I work for the Department of Internal Revenue. Yes, I’m the chap everybody loathes. I go over income tax returns. Recently I checked an odd return. Some guy making under $20,000 claimed he gave $2,624 to some church. Though under the 15% limit, it looked suspicious. So I grabbed a trolley and dropped in on him to check his contributions. Most people get nervous and say they might have made a mistake, but not him! He said he had given $2,624 without batting an eyelash. “Do you have a receipt?” I asked, figuring that would make him squirm.
“Sure,” he said, “my canceled checks are right here in a drawer.”
He had me! The checks showed he was on the level. I apologized and explained I had to check deductions that seemed too high.
At the door he said, “I’d like to invite you to our church some time.”
“Thanks,” I replied, “but I belong to a church.”
“Excuse me,” he said, “but that possibility hadn’t occurred to me.”
Riding home, I kept wondering what he meant by that remark. It wasn’t until Sunday when I dropped my usual twenty into the collection plate that it came to me.
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven – Matthew 6:20
