Stewardship training begins with the Young

Deuteronomy 6: 6-7

These commandments (love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength) that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

I would admit that these instructions are primarily written for parents and home life, but since many parents partner with us (Christian schools), the admonition is for schools folks as well.

We can and should teach stewardship to our children. As parents we teach by example the joy of obedience to give our tithe to the local church. We teach giving generously when we contribute or volunteer to other worthwhile causes.

In the school, we can also teach stewardship. We can (as is done in my school) have the upper school students participate in keeping the building clean and neat. The activities of collecting trash and vacuuming remind our young people that stewardship is the "care of" of what God has entrusted to us. The cleaning is not punishment, but training in the basics that we all need.

This platform allows us to move into the stewardship of time, talent and treasure God has given. It is where we can teach money management and generosity from a Biblical perspective. That way, our children become generous young people, people who understand that everything we have has been given by God for His glory and our good.

Learning stewardship before we have so much money - that's a concept worth considering!

The "Giving Blessing"

Acts 20:35 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

If you ask a child what is the most exciting part of Christmastime, they will likely answer - 'getting presents'. That perspective agrees with our own memories of Christmas.

As we grow older, however, we come to see that there is more fulfillment found in the deeper meaning of life.

The deeper level of fulfillment in life is not found in what we get but what we give. Children, of course, cannot understand this - how could anything be better than getting good gifts?

But, as every parent and grandparent knows, there is no gift we could ever receive that exceeds the joy of watching the bubbling enthusiasm of your own children (or grandchildren) wildly tear open a box and squeal with glee as they delight in its contents. Then come the kisses and hugs from grateful recipients. That's a recipe for pleasant memories!

Why should it be any different with the wealth with which God has blessed us? If we or our donors miss the deeper joy of giving then we are stuck trying to derive satisfaction from material wealth that we try to hold on to.

As encouragers of Kingdom giving, let us remind our donor-friends of this generosity-induced blessing. And, let us share in this wonderful joy.

The giving of good gifts, however large or small, reminds us of the greatest gift ever given: the gift of eternal life from the Father through the Son.

Stewardship - A Case Study

Malachi 3:10-12

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty.

My stewardship model / motto is: Helping connect the PASSIONS of God's people with His PROVISIONS for Kingdom PURPOSES. These three P's help me focus and they help me communicate how the Lord is directing me in biblical stewardship.

This past week I had the opportunity to see the process work again:

A donor-friend calls and tells me that his school teacher friend has this wonderful collection of classic resource books for early elementary students. He knows of my work in my new school and gives me their contact information.

I call and make an appointment to have them meet me at the school later in the week. The visit went great, the couple was impressed with our school and decided to bless us with all 1,100 volumes. Our school probably doubled the collection for these grades. The donors were pleased to see their collection received and used. I even received a thank-you note from the donors! This is the "bi-lateral" blessing - when both the giver and receiver are blessed by the gift.

Lessons for the stewardship officer:

1. Good friends (like the one who called me) are precious gems
2. We must keep talking about the value (and beauty) of non-cash gifts
3. Often the best gifts come at times when we least expect them - be on the lookout for them
4. When PASSIONS connect with PROVISION amazing things can happen
5. Remember to follow through - my interactions with these new donors are just beginning; we want to have them come back to read aloud to the students and let them see the other aspects of our education enterprise

The Lord says "test me". With expectation, pray that the Lord makes us available for those unplanned blessings.