Written by: John Sernaque
Stewardship
CS - Counsels on Stewardship (1940) Chapter 9- The Voice of Consecration
Is this the language of your heart? “I am wholly Thine, my Saviour; Thou hast paid the ransom for my soul, and all that I am or ever hope to be is Thine. Help me to acquire means, not to expend foolishly, not to indulge pride, but to use to Thine own name’s glory.” {CS 46.1}
In all you do, let your thought be, “Is this the way of the Lord? Will this please my Saviour? He gave His life for me; what can I give back to God? I can only say, ‘Of Thine own, O lord, I freely give Thee.’” Unless the name of God is written in your forehead,—written there because God is the center of your thoughts,—you will not be meet for the inheritance in light. It is your Creator who has poured out to you all heaven in one wondrous gift,—His only-begotten Son.... {CS 46.2}
Jesus is our reason for being. He died that we may live. All we do is to be for the glory of God. Our first thought should be how does what I do please God, not how will it please self or man. Our labor to acquire means should be motivated by how the means acquired will contribute to God’s treasury, and not to indulge in one’s luxuries. Christ paid the ransom for our souls, how much more should we keep Him in the forefront of our hearts, minds, and souls? One way is by being the best stewards possible. Humbly and meekly, and we shall inherit the earth.
Our kind and gracious Father,
We thank You for Your saving grace. For the shedding of Your blood to cover our sins. We pray that we may use the means You have blessed us with to further the work You have entrusted for us to do. We pray that we continue to proclaim Your saving truths to this dark world and all the lost souls who do not know who You are or what You did for them. We thank You for providing for all our needs in abundance that we may impart unto others who are in need. We pray for continued strength and courage to labor in the vineyard, and that it may hasten Your second advent. Keep us faithful in our giving and let us all keep our eyes fixed on You. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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