The definition
of giving ·
freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone); hand over to: cause or allow (someone or something) to have (something, especially something
abstract); provide or supply with:
A lot of times, when we think of Stewardship when related to
Christianity, we can be very focused on money.
We feel that the church just wants more money, or that an organization
just wants more money. But, let’s
face it, to get things done, it often requires money.
However, as we dig deeper into the BELIEVE study, and we continue working
towards changing our head knowledge into heart knowledge, we must come to the
understanding, that 1) stewardship is not all about money, and 2) giving must
come from the heart, not the wallet.
We
live in an area where, for many, giving from our wallets is much easier than
giving from our hearts. We can even
give up some of our time, if we can fit it in our schedule, to help others out.
The only problem with both of these options is that it rarely changes our
heart. Randy Frazee mentions in the
study guide to BELIEVE, that God wants 100% of us.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like that is a daunting task.
He also says, that for Christians, this is non-negotiable.
Before, you start to feel like this is impossible, remember, that really
nothing you have is actually yours to begin with, it’s all His.
From this perspective, you start to realize, that you’re not going to
be able to give God anything He doesn’t already have, but when you let Him
change your heart towards finding ways to honor Him, you will find that what He
gives you in return is so much more than you gave.
That’s why I liked the quote I put at the top.
When we give, from the heart, we find that we will inevitably gain
something in return.
We also need to realize that stewardship is also worship.
Worship is not just music, or done on a Sunday morning.
It is imperative to give glory to God in what we say and in what we do.
Read this excerpt from the book “Worship Matters” by Bob Kauflin, he
says:
“Committing ourselves to follow and serve God also honors Him. ‘So I will bless you as long as I live’ (Psalm 63:4) ‘I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ (Psalm 34:1)
“Committing ourselves to follow and serve God also honors Him. ‘So I will bless you as long as I live’ (Psalm 63:4) ‘I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ (Psalm 34:1)
I’ve
met Christians who feel dishonest or hypocritical when they sing words like
‘I’ll always follow you,’ ‘I will worship You alone or ‘I surrender
all’. But expressions like these
help us align our hearts with God’s work in us through the gospel, especially
as we’re aware of our need for God’s spirit to carry out those commitments.
That doesn’t mean we sing song after song about our commitments while
living in unrepentant sin. Yearning
to know more of God also bring him glory, ‘O
God you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh
faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm
63:1)
As you live this
out, know that while our resources and status may show people on different
levels here on earth, we all have the same desperate need for a Savior.
No one is more or less needy than another.
God has given us all we need through Jesus Christ.
He was and is the ultimate giver and example of love and sacrifice.
And that love and sacrifice came directly from His heart and love for me,
and others, and for you.
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