Stewardship

[July 25, 2011]   -- "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where theives do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."-Matthew 6: 19-21

Thanks to greedy charlatans parading as pastors, talking about money and the Church in our culture is a challenge.  "Why should I give to the Church," we think, "God doesn't need money."  And this is true, God doesn't need any money, but we should give for two reasons.  First, giving is a spiritual discipline.  Just as prayer, worship, study and service all draw us closer to God, so does giving in His name.  When we give of our money we embody the words of Christ above.  We acknowledge that our true "treasure" can never be measured in dollars and cents but rather in relationships, service and worship!  Money is always a means to an end and never an end in itself.  When we give we acknowledge this truth.  We were not created by God to be beholden to money but rather money is a gift from God.  We are not the owners of our money, we are its stewards and as such we should be mindful of how we use it.

Second, we should give to the Church because it is unique.  The Church is the only body whose sole purpose is to worship and serve God.  We are followers of Jesus and for the vast majority of congregations every single penny they receive is used to serve Christ.  In our own congregation our money illuminates our sanctuary on Sunday mornings; pays for Bibles for our children; is sent to important organizations right here in Lincoln that care for the poor and needy, and provides for the needs of children and youth among many, many other things.  No other organization does all these things on behalf of Jesus Christ.  It is a great gift and opportunity for us to give our money away.  Money can effect change in powerful ways and your money is no different.  Your money is a gift from God and you have the chance to use just a small portion of it to do the work of Jesus Christ.  What a blessing!

Prayer:  Holy God, help me to store up treasure in heaven and to let go of worldly goods and goals.  Help me to give generously to all sorts of people and organizations in your name and help me to serve you.  I pray in Jesus' name.