It's no accident there are more Scriptures on money and possessions than any other subject...

Stewardship: Revealing Our Hearts

by Norma J. Goldman

Stewardship is, and always has been, a matter of the heart. That is not to say it isn’t about obedience, because it is. It’s not to say it isn’t a mandate of Scripture, because it is. But the passages from Scripture that best illustrate stewardship principles reveal startling truths about the hearts of men and women.

The first mention of giving is found in the Book of Beginnings—Genesis. It recounts the familiar story of Cain and Abel bringing offerings and goes on to reveal that Adam taught these principles of giving to his sons. Adam, in turn, must have learned them from God. They had heard (but perhaps not learned) that giving is a normal human response in worshipping God the Creator. Giving, as we will see in later chapters, involves the first, the best, and the most choice possessions, given with a heart that desires to please and honor God.

Cain resented the fact that God was pleased with Abel’s gift—given as prescribed and with a heart aimed at pleasing God. He was angered that his own, not the first and best, was not regarded. We see clearly his heart condition, when full of fury and thoughts of revenge, he murdered his own brother.

By the time Abram appears in Genesis 14, the tithe had already been established, not only among God followers but among heathen nations as well. In worship and in gratitude for winning a victory over his enemies, Abram presented a tithe of the “spoils of war” to a mysterious priest of God Most High, the king of Salem, named Melchizedek. The intent of Abram’s heart was to thank and honor God as the One who provided the victory.

Much later, God spoke to His people through the prophet Malachi regarding the consequences they were experiencing because of their unfaithful hearts—seen in their marriages and in their robbing Him of tithes and offerings.

Likewise, Jesus assumed His followers would tithe, and He told them plainly the tithe was not to be neglected, but neither should they neglect the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These words fulfill the heart condition described in Micah 6:8.

Present-day believers likely have heard some say that Christians do not live under the Law, but under grace. Jesus sheds light on this misapplication of Scripture when He says plainly in His inaugural address, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. The standard Jesus set was that the demands of grace were greater, exceeding the demands of the Law. Rather than looking to justify the very least we can do, our efforts should be characterized by giving, as the Macedonians did, “beyond their ability.”

One final example illustrates the critical importance of one’s heart in coming before the Lord with tithes and offerings: the two men who came to the Temple to pray—one humble and contrite, the other puffed up with pride at his giving, fasting and status. The contrast in the hearts of these two men could not be more evident.

The demands of grace are that we should seek to bring our tithes and offerings from an obedient heart, filled with love and gratitude for what He has done, what He is doing and what He yet will do in and through us, His people.

It’s no accident that there are more Scriptures on money and possessions than any other subject except love. God knew that stewardship would be a problem for people, and He provided this mirror of our heart condition so we could give as He gave, from a heart of love—freely, liberally, with no thought of the cost.

About the Writer: Former magazine editor Norma J. Goldman enjoys a successful freelance writing career in her retirement.
Stewardship is, and always has been, a matter of the heart. That is not to say it isn’t about obedience, because it is. It’s not to say it isn’t a mandate of Scripture, because it is. But the passages from Scripture that best illustrate stewardship principles reveal startling truths about the hearts of men and women.

The first mention of giving is found in the Book of Beginnings—Genesis. It recounts the familiar story of Cain and Abel bringing offerings and goes on to reveal that Adam taught these principles of giving to his sons. Adam, in turn, must have learned them from God. They had heard (but perhaps not learned) that giving is a normal human response in worshipping God the Creator. Giving, as we will see in later chapters, involves the first, the best, and the most choice possessions, given with a heart that desires to please and honor God.

Cain resented the fact that God was pleased with Abel’s gift—given as prescribed and with a heart aimed at pleasing God. He was angered that his own, not the first and best, was not regarded. We see clearly his heart condition, when full of fury and thoughts of revenge, he murdered his own brother.

By the time Abram appears in Genesis 14, the tithe had already been established, not only among God followers but among heathen nations as well. In worship and in gratitude for winning a victory over his enemies, Abram presented a tithe of the “spoils of war” to a mysterious priest of God Most High, the king of Salem, named Melchizedek. The intent of Abram’s heart was to thank and honor God as the One who provided the victory.

Much later, God spoke to His people through the prophet Malachi regarding the consequences they were experiencing because of their unfaithful hearts—seen in their marriages and in their robbing Him of tithes and offerings.

Likewise, Jesus assumed His followers would tithe, and He told them plainly the tithe was not to be neglected, but neither should they neglect the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These words fulfill the heart condition described in Micah 6:8.

Present-day believers likely have heard some say that Christians do not live under the Law, but under grace. Jesus sheds light on this misapplication of Scripture when He says plainly in His inaugural address, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. The standard Jesus set was that the demands of grace were greater, exceeding the demands of the Law. Rather than looking to justify the very least we can do, our efforts should be characterized by giving, as the Macedonians did, “beyond their ability.”

One final example illustrates the critical importance of one’s heart in coming before the Lord with tithes and offerings: the two men who came to the Temple to pray—one humble and contrite, the other puffed up with pride at his giving, fasting and status. The contrast in the hearts of these two men could not be more evident.

The demands of grace are that we should seek to bring our tithes and offerings from an obedient heart, filled with love and gratitude for what He has done, what He is doing and what He yet will do in and through us, His people.

It’s no accident that there are more Scriptures on money and possessions than any other subject except love. God knew that stewardship would be a problem for people, and He provided this mirror of our heart condition so we could give as He gave, from a heart of love—freely, liberally, with no thought of the cost.

About the Writer: Former magazine editor Norma J. Goldman enjoys a successful freelance writing career in her retirement. Learn more about the Free Will Baptist Board of Retirement.