Podcasts

Entrusted with a Stewardship

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

1 Corinthians 9:16-17  If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.

God called Paul to preach the Gospel, but preaching the Gospel may not be your charge. God gave Paul the gift of oratory, and so he felt obligated to preach. And like with Paul, God gives each of us unique talents and abilities. As disciples, we should feel obligated to use them for the good of His kingdom. 

What talents and blessings has God given to you? He entrusts you with their stewardship. What does that mean? The Church defines “stewardship” as:

  • Receiving God’s gifts gratefully.
  • Tending and Managing those gifts as best we can.
  • Sharing them in love and justice with our neighbors.
  • Returning them with increase to the Lord.

Doing this is being a Disciple. Doing this is how we live a “stewardship life.” God is counting on you. Can He trust you with the stewardship of the gifts He’s given you?

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Have Stress and Anxiety?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 7:32, “I should like you to be free of anxieties.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              How much stress and anxiety do we bring on ourselves by insistently worrying about having enough, constantly striving to obtain more things and achieve more?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

And when we get it, then what? Usually more stress and anxiety. This is not what God wants for us. He wants us to be free of anxieties. Jesus tells us 4 times in Matthew 6 to stop worrying.

How do we rid ourselves of this kind of stress? By putting God first in our lives, in every facet of our lives – including with money. Putting God first in our finances prioritizes our spending. Giving to God gives us purpose by  making us a part of the mission of the church. Something bigger than ourselves. Something majestic.  Something beautiful.

Try this – instead of worrying about getting more things, bring it to God in prayer. Pray to God about the things you want and the accomplishments you want to achieve. Leave them with Him. Then get on with using the talents He gave you to the best of your ability. And give to those ministries that serve the poor. Give to God first and trust Him to provide. 

 

Photo credit: Robert Davis

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Time is Running Out

Published on: by Joe Galloway 1 Comment

1 Cor. 7:29-31 “I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those…buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

Paul exhorts us to live differently than the rest of society. But, how do we do this? We do this by living a  life of Stewardship. It gives us the perfect framework for how to order our lives. 

Stewardship is counter-cultural. Our culture tells us to look out for ourselves, to go for  the gusto and get all we can. It tells us to pay ourselves first, and that to be happy and successful, we must save up hundreds of thousands if not millions in our investment accounts. But as Christians, we live in God’s culture. We are disciples of Jesus Christ. As disciples, we are other-centered and self-sacrificing. As good stewards we put God first in our lives, in every facet of our lives – including first with money. We pay God first!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Be counter-cultural! Decide today to fully embrace stewardship – God first in all areas of your life Time, Talent, and Treasure. Try Him in this and see if He won’t pour out blessings without measure (Mal. 3:10). Hurry, because time is running out. The world in its present form is passing away.

                            (Photo by Robert Davis)

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What Are You Looking For?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

In John 1:38,  Jesus turned and asked His followers, “What are you looking for?” 

What are you looking for? What is it that you truly seek? For many it is to be happy. Happiness often means having the material comforts of life while not having to worry about money. Does this resonate with you? Me, too.

How do we get this happiness we seek? Advertisers – The world  – tell us that to be happy we need to have more things, the newest and best versions of the latest stuff that we can buy. The thing is, this requires that we spend money – probably a bit more money than we have. This in turn causes our credit card balances to increase which results in stress in our lives, not happiness. 

There are better, more beautiful things in life than spending money on a new golf club or an upgrade to your cell phone. Instead, seek God’s kingdom first (Mt. 6:33). Put Him first in every area of your life, including in your finances. Give to God first before any other spending and see if then you don’t begin to realize the sense of peace and happiness you truly seek.

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We Saw His Star

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Matthew 2:2  “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

The Magi were studious and expectant. They were on the look-out for a sign. And when they saw what they thought was the correct sign – the star – they left everything in its pursuit. They set out in faith to follow that star wherever it led. What a great example for us.

Are we as expectant and hopeful in searching for the signs of God in our lives? Do you see the King’s star in the street person, the pregnant teenager struggling to choose life, in the just-released inmate? Do you look for Jesus’s star in the least of our brothers and sisters, and then strive to grow closer to Jesus, doing whatever is necessary to serve their needs?

Let your New Year’s resolution be to see His star in the needs of the poor, to be like the Wise Men and do whatever it takes to pursue after their needs. Seek Jesus by stepping out in faith to give courageously of your time, talents, and treasure. Give in support of those who serve the poor.

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