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"I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
(Acts 20:35)
Over the next few devotions, I am going to write about a topic that thrills some and makes others cringe. The topic is money, or better stated, stewardship. Devotions like these ones are important for several reasons. Stewardship is vitally important for the follower of Christ. All that we have is a gift from God, and He expects us to steward well what He has entrusted to us.
One of the reasons people reject the church is because of mishandling of money and greed on the part of those in ministry. I was witnessing to a man from Kentucky who sat next to me on a plane last month. We talked the entire flight. When we spoke of spiritual matters like the church, you could tell he was not very happy with the experiences he had or had heard about. He told me of two. First, he said the church took up an offering, and someone went on stage and gave the pastor a piece of paper with a number on it. The pastor looked at the congregation sternly and scolded them, telling them this number was unacceptable and they would take up the offering again! He told another story about a pastor who told an elderly member who had fallen behind on her offerings that she was going to hell because she was not giving like she should. It made me mad, and I apologized to the man I was sharing Christ with. I told him 99% of pastors are not like these two.
In every profession, there are going to be people who abuse their position. I am reminded of an analogy told by Dr. Roy Fish. He told our seminary class, if we saw one of Fort Worth's finest in uniform doing a shady drug deal under a bridge in the city, would we say all police officers are bad? Would we refuse to call the cops when we are in need because of that one bad example? Doctors, bankers, lawyers, pastors, plumbers, etc. all have bad apples, but we do not throw away the profession because of a few.
So, let's go there. Let's explore the subjects of giving, stewardship, finances, and being a generous giver. I don't preach on giving very often, but when I do, many in our church who are faithful givers say, "Well, pastor, I thought you would never preach an entire sermon on giving! It's about time!" Others cringe, and I can tell they are thinking, "Oh no, a sermon on money. This is why I do not attend church very often. Please show me an exit so I can get out of here!"
But what if stewardship is the missing link in your walk with God? He has given you all you possess, and you are not being a good steward, not being generous in your finances, and you are not blessed. The Bible has much to teach us about being a generous giver and not hoarding, but giving. Tithing is taught in both the Old and New Testaments, and I believe that is a good starting point in our being generous givers. Ashley and I tithe and practice the principle, "and then some." As Judy Stone, a member of our church, likes to say, "I have never regretted something that I gave away."
More on stewardship next week. Thanks for reading and sharing these devotions with others. I am grateful to God for you, your prayers, and support. May the Lord bless you with a wonderful weekend of rest and worship.
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