As he concludes his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses some practicalities. Paul had given his whole life over to serving God which he did tirelessly. He is therefore not at all coy about asking the Corinthians to invest in this same work. He begins by reminding them to be faithful and regular in contributing a portion of their income every week. Paul is obviously applying the principle of tithing here, although he does not specifically call it that because he would not have wanted to limit their contribution to ten percent of their income. We can assume that Paul expected them to give at least this. We can be a little too sensitive sometimes about reminders to give our money to the work of the church. We live in a world where everyone is trying to get everyone else’s money and so it is perhaps natural that we should be a little mistrusting when asked for money. But we must transcend these fears and do what is right in faith. Paul’s audience could have been just as mistrusting, and in fact there was much more at stake for them in giving their money than for us. Paul, however, makes no apology about asking them to do this. It was a practice as old as the Bible itself and immensely healthy for people, because as Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Where is your heart?
Read 1 Corinthians 16
