Friday: Further Thought – Stewardship and Mission
Daily Lesson for Friday 11th of September 2026
Further Thought:
Read Ellen G. White, “A Liberal Church,” Pages 335–345, in The Acts of the Apostles.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Those whose hearts are filled with the love of Christ, will follow the example of Him who for our sake became poor, that through His poverty we might be made rich. Money, time, influence—all the gifts they have received from God’s hand, they will value only as a means of advancing the work of the gospel. Thus it was in the early church; and when in the church of today it is seen that by the power of the Spirit the members have taken their affections from the things of the world, and that they are willing to make sacrifices in order that their fellow men may hear the gospel, the truths proclaimed will have a powerful influence upon the hearers.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 71.
“The Lord does not need our offerings. We cannot enrich Him by our gifts. Says the psalmist: ‘All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.’ Yet God permits us to show our appreciation of His mercies by self-sacrificing efforts to extend the same to others. This is the only way in which it is possible for us to manifest our gratitude and love to God. He has provided no other.”—Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, Pages 18, 19.
“How great was the gift of God to man, and how like our God to make it! With a liberality that can never be exceeded he gave, that he might save the rebellious sons of men and bring them to see his purpose and discern his love. Will you, by your gifts and offerings, show that you think nothing too good for Him who ‘gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’?”—Ellen G. White, in The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 15, 1900.
Discussion Questions
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When I was a student, I found a discrepancy in my bank account. Those were the days long before online banking. You had to front up at the bank in person and the entries were all handwritten in ledgers. (Some of you will never had that experience) Anyhow, the teller wrote the entry for a $50 deposit in my account and it had been paid in by Avondale College. I checked with Avondale and all they could tell me that the $50 had come from Phoenix, Arizona. As near as I can guess, someone in Arizona had given a sum of money to Avondale to be given to a needy student. At the time I was putting myself through Avondale and was coming up to my final year. In those days $50 was worth $50 and at a rough guess, in terms of today’s inflated monetary values, would be equivalent to about $2000. I know nothing about the giver other than they wanted to help a needy student. I appreciated the gift and have always regarded it as a forward loan – to be repaid in the future to others in need.
Generosity generates generosity. Paul reminded the Corinthians of Christ’s generosity:
Jesus’ generosity is a forward loan to be repaid in our generosity towards others. Our prayer for this week is that our ears will be open to the needs of others so we can share the generosity of Jesus to us with others.
And in those days when bank tellers hand-wrote your passbook to update the information, the transaction took only a few minutes. Today, with computers, it can take 10 minutes to withdraw or deposit funds. Such is progress!
Giving draws the giver closer to God since giving is an act of worship. When we give willingly and faithfully, we acknowledge that everything we have comes from God and belongs to Him. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, the Bible says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” Giving, therefore, is not simply about meeting the needs of others; it is a personal expression of our love, gratitude, and trust in God. As we worship Him through giving, our hearts become more focused on Him, our faith grows, and we experience the joy and blessing that come from a generous life.
Hi people…
These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence,have not been to me,
As is a landscape to a blind man’s eye:
But oft in lonely rooms, and amid the din,
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;
And passing into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration: feelings too,
Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,
As may have had no trivial influence,
On that best portion of a good man’s life,
His little, nameless, unremembered, acts,
Of kindness and love.
William Wordsworth poem lonely rooms, printed in new Philosopher issue 52, 2026
Reneanne Anderson
Giving to others is for our benefit as much as theirs. It keeps us from being selfish, and self-centered. The cycle of life is one of sacrificial giving for the benefit of others which in turn benefits the giver.
The illustration of the comparison between the Jordan River and the Dead Sea is apropos. The Jordan River takes in and distributes the rain runoff, the soil runoff, etcetera. The flow of the river keeps it alive, receiving and giving. In contrast the Dead Sea is at the terminus of the Jordan River. The Dead Sea takes in but doesn’t reciprocate in distributing the benefits it receives. It therefore becomes mineral laden and toxic.
We weren’t intended to hoard the blessings of God to ourselves. We are to be a channel of blessing to others. When speaking to people about the principles of financial success I share what I learned. When you receive a paycheck, first pay God (tithe and offerings). Then pay your bills. Give to charities that align with your values. Lastly, put something aside to save for a “rainy day.” When we put God and others before ourselves we are more blessed than if we put ourselves first. We don’t want to be “Dead Sea” Christians. We want to be like the Jordan River and let the blessings flow through us.
“John 3:16 hints that the language of heaven is one of giving. Read John 15:13; Ephesians 5:2, 25; Galatians 2:19, 20; and 1 John 3:16. What do these passages and John 3:16 have in common, and what message can we take from them?”
Love of Christ is giving. Love of members is giving. Love of our church is giving to our church. As you can see that these passages have the verb portion of love in common. Maybe a noun portion too.
If you truly love Christ, members, our church, you will willingly obey. Yes, it must be willing obedience. If you forget, make a list of the actions or the willing’s to be made willing, then by all means follow through with your list. “I Lost my list,” then may I suggest start another.
Other ways of giving I have witnessed or heard about: a family has adopted a flower bed in a small city, keeping it free of weeds. Another family has adopted a section of highway, keeping the verge free of garbage. Others regularly visit those in care homes and drive people to medical and other appointments.
There is comfort in knowing, this Sept. the 11th, that Christ remains the head of the church. May we first surrender ourselves to The-Giver-of-Eternal-Life, in all of our decisions.
It is important that we let God direct our means of stewardship or thanksgiving – great or small – as well. The result of doing so is, “an abundance of joy.”
“Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!” (2 Cor 8: 1-5; 12;,16; 2 Cor. 9:15)
Is it possible to fake love? True love has the power to make things perfect. Do I know how to truly love? Has love changed my life for the better? The more I learn about God’s love for me, the more joyfully I can give to others.