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Important Enough
By Sarah Hoeck
One bright and sunny morning, you are just sitting at home, reading a fascinating novel, when your parents walk in. They look at you, and immediately in unison sit down. They start to tell you about a financial decision they have made concerning you. They are giving you everything they have. There’s only one catch. You see, if they give you everything in their possession, they would have nothing. They need to survive. One can’t survive on nothing. So, only under one condition will they give you all they own. You have to give them ten percent back. You would still take it, wouldn’t you?
Trying to count how many things Jesus has done for you would take forever and you still wouldn’t be done. There are simply too many to count. He has suffered so much for you. He went through terrifying ordeals so you could have eternal life!
No one knows pain like Jesus Christ our Lord. No one could even try to imagine what He had to go through so you could have everlasting life with God. Now, of course, everything He did for you is free. When He died on the stake for your sins, He didn’t expect you to pay Him for what He did. He bravely did this out of the kindness of His heart because it was a part of the plan. But, personally, I feel somewhat, if not completely, obligated to give Christ something back in return. I mean He did die for you and for me.
In the whole entire Bible, God doesn’t ask you to do much. No, He asks for just a few things: Try your best, be your best, make good decisions, and among others, give Him ten percent of what you have (as in possessions and money). Now, that last one doesn’t sound too hard. Why should it be? It actually sounds like it’s the easiest of the four listed. God gives you everything you own/have so ten percent is not that big of a deal. Right? And, please, understand you aren’t required to do these things. But, let’s just say, it would be in your best interest if you did.
In Deuteronomy 6:16, God spoke to the Israelites through Moses. He said three times a year, a person shall go up to the Lord your God and “shall not appear before him empty-handed.” Did you know you’re stealing from God if you don’t give Him His ten percent back? It’s as if you’re in this faraway place where you can go into any bank and take as much money as you want without being arrested if you give ten percent back of the amount you took. But if you don’t give the right amount (or more) back then you will be charged with theft and will be put in prison forever.
When you steal from God, you aren’t just stealing from a bank. You’re robbing something much bigger, much greater, much more powerful. You won’t be put in a jail. And if you’re punished right away, it’s most likely not going to be severe. No, you will be punished much later. You’ll be punished after you die. You’ll be punished during the final judgment, when it really matters. And if you want to know what type of consequences you’ll receive, just read the book of Revelation.
So, truthfully, tell me what you think. Is it worth it to steal from God? Is it worth the consequences? Is the small amount of money that you save (which God actually gave to you in the first place) worth the punishment in the end? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you apparently want to hear the words no one should. “I never knew you.” Is that what you want? Is that ending better than the other? Is that the ending you truly want to receive after all you’ve been through, after all the suffering Jesus has been through for you? Because, personally, I would much rather hear the following: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You may now enter into the Kingdom of God.” i
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