Stewardship Devotional Day 10
The Treasure Principle #3 – Treasure

                In addition to stewardship of our time and talents, we are also to be good stewards of our treasure. This is the part of stewardship that is most common to our vocabulary. It has to do with money. How we invest the resources God has blessed us with is a good indication of where our heart is. Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The greatest investment with the greatest return is in the Kingdom of God. Investing in God’s Kingdom is an eternal investment with eternal rewards.

                How do we invest in the Kingdom of God? By giving of our tithes and offerings to the local church. The teaching of the Bible is clear that in this dispensation of time, known as the age of grace or the age of the church, it is through the life and ministry of the local church that God carries out His purposes in our world today for this present dispensation. Therefore, the bulk of our giving should be to the local church we attend.

                Malachi 3:8-10 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Giving a tithe (10% of all your income) is the ground level of giving. The New Testament teaches us to give sacrificially and abundantly. When someone asks me how much they should give, I respond by encouraging them to start with a tithe and work their way up from there. Giving 10% should be the starting point, it should be the minimum. There is a blessing in giving. The only place in scripture where it says to prove or test God is in the context of tithing. When we give, God promises to bless us. This in no way means that God will make you wealthy when you give. It does mean, however, that God will bless you in several ways both spiritual and practical, and yes, even in providing for your financial needs. When someone tells me that they cannot afford to give, I tell them that I cannot afford not to give. In seasons of my life where I was slack in my giving, it was very difficult to pay the bills. However, when I am faithful in giving, God always provides and the bills get paid.

                Giving to your local church is just one aspect of stewardship, but it is indeed a very important aspect. There is no way around it: ministry is expensive. It costs money to carry out the mission of the church. Therefore, the mission of the church depends on our faithful giving. The resources that God has blessed you with are to be steward in such a way that you provide the basic needs of your family. However, it is required in a steward to be found faithful. That faithfulness begins with giving. This is how our heart is tested, to see how committed we are to the work of the Lord and His Kingdom. Commit to being a faithful steward and invest your resources in the Kingdom of God through the local church.