Written by: John Sernaque
Stewardship
CS - Counsels on Stewardship (1940) Chapter 13— God’s Claim Upon Us
We belong to God; we are His sons and daughters,—His by creation, and His by the gift of His only-begotten Son for our redemption. “Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” The mind, the heart, the will, and the affections belong to God; the money that we handle is the Lord’s. Every good that we receive and enjoy is the result of divine benevolence. God is the bountiful giver of all good, and He desires that there shall be an acknowledgment, on the part of the receiver, of these gifts that provide for every necessity of the body and the soul. God demands only His own. The primary portion is the Lord’s, and must be used as His entrusted treasure. The heart that is divested of selfishness will awaken to a sense of God’s goodness and love, and be moved to a hearty acknowledgment of His righteous requirements.—The Review and Herald, December 8, 1896. {CS 72.2}
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. We all belong to God, we are not our own, and we are bought with a price. Everything we receive is a gift from God. We are to give our thanks to God and acknowledge His gifts by returning a portion to His treasury, for the use of His service. There is much work to be done locally and throughout the world, which requires resources. Acknowledge God’s requirements. Give thanks to God with gladness, as God loves a cheerful giver.
Our kind and gracious Father,
We thank You for all the blessings You continually bestow upon us. For all Your provisions-shelter, food, water, clothes, etc. We pray that the means we return to you will help spread the good news of the everlasting gospel throughout the world. May we also help those who are in need; to not only bring them physical food, but also the spiritual food, the physical water but also the living water, clothes to wear but also the white robe of righteousness, a roof over their head but also knowing that You are their shelter in the time of storm. May we be a blessing to others as we receive Your blessings unto us. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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