In a world that teaches us that being blessed is manifested in the abundance of “things”, anyone who understands the danger that the world poses to the believer’s faith must learn what God’s standard measure for blessing is! The world’s standard of measure of blessing destroys stewardship consecration.

Consider several words in the scriptures that translate as “blessed”:

• Hebrew words are – barak, ashrey
• Greek word is – Makarios – the state of deep divine happiness and is repeatedly used by the Lord for those in His kingdom in Matthew 5:3-11. And in each verse, ‘makarios’ attaches to acts of service, worship and stewardship in line with God’s demands; and never, not even once relating to having more and more things (the world’s measure).

Believers are warned precisely and specifically against seeing blessings as the abundance of things (Luke 12:15-21) because it eliminates God, our dependence upon Him and our duty of “barak” – worship – from our lives.

Consider the wise man’s:

1. warning in Proverbs 30:15-16 (MSG) – A freeloader has twin daughters named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.” Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—hell, a barren womb, a parched land, a forest fire, and
2. his prayer in Proverbs 30:7-9 (MSG) – And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things before I die; don’t refuse me— Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I’m too full, I might get independent, saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’ If I’m poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.”

how they both dovetail into Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians 9:8,10-11 speaking to God responding to the disposition of the Macedonian Church in 2 Corinthians 8:3-5 and breaking the spirit of the daughters of the leech.

The Macedonian church fit themselves into Proverbs 30:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 (NLT). Such is the change of mindset requited for stewardship consecration, a central point in walking the full steps of consecration. Selah.
 

Pastor Afolabi Oladele