O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, glorious, and sovereign over the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as ruler of all. You are the source of wealth and honor; you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 28:11-12)
I had the honor and privilege to host this past Sunday at worship service for Cokesbury West. The sermon was the final in a series entitled, "Vision 2011" and Sunday was "commitment Sunday." I had a few people joked with me about having to stand on the stage on what is certainly a difficult topic for many churchgoers to grasp-financial giving.
Financial giving is not only necessary to keep churches open, it plays a vital role in the continuing efforts of ministries that depend on generous giving and contributions to operate. I never understood what tithing was until several years ago, when the Baptist church I attended did an excellent job of explaining that we are all "stewards" of God's money. God owns everything-our cash, possessions, automobiles, homes, and electronics; we are merely stewards, meaning that we oversee the use and care of God's riches. It's when we begin to falsely believe that that we are the "owners' and not the stewards of God's possessions that mistakes are made.
Make no mistake-our faith and money is permanently intertwined. We cannot keep our money away from God's hand, he holds it all and we manage it for Him.
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