And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u2014Luke 19:13<\/i><\/p>\n
6026<\/b> Meaning Of Stewardship<\/b><\/p>\n
A man doesn\u2019t decide to become a steward after he has been saved, nor after he begins to make good money. He is<\/i> a steward\u2014good or bad\u2014when he becomes a Christian. Stewardship in the Christian life demands that a man take good care of his financial affairs because he has been commissioned by Christ to manage those affairs for the Lord. <\/p>\n
6027<\/b> In Business For God<\/b><\/p>\n
A businessman has no business being in business just to make money. Every businessman automatically is in danger of making money his god. Whenever he makes a decision in favour of his business as opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ, he has made money his god, for the moment, at least. He is favouring mammon, and his priorities are mixed. <\/p>\n
It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of right priorities, especially in the business world, though these priorities apply to the life of every believer. <\/p>\n
Advice not to mix Christianity and business is heresy of the worst kind. A man\u2019s business, whatever it might be, ought to be an integrated and integral part of his Christianity. It either complements or opposes his spiritual stance. <\/p>\n
\u2014Walt Meloon<\/p>\n
6028<\/b> Dining Table\u2019s Two Extra Plates<\/b><\/p>\n
In a recent address of Bishop Hughes, he spoke of a deacon in a certain Congregational church in Boston, who many years ago said to himself, \u201cI cannot speak in prayer meeting, I cannot do many other things in Christian service, but I can put two extra plates on my dinner table every Sunday and invite two young men who are away from home to break bread with me.\u201d He went along doing that for more than thirty years. He became acquainted with a great companv of young men who were attending that church, and many of them became Christians through his personal influence. <\/p>\n
When he died he was to be buried in Andover, thirty miles distant, and because he was a well-known merchant, a special train was chartered to convey the funeral party. It was made known that any of his friends among the young men who had become Christians through his influence would be welcomed in a special car set aside for them. And a hundred and fifty of them came and packed that car from end to end in honor of the memory of the man who had preached to them the gospel of the extra dinner plate. <\/p>\n
\u2014Aquilla Webb<\/p>\n
6029<\/b> Leftovers<\/b><\/p>\n
Leftovers are such humble things, <\/p>\n
We would not serve them to a guest, <\/p>\n
And yet we serve them to our Lord<\/p>\n
Who deserves the very best. <\/p>\n
We give to Him leftover time, <\/p>\n
Stray minutes here and there, <\/p>\n
Leftover cash we give to Him, <\/p>\n
Such few coins as we can spare. <\/p>\n
We give our youth unto the world, <\/p>\n
To hatred, lust and strife;<\/p>\n
Then in declining years we give<\/p>\n
To Him the remnant of our life. <\/p>\n
\u2014Author Unknown<\/p>\n
6030<\/b> $1 To Each Member<\/b><\/p>\n
Taking a leaf from Jesus\u2019 parable about the man given a talent, the Aldersgate United Methodist Church of Wilmington, Delaware, recently mailed a $1 bill to each of its 1,129 members and asked them to multiply it for the church\u2019s benefit. One man bet on a horse race\u2014and handed in $110 from his winnings. The highest amount turned in was $373, from a woman who made more than eighty dolls. In all more than $6000 was raised. <\/p>\n
6031<\/b> $5 To Each Member<\/b><\/p>\n
How can you get richer by giving money away? Woodland Hills Community Congregation Church in California found that it could. <\/p>\n
The church\u2019s 546 members and friends each received $5.00 from the pastor with the instructions to use the money in whatever way their talents dictated to make money for the church. The goal was to erase a $3,700 budget deficit. <\/p>\n
A total of $2,730 was thus given away but after 6 weeks the church was $4,200 richer. This is one \u201cparable\u201d which congregationalists will not soon forget. <\/p>\n
6032<\/b> $5 To Members<\/b><\/p>\n
Rev. Ben Hodder of Kew Beach United Church (Toronto) found that the Parable of the Talents works. <\/p>\n
He borrowed $3000 from banks and handed out 550 envelopes containing $5 bills to congregation. Members used money to finance projects, concerts, clinics, etc. Sixty days later, envelopes were returned\u2014nearly $12,000. <\/p>\n
6033<\/b> $10 To Members<\/b><\/p>\n
Last September 12 David McClure, pastor of the Unity Church, Spokane, WA, told the members of his congregation they could take a $10 bill from the church funds, turn their talents to increasing the sum, and then bring back the results in 50 days. <\/p>\n
Church members took about $3,500. <\/p>\n
On November 14 a special collection was taken. The total was $10,207.24. <\/p>\n
Commented Mr. McClure: \u201cThere were a few members who thought we\u2019d be doing well just to get our money back on this thing. It was a step in faith, and it proved one of the principles of faith: the power of putting your faith and trust in people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Prairie Overcomer<\/i><\/p>\n
