Stewardship is . . . God giving physical gifts.

Everything we have is a gift from God. Everything we have can be traced back to God. In one way or another we see that God is the prime giver and we are the ones to whom He gives (the receivers).

Take a loaf of bread, for instance. We pay for it at the local grocery store, but it does not start there. The local store purchased that loaf of bread from the bread maker. The bread maker purchased the ingredients that went into that loaf of bread from other sellers. The farmer raised the wheat. The Lord provided the farm with the sun and the rain to grow the wheat. Likewise with the other ingredients in the bread. It all goes back to God providing.

The money that we used to purchase that loaf of bread is money which the Lord gave us through our jobs. The Lord provides us with jobs, with the ability to work, with the skills, talents, education, and mind to hold down and work a good job, to earn a living, to buy food to eat.

“For health and strength and daily bread we praise Your name O Lord” is a wonderful, prayerful, song that reminds us that all our physical blessings, in one way are another, are indeed gifts from a loving, caring, Creator, God.

Dr. Martin Luther expressed is so well in his explanation to the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed when he wrote:

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

3 of 52 © Rev. Ronald A. Bogs