2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Jeremiah 35:1-36:32 ESV, 1 Timothy 5:1-25 ESV, Psalm 89:14-37 ESV, Proverbs 25:25-27 ESV
Daily Verse: “For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:18 ESV)
MISTHOS (3408): “Primarily “wages, hire,” and then, generally, “reward.”[1]
General reward.
Workers deserve payment for their efforts. Paul’s reference to compensation for the elders quotes Deuteronomy to make his point. Writing to Timothy, the second half of Paul’s sentence quotes Jesus, the first-time repeating Christ’s words as scripture.
God knows we all have bills to pay. Part of our purpose unfolds in the work we do. Whether a mail carrier or a physicist, paychecks mark the value assigned to the task. People don’t feel appreciated if we don’t pay them for their efforts.
Tangible value.
I worked as a volunteer staff member for a local church a few years ago. Working over forty hours a week in my position, I didn’t get paid. As a result, my work had no value to the organization, and I received heartbreak as my reward.
We don’t value things that don’t have a price. Jesus’ unconditional love for us came at a steep cost, His death on the cross. Christ paid for our sins, even though He had none. We have value because of God’s price for us, Jesus’s death.
In the same way, we should value others for the work they do. When we assign a dollar amount to a job, we give it value. Paying people for their work shows appreciation to them. We devalue people’s work when we don’t pay them for it.
Local churches depend on tithes to run their organizations. God’s provision for those in ministry comes from our obedience to tithe. Many pastors work two jobs so that they can preach on Sunday mornings. We live in an imperfect world; 5% of churchgoers tithe, each person giving an average of $17 per week.[1]
Wages show value for the worker. Tithing grows our faith and helps pay the wages of God’s workers.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 166) Thomas Nelson
[1]https://www.vancopayments.com/egiving/church-giving-statistics-tithing#:~:text=Churchgoer%20Participation-,Tithing%20Statistics,%25%20(Health%20Research%20Funding).
