My immediate thought was that this idea probably wouldn’t be appreciated at my home church in Tennessee.
I have heard complaints over the years that churches are “always asking for money.” And there’s some truth in that statement, but perhaps the reply should be “why are they asking for money?” And therein lies an important part of our faith. Jesus talked about money as much as any other topic; Paul and the early Christian writers did as well. But it was always in the context of giving to help others. We share something we value to help the poor and to share the good news. To offer ourselves and what we value to God is not just an expectation, but a joyous response.
Personal Worship Option:
Here I am Lord. Send me and use me. Amen.
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