Talk Out Loud About Faith

When I was in Ethiopia last summer, I saw a very old stone table that was once used for religious sacrifice. The picture that I took was not very dramatic. It just looks like a big block of rock. There are some designs etched into it – but none that I recognized as particularly Christian or Jewish. In my imagination it was an altar used for human sacrifice! (I sometimes have an over active imagination.) Actually, the rock was on an island that housed a monastery and it was a very old Christian stronghold.

Giving back to God never required human sacrifice. Yet, we like to use the ‘sacrificial’ language when we talk of stewardship. The mere word ‘sacrifice’ makes a person think of pain and when connecting it to stewardship smacks of the ‘give till it hurts’ mantra. God gives to us freely and joyfully. Why would God want us to hurt in giving back? Instead, I believe that God wants us to exercise our stewardship in order to grow closer and closer in our spiritual relationships. Giving is joyful. Stewardship is not only about money. It is about giving of our time, our specialties, and our love.

One of the clearest examples of this is with our Food Pantry volunteers. I have seen people blossom as they begin working at the Food Pantry. They actually talk out loud about faith and why they are helping people. That is the kind of stewardship that God requires of us – giving because we just can’t help it! It feels so good. This is about developing your relationship with God. Pray each day. Read your bible every day. Worship and give thanks at the stop light, in the line at the grocery store, when you drive by a bank – just about any time. Help others, and tell others about how much you love the Lord. Pray to come to know Jesus better and better, every day.