A disciplined feeding on the Word of God and surrendering to the Lord in prayer leads to an understanding that mankind are only stewards to what God has given them. A man does not become a steward after he has been saved, nor after he begins to make money, have possessions, or authority. He is a steward -- good or bad.

All servants of the Lord are aware of the fact God isn’t impressed with their achievements, opportunities, possessions, talents or abilities for He is the one who gave those things to them. God extends His grace to those who live in the awareness that there will be a day of accountability. The Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to write, "In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one is found faithful . . . The one who evaluates me is the Lord . . . Therefore, don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:2-5)

Sunday morning, March 14, I will conclude a preaching emphasis on stewardship with a “Chest of Joash” service. The Old Testament tells the story of King Joash’s commitment to rebuild the Temple. He gathered the priests and Levites together (2 Chron. 24), and directed the building of a chest to be placed at the entrance to the Temple. The people of God cheerfully brought their offerings, placing them in the chest, until the chest was completely full.

On March 14, we will have our own “Joash Chest” into which we will place our personal commitments to the Lord. Commitment cards will be mailed to everyone in the church, and on the 14th we will bring them to church and, as a part of our worship, will place them in the “chest of Joash.” A copy of the card can be found below. You will notice there is no place for a name, because this is a commitment you are making to the Lord, and not Pastor Randy or Calvary Baptist Church. The card will have a place for you to estimate your giving in critical areas of ministry: Budget giving, Missions, and Debt Retirement. New this year to Calvary is an emphasis on giving to missions over and above the tithe. In the past we have taken an offering for Foreign Missions, the Lottie Moon Christmas offering; the offering for North American missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter offering; offerings for various mission projects and mission trips, homes for Nicaragua, etc. This year, we will attempt something new. The Missions Council has developed a budget for the remainder of this year (Missions Budget is found below), that includes all of the above offerings. It is often easier to give a small amount weekly or monthly, than it is to write a large check a few times a year. Giving faithfully and regularly will enable Calvary Baptist Church to do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission.

These are exciting days! God bless you all.
I’ll see you Sunday smiling on the outside because of the joy on the inside. Randy

Randy