6034<\/b> Taking From Offering Plates<\/b><\/p>\n
Pastor Howard Conaster of the 4,000-member Beverly Hills Baptist Church in Dallas recently preached a series of sermons on the types of offerings in Scripture. At one midweek prayer meeting he announced that a freewill offering would be received. Normally, collections are not a part of the church\u2019s prayer meeting. Conaster told his audience of 950 that the church didn\u2019t really need the money. \u201cWe are already $100,000 over our budget for this year,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you need to be blessed; you need to experience the grace of giving.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the offering was received the pastor directed the deacons to return to the congregation with the baskets, which contained more than $1,000. \u201cIt\u2019s God\u2019s money,\u201d he explained. \u201cIf you need money and have asked God to help you get it, take what you need.\u201d Only a few did but for them the collection in reverse was a godsend, observed reporter Helen Parmley of the Dallas Morning News<\/i>. One parishioner told of a clean, but poorly-dressed youth who took a couple of bills from the basket as it passed, then lifted his head and said softly, \u201cPraise the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Christianity Today<\/i><\/p>\n
6035<\/b> Long Walk Included<\/b><\/p>\n
One of my favorite stories is about a missionary teaching in Africa. Before Christmas, he had been telling his native students how Christians, as an expression of their joy, gave each other presents on Christ\u2019s birthday. <\/p>\n
On Christmas morning, one of the natives brought the missionary a seashell of lustrous beauty. When asked where he had discovered such an extraordinary shell, the native said he had walked many miles to a certain bay, the only spot where such shells could be found. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was wonderful of you to travel so far to get this lovely gift for me,\u201d the teacher exclaimed. <\/p>\n
His eyes brightening, the native replied, \u201cLong walk, part of gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Gerald H. Bath<\/p>\n
6036<\/b> Lord\u2019s Day Eggs<\/b><\/p>\n
Sra. Juana Venegas is a real \u201ccharacter,\u201d and has frequently appeared in the pages of this \u201cLetter to the Homeland.\u201d The other day she placed 500 pesos in the hands of the church officials to be used for the building fund. She said: \u201cThe hens did it! I can\u2019t get this tithing business through my head, but there were my hens laying eggs on the Lord\u2019s Day! Somehow it didn\u2019t seem right to use the eggs laid on His day for ordinary purposes, and so for several months I have been setting those particular eggs apart and have sold them separately, and\u2014well, here\u2019s the money!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Soldiers and Gospel Mission<\/i><\/p>\n
6037<\/b> Were The Whole Realm<\/b><\/p>\n
Dr. John Hall once told of an incident illustrating the shocking divergence between precept and practice in some cases. A devout-appearing worshipper joined heartily in the singing of an old hymn while the offering plates were being passed. The song was:<\/p>\n
Were the whole realm of nature mine, <\/p>\n
That were a present far too small. <\/p>\n
While he sang so vigorously the man was fumbling around in his pocket, trying to find the smallest coin there to drop in the offering. <\/p>\n
\u2014Westminster Teacher<\/i><\/p>\n
6038<\/b> An Inward Pain<\/b><\/p>\n
Once there was a Christian<\/p>\n
He had a pious look. <\/p>\n
His consecration was complete<\/p>\n
Except his pocketbook. <\/p>\n
He\u2019d put a nickel on the plate<\/p>\n
And then, with might and main, <\/p>\n
He\u2019d sing: \u201cWhen we asunder part<\/p>\n
It gives us inward pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Selected<\/p>\n
6039<\/b> Dogs First, Then Church<\/b><\/p>\n
Mrs. Jones, 81, died without any survivors\u2014that is, without any human survivors. She left three dogs to mourn her passing: Bozo, Dolly, and Skippy. She specified that her $72,800 should go for \u201cthe care and maintenance of the dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the dogs are dead, what is left would be given to the Walnut Street Baptist Church of Louisville, Kentucky. <\/p>\n
A veterinarian says the three canines are in \u201cexcellent health\u201d and the church may have to wait as long as twelve years to say \u201cdog-gone\u201d and receive the money. <\/p>\n
6040<\/b> Too Busy To Write Check For God<\/b><\/p>\n
When I was assistant pastor of the large First Baptist Church in Plainview, Texas, I was made financial secretary of the church. A lawyer for many years had had the financial secretary to write a check for $5 on the first of each month on him. He always honored the check. But after one or two months I was so grieved at his indifference that I could not write the check. <\/p>\n
