Most of the time when Jesus addresses the issue of worship, the subject of money comes up. Not music. Not style. Not how long the service lasts. Money. What a peculiar thing. The Scripture is clear about tithes and offerings. The tithe (one tenth of your income) is to be returned to the storehouse (the church) for the work of God's kingdom around the world. Our offerings (additional gifts beyond the tithe) are given to support the local church and its mission in the community.

While Scripture is clear about what to do and how much to give, Jesus made it personal. The Savior made it a matter of the heart. Jesus maintained that you can tell a lot about a person's heart by the nature of their gift. Giving joyfully with a heart of praise is worship. Even giving in such a way that you live differently says something about which kingdom you are going to stick your neck out for. Remember the widow who gave abundantly out of her poverty? Jesus didn't make a scene over the number of coins she dropped in the plate. He numbered the size of her heart and counted her generosity and rebuked the elite for showing off the pounds of cash they popped in the offering plate.

The heart of the giver is what God sees. A girl is saving all her extra money to go on a short-term mission trip for a few weeks. A dad drives an old car so other things are possible for his church. A family decides to forgo their holiday to keep a young boy in church school. A college student sells his guitar to buy Bibles for a church across the globe. Whether it be the songs we sing or the prayers we pray, you can tell what God is worth to people by the way they give in worship.