Sabbath: Stewardship and Mission
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 5th of September 2026
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study
2 Corinthians 8:1-24; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; John 3:16; John 17:5; Luke 9:58; Revelation 13:8; Romans 12:8; Romans 15:26-27.
Memory Text:
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9, NKJV).
2 Corinthians 8:1-24 and 9 show that Paul gave the Corinthians the opportunity to serve their brothers and sisters in Judea. This passage shows that giving is a privilege that God grants us, so that we can emulate the self-giving character of Christ. The language of heaven is one of giving. Notice these remarkable words: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16, NKJV; emphasis supplied).
Furthermore, John 3:16 clearly expresses God’s purpose in giving Jesus, so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (NKJV). Stewardship and mission go together in this passage. They are as inseparable as the two sides of a coin. It is no wonder that Paul identifies himself and his fellow workers as “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1, NKJV). We, too, are stewards in the same sense.
This week we will see that the concepts of stewardship and mission are deeply rooted in the example of Jesus. Indeed, stewardship and mission are inseparable. Stewardship provides the church with financial and human resources to fulfill God’s mission.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 12.
When my wife, Carmel, was a primary teacher at the local Adventist School, she asked her class if they would like to do something special for Christmas. The class decided they would like to collect up some food and toys for needy kids at Christmas. The idea caught on and the whole school decided they would contribute to this project. They chose to give the proceeds of this project to the local Salvation Army, who had a better handle on the needs in the area and the mechanism for distributing the donations. When the school had collected the goods together they had a school assembly and asked the Salvation Army folk to send someone to receive the goods. The Salvation Army person came in their little van and was absolutely blown away. He quickly got on the phone to his headquarters and said, “Send the big truck! We are going to help a lot of people this Christmas.”
This became a yearly event for the rest of the time Carmel was teaching at that school and spoke volumes about the generosity of Seventh-day Adventists into the local community. (And for the naysayers who say the school should have given the goods to ADRA, the gift to the Salvos spoke to the community in ways that ADRA could not at the time.)
2 Cor 8 and 9 have a message about generosity. Seventh-day Adventists have an end-time message but that message has to be built on generous giving into the community around us. I know that the story I have told above is just a small example of Adventist generosity. There are other community projects in our churches. I would like to hear those stories this week from our readers. We already know the reasons for being generous. Let’s share the action.
My local church has for nearly 20 years been helping to support three children through International Children’s Care. In that time some children have aged out of the program and been replaced by others. It is a wonderful organization.
Brother Maurice,
Jefferson, Texas USA is a rural area with much need, so several local churches(non Addventist) started red cabinet ministries of their own. A friend introduced me to one because I was given non-perishible food items that I couldn’t use due to dietary restrictions.
A red cabinet that is outside a church or community building or even outside someone’s fence, is a nonjudgemental place though small, that people can come and gather food or other necessities without having to fill out applications. No one knows or asks whether they are in need or whether they are donating.
There are two of these cabinets that I try to help with not only in donating, but in maintenance because the need is there.
Jesus testified that man could not live on bread alone, that people had physical needs to address before they could concentrate on spiritual ones.
Red cabinets provide the opportunity for both, not just during the holidays, but on a daily basis.
“Giving is a privilege that God grants us, so that we can emulate the self-giving character of Christ.” This statement is from the lesson author, and I find it profoundly worth reflecting on.
To have anything to give or share is God’s pure grace. Anything we own or have is by God’s grace and mercy. To start with, the life that we have is a gift from God. Without life, there is no possibility of acquiring anything. It is God who provides us with the privilege to acquire wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). We need to acknowledge that giving what God has given us is a privilege because God has chosen us to be the custodians of His blessings. Therefore, when we share or give out something, God is simply using us as agents to distribute His wealth. There is nothing we own that is truly ours.
I also find the lesson author’s statement to be profoundly challenging and true in the sense that we cannot be followers of Christ and be stingy and mean at the same time. As we have received all these by God’s grace and mercies, we ought to open our hearts and hands to share God’s blessings. The spirit of meanness is the spirit of idolatry and self-worship. By giving and sharing in good faith, we reflect the spirit of heaven. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16, NKJV). Unless we learn to give and share things, it will be impossible to surrender our hearts to Jesus. The story of the Rich Young Ruler in the Bible tells it all ( Luke 18:18–23).
Whatever the Lord tells us to do is meant to play a role towards our salvation if it is obeyed. And when He asks us to give and share, He intends to produce in us His character of selflessness to guaranteeus a place with Him someday. It is true that the test of the heart’s surrender is on what we own. No wonder Abraham’s test of true surrender to God was based on the precious thing he possessed- his son Isaac. When he gave him to the Lord, heaven declared that Abraham feared the Lord.
With all due respect, David, we cannot do anything to play a role in our salvation. It is not our works + God’s works. It’s God’s works all the way. Our response flows out of what God has already done in our life.
Hi Maurice Ashton…
Stories of generous giving you requested…
My mother Betty Thorpe Anderson hired the orange hall in Bundaberg Queensland around Christmas and New year at her own expense to distribute goods to the poor she paid for. I had the job of packing the parcels. She advertised the offer in the local paper. Good response. Had to do it that way because of anti Christmas attitude in Bundaberg church in those days. I was a primary school kid then.
This example gave me impetus to be what she wanted me to be.
