I saw a FB post the other day that talked about the discrepancy between the 10% tithe and the 15% tip. I agree that on the surface this seems out of whack. But the more I thought about it I could see some differences between tips and tithes that seem to minimize the disparity. First, a tithe is meant to be on your entire income – not just on what you spend on services. Hopefully, even 15% tippers give away much more money than they tip. Secondly, I believe that Christ-followers should be the most generous tippers around. Why not tip 20%? Wouldn’t it be great if people who worked in restaurants, or cut your hair came to see Christians as their most generous (rather than their stingiest) customers they have? Here in WA state with a 10% sales tax, adding a 20% tip to a bill adds 30% to your order meaning you would pay $65 for a $50 meal. So I guess my position could be summed up this way: Tithe at least 10% (and strive to do more) and tip at least %15 (and strive to do more). If you can’t seem to afford to do either it may mean that you need to monitor your spending habits. If you could cut back on some impulsive or wasteful spending you might find yourself in a better position to become more generous.
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