We Give Thee but Thine Own (ELW 686)
Devotion
1We give thee but thine own,
whate'er the gift may be;
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O Lord, from thee.
2May we thy bounties thus
as stewards true receive,
and gladly, as thou blessest us,
to thee our firstfruits give.
3The captive to release,
to God the lost to bring,
to teach the way of life and peace—
it is a Christlike thing.
4And we believe thy word,
though dim our faith may be:
whate'er we do for thine, O Lord,
we do it unto thee.
Text: William W. How, 1823-1897, alt.
I recently attended a Stewardship Conference presented by Charles Lane and Grace Pomroy at the Nebraska Synod Assembly. Their presentation began with two basic stewardship principles: first, "everything is God's"; and second, "we are stewards/caretakers (not owners) of all that is God's." Pastor Lane's point was to emphasize that, since everything belongs to God, we don't truly own anything. God invites us into the process of caring for what is God's. Even the things we think we own are, in reality, God's. Our whole lives from birth to death are held always in the Lord's outstretched arms. The words of this hymn — "We give thee but thine own…" — are a great reminder of this.
How we care for others and make time for relationships has been a major theme in this week's devotions. God provides time, talent, energy, and stuff. Let us put what is God's to work by loving well.
Prayer
Gracious Lord, this day belongs to you. How would you like me to use it? Who would you like me to spend extra time with? Provide all that is needed, Lord, and provide opportunities for me to use what you provide well. Amen.