STEWARSHIP AS CHARACTER

Enter stage right: Ed McMahon and Evander Holyfield. Ed said, "When you spend more than you make, you know what happens." Yes, and a 85-year-old man should know better! He said it was "poor planning." NO, I THINK IT WAS HIGH LIVING! He was living high in a multi-million dollar home. Also, after having made millions, this should not have happened.

And what about Evander Holyfield who is about to lose his $10 million home in Fayette County, GA? It’s been said that’s he probably made over $200 million in his boxing career. WHERE DID IT ALL GO? High living. Fast living.

The problem is many other Americans are no different, except on a smaller scale. When you live from paycheck to paycheck you’ve got to learn to conserve and BE A BETTER STEWARD OF GOD’S MONEY! And that’s one of the first problems that we have. We don’t consider "our" money to be "God’s" money. But it is! He’s the one who dishes out the jobs and the money!

I Cor. 4:1-2 "So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." KJV Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

ILL.- One time presidential candidate, Ross Perot, has started a Web site to highlight what he calls the "economic crisis" facing the country because of deficit spending.

In a statement Monday, Perot said the nation’s debt reached $9.4 trillion in April and is rising more than $1 billion a day.

"We are leaving our children and grandchildren with debt they cannot possibly pay," he said. "The economic crisis facing America today is far greater than anything since the Great Depression."

What’s the message for us who are in Christ? Most of all, we must trust the Lord to provide for us. He is our great provider. We must seek Him first in life and He will provide for our NEEDS. (Matthew 6:33).

ILL.- Recently, Bob Stacy, of the Spring Hill Church of Christ in Middletown, OH, wrote: HE’LL NEVER LEAVE US! "Today gasoline is selling for $3.95 per gallon. Yesterday I paid $52.99 to buy thirteen gallons of gas. Some are predicting that within two years, it will be $7.00 per gallon. Some are wringing their hands, saying, "What will we do?"

(SOURCE: from a sermon by Steve Shepard, "What’s Happening in America?" 7/3/08 SermonCentral.com)