Why does stewardship get such a bad wrap? That's really a dumb question! The answer is that most people associate "stewardship" with money and the Good Lord knows that when the preacher starts talking about money, everybody in the pew tense up worst than LSU did last Monday Night in the National Championship Game. It's the "deer in the headlight look"! I've seen it. I've preached on tithing before. Unfortunately, too many so-called preachers who really like the sound of their voice have manipulated people to the point that they are afraid to give Biblically! Stewardship is a Godly principle and definitely has huge ramifications for the believer!
I was about 8 years old when I learned about tithing. I was sitting in Vacation Bible School in the sleepy town of Foyil, OK and it was time to take up the mission offering. I knew I wanted to give and I knew I was "supposed" to give that 10% thing. Just a few days before was my birthday and I had received $20 from a relative. Now, back in those days, $20 was alot of money for a kid! Today, well you can barely go out to eat and watch a movie for $20. Deep in my heart something told me to give it all! I'll be honest, at first I didn't want to. I wrestled with the Holy Spirit for about 2.1 seconds until I gave in. I put a smile on my face and dropped that birthday gift in the offering plate. I'm not sure what God did with that small offering, but what I know is that God gave it back to me in another way. The next day, I received a birthday card in the mail from another family member who lived out of town. I opened it up and guess what???? You guessed it.... a $20 bill! Would I have received it if I hadn't of given the other the day before. Maybe. But as a child it taught me the principle of tithing, giving an offering, and stewardship. I take what I have and offer it to the Lord because He is the one that initiated that gift to begin with!
Stewardship is needed in the church today from every angle! Members should Biblically tithe from their GROSS income. Pastors, staff members, and ministries should be a good steward of the Lord's money and not be unwise. I can appreciate the time from building debt, but I do not see the Biblical principle of collecting interest as a good thing for the church! It's about being wise with God's resources to do ministry most effectively! In times like today, the economy and our integrity demands wisdom in church spending!
Stewardship, however, isn't just about money! It's about all of God's blessings. You should be a good steward of your TIME, ENERGIES, SPIRITUAL GIFTS, TALENTS, RESOURCES, and MONEY. It's about giving God everything so that He can use you completely! Some would argue, "I don't have much." Then use what you have. You probably have more than you think! It's as simple as the "Faithful Steward Principle" in Mathew 25. It is Jesus' Parable of the Talents. Not all servants started with the same amount but their Master's judgment was all the same. It was based on what they did with whey they had! For the servant with 2 talents (about 40 years of laborer wages), he was held accountable to how he INVESTED it just as the guy who had received the 5 talents and the 1 talent. You may recall that the servants with 5 talents and 2 talents invested wisely, reaping a great profit. All the while, the servant with the 1 talent simply hid the money and sat on it! In his FEAR, he stored it up!
I ask you, are your fears keeping you from investing in the things of God? Be faithful with a few things and God's blessings will never disappoint you! The church's greatest success shouldn't be its bank account, but it's brightness in shining Jesus Christ to their world! Invest wisely my friends!
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