A different approach.

I had a question pop into my head this evening at home group while we were on the subject of tithing. According to my assumptions, most Christians believe in tithing a tenth of their income. How many of them actually do, I don't know. I am not here to debate the validity of tithing. My question is this: What would happen if Christians 'tithed' their lives?

I know this isn't an entirely new question or idea, but I wanted to explore it for myself. Johnny Cash found salvation after becoming a great musician. Did you know that he vowed to sing a song for God at least once every ten songs? He tithed his music.

I wonder if we could actually do more good if we tithed our time, talents, and things instead of our money. How would your life be different if you gave 6 minutes of every hour to God. Maybe in worship, maybe in prayer, maybe in his Word. One hundred forty four minutes of every day. What if you gave a tenth of your talents to God's work? How would you be changed if you worked for someone who couldn't pay you a tenth of the time? What if you gave a tenth of your groceries away each month to someone who needed them more? What if you gave up your cozy seat in Church every tenth service, to be one of those who are serving?

I know that's a lot of 'what if's' and question marks, but think about it. We try to remind ourselves that when we tithe we are giving back God's money - that it's all his. Well, our lives are not our own either.

Readers, do you have any creative suggestions for tithing our lives?