SUNDAYS WITH JOYCE

 

Stewardship

 

"Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all." - 1 Chronicles 29:12

"Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow." - Proverbs 13:11

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." - 1 Timothy 6:10

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" - Hebrews 13:5

"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;" - 1 Peter 5:2

"Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor." - Ecclesiastes 7:12

"He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty." - Proverbs 22:16

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 5:10

 

 

Jesus sat in the house of his friend, Simon, waiting for the meal to be served. A woman entered the house whom most of the men tried to ignore because of her street reputation.  Yet it was hard to ignore the sweet, expensive fragrance of the purfume she pulled from her box and began sprinkling into the hair of Jesus. She gently massaged His tired, dusty feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

Very uncomfortable and angered at this outward display of professional gall, the Host, criticized her for it and even accused Jesus of being less than discerning--while Jesus seemed to enjoy the attention

This act of unselfish giving gave Jesus the opportunity to minister both to this caring woman, and also jolt Simon back into reality.  Both had been forgiven by Jesus. The woman had been rescued from the Red Light District, and Simon forgiven for leading her down that road of sin.

The act of giving sprang from a truly repentent thankful heart.  And so it will be with all who experience Christ's forgiveness.  There is no salvation without forgiveness and repentance--whether the sin is big or small...

 

 

God has given us two hands--one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.

Givng needs no more apology than does praying. In the Bible there are 1,539 passages that reference giving, while there are only 523 that refer to praying!

It's not how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of God's money will I keep for myself.

If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life