Written by John Sernaque:
Stewardship
CS - Counsels on Stewardship (1940) Chapter 12—A Test of Loyalty
“Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” {CS 65.1}
This scripture teaches that God, as the Giver of all our benefits, has a claim upon them all; that His claim should be our first consideration; and that a special blessing will attend all who honor this claim. {CS 65.2}
Herein is set forth a principle that is seen in all God’s dealings with men. The Lord placed our first parents in the Garden of Eden. He surrounded them with everything that could minister to their happiness, and He bade them acknowledge Him as the possessor of all things. In the garden He caused to grow every tree that was pleasant to the eye or good for food; but among them He made one reserve. Of all else, Adam and Eve might freely eat; but of this one tree God said, “Thou shalt not eat of it.” Here was the test of their gratitude and loyalty to God. {CS 65.3}
All that we have belongs to God. We are merely stewards of all God blesses us with. God certainly does not need any money. However, He tests our gratitude and loyalty by requiring we return a tenth of our first fruits to go to the work of furthering His cause. If we honor His claim, He has a special blessing for us. God honors those who honor Him. He will turn the ninety percent left for us into such an increase that our barns will be filled and our presses will burst out. While we mortals add, God will multiply exponentially. Praise God and give Him all the glory.
Our kind and gracious Father,
We thank You for giving us the privilege and honor of being Your co-workers in the plan of salvation. We thank You and honor You with the first tenth of our increase. We pray that You will bless our giving and continue to bless that which we have left. We pray for Your strength to continue to labor in the vineyard so Your harvest will be plenty. We thank You for providing for us that we may provide for our families and ourselves. Keep us faithful in our giving so our barns will be filled with plenty and our presses burst out. We thank You and praise You, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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