February 4, 2018 Stewardship Key Truth: Everything I have belongs to God. He wants me to take care of my things and share with others. Further Discussion: Today we learned what the Bible says about stewardship: 1. What is the definition of stewardship? Stewardship: stewardship is how we take care of things. Being a good-‐steward: when you are being a good steward, you are doing a good job taking care of things. God wants us to be good stewards. 2. To whom does everything belong? Read Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Read Psalm 50: 10-‐11, “For every animal of the forest is Mine and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are Mine.” God owns everything. He owns the land/plants, water/animals, all the buildings, cars, houses and all the people in the world. Everything belongs to God and He has given it to us as a gift. He wants us to take care of it all. 3. How can we be a good-‐steward with the gifts God has given us? Most importantly, God wants us to be generous and cheerful in our giving. He wants us to give because of our love for Him and for our love for others. God wants us to sacrifice some of the things we have, because of the love He gives us. Give cheerfully and with a loving heart. 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you should give what you have decide in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 1 Timothy 17-‐18, “Command those who are rich in the present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” Give out of love. 1 John 3: 16-‐18, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Give in secret. No one but God needs to know. Matthew 6:2-‐4, “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others…but when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right is hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
4. What should we give? Three different “things” to give are: The Three T’s – Time, Talent, and Treasure. Time: We can give our time by helping others, volunteering at church or in the community. It’s listening to a friend in times of sadness or trouble. It’s praying for someone. How do you spend your time? Are you being a good steward with your time? What are bad ways and good ways of spending your time? Talent: God gave each of us special gifts and talents. They are different for each one of us. Using the skills God gave us by serving and helping others is another way to be a good steward. What are some talents or personality traits God has blessed you with? How can these be used to help others? Treasure: God wants us to tithe to the church -‐ giving 10% of our first fruits: the first of what we’ve earned or received. If you received $20 from your grandparents for a birthday gift, God wants you to give 10% ($2.00) of that to the church. If you cleaned your room and received an allowance, then 10% would go to the church as a tithe. We don’t always have to give money. We can give items that we already have to others who need them more (or how about, just because you want to give it away – whether it’s needed or not). Or we could have a garage sale and give the money away. One opportunity for you to give of your treasure here at church is by supporting our two Compassion International children: Alvaro and Napatsorn. Children’s Ministry has a weekly offering that directly supports them. How about making a commitment to these children? ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: attached are two articles. One is on “raising graceful givers” and the other is “stewardship for kids.”