January 19: Stewardsip and Generosity

 Stewardship and Generosity

Author: Andreka Davis

Scripture Reading:

“Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. … Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.” – Acts 9:36-37a, 40

As women, we often feel the weight of responsibility – balancing family, career, relationships, and personal needs. Stewardship is about managing all that God has entrusted to us: our time, talents, resources, and even our hearts. The core of stewardship is not ownership, but rather the realization that everything we have belongs to God. Our homes, finances, and even our health are gifts from Him, and we are called to manage them wisely.

Like many others, I can relate to the story of Tabitha, she was a woman who lived in Joppa who the Bible says …was full of good works and deeds which she did. I do not want to overthink this passage of Scripture, but it touched my heart as I read about her life. We know very little about her but Tabitha was a disciple. She followed Jesus’s teachings about how to treat others. She made clothes for the widows and the poor. She always did good and helped those in need.

I think sometimes we can be so overwhelmed with all of the crazy things that people do in this world today that it is hard to look at others and be kind to them. It is even harder for us to spend our precious time, and even our hard-working money, on something that would be of benefit to someone else. We would much rather be doing for us and ours than doing something for someone else who probably will not appreciate it anyway. At the least, this is what the Devil whispers in our ears when the Holy Spirit tells us to be kind to someone else.

However, we know that Tabitha did not think twice about it because, as we see in verse 39, when Peter finally arrived in Joppa, the widows of the town gathered around him to show him the coats and garments that Tabitha had made for them when she was with them. They took the time to remember all of the good things she had done in her life.

It is not our goal in life to do things today so people will remember us tomorrow or in the future and praise us for the things we did for them. That is not how we should want to be remembered; but we do want to be remembered as women who were tenderhearted, kind, and fair. Most of all, we want to be remembered as women who reflected Jesus Christ in our life.

Many people may never read the Bible or even see the inside of a church during their lifetimes, but if we as Christians are living as we should, they will see enough of Jesus’ love and compassion in us to say, “She lived what she believed.”

Just like Tabitha, so many of us are devoted to helping others. But, when we need help, who is there to help us? The story of Tabitha/Dorcas shows us that when we do as Jesus taught, we are his disciples and he hears our prayers.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for hearing us when we pray to you. Thank you for healing us when we ask you to. Though it might not be when or how we expect it, you will do it when it is the right time. Thank you for watching over us and blessing us so that we may be able to bless others. In your precious name, amen.