March 1, 2024 … Stewards, Not Owners

March 1, 2024 … Stewards, Not Owners  

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  …  …  Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from the Maranatha Singers singing … Make Me A Servant  …  Poignantly singing of how a Christian seeks to be a servant of God by using what The Lord gives us to be able to serve Him by serving others. 

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Highlight Passage: … Psalms 50:10  [NLT] … 

10 For all the animals in the forest are Mine, and i own the castles on a thousand hills.    

… God declares thru that He owns everything and that His people serve Him as their provider.      

Highlight Passage (in context): … Psalms 50:7-15 … USE THIS LINK … 

…  Asaph, God’s Psalmist, sings of God’s promise to rescue His people with His wealth if they would be willing to serve Him as stewards of all God’s wealth.      

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Reference Passage: … Psalms 24:1 [NLT] …  

1 The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it.  The world and ALL of its people belong to Him.

… According to King David, … God owns it all; and we serve Him!             

Reference Passage: … Mark 12:41-44 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Jesus shows His disciples (and us) of what sacrificial giving is like, and true stewardship and giving, by the illustration of the widow giving her two small coins, … all that she had to give  

Reference Passage: …1Corinthians 4:1-2 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul teaches fellow Christians about servanthood by using his own service, along with that of Apollos, and others who serve God sacrificially and faithfully.                   

Reference Passage: … Titus 1:7-9 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

… The Apostle Paul teaches fellow Christians about what it takes of leaders in God’s church to be Godly servants (i.e., slaves of Christ), using all they (we) have to serve God with their (our) stewardship of what the Lord provides.    

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 4:10 [NLT] …  

10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 

… The Apostle Peter teaches fellow Christians about using what God has given believers to serve Him.                         

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread  Author, James Banks -  AT THIS LINK -  tells of the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation who asked of his being an owner or a steward of the wealth God had given him, … leading the wealthy man to create a trust for his children to allow them to steward their inheritance of God’s gifts.

And that ODB illustration raises the question of our own stewardship of what God has given us, whether it be time, talents, or treasures.  Are we using what God has given us - as stewards of His providence - to become servants of others as our Lord gave His all so that we could serve Him?  And I am convicted to ask myself if my wife and i are really giving back and serving God’s kingdom with worthy stewardship of God’s providence?  And if my readers has taken in the linked song and the Scriptures provided, are we all doing all we can - or should do - to serve our Lord with what He has given us?  I’ll leave that for you to decide as I am trying to do today.          

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me all I need to serve You.      

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray. again today, that all reading here will join me, … to do ALL WE CAN to serve You, Lord, with what You’ve given us.      Amen  

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Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.