When his checks came at the end of the month and he discovered that he had not given a penny to the Lord\u2019s cause because I had not written the check, he was embarrassed and troubled. \u201cGo ahead and write a check on me every month for $5,\u201d he said. \u201cI want the church to have the money. I do not begrudge it at all. I am just too busy to take time to write a check and mail it in, and I don\u2019t want to have to think about it every month,\u201d said he. <\/p>\n
But I answered, \u201cIf you are too busy to write a check for God, you are too busy. lf you can\u2019t take time and thought to personally attend to this matter, I do not believe that God wants your money.\u201d I told him that God was not poor, that God did not need his measly $5, but in His gracious providence has allowed us Christians the joy of giving and having a part in His work. <\/p>\n
\u2014John R. Rice<\/p>\n
6041<\/b> Pledge For Other Things<\/b><\/p>\n
He said he wouldn\u2019t make a pledge<\/p>\n
Unto the church at all, <\/p>\n
That he would give just when he felt<\/p>\n
The urgency\u2014the call. <\/p>\n
But still he bought a car and pledged<\/p>\n
To pay it off some day. <\/p>\n
And then a house in which to live<\/p>\n
And each month he would pay. <\/p>\n
He pledged to pay his telephone, <\/p>\n
Electric and his gas:<\/p>\n
He pledged to pay his water bill\u2014<\/p>\n
He never let it pass. <\/p>\n
He pledged to pay his taxes, too, <\/p>\n
Upon his house and sod, <\/p>\n
But not one cent he\u2019d ever pledge<\/p>\n
To the house of God. <\/p>\n
\u2014Selected<\/p>\n
6042<\/b> Deeply Interested? <\/b><\/p>\n
Several years ago a small town newspaper reported: \u201cMrs. Johnson entertained eight intimate friends at a dinner at the Country Club yesterday after which she took the party to the Majestic Theater to see An American Tragedy.<\/i>\u201d The item went on to note that \u201cMrs. Johnson always contributes $5 a year to the missionary society of her church. She has been a deeply interested member of the organization for eighteen years.\u201d<\/p>\n
6043<\/b> \u201cI Own Everything!\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
Dr. George W. Truett was entertained on one occasion in the home of a wealthy oilman in Texas. After the dinner the man took him up the roof of his house and indicated huge fields of oil derricks, and said, \u201cDr. Truett, that\u2019s all mine. I came to this country twenty-five years ago penniless, and now I own everything as far as you can see in that direction.\u201d Then he turned to the opposite direction and indicated waving fields of grain and said again, \u201cIt\u2019s all mine. I own everything as far as you can see in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he turned to the east, and pointed to huge herds of cattle and said again, \u201cIt\u2019s all mine, everything as far as you can see in that direction is mine.\u201d One final time he turned toward the west and pointed to a great virgin forest, and said again, \u201cIt\u2019s all mine. Twenty-five years ago I was penniless, but I worked hard and saved, and today I own everything as far as you can see in this direction, that direction, that direction and this direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused for the expected praise, but to his astonishment it didn\u2019t come. Dr. Truett laid hand lovingly on his shoulder, pointed upward and said, \u201cMy friend, how much do you own in that direction?\u201d The man dropped his head in shame and said, \u201cI never thought of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Western Recorder<\/i><\/p>\n
6044<\/b> Better Than Nothing, Thank You <\/b><\/p>\n
Columbus, Ohio (UPI)\u2014It wasn\u2019t precisely what the young hitchhiker wanted, but it was better than nothing. The unidentified hitchhiker\u2019s thumb stuck hopefully in the air asking for a ride, was growing red with cold. A sportscar crept past the youth in the slow-moving traffic. As it passed the hitchhiker, the window on the passenger\u2019s side of the car was rolled down and a pair of gloves flew out to that thumber. The youth put the gloves on, waved a thank you to the motorist, and continued his thumbing in the snowy 28 degree (F) weather. <\/p>\n
6045<\/b> Holiday Inn President\u2019s Asking And Giving<\/b><\/p>\n
Said Wallace E. Johnson, President of Holiday Inns and one of America\u2019s most successful builders: \u201cI always keep on a card in my billfold the following verses and refer to them frequently: Ask and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened (Matt. 7:7\u20138). <\/p>\n
\u201cThese verses are among God\u2019s greatest promises. Yet they are a little one-sided. They indicate a philosophy of receiving but not of giving. One day as my wife, Alma, and I were seeking God\u2019s guidance for a personal problem, I came across the following verse which has since been a daily reminder to me of what my responsibility as a business is to God: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Tim. 2:15). <\/p>\n
