HOLISTIC STEWARDSHIP! (PSALM 24)

The Very Rev Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
Provost.

This whole week we have been talking about holistic redemption and we have been reminded that all that we are and have must submit to the Lordship of Christ Jesus. In Holistic stewardship we are specifically evaluating our role as custodians of all that God has entrusted to us to keep for him. We understand three major areas namely; God’s Ownership, Our Responsibility and Our Accountability. God created the world and the universe, and He has retained ownership of it. Acknowledging that God owns everything is a basic key to developing a healthy spiritual life. (Psalm 24:1)

If He owns everything then there are principles that are mandatory for us as believers. These include the tithing, thanksgiving, offering, prayer, receiving and many others. The tithing principle where we know that a tenth of everything we get belongs to the Lord as written in Malachi 3:10. The tithe is a basic response to God’s authority, acknowledging His ownership of ourselves and all we have.

When we tithe, we say to God, “I belong to You; the world belongs to You; my possessions belong to You.” It is also an expression of our willingness to trust Him to meet our needs.

Giving back to God is an expression of our faith in God who gave his all in all. We give to God for mission and other kingdom business. It is telling God how much we trust him and his promises and our feeling for those who do not have. In the Gospel of Luke 6:38 “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it shall be measured to you”. Giving is a realization that our life is in His hands and that if he commands us to give, then we must give, whether it makes sense from a human standpoint or not. In essence, what we are saying to God is, “I will give all to You.” “All” includes our money, our service to Christ through the local church and our aid to others who have needs. As James reminds in 2:14-17 if we do not express our faith through appropriate spiritual exercises, then our faith is not genuine.

Receiving sometimes has been taken for granted and many people want to receive without any attachment to God. If we willingly give to others, God will supply our needs (Mal. 3:10; 2 Cor. 9:8; Phil. 4:19, 2 Cor. 9:8). Example is given by Paul of the Macedonians who first gave themselves to the Lord. The Philippian church first gave to the ministry of Christ through Paul. Then God supplied their needs. But God’s unlimited supply is for those who exercise obedience; He cannot be bribed by token monetary gifts in hopes of buying His favor. We must give with a thankful, cheerful heart (2 Cor. 9:6-7).

Let us understand that all that we are, what we have, including our lives and families belongs to God. He can give and also take away. Therefore let us obey Him by keeping everything well and also giving back to him at his command. God bless you.

The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye,
Provost.