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Stewardship
Truths
Did you know that Jesus talked more about money than
almost any other subject? Christ lived in a much simpler
society without banks, checkbooks and credit cards.
So why did He talk so much about money? He really wanted
us to get it right. Use the following truths and stories
as devotional tools to help you along your own stewardship
journey.
1. God owns everything; we are His managers.
This is the biblical concept of stewardship. We are
to wisely manage the resources that God has entrusted
to us while we live on this earth. (Matt. 25:21-28)
2. Possessions compete with the Lord for mastery of
our lives.
Money has the power to take God’s place in your
life. Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve
two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Who
is your master? One test is to ask what occupies
more of your thoughts, time and efforts.
3. God and money meet in the heart.
Jesus says that a person’s heart and their
money are inseparably linked (Matt. 6:21). What your
heart
is passionate about -- your money will be invested
in. Take 15 minutes to review your checkbook and
credit card statements. What do they say about the
priorities
of your life?4. Wake Up Call
As an encouragement to the reluctant Corinthian church
to prepare a generous gift for struggling Jerusalem
believers, the Apostle Paul recounts this beautiful
story about the extravagance of the poorest church.
It is a healthy “wake up call” to check
our attitudes and actions in this vital area of giving
generously to God’s work.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5: “And now, brothers, we want
you to know about the grace that God has given the
Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial,
their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled
up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave
as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.
Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us
for the privilege of sharing in this service to the
saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they
gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in
keeping with God’s will.”
5. The Orphan
and the Soldier
Shortly after World War II came to a close, Europe
began picking up the pieces. Much of the Old Country
had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. Perhaps the
saddest sight of all was that of little orphaned children
starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.
Early one chilly morning an American soldier was making
his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned
the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with
his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside
the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts.
The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move.
The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got
out and walked quietly over to where the little fellow
was standing. Through the steamed-up window he could
see the mouth-watering morsels as they were being pulled
from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released
a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto
the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully.
The soldier’s heart went out to the nameless
orphan as he stood beside him. “Son...would you
like some of those?” The boy was startled. “Oh,
yeah...I would!” The American stepped inside
and bought a dozen, put them in a bag, and walked back
to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of
the London morning. He smiled, held out the bag, and
said simply: “Here you are.”
As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat.
He looked back and heard the child ask quietly: “Mister...are
you God?” We are never more like God than when
we give. “God so loved the world, that he gave...”
From Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish
Living: Bible Study Guide, by Charles R. Swindoll and Lee Hough
