LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 97

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

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oes God supply each congregation with sufficient
talent to do all that God expects of it?
Are there “born leaders” or can everyone lead?
e believe that our talents are a loan from God.
“What are some of the basic considerations in any
"kind of loan? Apply this to the talents that God has
loaned us.
& What do you think of the saying, “A person can doa
" Jot of good in this world if he doesn’t care who gets
“the credit”?
‘What relationship does the faithful use of the means
of grace have to willingness to serve Christ, the
- Christian congregation, and the church at large?
0; How many full-time professional workers has your
- eongregation supplied since the time of its existence?
‘What suggestions can you offer for improving this
record?
1.. What special talents do you possess? Make a list of
the ways in which you have been using these
~ talents. How can you improve this performance?
Finally, what are the payoffs, what is the bottom
ne? Our God is a God of grace, but He beautifully
wards us for what we do with the gifts He has by grace
‘given us. “God is able to make all grace abound toward
“you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).
g;.R. C. Rein in Adventures in Christian Stewardship
-reminds us of some of the rewards. God’s promises
gsure us on one hand that He will continue to grant us
the spiritual blessings we need in this life. He will
‘preserve His saving Word among us. He will daily and
-richly grant us free and full forgiveness for all sins. He
-will keep us in the saving faith. He will daily hear our
prayers. He will spare us and care for us in a physical
way. “
_ He that did not spare His own Son, but gave him up
for us all, will also take care of the day-by-day details of
life—food, clothing, sustenance. Therefore, the Holy
Scripture exhorts us to cast all our care upon Him for He
cares for us.

These are some of the earthly rewards that God by
His grace grants to faithful stewards in this life. Even
greater rewards are reserved for the life to come. The
rewards are all of grace. “The gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is an inheritance that
is reserved for us in heaven, which we will receive as a
free gift because we are joint heirs with Christ.

_: Christ made this very plain in one of His discourses
about the final judgment when He spoke of welcoming
His faithful stewards, saying, “Come, blessed of My

consists of the words of the hymnist which read:

My prayer for you and for the church and myself

ESSAYS ON STEWARDSHIP 97

Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world”’ (Matt. 25:34).

Although it is the Holy Spirit working in us and
through us that makes us both to will and to do that
which is pleasing in God’s sight, Christ in His grace,
promises to reward us for such works of faith and labors
of love as though we were the originators of them. And
to this end, He promises to reward our smallest deeds.
Like those of giving a drink of water in His name, giving
food to the hungry, showing hospitality to strangers,
clothing the destitute, and visiting the afflicted.

The Holy Scriptures speak of this future reward as
being with God in paradise, seeing Him face to face,
living with Christ in the heavenly mansions. They tell
us that at the appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, these lowly bodies that we now have will be
changed and fashioned like unto His glorious body.

This corruptible will put on incorruption and this
mortal will put onimmortality, and the sufferings of the
present life will be as nothing compared to that which is
coming. There will be no more death, sorrow, sin, or
pain. Night with its terrors will be gone. We will hunger
and thirst no more. The Lamb in the midst of the throne
will feed us with heavenly manna and lead us to the
fountains of living water, and God shall wipe away all
tears from our eyes.

In this infinitely glorious world to come, our lost
image of God will be fully restored. And God’s purpose
for our lives will finally and fully be accomplished. We
shall awaken with His likeness. We shall behold His
face in righteousness. We shall eat of the tree of life. And
together with saints and angels, we shall sing His
praises saying: “Salvation to our God who sits upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb... . blessing . . . and
thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto
our God forever and forever” (Rev. 7:10, 12).

This is the final reward of grace that God has
reserved in heaven for every faithful Christian steward.
It is the Lord’s final commendation, ‘“‘Well done, good
and faithful pepole, you have been faithful over a few
things. I will make you ruler over many. Enter into the
joy of your Lord.”

Our response should be nothing less than the
sentiment and desire and prayer of these four lines:

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all, for Thee.

Guido Merkens

Ill
Conservation and Stewardship of Treasure
(Transcript)

O God, forsake me not!
Thy gracious presence lend me;