The following thoughts are threefold in nature, of which, come under
the heading—Stewardship: self, others, and God.
In that God is the Creator of all things; He has absolute ownership and
rights over everything, yet He has entrusted humanity with the responsibility
of managing what belongs to Him.
Stewardship is not a scheme that God established to take from us; on
the contrary, it is the act of bestowing His richest gifts upon His
people. Stewardship is more than just
the management of time, possessions, surroundings, and our health;
stewardship is one's obedient witness to God’s sovereignty. It’s what motivates the follower of Christ to
move into action, doing deeds that manifest their belief in Him.
Preparedness and follow-through are two key components
that are necessary when individuals attempt to achieve something worth
while. It is hard to distinguish one
from the other, because they work so well together. When people put into practice the coupling of
these two elements, things happen to help promote success. They are two basic fundamentals of
stewardship.
There can be no destination without a beginning. The journey has to start somewhere in order
to realize the full benefit of achieving one’s goal. A beginning to a happy ending is taking the
first step and sticking with it; otherwise the destination envisioned will
never be accomplished or fulfilled.
It takes a made up mind and help from God to keep-on-keeping-on. For example: losing weight begins with a plan
and then sticking to the plan. Weight
reduction becomes reality if the effort to lose has a beginning and
follow-through, therefore, the goal is realized in do time. A fit body is impossible to achieve without
proper exercise and eating nutritious food. It just doesn’t happen.
Speaking of exercise, there is no better exercise for the betterment of
neighbors, a community, or nations around the world than to reach down a
helping hand to minister to struggling people.
This happens when individuals involve themselves in community outreach
programs and charitable organizations.
Giving of time and money to achieve certain objectives is what’s
needed. At my church it is called,
“missions giving.”
Another case in point deals with religious convictions without love
being taught or implemented. Love is the
motivating factor that spurs a person to action. This, coupled with true concern for one’s own
soul and the welfare of others, is stewardship.
If love doesn’t exist, it is a sham.
Efforts put forth, if any, are in vane and unproductive; lacking
effectiveness.
The reality of stewardship in helping others is twofold—seeing the need
and then acting upon what is seen. If
goodwill-giving sticks to a person’s fingers and they hold back because of
greed or excessive gluttony for personal gain, there is no way they can realize
the joy that giving brings. Materialism
limits the flow of God’s blessings to the receiver and giver.
I believe that selfishness and self-centeredness play a disgusting part
in stifling the full impact of benefits that could otherwise be realized. The negative influence that self-interest
brings affects the level of involvement that people exert in helping others. It limits them with respect to what God
expects.
(1 John 3:17-18), “But whoever
has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart
from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” vs.18 “My little children, let us not love in
word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
When a person focuses beyond their own four walls of self-indulgence or
their immediate circle of friends to view the difficulties and spiritual
poverty around them, it is shocking how many lives can be touched in the wake
of personal giving when something is done to help the plight of others.
“There but for the grace of God, go I” is a phrase I think about from
time to time when I see someone suffering misfortune. Were it not for God’s mercy and grace, a
similar fate could have befallen me.
(1Corinthians 15:10), “But by the
grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain…”
There is a fine line separating wealth and poverty. Of course there are varying degrees of
affluence and deficiency on whichever side we find ourselves. The pendulum that suspends from the
horn-of-plenty can quickly swing from one side to the other or midpoint
without warning, depending upon circumstances of life. Environment, culture, and a host of other
underlying factors determine what side of the line a person inhabits.
Those that “have” can lose their possessions and/or money through bad
investments, or they may lose employment, whereas, their status, position, and health
can change in a heartbeat, which can hurl them into the category of “have
not’s.” This can be the shocking reality
of living life. For the most part it
happens without notice.
I choose to believe and am persuaded that God undergirds those that
live according to His Word. But He
expects Believers to exercise caution and good sense regarding frugal spending
habits. This process begins with paying
tithes on the first part of a paycheck; not at the end, lest there not be any
money left to give tithes and offerings that God expects of us.
(Luke 6:38), “Give and it will be
given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over
will be put into your bosom. For with
the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
(Psalm 37:25-26), “I have been
young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his
descendants begging bread.” vs.26 “He is
ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed.”
If it’s all the same to you, I am going to continue doing what the
Bible tells me to do. Since becoming a
Christian, God has proven over and over that I can depend on Him, because I am
abiding in the truth of His Word.
Yes, I give a tenth of my earnings to God. He has shown me that I can do more with 90%
than the full 100%. He pours out
blessings I cannot contain in a multitude of ways, because His Word is true.
If a person is not careful, a false sense of security can raise its
ugly head to rule one’s better judgment, because of the good credit line
they’ve established. Taking on debt and
buying things that should not be bought is typical in this “plastic money”
society.
It is more sensible to buy the things we want, with cash in hand, rather
than indebtedness sinking our ship. By
waiting, we might decide that we really don’t need the item after all when it
comes to shelling out that hard-earned cash.
It is easy to swipe credit cards in the present, but when the bank
statements come at the end of the month, it’s another story. A reckoning day always accompanies
uncontrolled spending, but rarely at an opportune time.
Trivial, insignificant things bought with plastic money add up quickly
when excessive spending rules a person.
It can easily break the back of anyone, figuratively speaking, that is
not able to pay the piper at the end of monthly requests from banks to remit
payment.
A good time to buy is when finances line up with the decision to
purchase something. People must learn
how to put things on hold until such time that cash money is available to
lesson the impact and burden that indebtedness brings. There is no pressure like financial woes. It affects every area of a person’s way of
life.
When living from credit card payment to credit card payment, the
reality of indebtedness is quickly realized do to overspending. The shocking reality slaps them in the face
and they question, “Where’s the money to pay these debts?” or “Why is the
amount so much?” or “Could it be because I don’t pay tithes?” if in fact they
don’t.
I believe the following Bible verse is very meaningful and truth at its
highest.
(Malachi 3:10), “ ‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of
hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you
such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’ ”
Before a person buys what they think they need, or should I say want,
God must receive His 10% first. When
Christians do as the Bible explains in (Malachi
3:11), not only do miraculous deals come their way, things just go
right. Financial pressures cease to
buffet their existence each month, and life becomes in tune with God’s plan for
the abundant life that He wants them to enjoy.
When a person begins doing what they know is right through giving away
from self to the less fortunate, they then see how their time and money provide
wonderful dividends. This beginning and
follow-through increases their realization of the importance of choosing to be part of the bigger picture (the benefits of giving).
It is quite rewarding to see these results and experience the
destination (or goal) that has been achieved.
Try it if you haven’t already; you will see God do amazing things that
He said He would do when we obey Him.
To summarize my thoughts: a plan must be implemented and set into play
with discipline being adhered to. These
steps of faith generate change in spending habits, and how we view the needs of
others, and how to find security in God’s Word regarding stewardship and
tithing.
The journey must begin now, not tomorrow or the next day. It starts with the first step in the right
direction. God will direct your path and
help you to achieve success and happiness, because of stewardship.
(Psalm 37:23-24), “The steps of a
good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” vs.24 “Though he fall, he shall not be
utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
Written by,
Papa Boyd
