When you are a steward of God’s grace, tell the story. Read Deuteronomy 26:1-11. Stewardship in modern-day Christian thinking is when we give ten percent of our income to the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ to transform the world. We generously give to the church in response to God’s generosity to us. When Moses instructed people to give to the ministry of the Levites, he told them to take their first fruits, the first ten percent of their harvest, and give them to God. He also instructed them to tell the story of the people when presenting their offering. Starting with Abraham and continuing through the Exodus and wandering in the wilderness, they were to tell the story of a gracious God who provided everything they needed. God heard the cry of the people when they were slaves in Egypt. God presented the people with miracles and led them out of slavery. God led them to the Promised Land. As Christians, when we give generously to our local church, it would be a good exercise to tell the story. “God loves us so much that God sent Jesus to live among us. Jesus gave his life on the cross to forgive us of our sins and bring us into a right relationship with God. When we put our faith in Jesus as Lord and promise to follow Jesus all the days of our lives, we can live forever with God in heaven.” If we tell the story of what God has done for us with each offering, our gratitude grows. We are not only stewards of the resources and finances that God has blessed us with, we are stewards of the story of God’s grace.

Dear God, thank you for giving us everything we need today. Help us to be good stewards of our resources, of the story, and of your grace. Amen.