The Pentecost season is a perfect opportunity to think about the receiving side of stewardship. For most of us, gifts from God don’t come with balloons and fanfare. God’s more subtle than that. Here are three steps you can take to receive God’s gifts.
1. Claim your talents. The best way to demonstrate that you’re thankful for your God-given talents is to use them.
2. Seize an opportunity. Have you been asked to speak or accept an assignment, and you’re scared silly? If the opportunity seems like it might be a gift from God, go for it.
3. Allow others to give. If you or someone you love is in trouble, don’t hide it. Others are ready to help. Imagine how arrogant it must sound to God to hear, “I can handle this on my own.” Yes, God loves a cheerful giver, and it’s a good bet that God loves a generous receiver, too.
This message is adapted from a stewardship devotion written by Sue Edison-Swift for Women of the ELCA in 1999. Today we remember Dag Hammarskjold, renewer of society, who died in 1961.
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