An Offertory Devotional video for Sabbath, July 16, 2022, in your @adventistchurch: vimeo.com/701782566. Putting God first can be difficult. What can we learn from this video that will help us put God first in our lives today?
Also available in #Spanish and #Portuguese.
Put #GodFirst
#StewardshipMinistries
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For more information on the Stewardship Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you can head over to stewardship.adventist.org/ ______________________________________________
We worship the God who makes promises and provides instructions. Our Bible text describes the initiative of a widow after she had experienced a miracle—a room of jars full of oil. She returned to Elisha to express gratitude. Then the prophet spoke these final words to her: “Live on what is left!” These words stand as a promise about the sufficiency of God’s provision. She did not have to fear for her future. This was also an instruction not to live on borrowed resources. Previously, her family contracted a huge debt that resulted in painful consequences. Elisha’s parting advice was for her to manage wisely. The Lord does not only perform miracles, but He also teaches us how to use our blessings.
The instruction to “live on what is left” still holds much relevance for us today. Across G20 countries, a quarter of the people did not agree with the statement “Before I buy something, I carefully consider whether I can afford it” (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2017). Personal financial management is a major deficiency of our generation, bringing disastrous consequences. Believers who have the best intentions to partner in God’s mission often do not because their finances are in a mess. These words are unfortunately a common description of reality: “Many do not remember the cause of God, and carelessly expend money in holiday amusements, in dress and folly, and when there is a call made for the advancement of the work in the home and foreign missions, they have nothing to give or even have OVERDRAWN their account” (Ellen G. White, Review & Herald, Dec. 19, 1893, emphasis supplied).
As we claim His promises daily, let us also be diligent in the management of our resources. Some may be struggling, not because the Lord has not already blessed them but because of their lack of self-discipline and good management. This week as we worship with our tithe and regular offerings, called Promise, let us choose to be better managers of God’s resources.