Written by: John Sernaque
Stewardship
CS - Counsels on Stewardship (1940) Chapter 9- Spiritual Prosperity and Christian Liberality
Would you make your property secure? Place it in the hand that bears the nail prints of the crucifixion. Retain all in your possession, and it will be to your eternal loss. Give it to God, and from that moment it bears His inscription. It is sealed with His immutability. Would you enjoy your substance? Then use it to bless the suffering. Would you increase your possessions? “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 49.2}
God loves a cheerful giver. God desires to refill our barns with plenty. However, if we are not honoring the Lord with our substance by imparting unto others, God will not bless us with more. If we hold on to everything received, it will be to our eternal loss. God uses us as stewards of all He has entrusted to us. We are to remain faithful in our giving, and use it to bless the suffering. In so doing, we will gain in spiritual prosperity, storing our treasures in heaven. Therefore, God will open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
Dear Lord,
We thank You for providing for all of our needs. We pray for Your blessing to be upon that which we are returning to benefit the suffering people of this world. We honor You with the first fruits of our increase, that it may further Your plan of salvation. We pray that we may remain faithful in our giving, that our barns be filled with plenty. That You will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. May all we give bear Your inscription and all the Glory be to You in Your name. We thank You for all that You do, continue to do, and will do in the future. This we pray, in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
