WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5, 2020.
SUBJECT: THE GRACE OF PROSPERITY IS IN REAL STEWARDSHIP!
Memory verse: "So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you." (Exodus 23 vs 25.)
READ: Genesis 12 vs 1 - 3:
12:1: Now the Lord said to Abram, get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.
12:2: I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
12:3: I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you: and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
INTIMATION:
A lot of Christians say they know God is the source of everything, but their lives don't reflect an understanding of that truth. For instance, when you think that money comes by your own sweat and tears, then you keep a much tighter hold on it. You become attached to your money, and it actually becomes your master. But when you see yourself as a steward and recognize money as God's blessing, even though you work for your paychecks, it totally changes the role money plays in your life. It ceases to control you and simply becomes a tool for service to the Owner. This simple change in mindset from owner to steward will make a tremendous difference in your life.
Many people see making a living as resulting from the sweat of their brow, and they don't see God as their source. They separate their lives into spiritual matters and personal matters. When it concerns spiritual matters they rely on God, but when it comes to private or personal matters, it becomes their baby. For instance, when it come to money, they think it's all up to them. As a result many Christians are struggling financially. God wants to be the source of everything in your life. The Lord never intended you to carry the burden of financial responsibility, or any other burden, and He wants to lift that burden from you.
Many Christians have made a firm commitment of their lives to the Lord concerning spiritual things, but when it comes to possessions, they see them as a private to them. The pressures of life lead them to view possessions as something they must control, and that kind of ownership mentality leads to a lot of problems.
The first step toward becoming responsible with your possessions is to get this mindset that they do not belong to you. Instead of clinging to your possessions, you need to think: ‘I am a steward of what God has entrusted to me.’ ‘God has blessed me with these talents and abilities.’ ‘God has blessed me with my job.’ ‘God is blessing me, and God has given me all the resources I have.’ ‘It is not up to me to run my finances the way I want to.’ ‘I'm a steward.’ ‘I have the responsibility to serve God with all He has given me; my talents, my money, my abilities, my wisdom’ and so on.
People with an ownership mentality end up trying to do everything themselves, but stewards freely receive God's blessing. Look at how blessed Abraham was in the passage we read today. God said here that He would bless Abraham, and that He would make Abraham's name great. When you read the entire story of Abraham, you see that God wasn't talking about intangible spiritual benefits. He was talking about physical earthly blessings: “Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” (Genesis 13 vs 2.)
Abraham didn't become rich through his own hard work. He became wealthy because the blessing of God was on his life (Hebrews 6 vs 13 - 14). Abraham was blessed in everything he did, even when he made mistakes. He was to be a blessing, and all the families of the earth will be blessed in him.
Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of real stewardship, that I may serve You with all my heart, my soul, my strength, my mind, and with all the resources You pit in my care, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
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