On
Stewardship
(also known as tithing)
by Patti Brown
When people talk about stewardship in church, they usually mean
money, and Stephen and I have been on quite a journey where money
is concerned! When we first began attending our current church,
eight years ago, we were completely broke. We were just scraping
by, and often relied on the generosity of people in our church community.
It was there that I first heard people talking of stewardship as
applying to time, talent and treasure. I can assure you that I was
relieved to hear that time and talent counted!
But I felt a nudging in my spirit to work on adding treasure to my
offering. Over the years, Stephen and I have changed and grown in
how we have obeyed God in this area.
Stephen recently told me a joke I’d like to share with you:
Science advances to the point at which it realizes it doesn’t
need God any more. So a delegation of scientists assembles to go
and tell God that his services are no longer needed. When the delegation
gets to God, they explain that they have pretty much worked it all
out. They know how to do everything, and they really don’t
need him any more.
God looks at them and responds, “Okay! I have a proposal for
you. I propose that we have a little contest. I’ll do something,
then you repeat what I do, and if you prove to me that you can do
everything I can do, I’ll hand you the reigns of the universe,
and leave you alone.”
The scientists are quite confident in their abilities and they agree
readily to his proposal.
So God says, “Well, to start with, I’m going to make
a man.” The scientists look at one another and chuckle.
God bends down and picks up a handful of dirt, forms it in the shape
of a man, breathes on it, and a living man is created.
The scientists talk amongst themselves for a moment, then one turns
to God, smiling, and says, “You should have chosen something
more difficult!”
The scientist proceeds to bend down and pick up some dirt, at which
point God says, “Oh no! You get your own dirt!”
I think stewardship has to start with a true understanding of what
exactly it is we have to offer. And the reality is, nothing we have
is our own. Not our time, not our talent, and not our treasure.
It is all a gift from God!
In some ways, to suggest a 10% tithe is ridiculous... ridiculously
low! I think it puts it into perspective to imagine only using 10%
of our talents in service to God. Of course we see how silly that
is. He wants, and can use, ALL of each of us!
While we do often focus on money when we discuss stewardship, I
believe the giving back of our time and talents in service is no
less important, and in many cases, more sacrificial. We must guard
against thinking we have pushed a magic button making us “right
with God” just because we have given a certain percentage
of our money.
I do think that God wants us to set aside money specifically to
be used to meet needs in the Body of Christ. But practically speaking,
I think that how much money that is, will vary from person to person.
Taking a biblical perspective, most will suggest seting aside 10%
of our income. Yet, I have read that when all the tithes and other
offerings that are commanded in the Old Testament are put together,
they total 23%! I have heard all sorts of quibbling about the specifics...
is it 10% before or after taxes; should you give 10% to your church,
and then anything you want to give elsewhere comes from beyond that
10%, and on and on.
All that this kind of discussion seems to do, is make people angry,
or feel guilty. And that, I am quite sure, is not God's agenda.
Legalistic quibbling over how much is enough is a distraction, pure
and simple. I imagine that if all the time spent on such debates
were put instead into heartfelt discussions with God about the topic,
his storehouses would burst from overflowing!
I strongly believe that this is not only an area with the possibility
for tremendous spiritual growth when we are obedient, but also that
God will use it in different ways with each of us. What He ultimately
wants is our hearts! When we have to discuss it with Him, and then
be willing to give Him whatever He asks for (our time, our gifts,
our money), we are drawing closer to God, and letting go of our
grip on the world!
Isn't it wonderful that He gives us yet another opportunity to draw
near to Him and grow in relationship with Him, as we seek His will
for our lives in this area?
So what do Stephen and I do about the treasure part of stewardship?
Right now we put a percentage of our income into a special bank
account, and we follow God's lead on what to do with that money.
The amount that has actually gone into the account has fluctuated
wildly, along with the wild fluctuation of Stephen’s employment
status! And the ways in which he has thus far led us to use that
money have varied considerably.
We never know where it will be spent, although we do regularly
support our church, as well as a little girl in Ethiopia. It’s
exciting to be a part of God’s work in the world in this way.
We may make mistakes sometimes, but I am confident that God redeems
them.
So what does stewardship mean to me? I’ll leave you with
a quote from Mother Teresa that beautifully and succinctly sums
it up. "Everything is God's to give and to take away, so share
what you've been given, and that includes yourself."
This is taken from an essay I wrote in October
of 2002 when I was asked to share with my church community about
what "stewardship" means to me.
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