2 Corinthians 9:10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
10 ὁ δὲ ἐπιχορηγῶν σπόρον τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν χορηγήσει καὶ πληθυνεῖ τὸν σπόρον ὑμῶν καὶ αὐξήσει τὰ γενήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν.
This is a great chapter for anyone who is in any kind of vocational ministry. Paul makes clear exhortations for giving financially. Everyone knows the line in verse 7 about how the Lord loves a cheerful giver. This is certainly true. However, I want to focus on this verse for a minute.
Here we see the promise that God will χορηγήσει καὶ πληθυνεῖ τὸν σπόρον ὑμῶν . We have to be careful here. There are plenty of teachers out there who will use this as justification for giving their ministry a "seed" with the promise that God will make you rich if you just provide that "seed" money. That's not what this is saying here. It is true that God does indeed make some people wealthy. However, He does not do that for their benefit. He does it to αὐξήσει τὰ γενήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν.
In other words, financial prosperity is something that requires wise stewardship because it is for God's glory, not for our own. Any blessings we enjoy are for His glory as we use them for His service. We may be able to enjoy some nice things as a result of these financial blessings, but ultimately that is not the goal. The goal is that we may use them to further the kingdom of God.
If you are an American you are rich compared to most of the world. Plug your salary in to this little utility. It's pretty sobering. What are you doing with your wealth? How are you furthering God's kingdom?
Showing posts with label stewardship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stewardship. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Looking Out for Number One
Isaiah 39:8
(8) Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my days."
Hezekiah was one of the better kings of Judah. Nevertheless, he still blew it in the end. He was told that he would die shortly, but God gave him another 15 years to live. What did he do with those extra years? One thing he did was show off all the riches of Judah to the Babylonians. Because of this God used Isaiah to tell him that all those riches would end up in Babylon, but it wouldn't be until after he was dead. The verse above is his response.
Sometimes I wonder if we are being that short-sighted with how our government is trying to fix our economy. I also wonder if I have that kind of focus in my day-to-day living. It's so much easier to accept a consequence that will happen in the future. And it is extremely easy to accept a consequence that you will never personally experience.
That's not the kind of legacy I want to leave for my children. I want to live in such a way that they will not have to deal with the repercussions of my actions. I think that is just good stewardship. What do you think?
(8) Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my days."
Hezekiah was one of the better kings of Judah. Nevertheless, he still blew it in the end. He was told that he would die shortly, but God gave him another 15 years to live. What did he do with those extra years? One thing he did was show off all the riches of Judah to the Babylonians. Because of this God used Isaiah to tell him that all those riches would end up in Babylon, but it wouldn't be until after he was dead. The verse above is his response.
Sometimes I wonder if we are being that short-sighted with how our government is trying to fix our economy. I also wonder if I have that kind of focus in my day-to-day living. It's so much easier to accept a consequence that will happen in the future. And it is extremely easy to accept a consequence that you will never personally experience.
That's not the kind of legacy I want to leave for my children. I want to live in such a way that they will not have to deal with the repercussions of my actions. I think that is just good stewardship. What do you think?
Monday, April 20, 2009
Trusting the Promise
Jeremiah 32:13-15
(13) I charged Baruch in their presence, saying,
(14) 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.
(15) For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.'
This passage comes at the end of what could only be seen as a bad business deal on Jeremiah's part. Why would you ever purchase land in a nation under siege with God's promise for its exile? This would be akin to buying property from the Confederate States of America just before the treaty was signed to end the war. The Babylonians were under no obligation to respect this purchase, so it would have seemed like Jeremiah threw away 17 perfectly good pieces of silver.
Yet Jeremiah trusted in the promise. I suppose that this may have pastoral application today in light of the fundraising that my church has to do. However, I see this as being even bigger. Do we trust God's promises enough to pour ourselves into them? Do we trust that His way of spending our time is better than the endless hobbies we can pursue? Do we trust His provision enough to give our money sacrificially? Do we trust that we will get more satisfaction from serving others than from using our talents for our own selfish pursuits?
Jeremiah trusted that someday the land would have value again. He put his money where his mouth was. Are we doing the same?
(13) I charged Baruch in their presence, saying,
(14) 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.
(15) For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.'
This passage comes at the end of what could only be seen as a bad business deal on Jeremiah's part. Why would you ever purchase land in a nation under siege with God's promise for its exile? This would be akin to buying property from the Confederate States of America just before the treaty was signed to end the war. The Babylonians were under no obligation to respect this purchase, so it would have seemed like Jeremiah threw away 17 perfectly good pieces of silver.
Yet Jeremiah trusted in the promise. I suppose that this may have pastoral application today in light of the fundraising that my church has to do. However, I see this as being even bigger. Do we trust God's promises enough to pour ourselves into them? Do we trust that His way of spending our time is better than the endless hobbies we can pursue? Do we trust His provision enough to give our money sacrificially? Do we trust that we will get more satisfaction from serving others than from using our talents for our own selfish pursuits?
Jeremiah trusted that someday the land would have value again. He put his money where his mouth was. Are we doing the same?
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