Blessed By God to be a Blessing...

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3).

Everything we have comes from God’s bountiful hand and is a blessing to us from Him. Our response to His provision should be one of contentment and thanksgiving, realizing that God is indeed our Source.

But our response should be much more than that. Because of God’s love for us, and because He has demonstrated that love in so many ways, we should seek to cultivate a stewardship lifestyle. A stewardship lifestyle is one which realizes that our role is that of a manager, a steward, who is accountable to God for the use of the resources — time, talents, and treasure — which He has given to us.

Stewardship, in fact, has been compared to a three-legged stool. Remove one of the legs, and the stool cannot stand. But when all three legs are present, then the stool is able to do that for which it was designed. Similarly, a stewardship lifestyle consists of time, talents, and treasure, all of which are gifts from God and all of which are to be used for God’s glory.

God’s servant, Moses, gave us tremendous insight concerning the “treasure” aspect of stewardship when he wrote in Deuteronomy chapter 8: “... remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.” For that reason, there is no such thing as a self-made man or woman.

That’s why our role is not one of ownership, but that of a manager, a steward, of what God has given to us. What’s the difference between an owner and a manger? An owner has rights; a manager has responsibilities. That’s why we hold our possessions with an open hand — not a clenched fist — realizing that everything is a gift from God. And as we do so, we seek to put first things first.

In describing exactly how we are to do that, Jesus said, “... store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21). How do we lay up treasures in heaven? How do we seek first God’s kingdom when it comes to financial matters? How can we who have been blessed by God in turn be a blessing? One of the primary ways is by giving to the ministry here at Riverside Presbyterian Church. Our giving to God is thus a response to His blessings in our life and to His love for us. We do not give to prove anything or to earn anything. Rather, we give out of joyful hearts that have been redeemed by God’s grace and in response to all He has done for us.

Total stewardship consists of giving to God our time, our talents, and our treasure. But even as we emphasize those three important elements, let’s remember that the “treasure” aspect is very important. In some ways, it is the culmination of a stewardship lifestyle. As one person expressed it so vividly before the offering was received in his church, “Lord, in spite of all we say or do, this is what we think of you.”

Thank you for giving of yourself, of your time, of your talents, and of your treasure to the work of the Lord here at Riverside. Thank you for following the pattern of Abraham who realized he had been blessed by God to be a blessing to others. Thank you for seeking God’s direction concerning your financial support of this ministry as part of this year’s stewardship emphasis. And thank you for being faithful to the Lord as you covenant with Him concerning your giving in the future. Remember, we have been “blessed by God to be a blessing.”

Yours in Christ,