Giving God's Way...with Faith | Stewardship Q4

GIVING GOD’S WAY ...WITH FAITH

"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”

Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV)

GIVING GOD’S WAY ...WITH FAITH To give in the way God wants us to and hopes we do, is and will always be, an act of faith and trust in Him. It is to understand that things do not work in God’s mind in ways that seem logical and practical to us. In Deuteronomy 15, we find the ordinances to follow during the Year of Jubilee. God offers the Israelites clear and specific instructions on how to treat the poor, the slaves, and other people who in some way or another might owe them something. In the case of those who became slaves, they were supposed to work six years. On the seventh year, the Israelites had the obligation to not only free themselves, but also to make sure they did not leave empty handed. When it came to those who owed something, the debt was to be cancelled in its entirety. What would be the result of their obedience? God promised to pour out abundant blessings over His people.

Dear brothers and sisters, I invite you to believe God and exercise your faith, giving cheerfully from the blessings He has given you: your talents and resources.

Let us be obedient to experience the sweet presence of God and His blessings in our lives, as well as our home.

Major Eric Rodriguez Territorial Mission Engagement Secretary

Giving God’s Way | Stewardship 2021

Page 1 of 4

DEVOTIONAL "GIVE GENEROUSLY TO HIM AND DO SO WITHOUT A GRUDGING HEART; THEN BECAUSE OF THIS THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL B LESS YOU IN ALL YOUR WORK AND IN EVERYTHING YOU PUT YOUR HAND TO. ” DEUTERONOMY 15:10 (NIV) I see a tendency in our country that is logical, but concerns me. When considering whether to donate to a not-for-profit organization, we heavily scrutinize that organization. How much does the CEO make?

How much do they spend on advertising and publications? Do we see real evidence of people benefiting? How long have they been in existence? What is their track record? Are they a green organization that leaves a very little carbon footprint? Are they equal opportunity employers? Do they speak any message that could be concerning?

As I said, these questions are logical, and most of us have experienced at least one group not living up to what they proclaim. It has made us very cynical. Do we ever just give any more? Matthew 10:8 says, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Even with people on the street, we think “is he/she going to use this for drugs?” “I notice she does have a pretty nice cell phone.” A few determined givers may go into a restaurant and buy a sandwich for the person.

I did something similar once, wanting to send the message “God loves you,” but felt like I was saying “I don’t trust you, but I will buy you a slice of cheese pizza and a Sprite.”

Deuteronomy 15:10 says “Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” The “him” refers to “your poor brother,” as stated earlier in verse 7. “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.” God wanted to make sure that the Israelites would take care of each other.

Our theme this quarter is Giving God’s Way-By Faith. How do we do that? Perhaps by giving freely and letting God work out the rest. We may never see the outcome on this earth. Is that okay with you?

I read a passage a few times the other day, which I found encouraging and refreshing; Luke 8:1-3. This chapter begins right after the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. Jesus had used the situation to teach that those who have been forgiven much, love much. Please keep that in mind as you read. “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna, and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their means.” Freely they had received, so freely they gave - by faith and out of love.

Major Tracy Hughes

Territorial Overseas Child Sponsorship Bureau Director

Giving God’s Way | Stewardship 2021

Page 2 of 4

FEATURE STORY

THE WIDOW’S OFFERING

The feature story this quarter is taken from the Bible. It is referred to as “The Widow’s Offering” as recorded in Mark 12: 41 – 44: “ 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

As the story is unpacked, the scripture does not tell us much about the widow and her circumstances. It only tells us that she was a widow who had two very small copper coins, worth very little, and put them in the temple treasury. There is no indication of how she became a widow. Nothing is said about whether she had children or not. It does not indicate whether her continued care was the responsibility of her brother-in-law or even if she had a brother-in-law.

Questions then begin to arise – who was responsible for her care? Where did she get the coins to begin with?

Was it part of a settlement she may have received from her husband’s estate? She would not have received an inheritance that would have been designated for the first-born son. Custom does indicate a settlement from the estate as possible if there even was an estate. Perhaps she did have children and this was a provision made to her for her care and living expenses.

Beyond the uncertainty of how she became a widow and who may or may not have been responsible for her care, other questions come to mind. Where did she live? What was the condition of her home? Was is it cold or dark inside? Did she have enough oil to put in her lamp? Did she even have a lamp? Did she have neighbors who looked in on her? What we do know is that she was very poor. She did not have much money; just enough to live on. Money that perhaps would be used to purchase grain for making bread or oil to put in her lamp.

The scripture tells us that by putting all she had into the treasury, her gift was of greater worth than those who had the capacity to give more. It was given with no concern for where her next meal would come from. It was given with no concern of whether there would be light in her home. It was a sacrificial gift, a gift of obedience, a gift of love, ….. a gift of faith! Certainly, she may have had concern for all the practical matters of life. However, her gift was a sign of a light in her soul, a soul nourished by the presence of the Holy Spirit, a soul filled with faith!

Jesus said in Matthew 17: 20: “…. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” This widow had this type of faith that moved the mountains of worry and concern for tomorrow, with complete trust that her needs would be met. Her giving was done God’s way ….. with FAITH! May we do likewise.

Major Elmer Deming Territorial Stewardship Engagement Director

Giving God’s Way | Stewardship 2021

Page 3 of 4

CHALLENGE GIVING GOD’S WAY I Chronicles 29:14-16 states: 14 “But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this?

For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to You. 15 For we are strangers before You, and temporary residents, as all our fathers were our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and everything is Yours.”

One of the challenges of giving by faith is to remember that even as we offer to God our time, talent, and treasure, but specifically our treasure, what we offer to Him is not ours to begin with, it is His already! Note how King David phrased this during a most high and holy time of his earthly reign: “All things come from you, and from Your hand we have given to You,” and again, “it is from your Hand, and everything is yours.”

As we can begin to grasp this concept, can we see how freeing this could be? One of the biggest obstacles to Biblical giving is that we feel we are giving what is OURS to the Lord. We use the word MINE before we write our check, not realizing that this is a misguided principle; it all belongs to the Lord and we are simply giving back a portion of what is already, truthfully His! Perhaps we can accept the challenge to reflect on these verses and others like them and ask the questions: “whose is it already?” “Is what I consider to be mine really mine?” “What impact would it have on my giving if I admitted that everything comes from God and belongs to God?” What steps can I take in my giving today to reflect that truth? What changes should I make in my giving based on this?

Major Philip Wittenberg Territorial Corps Ministries Engagement Director

Giving God’s Way | Stewardship 2021

Page 4 of 4