By: Mike Tomashewski, The Stewardship Team
The Stewardship Team is embarking on a series of messages about stewardship which is a predominant theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation; from when God made man and woman stewards of Earth, to when God will make His children stewards of the new creation. To the extent that we put the biblical principles of stewardship into practice, we will enjoy the freedom and fulfillment that comes only from being the Lord’s servants. Look below for more info from the Stewardship Team.
Coming back from Surf City is always a challenging time – be it due to a lack of sleep, voluntarily involving myself in middle school drama or ideally thinking about the message that the camp speaker shared. Our speaker was stressing that we do not have to worry about perfection, since Christ took care of that on the cross. I’m also reminded of Voltaire’s statement that “perfect is the enemy of good.” In our walk, how often do we let the ideal of “perfect” prevent us from taking any action?
This side of eternity, we will never be perfect. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t aim for it (Matt 5:48) both in our walk generally and in our giving specifically. The process of sanctification is one that will last our lifetime, and encompasses every aspect of our being. The speaker at camp said that God is not looking for perfection, but progress. If you get hung up on an arbitrary definition of perfect, you may never take steps toward moving towards “better.”
What does that look like as we consider our personal stewardship? Does the thought of what tithing would do to your current budget prevent you from taking any sort of movement towards that goal? The same principles apply to your finances as in other difficult areas of life. God wants us to give up our control and to submit to His provision. He wants to teach us humility and dependence. As with the widow’s proverbial mite, the amount is of less importance than the attitude behind it. It is our hope that you will trust that the Creator of all will be faithful to give you more than you would ever give back to Him.
Please prayerfully consider giving at this time.
