Our Material Possessions
Christian stewardship is emphatically not just about money. But, just as emphatically, it also is about money. Money is an essential part of our lives and does play a central role in stewardship.
Read the following texts: Lev. 27:30, Deut. 8:18, Ps. 50:12, Mal. 3:8-10, Matt. 6:31, Matt. 23:23. What lessons do you draw from them? Compare your answers with what follows below:
Fact number one: Everything begins with God. God owns everything. And He gives us the strength to work and make a living. Those who say It is all my own hard work, forget a vital truth, which is that it was God alone who enabled them to earn what they did.
Fact number two: God takes first place in all we have and do, including in our use of money. Before you spend any part of your money, make sure you have set aside your tithes and offerings. Then spend the rest responsibly, always aware that stewardship extends to the use of whatever money you have been entrusted with.
Fact number three: God expects His people to return to Him at least ten percent of their wealth. That was the rule in the Old Testament, and that principle has never been rescinded. In Old Testament times the tithes were received by the priests and used for the support of the sanctuary services. Likewise, today our tithes are received and used for financing the worldwide gospel commission that God has entrusted to His church.
Fact number four: The more we give, the more we are blessed. Try it, and you'll see for yourself the truth of the words that " 'it is more blessed to give than to receive' " (Acts 20:35, NIV).
| There's an old English saying, "Let him put his money where his mouth is." The idea is that people can talk about how much they believe in something, but unless they are willing to put some of their money into it, the talk is meaningless. How does the act of giving tithes and offerings reveal where our heart really is? What does your giving reveal about your faith? |
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