Freeloaders?

Motivate to ShareMy dad was a member of a union when I was young. He later decided to stop paying dues because he found some of the people they supported politically were not in keeping with his convictions and views. Dad told me one time that he hated not to pay the dues because that made him a freeloader. I wondered what he meant, since I was just a child. He explained it.There are many labor unions in the United States. Union members are often required to pay dues. Some unions, however, offer membership to those who wish to join and do not require that you pay dues if you do not wish to be a member. Some people do not pay dues, but they get the raises, vacations, and benefits that the members get through the collective barging process. People who expect the benefits without the dues are called freeloaders.My father told me that he would, however, never be a free loader in the kingdom of God. He tithed all his life - he went home to be with the Lord in 1999. He was faithfully giving to the Lord till the day he met the Lord!It is a shame that some of God's people want others to pay the bills, give to missions, cover staff expenses, light the church, heat the church, buy the materials the church must use, etc., etc., but are unwilling to do their part in supporting God's work in the local church. After all, the tithe is not ours to begin with. The tithe belongs to the Lord. To withhold it makes us more than freeloaders - it makes us thieves!Even if we do not always agree with every policy of the church in which we serve, we are all sharing in the salvation purchased through the blood of Jesus. We must never be freeloaders in God's Kingdom!Dr. J. Mike MinnixEditorPastorLife