1. Giving is a privilege. If we own a car or a home, our resources are in the top two percent of the world’s population. The resources are God’s and I simply must give back to him.

2. Generous giving is an evidence of spiritual leadership. We can learn from David in 1 Chronicles 29: giving begins with the leader.

3. Giving must be based on stewardship decisions. Although people often say they will give something, a “something” gift is rarely sacrificial. Jesus challenged the rich young ruler to give everything, and praised the poor widow who gave her last mite.

4. People give to vision, not programs and budgets. Changed lives, rebuilt homes, marriages restored and needs met among the poor are just a few of the solid, life-changing ministries that Christians want to support with their resources.

5. Giving is a way of relaxing money’s grip on us. Because money is often synonymous with power, giving helps us see money with the right perspective.

6. Christians should be challenged to combine their faith and their giving. We, as Christians, can and should be encouraged to live simply and prudently, seeking the gift - and satisfaction - of giving.

Over the past 30 years I’ve had the opportunity of working with hundreds of volunteers. One humble gentleman and committed Christian volunteered to serve on the major gifts committee of a capital campaign. He had been very successful in his farming business and wanted to give back to God. I accompanied him as he visited friends and family to share his passion for this particular ministry. As a result of his personal stewardship and the financial response of those he visited, he was personally responsible for nearly 30 percent of the total campaign goal.

Author Richard Foster has written, “In times of persecution, Christians give their lives, in times of prosperity, Christians give the fruit of their life’s work.”

When - and if - you and I turn from our own pursuits to face the needs and the needy God has put in our lives, will we respond as God-honoring stewards who can do nothing less in light of His generous gifts to us?

Nehemiah had heard about the walls not being completed in Jerusalem. He cries out to God for wisdom and guidance, seeking courage to address this problem. Reading on, we discover:

• Nehemiah had pure motives. He spent hours in prayer as a broken, repentant man, aware that the reason for the problem was Israel’s sin. At the same time, he asked God to speak to the person with the resources.

• Nehemiah had a sense of mission. He was called to rebuild the city. He had a focused plan and did his homework so he knew what was needed to complete the project.

• Nehemiah asked directly for what was needed. In Chapter 2, Nehemiah comes before the King looking dejected. He risked his life with this sad appearance and was questioned by the king regarding his countenance. After a quick prayer, he explained his cause and made a direct request for funds.

• Nehemiah understood the resources were God’s, not his. It was God’s city he was rebuilding, God’s kingdom he was attempting to expand.

• Nehemiah got a response from the king: What is your cause? What is your need? How long will you be gone? The king says yes by asking, ‘How long will you be gone?’

In verse 18, Paul instructs Timothy to teach the breadth and width of godly stewardship. First, people are to give themselves in personal commitment, as the Macedonians had done in their example of sacrificial giving. Second, we must touch others with our time and talent, reaching out to hurting people and making a difference. Finally, we’re to be generous in sharing our resources. Stewardship begins with a personal commitment to Christ. It is only after that foundational commitment that we can have the proper motivation to reach out and give to others.

Paul concludes by informing Timothy that as Christians invest in the kingdom they’re building up treasure in heaven. This is the same principle Jesus taught in Matthew 6: where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

1. Money does not satisfy (v. 10). In fact, the love of money only creates a desire for more, yielding more greed and self-centeredness.

2. We never have enough (v. 11). Money, greed and possessions are not an economic issue: they’re a heart issue. As consumption increases, life gets out of control.

3. The soul is not at peace (v. 12). Dietrich Bonhoeffer exhorts us: “Our hearts have room for only one all-embracing devotion, and we can only cleave to one Lord.”

God’s antidote to greed is stewardship. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy about stewardship so he could then teach the church. What can we learn?

1. I was among the rich of the world.

2. My giving must be the result of my spiritual commitment, not my financial ability.

3. If I was going to ask people for financial resources, I had to become a sacrificial giver.

4. I needed to re-discover the biblical standard for stewardship.

For nearly 40 years, I have worked with Christians, encouraging their financial commitments to Christian ministries. For half that time I considered my work to be fund raising; then I discovered it should be challenging people to biblical stewardship.

