StewardshipStewardship Opportunity
by Pastor Jeff Lasseigne
In Israel, there are two primary bodies of water. The first is the Sea of Galilee. It receives its waters from the Jordan, which enter in from the north and exit at the south end of the lake. The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful body of water, providing plenty of fish for the local population. It receives and gives. Therefore, it remains vibrant and productive.
Israel's other notable body of water also receives water from the Jordan River. However, this body of water has no outlets. It only loses water through evaporation. The name of this other body of water? The Dead Sea!
The comparison between those two lakes reminds me of the contrast between believers who give faithfully and generously as good stewards, as opposed to those who don't give, or who give very little. As Warren Wiersbe points out, "If all we ever do is receive, then we become reservoirs; and the water can become stale and polluted. But if we receive and give, then we become like channels; blessing others and blessing ourselves."
When it comes to the subject of stewardship, I find there are two main areas that believers need to address.
The first area is the question of why we should give. The biblical answer is because everything belongs to God! In 1 Chronicles 29, David was helping his son Solomon with preparations for the building of the temple. While encouraging the people to give to the work, David blessed the Lord and said,
All that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. . . . But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of your own we have given You. (1 Chronicles 29:11, 14 NKJV)
As Christians, we sometimes fail to remember that every single thing we have comes from God and belongs to Him. Therefore, when we give our tithes and offerings to God, we are simply worshipping Him with what is already His. It was precisely that realization that caused David to say, "For all things come from You, and of your own we have given You."
How we should give is the second important area of our stewardship. Giving is much more than writing a check. It has everything to do with our motives and attitudes. The Bible exhorts us, as believers, to give generously, willingly, and joyfully (see 2 Corinthians 9:6–8). Interestingly, David not only encouraged the people to give generously to the work, but he himself gave his own personal fortune to the project (see 2 Chronicles 29:3–4)!
What a privilege and honor it is to give back to the Lord from all that He has given to us. As David so well said, when he blessed the Lord, "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this?"
Thank you, Lord, that we are able to give! |
