The ministry of stewardship is rooted in the understanding that the entirety of our life is a gift from God.  The most precious gift is God's self-gift, the person of Jesus Christ who came so that we may know life abundant.

Stewardship is a response of discipleship, an ordering of life that puts all we have under Christ's rule: our time, our money, our relationships.  Jesus is not interested in just ten percent. Jesus wants one hundred percent of our lives.  The essence of stewardship formation asks: How do we respond?

The stewardship journey is one of struggle, hope and transformation. Let's pray that God will find for us a collection of resources to equip us in our journey towards creating a culture of gratitude and generosity for all that has been given to us, for everything that we receive day after day, and for all things that we are yet to be blessed with.   

We know we live in a time of economic crisis.  Times of crisis can cause panic, and panic can reveal the best and the worst of the human character.  But as Christians we are reminded not to give in to fear, but to become beacons of hope.   

While our nation's decision makers labor to chart the right course for the nation's economy, Christian churches must do what we are always called to do:  to minister to those in need and pray both for those in need and those who make hard decisions about our nation's future.

As Christians we are often referred to as communities of hope.  It is with that hope, grounded in our faith, that we see this economic crisis as an opportunity to move forward according to God's plan for us. That is our vocation--to become beacons of hope, not because we possess a secret answer to complex financial and economic questions, but rather because we know that the One through whom all blessings flow and all things were made, possesses us in the palm of His hand, that He is in control and that He remains Sovereign on His throne.    

"Be still and know that I am God"

(Psalm 46:10) .

Do you find yourself in a place of nothingness? There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of isolation and waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities - simply inactivity.  

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is a place of nothingness designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something" while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this place when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.  

Many people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot see what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.  

Has God brought you to a place of nothingness? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, your nothingness will be turned into something you will value for the rest of your life.  

(Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.)

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