October 6

Mark 12:41-44 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-4

In the Corinthian passage Paul mentions the collection. This collection was for the Jerusalem church. Jerusalem had been hard hit by a famine. The Jerusalem church was running low on money to meet the needs of the hungry. Paul had agreed to take up an offering from the churches he had started in support of the Jerusalem church during this crisis. In this passage he offers instructions as to how they should give. He teaches that their giving should be a regular part of their lives "on the first day of every week". He further instructs that "each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income". In essence, when you have a good week, you give more. When you have a bad week, you give less.

Those are good instructions for us. Giving should be a regular part of our lives One of the great things about tithing, which is giving 10%, is that it is directly tied to your income. The greater your income, the more you give. If you are out of work, there is no responsibility to give.

Our family tithes because of the teaching of scripture. How do you decide what you should give? What is the role of your faith in your giving?