We received a note today on our advanced leadership forum that asked what place to begin talking with churches about stewardship. My response was this: stewardship of money comes from the heart. That’s where you begin.
Then a list of things I have believed for a long time surfaced in my pea brain. I thought I would share them with you.
Here are some guidelines to developing stewards of money and providing income for your church.
- Our standard of living should not determine our standard of giving; instead our standard of giving should determine our standard of living.
- The New Testament model of stewardship of money is based not on what you give but on what you keep.
- Life is meant to be given away; hoard it and you wither and die; pass it on and you blossom and flourish.
- It’s not how much you give; it’s how much you have left after giving.
- If giving isn’t giving you joy and bringing you fulfillment, don’t give.
- God doesn’t need your money, but you need to honor God’s claim on everything you are and have, including your money.
- We’re not fully devoted followers of Jesus until we learn to master our money.
- Show me your checkbook and I’ll tell you who you are and who or what you worship.
- You’re not giving to the church; you’re giving to God’s mission in the world.
- Owe no more than you absolutely have to.
You can’t go wrong in applying any of the above to your life.
Question: How do you ensure that your stewardship comes from your heart? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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