What is your standard?

A pastor was once asked to define “faithful giving.” His eye-opening reply was simple: “All I ask is that you apply the same standards to your church giving that you would to other areas important to your life! Please consider the following:”

• If your car starts one out of three times, do you consider it faithful?
• If the paper boy skips your Monday and Thursday editions, would you miss them?
• If you fail to come to work two or three times a month, would your boss call you faithful?
• If your refrigerator quits for a day now and then, do you excuse it and say, “Oh, well, it works fine most of the time?”
• If you miss a couple of mortgage or car payments during the year, would your bank say, “Oh, well, 10 out of 12 isn't that bad”?
• Or, finally, if you count on someone to meet you at a certain place or certain time each week, and you are consistently stood up, do you consider that person faithful in their promise to you?