\u201cSince then I have measured my actions against the phrase: A workman that needeth not to be ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
6046<\/b> A Raphael Overlooked<\/b><\/p>\n
One day in 1938 a painting was being auctioned at Sotheby\u2019s in London. It was a filthy, yellowed, unframed, Italian Madonna. As the richest man in the world, John Paul Getty, gazed at it, he muttered to himself, \u201cIt looks like a Raphael.\u201d He liked it and bought it for a paltry $112. <\/p>\n
Since 1938 Getty has kept the painting uncleaned and in storage until a year ago, when a restorer began to remove the scummy varnish. Every indication now points to the fact that the painting is an authentic Raphael. <\/p>\n
6047<\/b> Suppliers To Royalty<\/b><\/p>\n
Hundreds of Britain\u2019s most select shops and firms hold a royal warrant as suppliers to the Royal Family. Such a warrant is valued for the prestige it bestows. A holder can use the Royal Arms and the words, \u201cBy appointment to \u2026 \u201d followed by the name of the often long-dead monarch who granted the warrant. Recently about 70 of these shops and firms lost their royal warrant. <\/p>\n
A Buckingham Palace spokesman explained the reason in these words: \u201cMany firms have not supplied anything to the Royal Family for several generations.\u201d Among the losers are a hairdresser to King George, glove and umbrella makers, and a bedtime-drink manufacturer. <\/p>\n
6048<\/b> Violin Never To Be Played<\/b><\/p>\n
The great violinist Nicolo Paganini willed his marvelous violin to the city of Genoa, on condition that it must never again be played upon. Wood while used and handled wears but slightly. Discarded it begins to decay. The lovely-toned violin has become wormeaten and useless. It is only a reminder that a life withdrawn from service to others becomes quite useless. <\/p>\n
6049<\/b> Violin\u2019s 65-Year Rest<\/b><\/p>\n
In one of the rooms of the Tursi Palace, now devoted to municipal uses, is preserved under a seal a precious Guerneri Violin of Paganini. Kocian, the Bohemian violinist, visiting Genoa, asked to be allowed to play on the instrument. The mayor granted the request and invited members of the aristocracy and several musicians. Kocian played one of Bach\u2019s airs and a concerto of Paganini. The audience was greatly impressed. The violin was then replaced in the glass box, where it has rested sixty-five years, and was again sealed in the presence of the spectators. <\/p>\n
\u2014J. Wilbur Chapman<\/p>\n
6050<\/b> Robbing World Of Violin Music<\/b><\/p>\n
A man named Luigi Tarisio loved violins so much that he began collecting them. He took great pride in acquiring only those of the finest quality. No one really knew about his hobby, however, until after he died, when 246 valuable instruments were discovered in his attic. One of the most expensive was hidden in the drawer of an old dresser. It was a Stradivarius he had purchased from someone who had also bought it as a collector\u2019s item. <\/p>\n
W. Y. Fullerton, commenting on this said that in preserving the instrument, Tarisio had robbed the world of beautiful music all the time he treasured those violins. Others before him had done the same, so that when the greatest Stradivarios in his collection was first played, it had been speechless for 147 years. <\/p>\n
\u2014Richard W. De Haan<\/p>\n
6051<\/b> A Wonderful Stipulation<\/b><\/p>\n
Benno Rabinoff, the concert violinist, recently was invited to dinner at a restaurant by a violin enthusiast. The violin fan arrived carrying a violin case. After dinner he opened it. There was an exquisite instrument of red-brown, still glowing with the varnish applied by the master violin maker, Antonio Stradivari. It was made in 1734. Rabinoff\u2019s companion said he was tendering the violin to the concert artist as a gift. \u201cWhy are you giving this to me?\u201d Rabinoff in an interview said he asked the man. \u201cThe man said, \u201cI want to hear it sing again. It has been silent too long.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The donor then made one stipulation\u2014his name never was to be revealed. Rabinoff said the violin was one of the three greatest in the world and that it was worth $100,000. <\/p>\n
6052<\/b> Epigram On Stewardship<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 We cannot serve God and mammon; but we can serve God with mammon. <\/p>\n
\u2014Robert E. Speer<\/p>\n
\u2022 Money is a bad master, but a good servant. <\/p>\n
\u2022 Use the talents you possess. The woods would be silent if only the birds sang that sing the best. <\/p>\n
\u2022 Those who inherit wealth are paid in advance for the service they are expected to render to mankind. <\/p>\n
See also:<\/b> Giving ; Time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. \u2014Luke 19:13 6026 Meaning Of Stewardship A man doesn\u2019t decide to become a steward after he has been saved, nor after he begins to make good money. He is a steward\u2014good or bad\u2014when he becomes a … Continue reading “STEWARDSHIP”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5308\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}