Tactical Stewardship
Deuteronomy 26:13
“Then you shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me.”
I’m struck by the simplicity of the outline given here for this particular tithe of first fruits. Notice how itemized this giving sheet is: “To the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.” These are four distinct categories of persons in the commonwealth that serves as a helpful guide for our own financial tithing.
First come the Levites who’ve devoted their lives to the sacred work of temple ministry, and we could equivocate their ministry with the work of full-time pastors and missionaries and evangelists today. Areyou faithfully and financially supporting church ministers, friend? Then come the category of sojourners, to which could belong neighbors who may have lost a job, or refugees who show up in town and need fellowship, or ESL ministries and outreaches specifically offering aid to migrants. Are you helping their cause, too? Next come the fatherless who are precious in the Father’s eyes. Have you taken advantage of the plethora of opportunities to sponsor or foster or even adopt an orphaned child? Finally, Moses mentions the widows. Have you made a phone call to a lonely widow from your church lately? Have you prepared a meal and brought it to her home? Don’t ever forget what James writes in James 1:27, “True religion that is pure and faultless is taking care of orphans and widows in their time of need.”
While you’re being a tactical giver, friend, I also encourage you to be a tactile one, too. That is, remember that your gifts are helping actual people, and if we choose to automate every transaction through our bank account, we’ll never really touch or see or feel the need we’re fulfilling. Not that there’s anything wrong with auto drafting donations, but personally I find that when I take time to drop off a check or talk with an office assistant or log on to a website, I’m better served in spirit. I’m more intentional on the one hand, and on the other, the act of giving leads me to prayer and thanksgiving which is an added blessing.