Do not be deceived, my beloved: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. (James 1:16-17,22) What a great stewardship verse. Everything is from God. It is not enough to hear this truth. We must put it into practice. We must Give and Do.
Foundational to Stewardship is acknowledging God gives us everything. He is the origin of all good giving and every perfect gift. And His most perfect gift is Jesus. His unconditional love. His mercy and forgiveness. His dying on the cross for our sins. This truth is overwhelming. As good stewards, we respond to Him in overwhelming gratitude by receiving His gifts gratefully, developing them and returning them to Him by giving and serving others. Knowing about this is easy enough. Doing it is the hard part.
The Church in her wisdom gives us the perfect framework for putting stewardship into practice: Pray, Fast, Give Alms. We focus on these in Lent, but they are important all year long. Praying aligns our life with God. Fasting detaches us from ourselves and from our desires. Almsgiving puts God first in our finances and declares our companionship with the poor.
Praying, fasting, and giving alms are ways to do the word. Are you a doer of the word? Do you give your time in prayer and your talent in service to those in need? Do you fast from desiring more stuff so that you may share your treasure in proportion to the blessings God gives to you?
Observe the commandments carefully (Dt. 4:1,6). Act on them; be doers of the Word. Do not delude yourself that you can pick and choose which to obey – especially those about giving to the Lord of your time, talent, AND treasure. Give and Do. Do and give.
Photo Credit: Robert Davis
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