Paul warned against greed when he wrote to Timothy: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10

At 48 years old, as a man, husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, ministry leader, consultant and friend of many I have been brought to my knees before God to simply answer the question:

Is my life oriented right? The basic issue is this - If I am headed off in slightly the wrong direction, it won’t take long until I am in the wrong place - even though I have started with good intentions, only slightly being wrong.

David Goodnight is a “friend of a lifetime” for me. He relayed the following to me: He and his family were skiing. After a break in the lodge, it was time to hit the slopes again. Daughter Laura, was trying to click into her bindings with her skis faced on a slight down hill with snow built up on her boots. Even with the good help of her older brother, it was not working. The snow was caked on her boots, no amount of banging with the ski poles would knock the snow off, making it impossible to click into her bindings. No amount of bracing from her brother kept her skis from wanting to move down hill without her. After some direction from Dad, Laura repositioned her skis, scraped off her boots and “clicked in” - now she was free to ski.

David commented to me “Laura wasn’t oriented right, even though she had everything she needed to ski; she was straining to ski because she wasn’t oriented right. That is the way it is in life, so many people have all the right things and are in the right place, but because they are not oriented right they bring unnecessary struggle onto themselves.”

There is enough of life behind me to see where this is true in my own life. In nearly every area of my life, at one time or another, I haven’t been oriented right, and as a result have introduced unnecessary struggle in my life. I have a deepened resolve not to see it repeat.

I have a strong desire to face the future on stronger footing, in deeper relationship, with greater knowledge, conviction and passion. Today, in the context of much uncertainty, is the right time to focus in on a deeper relationship with Christ.

I believe it is critical that followers of Christ reach for a deeper level of relationship that combines knowledge of God with acts of Christ like compassion bringing a greater expression of the Kingdom of God to this world.

I am in pursuit of the deepest level of relationship with God. I invite anybody who reads this to join me.

Ed McDowell

Our country and the world community lack confidence…in the economy, our leaders and often in our own abilities. I believe we do not have a shortage of money-despite the economic downturn-but a lack of confidence. When people lose confidence in government, a business, a ministry or church the result is never positive and the solution is often long in coming. That’s why it’s important to put forth your vision and mission with the confidence that God is leading you, your staff and the board, as you seek to honor him. People will support vision when it is clearly communicated with confidence even in the worst of times.

The last definition of confidence above troubles me. It is confidential communication. In my nearly five decades of ministry experience, I continue to be disappointed in how poorly Christian leaders and ministry organizations handle confidential information. The essence of integrity is the ability to keep information confidential. A possible theme could be: “What is said here…stays here.” As the stewards of God’s grace we would be well advised to value and honor confidential information.

For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6.

The same is true in parachurch ministries. Those who stay for a length of time make a difference in building an organization that is stable and will provide ministry impact into the next generation.

“Staying the course” is not always easy because you have to deal with people, and people can be frustrating. However, dealing with people is the central issue in leadership. It takes time, patience, creativity, and accepting criticism without getting cynical or ultra negative.

I often feel when leaders move quite frequently they are “leaving something” rather than “going to something.” One of the criteria I use in an executive search is: Is God leading someone to a new opportunity or are they fleeing something that quite possibly needs them to “stay the course.”

Obviously there’s not a hard and fast right answer but I am concerned that it has become easier to “cut and run” than to stay the task and work through the issues.

From time to time it’s good to ask yourself, am I truly staying the course and willing to grapple with the issues that will make a difference in this organization for years to come.

Many leaders have come into an organization and attempted to change the organizational culture without carefully reviewing its history and determining the best way to make changes. The end result is never pretty.

Contrary to that approach, I have watched leaders who over a period of time have carefully crafted, in coordination with board members and staff, a new approach to the organizational culture. The most prevalent result is organizational transformation and new life for the ministry.

As we look for leaders during our executive search process, one of the key factors is “do they fit the new organization?”

As you ponder change in your organization, look for new staff and add new programs, be sensitive to the culture of the organization and look for the approach that fits while maintaining an ongoing commitment to be open to change that is both beneficial and transformational.