Written by: John Sernaque
Stewardship
CS - Counsels on Stewardship (1940) Chapter 10—A Call to Greater Earnestness
Invest Now in the Bank of Heaven
Has not the time come when we should begin to cut down our possessions? May God help you who can do something now to make an investment in the bank of heaven. We do not ask a loan, but a freewill offering,—a return to the Master of His own goods which He has lent you. If you love God supremely, and your neighbor as yourself, we believe you will give tangible proofs of the same in freewill offerings for our mission work. There are souls to be saved, and may you be coworkers with Jesus Christ in saving these souls for whom Christ has given His life. The Lord will bless you in the good fruit you may bear to His glory. May the same Holy Spirit which inspired the Bible take possession of your hearts, leading you to love His word, which is spirit and life. May it open your eyes to discover the things of the Spirit of God. The reason there is so much dwarfed religion today is because people have not brought practical self-denial and self-sacrifice into their lives.—The Review and Herald, January 8, 1889. {CS 51.3}
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. However, we often come to God in prayer asking for things that we want. We have so many things already that we do not know what to do with. We even have to move into larger spaces to fit all our “stuff” and some even rent out storage facilities because there is not enough room where they live. God does not always give us what we want because often times, the things we want we do not actually need. It is time to ask God to help us cut down on our possessions that we may return to Him of that which He has lent us. Make an investment in the bank of heaven by making a freewill offering for mission work. May the Holy Spirit lead and guide you in the work of saving souls.
Dear heavenly Father,
We come to You in thanksgiving and prayer. We thank You for providing for all of our needs. We pray that we are not found wanting. We pray for Your help in cutting down on our possessions and returning that which You have so graciously lent us. May You bless our freewill offerings to further the missionary work in proclaiming Your everlasting gospel. We pray that as Your co-workers, we are able to help save souls for Your kingdom. May the Holy Spirit lead us and guide us into all truth, and let not our will, but let Thy will be done. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
