Newsletter Essay--March

When I wrote our January newsletter, I stated that if you can do anything for 21 straight days, then there’s a very good chance you can keep doing it on the 22^nd day, and the 23^rd, and the 24^th, and beyond. Well, how are you doing with the first two healthy habits (prayer and Bible study)?  Are you ready for the next healthy habit for a thoughtful Christian like you?  If you take up these habits, they can have a profound impact on your life and upon the lives of your loved ones.

In stead of giving something up for Lent, will you take up another habit? It's a  healthy habit. If you are going to make this work, then you will be asked to depend less upon your own will power and more upon God’s power. When you form a working relationship with God, you’ll be amazed by the things that the two of you, working together, can do in 21 short days.

As believers, we are challenged to form the habit of stewardship. We are commanded (not advised, not encouraged, but commanded!) to be faithful stewards of the gifts and talents that God has given us. But we live in a world that encourages us to do otherwise.

        Ours is a society that is filled to the brim with countless opportunities to squander our time and our talents. But we must beware: God instructs us never to squander the gifts that He bestows upon us.

Christian stewardship can be defined as “the proper management of one’s resources for the glory of God.”  And for thoughtful believers, stewardship isn’t a hit-or-miss proposition; it’s a way of thinking and a way of living. Oswald Chambers advised, “Never support an experience which does not have God as its source, and faith in God as its result.” And so it is with our service. When we return to God that which is rightfully His, we experience the spiritual growth that always accompanies obedience to Him. But, when we attempt to shortchange our Creator, either materially or spiritually, we distance ourselves from God. The consequences of our disobedience are sadly predictable.

All of us have special gifts, and you are no exception. Today, accept this challenge: value the talent that God has given you; nourish it, make it grow, and share it with the world. After all, the best way to say “thank You” for God’s gifts is to use them.

How will you honor God today? Will you honor Him with the best you have to offer? Will you tithe the first fruits of your harvest? Will you praise God not only with your words but also with your deeds? If you do, you will be blessed by a loving and righteous Father.

Each day provides a fresh opportunity to honor God with your prayer, with your Bible study, with your praise, with your testimony, and with your service. Does the level of your stewardship honor the One who has given you everything?  If so, rest assured: God will bless you because of your obedience. And if your stewardship has been somehow deficient, the best day to change is this one.

Grace and peace

John