The Treasure Principle

As much as I enjoyed posting to this blog, I have several blogs and could not maintain them all.

I have learned a lot in the past several years about stewardship and practically everything I have learned can be found in Randy Alcorn’s The Treasure Principle.

I highly recommend buying this book and reading and re-reading it. You will be blessed as you learn God’s principles so you might honor Him with the finances, possessions, time, and talents that He has given into your care.

Moving Posts Today for The Steward

Today, I moved all posts from this blog to another blog, The Sovereign.

As good stewards, we should have a right relationship with our Sovereign, so I decided one blog was better for all the content. I was not writing enough for each blog, but together, I should be writing more frequently.

Thank you for faithfully reading The Steward and I hope you enjoy The Sovereign. The Sovereign also contains topics related to the return of Christ.

Great Resource for Stewardship Research

I just found a great site today if you want to learn more about stewardship.

The Generous Giving website has three search functions that you might find useful:

• You can search the Bible about money and giving.
• You can search for sermons about stewardship (some are audio, some written out).
• You can search about money and giving by author as well.

The Wind Beneath the Wings

Mike and I just had the privilege of attending Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, where Chuck Swindoll is the senior pastor.

Pastor Chuck taught extensively from Romans 12: 3 – 8 this past Sunday. When he dug into verses 6 – 8 about spiritual gifts, he said “the giver is the wind beneath the wings of the visionary.”

I especially liked that word picture of how important giving is and how the giver is a part of the ministry.

Do I know a ministry that speaks to my heart? Do I support that ministry in prayer and financially?

If the answer to either question is “no,” then I need to find a ministry that shares the same vision that I have for reaching people and I need to begin supporting it.

If the answer to both questions is “yes,” then I am sharing in that ministry’s impact on people’s lives.

Circumstances vs. Scriptures

“I stopped tithing and then I learned that I needed an expensive prescription,” Janis explained. “The amount I would have given was exactly enough to cover the prescription!”

“Wow!” I thought, as red flags popped up in my mind. “God promises to supply our needs. (Philippians 4:19) God also encourages us to give, not to stop giving! (Malachi 3: 6 – 11)”

Janis was excited at the “coincidence” that seemed to confirm her decision.

I was concerned that her circumstances did not line up with Scripture and that she was deceived.

I had an opportunity later to write Janis:

“I believe you should be giving financially as an expression of your praise and trust in God in the midst of need. This is a Biblical concept and also fits your role as an encourager who gives praise to God in the midst of need. You were amazed that you had the money for your expensive prescription. I can imagine a different scenario where you had continued to give and God supplied what you needed for the prescription or that you would have not needed the prescription at all. I cannot guess here what He would have done. I just know that God supplies our needs.”

If you find yourself in a similar situation, take a good hard look at your circumstances, study the Scriptures and ask for God’s wisdom. It’s especially important to gather advice from those who know the Word or have studied Biblical financial concepts. A good online resource is Crown Financial Ministries.