Welcome to Monday, July 26th!

Today’s episode of The Cross Talk Daily Devotional is titled:

It's All Mine!

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Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995}

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Welcome to the Monday, July 26th Cross Talk Daily Devotional.

May these words and thoughts bless you and provide you with ideas to think about as you live out this day!

Today's episode is titled:

It's All Mine

In our nation, almost 250 million people identify themselves as Christians. Of those, only 1½ million regularly tithes. Within most churches, between 10-25% of the members provide most of a church's finances.

The question I want us to consider is:

"Does God have the right to demand my time, talent, and treasure for His use?"

Here's a truth attached to that question:

If we are honest, every one of us struggles with the giving of our time, talent, and treasure unto the Lord.

Of the three areas mentioned, the giving of our treasure is sometimes the easiest because we can write a check or drop some cash into the offering plate or box and feel we have fully honored God.

What about the other two areas – time and talent?

We often complain that all the hours of the week are filled with the necessary tasks of life. Life constantly pulls us in many directions at once. However, I have found, and maybe you have as well, that if I want to spend time on something, I find the time no matter how full my day might be.

We demonstrate our love for God when we spend time with him in His Word and prayer.

If God is truly number one in our lives, don't you think we should prioritize and set aside some of our time for him?

Each of us also has a talent that we can use for the Lord's work. God has indicated in His Word that He has provided His Church and its members with the necessary tools - that is – talents or gifts, to get the job done.

Ephesians 4:11-12 NAS95

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,  [12]  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.

I have found that when a person steps out in faith and involves himself in ministry, his gift will often become apparent. This is because you have been given a talent that is a God-given gift. God expects you to use it.

The last in the list is our treasure. So much of our views concerning money probably came from our parents. Mine often discussed finances around the dinner table. My father grew up during the 1930s, when families had very little. He constantly told us to be careful with our money and to realize that one could only spend it once.

We are very prone to the thought of:

"I earned my money. No one gave me anything. I had to work for it."

It may be true that you put in long hours to get where you are. Yet it is God who created you in the first place and gave you the strength and talent to make money.

God's ownership of everything is a foreign concept to most of us. We like to think of it as our money and our possessions. Yet the Bible makes it clear that God owns everything.

I have seen the following thought expressed many times concerning how we view our money. It is illustrated through the following two statements.

1. "How much of my money shall I use for God?" or,
2. "How much of God's money shall I use for myself?"

Like our time and talent, God wants His portion. Therefore, we are to give of our treasure cheerfully.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NAS95

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  [7]  Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

if all Christians simply tithed, it would radically change the Church, and by definition, the world.

We must understand that we are only stewards of everything. If that is clear in our hearts and minds, our giving and ministry involvement will reflect our love for and thankfulness to the Lord.

Let's Pray,

Gracious Heavenly Father,

We very easily fall into the trap of thinking we are the cause of all things in our lives.

Help us to give back the time, talent, and treasure that You have given us.

 Help us to be useful workers in Your kingdom.

In the Name of Jesus,

Amen!