Shepherd Notes October 2022
“Take My Life!!!!”
Frances R. Havergal wrote in his hymn, “Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee. Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect and use Every power as Thou shalt choose. Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.” What is the emphasis of this hymn stewardship! It’s all about serving God with the gifts He has showered upon you. “Stewardship” comes from the Greek word oikonomos which means “house manager”. In the biblical terms “stewardship” refers to God’s children being managers of His creation. In Genesis chapter one and two God placed man over all His creation.
How should we be a manager? Or, perhaps a better question should be, “what should be the goal of our management?” Answer: “6Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, ALL for Thee.” St. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Stewardship should be ALL about God and giving Him glory and praise. Why shouldn’t we? St. James wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” The greatest gift, of course, is salvation through the blood of the Lamb of God.
I write this article as I look at the volunteers for the last part of the year, I know we don’t like to think about the future too much, after all todays motto “Live for Today”. However a new Church Year will be coming soon and along with the New Year comes the need contemplate how we will be stewards of our God given Time and Talents. I am asking every member of this congregation to think about being stewards of God’s gracious gifts, and using them to bring Him glory and praise through our actions. “Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.” What greater way can you use your time and talents than to praise God by lifting up His name before the lost sheep of the world?! Not everyone has the same function in the body of Christ, but everyone is equally important. The question is how you can use the gifts God has given you to praise and honor Him so that the ministry of His Church can let the light of Christ shine to all people. God’s blessings come to each of us differently, yet we All can manage and give the same amount to God proportionately to what He has given us whether Time, Talent, or Treasures. As you pray and contemplate your time, talents, and treasurers ask God how you can use His possessions to give Him praise, glory, and honor. Without His gifts and love we would be lost, but with them we have joy, life, and hope. Let us use His blessings in our lives expressing our love for Him.
Please consider these words as you prepare to “Serve the Lord with Gladness,”
Your Servant in Christ Pastor Brian
Frances R. Havergal wrote in his hymn, “Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee. Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect and use Every power as Thou shalt choose. Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.” What is the emphasis of this hymn stewardship! It’s all about serving God with the gifts He has showered upon you. “Stewardship” comes from the Greek word oikonomos which means “house manager”. In the biblical terms “stewardship” refers to God’s children being managers of His creation. In Genesis chapter one and two God placed man over all His creation.
How should we be a manager? Or, perhaps a better question should be, “what should be the goal of our management?” Answer: “6Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, ALL for Thee.” St. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Stewardship should be ALL about God and giving Him glory and praise. Why shouldn’t we? St. James wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” The greatest gift, of course, is salvation through the blood of the Lamb of God.
I write this article as I look at the volunteers for the last part of the year, I know we don’t like to think about the future too much, after all todays motto “Live for Today”. However a new Church Year will be coming soon and along with the New Year comes the need contemplate how we will be stewards of our God given Time and Talents. I am asking every member of this congregation to think about being stewards of God’s gracious gifts, and using them to bring Him glory and praise through our actions. “Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.” What greater way can you use your time and talents than to praise God by lifting up His name before the lost sheep of the world?! Not everyone has the same function in the body of Christ, but everyone is equally important. The question is how you can use the gifts God has given you to praise and honor Him so that the ministry of His Church can let the light of Christ shine to all people. God’s blessings come to each of us differently, yet we All can manage and give the same amount to God proportionately to what He has given us whether Time, Talent, or Treasures. As you pray and contemplate your time, talents, and treasurers ask God how you can use His possessions to give Him praise, glory, and honor. Without His gifts and love we would be lost, but with them we have joy, life, and hope. Let us use His blessings in our lives expressing our love for Him.
Please consider these words as you prepare to “Serve the Lord with Gladness,”
Your Servant in Christ Pastor Brian