PERSONAL TESTIMONY—WYATT WOOD: “I recently considered my life WITHOUT God. As we began to discuss stewardship in the stewardship committee many weeks ago, our Lord brought to my mind this thought. Wyatt, what would your life be like without Me?
“I have pondered this. What if I had never been blessed to see an answered prayer? What if I had never worshiped at the sight of a cloud-enhanced sunset? What if I had never witnessed a healing that can only be explained as a miracle? What if I had never been moved by reading His sacred word that has been passed from generation to generation? As I contemplated these questions, and many similar, I began to realize fresh and new that God, as blessed by His Son Jesus, has made all the difference in my life.
“Without God, without Jesus, without the Holy Spirit, my life would be wretched indeed! Without the Godhead in my life, I would have no purpose! Without Their presence I would have no comfort! Without grace I would be condemned!
“So, what is stewardship? I believe stewardship is my all-encompassing, all-inclusive response to a great and gracious God who has blessed me beyond imagination with the riches of His glory and grace and has prepared for me a mansion for that day! What will be my response to my God who has given me everything?”
Wyatt Wood
PERSONAL TESTIMONY—WYATT WOOD: This is one of my Thanksgiving prayers: “Thank you, Lord, for blessing with a fresh focus on stewardship!” Life is way too busy! I recently came to the realization that my life is lived in 8 second intervals. Maybe your life is similar. I have no time to waste waiting for the Keurig coffee machine to do its thing and fill my anxiously awaited first cup of coffee in the morning. I feel compelled to use this eon of time as the water flows into my cup to stage my breakfast, feed the cats or a dozen other tasks that demand my attention. I am working full time, am engaged in the lives of my 5 grandchildren that live close by, am involved in volunteer work at the Chapel and elsewhere and am rehabbing pastureland and a large apple orchard on our property. Now, I am sure that my life is not unique as to the demands that issue forth. We all know time is a very precious to us!
So, my life is busy racing from one demand to the next. My to-do list is way overextended. Most of what I am involved with is “good” and “acceptable”. But much probably is not what our Lord would approve in many instances. You see, sadly, I am too focused on the activities of this life! I love the Romans 12: 1-2 scripture but have done a poor job in applying the wisdom of these verses to my life’s priorities. This confusion of priorities includes stewardship. Was it not for this three week pause that our Lord is bringing to my life through the Chapel to consider stewardship, I seriously doubt I would slow my hectic pace at any point to consider my stewardship to God? “Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with a fresh focus on stewardship!”