Prov. 3:5-10 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones. Honor the LORD with your substance, and with the first fruits of all your increase: So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine.”
Nine Reasons for practicing Stewardship
- It is a tried and proven pattern of giving by godly people throughout the ages
- It will help you revere God more in your life
- It will bring God’s wisdom and order to your finances and will help you harness the dragon of materialism.
- It will serve as a practical reminder that God is the Owner of everything you have
- It will allow you to experience God’s creative care and provisions in ways you would not otherwise experience
- It will encourage your spiritual growth and trust in God
- It will strengthen the ministry, outreach, and stability of your local church
- It will help provide the means to keep your pastor and missionaries in full-time Christian service
- It will help accomplish needed building projects and renovations
What some Millionaires thought about money and GIVING…Quotes by some folks you may have heard of…
L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corp., who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, “The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord.”
J. D. Rockefeller said, “I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.”
Quotes on the subject by other well known people:
Martin Luther – “I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess.”
Jimmy Carter – “When it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing.”
George Mueller – “God judges what we give by what we keep.”
Peter Marshall – “Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving.”
Mother Teresa – “If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving.”
- “The trouble is that too many people are spending money they haven’t yet earned, for things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t like.”
Three types of Giving
Little – You ought to (obligation)
Legal – You have to (law)
Liberal – You want to (grace])
Liberal giving says: You Have the Heart of Christ…You See Others Needs as Something You can Help With…You are Tied to Others…You Get to Give – Not vice-versa…You are an Inspiration to Others…You improve the Lives of Others Around You…You have a Right Attitude…You Will Get Back Liberally Also…Your aim in life is to Glorify God
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke – 1 of 6 verses deals with money
- Giving has nothing to do with ASSETS! It’s about Attitude…Trust…Choice…Ownership
Truth – Most Tip God & Call It Tithing
Leftovers are such humble things, we would not serve to a guest, & yet we serve them to our Lord who deserves the very best. We give to him leftover time, stray minutes here & there. Leftover cash we give to him, such few coins as we can spare.
Cheerful Givers
A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church. “Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself,” she told the girl. When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given. “Well,” said the little girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.”