iServe: Open the Floodgates

When it comes time for the offering at church, do you think of it as a necessary evil, an act of obedience, an opportunity for thanksgiving, an extension of worship, or a combination of more than one of these? Is putting money in the offering bag like putting a donation in at the Little League field? How is it similar? How is it different? When you hear talk about money at church, do you react negatively, positively, or neutrally? Take a couple of minutes and consider WHY you react as you do? What causes that reaction? Do things from your past affect how you feel currently? As we said in the message, tithing is giving 10%, ideally the first 10% of what comes in. Think about how much you give and calculate what percent that is of what you make. How close are you to tithing? What would it take for you to begin tithing? Do you need to ease into it, a few percentage points at a time, or are you willing to plunge all in? As we said in worship, what would happen if for a month or two you tried tithing, taking 10% right off the top? What’s the worst that could happen if you tried this and it didn’t work out for you? What’s the best that could happen if you tried it and it DID work out for you?