Day 38﻿

Day 38

3/15/2015

Deuteronomy 16:10-11a 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name…

Meditative thoughts:
How is sharing what God has given to me, a sign of trust in His generosity?
How generous can I be toward the ministry of St. Paul Lutheran, when God provides all that I have?

Judy Grulke

3/15/2015 12:17:05 am

From: what About...Christian Stewardship

...When we talk about Christian stewardship then, we are
talking about a “big picture”view of how we manage and use
all that our good and gracious God has given to us, and that
certainly includes money. Some have more,some have less,but
all have the privilege, duty and responsibility to give sacrifi-
cially for the work of the Kingdom.Clearly then,it is our joyful
privilege and sacred duty to support the work of the church
through our financial offerings.We give too of our time and
our talents in the work of the church, giving as we have
received and sharing as we have been blessed.

We do this in order that the message of Christ and the
truth of His Word is spread abroad,through our own personal
efforts, and through the efforts of our congregation and our
district,and our Synod,as together we join hands to reach out
boldly with the Gospel—telling the good news of Jesus.

Conclusion

When we catch the vision of Christian stewardship that
flows from a Christ-centered and Gospel-centered understanding
of God’s Word,we are able to put issues of our wealth
and possessions in proper perspective.They are not “ends”but
“means.”They are the means by which our Lord provides for
our needs and the means by which He permits us to join
hands with fellow believers in supporting generously the work
of the church in reaching out with the message of forgiveness,
life and salvation in Christ.

How much can we give? How much are we to give? We do
not live under law, but under grace.Each of us needs prayerfully
to determine what is most appropriate for their own situation.
Many Christians have found giving a fixed percent of
their income to be the best way to be regular in their giving.

Because of what Christ has done, we are called to lives of
Christian stewardship—lives that reflect the glory of God.
Christian stewards are privileged by God to live their lives in
grateful praise and thanksgiving to God, reflecting this marvelous
truth from God’s almighty Spirit-filled Word:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though He was rich,yet for your sake He became poor,that you
through His poverty might become rich”(2 Cor.8:9).
— Dr.A.L.Barry

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Day 38﻿

Walking in the Word

Day 38