In our last installment, we talked about how the New Testament believer lives under grace and not the law, and how we are to give as we purpose in our hearts. This week, we are going to look at how that grace is played out in a practical way in our lives. How we are not commanded by the law to give to the Lord, but we are grateful recipients of God’s blessings, and we want to give to Him, because we understand that we are stewards!
As we noted earlier, when it comes to giving, some Christians will say “I am not under law, I am under grace” as a way of explaining why they do not regularly give to the Lord. But when this excuse (excuse my bluntness!) is rolled out, it reveals that the person has completely missed the basic principle of ownership vs stewardship.
If we go all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden, we see that God gave Adam and Eve some specific instructions:
Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Gen 2:15-17
In other words, God gave them stewardship over everything. They could utilize all of the resources of the entire world, except for one thing: The tree of knowledge of good and evil. That tree was off-limits. If they ate of that tree, they would die. Everything else they were free to partake of, free to utilize.
Being good stewards over God’s creation was literally life to them. Taking something that God had told them was not theirs, meant death. So, when Eve, and then Adam, ate of the fruit of that tree, they experienced death. In this one act, revealed a change in perspective: They placed themselves into the role of owners, rather than stewards. They determined that they were capable of deciding what resources that they would use.
In a similar way, God has give us stewardship over all that He has brought into our lives – namely our abilities, our gifts, our income, and our increase. Notice I said what He has brought into our lives, because in fact we brought nothing:
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1 Tim 6:7
We brought nothing into this world. Whatever we have, God has given us. We are, therefore, stewards of what the Lord has given us. Look at the exhortation that Paul gives to those whom God has blessed with much:
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
1 Tim 6:17-19
So we see that some will be blessed more than others, and God calls that person to trust in the Lord, to do good works, and to be ready to give, etc. Paul tells us that there is a reward for that person in heaven if they are faithful in this.
In Luke 12 Jesus gave a parable:
"The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Luke 12:16-21
Jesus told this parable in the context of a man who wanted to be sure he got “what was his” (his inheritance). Jesus pointed out to this man that, in fact, nothing was his. And this man’s attitude towards his abundance (“my crops”) caused his judgment. Jesus calls this “laying up treasure for himself.” It belies a perspective that “this is mine, why should I give any of it away?” This man failed to realize that God had blessed him, and he should have honored the Lord in response to that blessing.
The same holds true in our life: Nothing that we possess is mine, it all belongs to God. We are but stewards of His resources, and I believe God is watching to see how we manage and use the resources He has given us. We can choose to “lay up treasures for ourselves”, or we can choose to honor the Lord with out increase. And I for one believe that when we are faithful stewards in regards to the one area that God calls us to, the firstfruits, God honors that obedience.
For a great illustration, 2 Chronicles tells us how King Hezekiah enacted reforms throughout the nation, and he called on all the children of Israel to bring the firstfruits into the house of the Lord. For seven months the tithes came in. When it had been collected, Hezekiah looked at the mounds and questioned the Levites (perhaps he wondered if the people had anything left to eat!). The Levites responded:
"Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for the LORD has blessed His people; and what is left is this great abundance."
2 Chron 31:10
If we are being faithful, especially in giving Him the firstfruits (which is all He asked for), then He will be able to bring more into our lives, because He knows He can trust us. God was doing exactly what He promised in Dueteronomy:
"Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock,
Deut 7:12-13
And what is echoed in the NT:
God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 2 Cor 9:7-8
What does all this mean? It means that for me to honor God with my giving is to acknowledge that He is my God, that He is my provision, and that I know full well that all I have and all I receive comes directly through His hands into mine. It means that I realize that I am not an owner, but a steward of all that God has entrusted into my life. It means that I have an appreciation that God has allowed me all things to enjoy, and that He only encourages me to be free and give to His house and His work in a cheerful and obedient way.
Pastor Clay
