Are you giving what's right, or what's left?

Hello Anchor Family,

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Between family vacations and late summer nights, we sometimes forget to give back to the one who created it ALL. As you all know we are in week four of our summer series Servolution. The main factor in serving, is giving. Not only giving your time but, giving financially as well.

I have one question for you, Are you giving what's right, or what's left? God is concerned with what is in our hearts, and a good heart has responsible character assigned to it. That is what being a good steward means. This is shown to us by our role in taking care of creation, the testimony of the Law, and the Psalms, to name a few. Stewardship, in Hebrew, means "house law and rule." It means that the person who is hired is to manage the affairs for the owner. This means that the property, resources, money, and previsions are under the steward's control and responsibility. They belong to God, and are entrusted into our hands.

Is God concerned with what is in your heart? Yes, He is, and being a good steward will show that you have a good heart! As good stewards, we cannot be wasteful. Being a bad steward was under penalty of death in Biblical times. Fortunately, we are under grace, and Christ's atonement covers us from God's wrath when we mess up, but that does not mean we are to be careless. We are not to go around thinking all we need to do is think we are good, just as we cannot think we are good at our job or school, and be late all of the time, or slack off. We have to think carefully about the most prudent way to allocate and manage the gifts and resources He puts in our care! This is in response to what He has given to us--abundant grace and love, and His mercy and care. We must understand that being bad at stewardship is wasting what God has given, and even wastes our lives, and opportunities.

- Stewardship is not worrying, but rather, trusting in Christ.


- Stewardship means knowing that God is concerned with us personally--what we go through, deal with, and how we manage what He entrusts to us.

- Stewardship is focusing on God and not on the material things in and of themselves. We are always to view the material world with the perspective of being God's caretaker of it, not of its lust or greed.


Love you guys,
Chuck Lewis

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