The Core Of Stewardship Is the Heart
By PAUL DAMON
Stewardship is a learned discipline. We are not born with a sense of responsibility to others, at least not in a complete form. We learn from experience and practice that stewardship is a blessing to us, even more than to others we bless. Because God’s heart is for us to give our lives for His purpose, we learn that following Him and being obedient to His call is the only way to experience happiness and fulfillment.
We all give our lives to something. What do you give your life for? Is it eternal or temporal? Does it make a difference? Does it bless others? Does it bless us?
The core of stewardship is the Heart:
1. Stewardship – only when we have the heart of Jesus can we demonstrate and live life in the light of eternity and surrender all to him.
2. Contentment – being content with what we have is critical to being other focused. If we are always discontent and wanting more, we are not likely to be willing to give what we have to others. Our heart can be unhappy and cold if we do not have gratitude and thankfulness for what we have.
Because God’s heart is for us to give our lives for His purpose, we learn that following Him and being obedient to His call is the only way to experience happiness and fulfillment.
3. Faith – Trust in God is fundamental to being willing to hold our “stuff” lightly and willing to release it to the betterment of others. Ultimately, it takes faith to say, “I can give to God because He will provide for all my needs in the future”. This is the essence of faith and trust! Faith is a matter of the heart! Above all else, guard your heart!
4. Wisdom – from the heart of God to our hearts, God is the source of all wisdom and our hearts need to reflect His glory and love.