Stewardship
While creating revenue for the church is essential, it is not the foundational purpose of stewardship. Don’t misunderstand this: raising money for the operation of the church is important, and the money people give or don’t give will either empower or cripple ministry that the church must be about and that the world desperately needs. However, stewardship is about relationships: with God, with the church, and with our money and possessions.

God wants us to find joy in our tithing, in any giving, given in gratitude and love and not out of obligation, guilt, or coercion. Those gifts given in joy are the ones that truly please God. He doesn’t need our gifts or our money, but our gifts can really get his attention.

Exercise
Think about this scenario. If fire were moving toward your home and you had just a few minutes to fill just one box, what would you take? Make a list of items that you would be able to quickly put into a box. (You can imagine that this box is about the size of 2 milk crates.)

Now, imagine looking into that box after you have safely evacuated. Those are the things that you gathered that were important to you in that moment. Adrenaline aside, which might have made you grab up the most random item from the kitchen counter, what does this box say about what is important in your life? Under your list of items, journal for a moment about what these items say about you and what you value.

Finally, look at your finances. If you can pull up expenses for the past six months online, do that. If not, grab your bank statements or checkbook and look at what you have spent money on in the past six months. What does this say about what is important in your life? What seems to be your priority based on those expenses? Take a moment to write a few sentences about what your expenses say about your priorities and the strength of your relationship with God.

You can do this exercise on a guided worksheet that is available here or in the hallway outside the Sanctuary.