Stewardship
Malachi 3:8-12 "Bring the full tithes .... And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts , if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing ( v. 10 ). Stewardship, the wise use of our resources to glorify God , is the final means of grace that we will discuss in our study of five basic practices of Christian piety. The way we allocate our time, effort, and money speaks volumes about our heart's priorities, giving us a clear window into our own spiritual maturity. Our Creator instituted the principle of stewardship in creation when He gave humanity the task of exercising dominion over the earth He created ( Gen. 1:27-28 ). Ever since then, all people have been tasked with managing their natural resources for the purpose of advancing God's kingdom. This is a principle that is easy to forget because we like to think of our paychecks, properties, investments, energy, and time as our own. Yet "the earth is the Lord's and