“You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Cor. 9:13 NLT).
“How did work go today?” I asked my son, Jonathan, who works at a car wash in Raleigh trying to make a living while being a husband, an expectant father, and full-time seminary student at SEBTS in Wake Forest.
“Fine.” He replied with his usual non-specificity.
“Any tips?” I asked (He makes most of his money on tips at the car wash).
“Yeah, some.” He said. “It was a decent day.”
“Who gives the best tips?” I questioned, hoping for a more inspiring dialogue.
“Well, I’ll tell you who doesn’t tip.” He answered. “People with fish symbols on their car. They rarely if ever tip!”
“You’re kidding.” I said, hoping he was.
“Nope. If you see a car roll in with a fish symbol, you can be sure they will be the most likely to complain about a spot we missed and also the most likely to stiff you on the tip.” He stated in scientific fashion, like a researcher who had obtained results that were disappointing.
“That makes me mad!” I exclaimed. “People should either pull those fish off of their bumpers or start giving generously like the Lord they say they follow!”
“Yep.” My son replied, not seeing the need to add to my outburst.
I’ve been thinking about this conversation with my son a lot this week. So, this Sunday, as we continue our series on the Seven Habits of Growing Christians, we’ll be looking at the “Habit of Gracious Giving.”
I think it’s time that Christians started being known more for their giving than their grumbling. Don’t you?
So, either reel those fish in or start giving generously like Jesus! We should be the most generous “tippers” in America!
When I lived in Lynchburg, we used to hear from the local restaurants that they had a hard time getting staff to work the Sunday lunch crowd, because the patrons were always the most difficult and the worst tippers.