Reneanne Anderson
Hi people…
All things new… onevoice 2027….
I dreamed in a dream I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth.
I dreamed that was the new city of friends.
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love..it led the rest.
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city..
And in all their looks and words.
Walt Whitman from book entitled the poetry of Walt Whitman.
Reneanne Anderson
Christian life requires all to be diligent stewards, for we shall give an account of our lives to the Lord; therefore, stewardship remains a test of trust besides a training ground for eternity and mission. Ben Maxson describes stewardship as “a lifestyle lived within the lordship of Jesus Christ.” It is clear that stewardship flows from true knowledge of the Father, making generosity natural and, by extension, making mission more personal. All resources and blessings belong to the Master, but it remains our task and duty to be faithful stewards and to care for all that has been entrusted to us. Paul reminds the Corinthians that “what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7), and therefore everything we possess is ultimately received from God.
The understanding of God’s grace is beautifully expressed in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” We need to be diligent and honor God with how we handle all that He has entrusted us with, remembering that “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). As Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “God loves a cheerful giver,” showing that true stewardship is not merely about what we possess but about the heart with which we give to support mission. When we truly understand the grace of God and recognize that all we have comes from Him, generosity becomes natural, we become faithful stewards and mission becomes more personal, for we are not merely managing our resources but faithfully caring for what belongs to the Master.
The Grace That Teaches Us to Give
This week’s lesson brings us back to the amazing sacrifice of Christ. The memory text, 2 Corinthians 8:9, captures the heart of the gospel: “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Christ did not merely give something to us, He gave Himself. Heaven’s greatest treasure was surrendered so that sinners like myself, could receive the riches of salvation. His giving was motivated by grace and love, not obligation.
Therefore, Christian stewardship is much more than money. It is the grateful response of a heart that has encountered the self-giving love of Christ. Our time, abilities, resources and lives become instruments for His mission.
Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians reminds us that stewardship and mission cannot be separated. God gives to us so that, through us, others may be blessed. The more deeply we understand what Christ gave for us, the less we see giving as a burden and the more we see it as a privilege.
We do not give in order to earn God’s grace; we give because we have already received the immeasurable grace of Christ. The greatest Steward became poor for us, and now invites us to reflect His self-giving character in a world that desperately needs His love.
Each Christmas, my local church in Montreal, Canada collects gifts of all kinds and makes up shoe box gifts according to age and gender to distribute to needy children.
In addition a separate collection is done for women in shelters because of situations of domestic abuse. This collection is particularly appreciated as the women are often there with children and Christmas gifts are the least of things on their minds when they fled their home in haste.
Finally, when the new school year starts many families are blessed with new backpacks filled with school supplies and also some new running shoes. These gifts are courtesy of the generosity of members and friends of the LaSalle New Life SDA church.
I quote the author’s statement from Sabbath afternoon’s section of our Lesson -” Stewardship provides the church with financial and human resources to fulfill God’s mission.” and in today’s section, in last paragraph – “Stewardship and mission go together.”
Prior to looking at yesterday’s and today’s section of our Sabbath School lesson for this week, I revisited the comments made for Friday’s section of last week’s lesson. It appears that is what may have “coloured” my present thoughts; to the point that for me – Stewardship and Christian Fellowship go together. ( A minute or two ago I quickly turned the pages of the Quarterly and it appears that he touches on it on Thursday section of the Lesson)
As we labour together in the service of God we can experience Christian Fellowship.
For a little while now , through the University’s Practicumn procedure I have been attending a small struggling church. Every Sabbath I attend, I am requested to do something on the rostrum. Unfortunately it appears that small bands are not functional in that small assembly. It would make such a difference to our fellowship; which would strengthen the financial and human resources provided to fulfill God’s mission.
Tithing does not necessarily mean giving to the church exclusively. It means giving for a good cause that would either further God’s work or bring glory to Him. We need to give responsibly. Giving to an organization which abuses the funds received is not giving responsibly. The organization needs to be held accountable for how the funds are used. Giving money to a “poor, needy” person who uses the money to support his drug habit is not giving responsibly. Giving to an organization which builds a spa exclusively for its employees’ use instead of using the tithe for God’s work is not giving responsibly.It is a good idea to find out what percentage of donations the organization uses for administration.
Examples of what I consider giving responsibly are:
– giving to support ministers or missionaries overseas, knowing that 100% of your funds are used for their support
– helping with half the tuition for kids whose parents cannot afford to send them to private christian schools; having the parents come up with half the tuition teaches responsibility instead of giving a handout
– buying food or clothing for specific “poor and needy” individuals or groups instead of giving money which they may use to support their drug habit; develop a relationship with them, and let them see God’s love through your words and actions.
I believe that you must meet people where they are. We at our church have been trying to feed the homeless. Our church, Voice of Hope in Oklahoma City,
OK. Started the “Hope Street Kitchen”.
Members goes out on Sundays into the community and feed people where they are. We prepare the food and then go
out into the city and give them a fresh cooked meal. Hunger is a big problem, we try to meet that need in a small way.
This ministy is something that we thought was needed. I believe this is
Stewardship and Mission in a small but effective way.
Stewardship is the management of all the talents one receives. From life itself: time, body, mind, and financial means — everything is supposed to be wisely used for the good of the one who receives and all those around.