A Month of Devotions for Practicing a Life of Stewardship

By Rev. Frank Wulf for the Echo Park United Methodist Church

It is our conviction that stewardship is at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. This conviction is rooted in a few fundamental beliefs drawn from teachings of the Bible:

1. The earth does not belong to us but to God. (Psalm 24:1) We are merely stewards of the good things that God has created. (1 Peter 4:10)
2. God has provided resources in abundance to satisfy the needs of the whole creation. (Genesis 1:29-30)
3. God calls us to share from the abundance that we have received so that everyone will have enough. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
4. There is a relationship of complementarity between what we share with others and what we receive for ourselves. (Luke 6:38)
5. Generosity defines the life of a truly Christ-like community. (Acts 4:32-35)

We encourage you to use this guide throughout the month of October.  Go here to see the entire series: Month of Devotions for Practicing Stewardship

Find a time during each day when you can spend 15-20 minutes reading the assigned scriptures, meditating on the role of stewardship in the communal life of God’s people, and praying for the Spirit to guide you in living out your calling to be faithful stewards of God’s grace.

It is our hope that you will use it daily during this time when we focus our attention on what it means to be stewards of God’s abundance.

O God, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. 

—St. Francis of Assisi —

All scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are taken from the Common English Bible, © 2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. Permission is granted for reproduction and use by local congregations and religious bodies. The following credit line must be clearly included: “Reproduced with permission from Echo Park United Methodist Church.”