In the logic of human experience, we would expect that we would be rewarded in our life in proportion to our faithful behavior toward our god. At least that’s been the prevailing belief throughout human history.

The object of worship has varied widely over the centuries until most of mankind ultimately concluded that there exists one universal creator. While the face of that creator may still be the subject of dispute by various factions, the concept of “earning” God’s favor remains consistent.

For many centuries, the idea that one could earn your god’s favor through sacrifice was the standard. Unfortunately, the concept of sacrifice meant giving up something of value – your finest livestock, your best crops, and in some cultures, even a human being.

So how do we view earning God’s favor in today’s world?

While most of today’s Christian community still embraces the idea of sacrifice by means of tithes or offerings, our logic filter reveals a different take on earning God’s favor.

The offerings we give in our church do serve to support the structure of the church community.We are providing the means to finance the physical structure and materials of that church. Additionally, we are providing financial support for the person or persons that guide us in our contemplation of our relationship with God.

It would seem safe to say that God has no need for anything we can “sacrifice.” If He is in fact the creator of all things, He has no need for your ten-dollar bill.

The only thing we can provide that has a value to the creator of all things, is the one thing that He has given us with no-strings-attached – our free will.

This is essentially, the foundation of worship. When we sacrifice our time and attention to acknowledge our debt and show appreciation, we are giving our most valuable resource – our time.

Perhaps we need to recognize that the blessings we already receive are evidence of God’s favor. In that respect, we need not worry about how to “earn” His favor, we already have it.

We should instead focus on how to demonstrate our appreciation.

God has no need for our material possessions.Sacrificing our time to reach out to those in need, treating others as we would wish to be treated and spreading His message by our actions is the free-will gift we are able to give. And the degree of love we apply is the denomination.

Perhaps it is the currency of love that God most appreciates.