Stewardship is . . . a Trust Thing.

What we are born with and what we take with us when we die is what is truly ours. The meaning of that statement, simply put, is that nothing is ours. Everything we have comes from God and belongs to God.

God gives and we are given to. God gives us all that we need. Notice, all that we need, not necessarily all that we want. God gives us all that we need, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:8). Jesus reminds us in Luke 12:22-34 that God provides us with all that we need and that we are (will be) content with all that He provides. He also reminds us that we are not to worry about the things of this world, or about what we are to eat or drink or wear; rather we are to keep our minds on spiritual things, knowing that God will provide us with the physical things we need.

The point Jesus is trying to get across is that stewardship is a trust thing. It is one of those things that makes us put our minds in gear and think. God has provided for all my needs to this point in my life. Why would He stop now, unless He would have a good reason (God only knows)? If He has been so gracious so far, what would make Him all of a sudden stop. Thus as we think about being good stewards we think about first fruits giving, not worrying if we will have enough left at the end of the week or month, but trusting that God will provide us with enough to take care of us.

Who are we trusting? God or ourselves. It is when we are trusting ourselves instead of God that we worry about the things of this world. It is when we trust in God that we put the things of this world in His hands knowing that, as He has in the past, He will continue to provide for us in the future.

We have His Word in all this that reminds us to test Him in these things. Test Him by being a first fruits giver and see if He does not more than take care of you. To God be the glory.

28 of 52 © Rev. Ronald A. Bogs