“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).
Some years ago I had a conversation with my son about his job at the car wash…
“How did work go today?” I asked.
“Fine.” He replied with his usual non-specificity.
“Any tips?” I asked (He made 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 disappointing results.
“That really irritates me!” 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.
While preparing for this week’s sermon, I remembered this “fish symbol” conversation. As we continue our sermon series on The Seven Habits of Growing Christians, I think it’s important to know that one of the important habits for those who would grow to maturity in Christ, is the habit of graceful giving. Generosity is a mark of a mature Christian.
Don’t you think it’s time that Christians started being known more for their giving than their grumbling? We should be the most generous “tippers” and gracious givers in the world!
So, let’s either start giving generously like Jesus or let’s “reel” those fish in from our bumpers!
This article is an edited version of a similar article I wrote in March 2009.
I love to hear you . There must be a wall between you and me. I try hard to continue to hold on to my qualification for the Fish.