Stress Test Devotional April 27
April 27, 2024
LUKE 11:42 | 42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without
neglecting the others.
Generosity in the form of the tithe can also become a reductive practice, either a narrow way to meet a religious obligation, or a means of demonstrating superior piety. All human deeds have an exterior element, the action, and an interior element, the motivation. The same action can have different motivations.
One giver can give out of gratitude to God and a desire to see others be blessed and helped. A second may offer an identical gift to prove his virtue or express his superior spirituality. Jesus
criticized, not the Pharisees’ actions in tithing, but their motivation. Measuring one tenth of every ounce of dill or oregano or cumin used to cook is overly fastidious and showing off. It makes a simple giving rule complicated and elaborate and less accessible, making generosity competitive and exclusive once again, rather than shared and democratic.
What motivates your generosity?
