Stewardship Devotional Day 6
Experiencing God Reality #6 – You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.

                In Joshua 24:15 we find this statement: “…choose you this day whom you will serve…” When it comes to serving the Lord there is no middle ground. God calls us to be ‘all-in’. Stewardship requires something that we all dread: change. To live the life of a steward, you cannot stay the same. Major adjustments are required to get involved with what God is doing. Adjustments must be made in how you spend your time, how you use your talents, and how you invest your treasures.

                It is a common misunderstanding among believers that we are to give God a portion of our lives. We are told to give a tithe (10%) of our income. We are told to tithe our time and talents also. But God does not want just your tithe. God does not want your sacrifices. Psalm 51:16 says, “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.” God does not want your stuff. HE WANTS YOU! HE WANTS ALL OF YOU! He wants all of your time. He wants all of your talents. He wants all of your treasures. Therefore, the attitude of a steward should be that all I have belongs to God. Since all that I have belongs to God, the logical understanding is that I should give all to God.

                The understanding that all belongs to God; therefore, I should give all to God, is the major life adjustment that must be made to join God in His work. We must adjust our lives in such a way that how we live our lives, how we work, how we spend our money; is all under His sovereign hand. It all belongs to Him; therefore, we have no right to use our time, talents, and treasures the way we see fit. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” If you are a believer in Christ, your life belongs to Him. Your whole life. Your job, your children, your spouse, your money, your abilities, your hobbies; it all belongs to Jesus.

                You may think that such an adjustment to the way you live and how you view your life is too much. However, it’s never too much. It’s actually freeing. To know that I own nothing, it all belongs to Jesus and I’m just His steward; is freedom. On a practical level, this does not mean you must give every penny to church or become like a monk and live in solitude. Being a steward is living your life in such a way that in everything you do, God is glorified. How do I know how God wants me to steward what He has given me? By being close to Him. When you are close to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will reveal to you how you should use your time, talents, and treasures. I know this is a hard concept to understand, but when you finally get it and you start to make those adjustments in your life to be aligned with what God is doing; you will experience freedom, and joy, and contentment like you’ve never had before.