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Stewardship is the
lifestyle of the true christian. It is the recognition that God owns
all, is all, and that he has entrusted to us for a short time the
responsibility and opportunity to manage His resources. These include
not just our money and possessions, but our time, talents, career,
family, and the spiritual welfare of ourselves and others. Stewardship
is more about the way we live than just about returning a faithful tithe
and generous offering - as important as those are.
The
concept of stewardship is often ignored by today's society bent on
going faster, achieving more, seeking ever-increasing status, income
and authority. As Richard Foster so eloquently puts it, "The lust
for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic; it has
completely lost touch with reality". Stewardship reflects our attitude
towards God, others, and things. It is an unerring barometer of our
spiritual life. Our checkbook and calendar unmistakably reveal the
extent to which we recognize and include God in our lives. We may fool
the pastor and the elder, and even our friends and family, but a careful
perusal of our calendar and our finances will reveal more about us
than eloquent words about our commitment to God.
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