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December 27, 2015
Have you ever
noticed that whenever "stewardship" is mentioned
people immediately start thinking about
finances? Perhaps one reason people become
so uncomfortable with the discussion is
because deep down we know that
stewardship is more about our hearts than
our about money. Perhaps it is easier to
think about dollars and cents than what God may
desire to do in our hearts.
God speaks to
Moses with instructions for Israel's
giving: "Tell the sons of Israel to raise
a contribution for Me; from every man whose
heart moves him, you shall raise My
contribution" (Exodus 25:2). The heart
moved in surrender to God is the pre-requisite
for giving.
The heart holds our purse strings and it is harder to surrender the heart than the purse. If the heart is surrendered then giving becomes an easy response in one's relationship with Jesus.
The heart holds our purse strings and it is harder to surrender the heart than the purse. If the heart is surrendered then giving becomes an easy response in one's relationship with Jesus.
Consider
the illustration given to us in 1
Chronicles 29:9: "Then the people rejoiced
because they had offered so willingly, for they
made their offering to the Lord with a whole
heart..." What a picture this is of great
joy, of giving with rejoicing and fullness of
heart.
If we're giving out of obligation and duty we may be doing ourselves more harm than good. Perhaps we should just hold onto our money. There is no joy in this and our giving falls far short of God's heart level blessings.
If we're giving out of obligation and duty we may be doing ourselves more harm than good. Perhaps we should just hold onto our money. There is no joy in this and our giving falls far short of God's heart level blessings.
The
Church is an organism. It is
the spiritual body of Jesus Christ, the
Head of the Church. We give because
of our relationship with Jesus. David asks, "What shall
I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me"
(Psalm 116:12)? The answer is found in one
word: Everything.
Stewardship is the management of our lives in response to God's love given through Jesus Christ. The giving of our lives, and so our time, talent, and treasure, is our responsibility in our relationship with Jesus. Stewardship is our respones to His great love towards us.
Stewardship is the management of our lives in response to God's love given through Jesus Christ. The giving of our lives, and so our time, talent, and treasure, is our responsibility in our relationship with Jesus. Stewardship is our respones to His great love towards us.
May we give
from our hearts. May we give of ourselves
with love from our heart to the One who loves
us.